Modification of avatar attributes for use in a gaming system via a moderator interface

• US 8,597,121 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Andres Del Valle, Ana Cristina
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Application Number:
  US12/495,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20090325701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36, 715/706
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity

Abstract

A gaming system comprises a gaming platform adapted to run a computer game in which an avatar is associated with a player of the game; a memory arranged to store one or more attributes associated with said avatar, said attributes affecting at least the appearance of the avatar in the game; a first input port adapted to receive an input of the player for controlling the progression of the avatar in the game; and a second input port adapted to receive an input of a moderator indicating a modification to be applied to one or more of the avatars attributes stored in said memory, wherein the gaming platform is adapted to display to the player an indication of modified attributes.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

receive an input, from a user device, for controlling an avatar to perform tasks during progression of the avatar in a game;

provide one or more avatar attributes to a moderator device;

receive a command from the moderator device to modify at least one of the one or more avatar attributes,

the command being manually entered at the moderator device,

the command being based on an analysis of one or more attributes associated with a health of a user of the user device, and

at least one of the one or more avatar attributes not being modified when at least one of the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user indicates that a corresponding avatar attribute should be modified;

modify, based on the command, at least one of the one or more avatar attributes to create a modified avatar; and

replace the avatar with the modified avatar in the game.

2. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further to:

provide, for display, the modified avatar in the game.

3. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further to:

receive sensor data associated with the user,

the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user being based on the sensor data; and

provide the received sensor data to the memory for storage.

4. The device of claim 3, where the processor is further to:

provide the received sensor data to the moderator device.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user are associated with an appearance of the avatar in the game.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more avatar attributes are associated with at least one of:

a physique of the avatar,

a skin tone of the avatar, or

a size of the avatar.

7. The device of claim 1, where the processor is included in a gaming console.

8. The device of claim 1, where the user device is part of a gaming console and the processor is located remotely from the user device.

9. The device of claim 1, where the device is a mobile device.

10. The device of claim 1, where

the processor receives the manually entered command from a health expert.

11. The device of claim 1, where

the game includes a plurality of avatars, and the processor is further to:

receive a command from the moderator device to modify at least one avatar attribute for more than one of the plurality of avatars; and

modify, based on the received command, at least one avatar attribute for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars to create a respective modified avatar for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, an input, from a user device, for controlling an avatar to perform tasks during progression of the avatar in a game;

providing, by the device, one or more avatar attributes to a moderator device;

receiving, by the device, a command from the moderator device to modify at least one of the one or more avatar attributes,

the command being manually entered at the moderator device,

the command being based on an analysis of one or more attributes associated with a health of a user of the user device, and

at least one of the one or more avatar attributes not being modified when at least one of the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user indicates that a corresponding avatar attribute should be modified;

modifying, by the device, at least one of the one or more avatar attributes to create a modified avatar; and

replacing, by the device, the avatar with the modified avatar in the game.

13. The method of claim 12, where

the manually entered command is received from a health expert.

14. The method of claim 13, where the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user include at least one of:

a weight of the user,

a blood pressure of the user,

a blood sugar level of the user,

a heart rate of the user,

a lung capacity of the user, or

a muscle/fat ratio of the user.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving sensor data associated with the user,

the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user being based on the sensor data; and

providing the received sensor data to the moderator device.

16. The method of claim 12, where

the game includes a plurality of avatars, and the method further comprises:

receiving a command from the moderator device to modify at least one avatar attribute for more than one of the plurality of avatars; and

modifying, based on the received command, at least one avatar attribute for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars to create a respective modified avatar for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars.

17. The method of claim 12, where the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user are associated with a visual appearance of the avatar in the game.

18. The method of claim 12, where, when modifying at least one of the one or more avatar attributes to create a modified avatar, the method further includes:

modifying a speed of the avatar in the game.

19. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

initiate a gaming session;

receive an input, from a user device, for controlling an avatar to perform tasks during progression of the avatar in the gaming session;

provide, during the gaming session, one or more avatar attributes to a moderator device;

receive, during the gaming session, a command from the moderator device to modify at least one of the one or more avatar attributes,

the command being manually entered at the moderator device,

the command being based on an analysis of one or more attributes associated with a health of a user of the user device, and

at least one of the one or more avatar attributes not being modified when at least one of the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user indicates that a corresponding avatar attribute should be modified;

modify, based on the command and during the gaming session, at least one of the one or more avatar attributes to create a modified avatar; and

replace, during the gaming session, the avatar with the modified avatar.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 19, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to provide, for display, the modified avatar in the game.

21. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 19, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to receive sensor data associated with the user,

the one or more attributes associated with the health of the user being based on the sensor data;

one or more instructions to provide the received sensor data to the moderator device.

22. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 19, where

the game includes a plurality of avatars, and the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to receive a command from the moderator device to modify at least one avatar attribute for more than one of the plurality of avatars; and

one or more instructions to modify, based on the received command, at least one avatar attribute for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars to create a respective modified avatar for each of the more than one of the plurality of avatars.