Language-based video game

• US 8,825,492 B1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yousef A. E. S. M. Buhadi
• Original Assignee: Yousef A. E. S. M. Buhadi
• Inventors: Buhadi, Yousef A. E. S. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sirjani, Fariba
• Application Number:
  US14/065,157
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 704/276
• US Class Current: 704/272
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04

Abstract

The language-based video game places a player avatar into a game environment contained within a display field following a story narrative or an adventure for completing an objective. The gameplay reinforces pronunciation and writing of a given language. The display field includes a minor head graphic, as can be highlighted text in the given language, interactive text objects, and can include a control icon and a progress icon. The minor head graphic is a representation of a human head, or portion thereof, animated to show pronunciation of the highlighted text. As the player progresses through the game, the player encounters the interactive text objects that, upon activation, transform into useful objects for overcoming challenges present in the game environment, the interactive text object being the same as, substantially the same as, or corresponding to the highlighted text. Avatar movement and interactions are controlled through a control scheme via an interface.

Claims

1. A method for playing an educational language-based video game providing a graphical user interface in accordance with instructions executed by at least one processor, the instructions being stored in a memory, the processor providing images for display and changing the images in response to player input, comprising the steps of:

first, generating a display field and a game environment within the display field, the game environment respectively corresponding to a corresponding stage of one or more stages in a game progression;

second, generating at least one avatar, the at least one avatar representing at least one corresponding player of the language-based video game;

third, generating a control scheme to control avatar movement and interaction of the avatar in a corresponding stage in the game progression;

fourth, selectively generating at least one head graphic showing a representation of at least a portion of a human head related to speech;

fifth, selectively displaying the game environment, at least one head graphic, and at least one avatar within the display field;

sixth, providing an objective for the at least one avatar to accomplish;

seventh, using the processor, selecting at least one text in a given language in relation to accomplishing the provided objective, wherein the selected at least one text includes predetermined component parts;

eighth, displaying the at least one selected text within the display field;

ninth, animating the at least one head graphic in response to the at least one selected text in order to graphically show a pronunciation of the at least one selected text;

tenth, displaying an interactive text object within an avatar-occupied game environment within the display field, the interactive text object corresponding to the at least one selected text;

eleventh, controlling the avatar to interact with the interactive text object;

twelfth, transforming the interactive text object into a non-textual form, wherein the component parts have been rearranged to be usable by the avatar to overcome at least one challenge to accomplish the provided objective within the game environment;

thirteenth, selectively using the transformation of the interactive text object to overcome the at least one challenge; and

fourteenth, providing an audio recitation for at least one or more of said objective, the selected text, the corresponding selected text, the interactive text object or the corresponding interactive text object;

fifteenth, repeating the eighth through thirteenth steps in the game progression until completion of the provided objective,

wherein at least one stage in the game progression relating to accomplishing the provided objective has a corresponding selected text and a corresponding interactive text object for interaction with the avatar at a corresponding stage in the game progression.

2. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 1, wherein said control scheme comprises direction arrows and a general interactive command button.

3. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

providing an interface for operating said control scheme.

4. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

highlighting one or more of said direction arrows and said general interactive command button when respectively selected in response to input from the player through said interface.

5. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 4, wherein said step of highlighting comprises the step of selecting from a group consisting of changing color, changing size, animating the selected one or more of direction arrows and the selected general interactive command button, and combinations thereof.

6. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one selected text or the corresponding selected text is selectively displayed in highlighted form within the display field, and

the interactive text object or the corresponding interactive text object corresponding to the at least one selected text or to the corresponding selected text is selectively displayed in highlighted form within the avatar-occupied game environment within the display field.

7. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 6, wherein selectively displaying the at least one selected text, the corresponding selected text, the interactive text object and the corresponding interactive text object in highlighted form comprises the step of selecting from a group consisting of changing a color of said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, changing a font size of said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, animating said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, and combinations thereof.

8. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selectively generating at least one non-player character (NPC) during at least an introductory stage in the game progression, the at least one NPC selectively providing at least one player with information or at least one task in relation to accomplishing a corresponding objective.

9. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 1, wherein said step of selectively generating at least one head graphic comprises the step of generating a main head graphic in an introductory stage in the game progression and a minor head graphic in a remaining stage in the game progression, the minor head graphic being smaller in scale with respect to the main head graphic.

