Method and system to match users of a social gaming platform

• US 8,771,079 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Sethi, Sudhanshu Pintu, Ocko, Matthew Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US13/077,690
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36, 463/39, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An introduction mechanic of a computer-implemented online game introduces a user of the online game to other players of the online game that are experiencing a common game objective. The introduction mechanic may determine another player to introduce to the user based on the other player not being directly associated, as reflected within relationship data, with the user. Also, if the user and the other player are opted into the introduction mechanic, the introduction mechanic may associate the user and the other player with the common game objective of the computer-implemented game, thereby allowing the user and the other player to interact to achieve the common game objective.

Claims

1. A method to introduce a first user of a computer-implemented game to other users, the method comprising:

ranking a plurality of users based on a suitability for interacting on achieving a common game objective with the first user;

determining a second user of the ranked plurality of users to introduce to the first user based on the second user not being directly associated, as reflected within relationship data, with the first user; and

using at least one processor, based on the first and second users being opted into an introduction mechanic of the computer-implemented game, associating the first user and the second user with the common game objective of the computer-implemented game in response to the first player encountering the common game objective after a start of game play, thereby allowing the first user and the second user to interact to achieve the common game objective.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the second user to introduce to the first user involves:

ranking a plurality of users of the computer-implemented game according to degree of separation, as reflected within the relationship data, from the first user; and

determining the second user based on the ranking of the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking involves:

ranking a plurality of users of the computer-implemented game according to game level proximity to the first user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second user is at most three game levels apart from the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an opt-in request to the first user, wherein the opt-in request includes at least an option for the first user to opt-in to the introduction mechanic;

receiving an opt-in indication from the first user of a computer-implemented game, wherein the opt-in indication indicates that the first user is opting-in to the introduction mechanic of the computer-implemented game; and

recording the first user as opted into the introduction mechanism based on the opt-in indication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the opt-in request further includes an option for the first user to opt-in to geographic-proximity introductions by the introduction mechanic.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the opt-in indication further indicates that the first user is opting-in to geographic-proximity introductions;

and

wherein the determining of the second user to introduce to the first user involves identifying a set of users associated with a first geographic location that is within a determinable distance from a second geographic location associated with the first user.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the opt-in request is sent to the first user in response to determining that the first user has not achieved the game objective.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the opt-in request is sent to the first user in response to detecting a decrease in game interactions from the first user.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the opt-in request is sent to the first user in response to the determining of the second user, and determining that the first user is not opted into the introduction mechanic.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving a referral message from a third user associated with the first user, wherein the referral message indicates that the third user is referring the first user to opt-in to the introduction mechanic, and wherein the opt-in request is sent to the first user in response to receiving the referral message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the opt-in request includes an incentive for the first user;

and

wherein the method further comprises awarding the incentive to the first user and the third user in response to receiving the opt-in indication indicating at least that the first user is opting-in to the introduction mechanic.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the determining of the second user, sending an introduction request to the first user, wherein the introduction request identifies the second user; and

associating the first user and the second user in the relationship data based on receiving a first introduction confirmation from the first user and a second confirmation introduction from the second user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the introduction request identifies the common game objective.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the introduction request includes an incentive for the first user;

and

wherein the method further comprises awarding the incentive to the first user in response to receiving the first and second introduction confirmations.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the common game objective includes at least one of:

a new game challenge which the first user has not initiated;

a current game challenge which the first user has not completed;

a game level which the first user has not reached; and

a virtual good which the first user has not obtained.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the common game objective includes a competitive challenge of the computer-implemented game;

and

wherein interactions between the first user and the second user include the first user and the second user competing to achieve the common game objective.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a losing participant in the competitive challenge receives a diminished reward relative to a reward awarded to a winning participant in the competitive challenge.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the common game objective includes a cooperative challenge of the computer-implemented game;

and

wherein interactions between the first user and the second user include the first user and the second user cooperating to achieve the common game objective.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cooperating involves the first user and the second user participating in a synchronous interaction.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the cooperative challenge is a timed challenge.

22. The method of claim 5, wherein the common game objective includes a flash sale transaction;

wherein the flash sale transaction is complete when a determinable minimum number of users purchase an item prior to an expiration deadline of the flash sale transaction; and

wherein the opt-in indication identifying the first user further indicates that the first user desires to meet other users of the computer-implemented game to complete the flash sale transaction.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising presenting the flash sale transaction to the first user in response to determining that the first user has encountered an obstacle of the computer-implemented game.

24. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating usage analytics based on opt-in indications received from a set of users of the computer-implemented game;

wherein sending the opt-in request to the first user involves determining a set of opt-in options to include in the opt-in request based on the usage analytics.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a ranking module for ranking a plurality of users based on a suitability for interacting on achieving a common game objective with the first user;

an introduction module to introduce a first user of the computer-implemented game to other users, wherein the introduction module determines a second user of the ranked plurality of users to introduce to the first user based on the second user not being directly associated, as reflected within relationship data, with the first user; and

an association module to associate the first user and the second user with the common game objective of the computer-implemented game in response to the first player encountering the common game objective after a start of game play, based on the first and second users being opted into the introduction module, thereby allowing the first user and the second user to interact to achieve the common game objective.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the determining of the second user to introduce to the first user involves:

ranking a plurality of users of the computer-implemented game according to degree of separation, as reflected within the relationship data, from the first user; and

determining the second user based on the ranking of the plurality of users.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the ranking involves:

ranking a plurality of users of the computer-implemented game according to game level proximity to the first user.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising an opt-in module to:

send an opt-in request to the first user, wherein the opt-in request includes at least an option for the first user to opt-in to the introduction module;

receive an opt-in indication from the first user of the computer-implemented game, wherein the opt-in indication indicates that the first user is opting-in to the introduction module; and

record the first user as opted into the introduction module based on the opt-in indication.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the opt-in module sends the opt-in request to the first user in response to determining that the first user has not achieved the common game objective.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the opt-in module sends the opt-in request to the first user in response to detecting a decrease in game interactions from the first user.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the opt-in module sends the opt-in request to the first user in response to the determining of the second user, and determining that the first user is not opted into the introduction module.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a referral module to receive a referral message from a third user associated with the first user, wherein the referral message indicates that the third user is referring the first user to opt-in to the introduction module, and wherein the opt-in module sends the opt-in request to the first user in response to the referral module receiving the referral message.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the opt-in request includes an incentive for the first user;

a

wherein the apparatus further comprises an incentive-awarding module to award the incentive to the first user and the third user in response to determining that the opt-in module received the opt-in indication indicating at least that the first user is opting-in to the introduction module.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the introduction module sends an introduction request to the first user based on the determining of the second user, wherein the introduction request identifies the second user;

and

wherein the association-module associates the first user and the second user in the relationship data based on determining that the introduction module received a first introduction confirmation from the first user and a second introduction confirmation from the second user.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the introduction request includes an incentive for the first user;

and

wherein the incentive-awarding module awards the incentive to the first user in response to determining that the introduction module received the first and second introduction confirmations.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the common game objective includes a competitive challenge of the computer-implemented game;

wherein interactions between the first user and the second user include the first user and the second user competing to achieve the common game objective; and

wherein the incentive-awarding module awards, to a losing participant in the competitive challenge, a diminished reward relative to a reward awarded to a winning participant in the competitive challenge.

37. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the common game objective includes a cooperative challenge of the computer-implemented game;

wherein interactions between the first user and the second user include the first user and the second user cooperating to achieve the common game objective; and

wherein the cooperating involves the first user and the second user participating in a synchronous interaction.

38. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the common game objective includes a flash sale transaction;

wherein the system further comprises a flash-sale module to present the flash sale transaction to the first user in response to determining that the first user has encountered an obstacle of the computer-implemented game;

wherein the flash sale transaction is complete when a determinable minimum number of users purchase an item prior to an expiration deadline of the flash sale transaction; and

wherein the opt-in indication identifying the first user further indicates that the first user desires to meet other users of the computer-implemented game to complete the flash sale transaction.

39. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising an analytics module to generate usage analytics based on opt-in indications received from a set of users of the computer-implemented game;

wherein prior to the opt-in module sending the opt-in request to the first user, the opt-in module determines a set of opt-in options to include in the opt-in request based on the usage analytics.