10. The method for playing an educational language-based video game according to claim 1, wherein the interactive text transformation into at least one other usable object is selected from the steps consisting of:

separating, reshaping, restructuring, reformatting, and/or re-rendering the interactive text; and

wherein the at least one challenge is selected from the group consisting of;

battle, confrontation, contest, race, match, and/or competition.

11. A computer software product, comprising a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processor of a computer implemented device, the non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for simulating a language-based video game, the set of instructions comprising:

a first sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to generate a display field and a game environment within the display field, the game environment respectively corresponding to a corresponding stage of one or more stages in a game progression;

a second sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to generate at least one avatar, the at least one avatar representing at least one corresponding player of the language-based video game;

a third sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to generate a control scheme to control avatar movement and interaction of the avatar in a corresponding stage in the game progression;

a fourth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to selectively generate at least one head graphic showing a representation of at least a portion of a human head related to speech;

a fifth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to selectively display the game environment, at least one head graphic, and at least one avatar within the display field;

a sixth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to provide an objective for the at least one avatar to accomplish;

a seventh sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to select at least one text in a given language in relation to accomplishing the provided objective, wherein the selected at least one text includes predetermined component parts;

an eighth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to display the at least one selected text within the display field;

a ninth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to animate the at least one head graphic in response to the at least one selected text in order to graphically show a pronunciation of the at least one selected text;

a tenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to display an interactive text object within an avatar-occupied game environment within the display field, the interactive text object corresponding to the at least one selected text;

an eleventh sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to control the avatar to interact with the interactive text object;

a twelfth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to transform the interactive text object into a non-textual form, wherein the component parts have been rearranged to be usable by the avatar to overcome at least one challenge to accomplish the provided objective within the game environment;

a thirteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to selectively use the transformation of the interactive text object to overcome the at least one challenge; and

a fourteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to provide an audio recitation for at least one or more of said objective, said selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object;

a fifteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to repeat the seventh sequence of instructions through the fourteenth sequence of instructions in the game progression until completion of the provided objective,

wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to provide at least one stage in the game progression relating to accomplishing the provided objective to have a corresponding selected text and a corresponding interactive text object for interaction with the avatar at a corresponding stage in the game progression.

12. The computer software product according to claim 11, wherein to generate said control scheme comprises a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to generate direction arrows and a general interactive command button.

13. The computer software product according to claim 12, the set of instructions further comprising:

a sixteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to provide an interface for operating said control scheme.

14. The computer software product according to claim 13, the set of instructions further comprising:

a seventeenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to highlight one or more of said direction arrows and said general interactive command button when respectively selected in response to input from the player through said interface.

15. The computer software product according to claim 14, wherein to highlight one or more of said direction arrows and said general interactive command button comprises a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to select from a group consisting of changing color, changing size, animating the selected one or more of direction arrows and the selected general interactive command button, and combinations thereof.

16. The computer software product according to claim 11, the set of instructions further comprising:

a sixteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to;

selectively display in highlighted form within the display field the at least one selected text or the corresponding selected text; and

selectively display in highlighted form within the avatar-occupied game environment within the display field the interactive text object or the corresponding interactive text object corresponding to the at least one selected text or to the corresponding selected text.

17. The computer software product according to claim 16, wherein to selectively display in highlighted form the at least one selected text, the corresponding selected text, the interactive text object and the corresponding interactive text object within the display field comprises a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to select from a group consisting of changing a color of said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, changing a font size of said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, animating said at least one selected text, said corresponding selected text, said interactive text object or said corresponding interactive text object, and combinations thereof.

18. The computer software product according to claim 11, the set of instructions further comprising:

a sixteenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to selectively generate at least one non-player character (NPC) during at least an introductory stage in the game progression, the at least one NPC selectively providing at least one player with information or at least one task in relation to accomplishing a corresponding objective.

19. The computer software product according to claim 11, wherein to selectively generate at least one head graphic comprises a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes said processor to generate a main head graphic in an introductory stage in the game progression and a minor head graphic in a remaining stage in the game progression, the minor head graphic being smaller in scale with respect to the main head graphic.

20. The computer software product according to claim 11, wherein the interactive text transformation into at least one other usable object is selected from the steps consisting of:

separating, reshaping, restructuring, reformatting, and/or re-rendering the interactive text; and

wherein the at least one challenge is selected from the group consisting of;

battle, confrontation, contest, race, match, and/or competition.