Virtual competitive group management systems and methods

• US 9,283,480 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hothead Games Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hothead Games Inc.
• Inventors: DeYoung, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/194,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463/7, 463/9, 463/13, 463/23, 463/26, 463/28, 463/40, 463/41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• 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 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

Abstract

Virtual competitive group management systems and methods are provided herein. Exemplary systems may execute methods via one or more processors, which are programmed to compare one or more skill levels of a player to skill levels of a plurality competitors, wherein a skill level is associated with player competitiveness within the interactive game, determine at least one of the plurality of competitors who have at least one skill level that is greater than the skill level of the player, and place the player and the at least one of the plurality of competitors into a competitive group such that the player is at a competitive disadvantage to at least one of the plurality of competitors.

Claims

1. A system for assigning a plurality of game devices to competitive groups in an online interactive game, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by one or more servers and when executed operable to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a game device that is executing a local instance of an online interactive game, an asynchronous notification of a selection of a competitive game mode option by a user during a predetermined period of time;

evaluating one or more virtual skill levels for a character of each game device of a competitive group of game devices, each game device executing a local instance of the online interactive game, the one or more virtual skill levels indicative of character performance relative to performance of others of the plurality of characters in the online interactive game;

comparing the plurality of characters to one another using their respective virtual skill levels;

adding the game device to the competitive group of game devices to become one of the competitive group of game devices;

communicating game results back and forth between the competitive group of game devices to track the game results of the local instance of the online interactive game executing on the game devices of the competitive group of game devices; and

communicating the tracked game results back and forth between the competitive group of game devices executing the local instance of the online interactive game.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the competitive group of game devices includes a team created to compete against multiple competitive groups in a competitive group competition mode in the online interactive game.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual skill levels of each character is based on purchased in-game virtual items.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual skill levels of each character is based on an attribute of the character.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the attribute is agility of the character.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the competitive group of game devices is a team.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising matching characters of the plurality of characters of the competitive group of game devices based upon a skill level of each of the characters.

8. A system for assigning a game device to a competitive group in an online interactive game, the system comprising:

one or more server processors; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or more server processors and when executed operable to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a first game device that is executing a local instance of an online interactive game, a notification of a selection of a competitive game mode options;

comparing a skill level of a character of the first game device to skills levels of each character of a competitive group of game devices executing a local instance of the online interactive game;

if at least one of the characters of the competitive group of game devices has a skill level that is greater than the skill level of the character of the first game device, adding the first game device to the competitive group of game devices to become one of the competitive group of game devices;

communicating results back and forth between the competitive group of game devices, including the first game device, to track results of the local instance of the online interactive game executing on the game devices of the competitive group; and

communicating the tracked results back and forth between the game devices of the competitive group, including the first game device.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the skill level of each character is based on purchased in-game virtual items.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the skill level of each character is based on an attribute of the character.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the attribute is agility of the character.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to perform operations comprising matching two or more competitive groups in competition within the online interactive game.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein each character is a team.

14. A method comprising:

evaluating, using a server, a virtual skill level for a character of each of a plurality of game devices executing a local instance of an online interactive game;

comparing, at the server, the evaluated virtual skill levels of the characters to one another;

grouping two or more of the plurality of game devices together into a competitive group in the online interactive game based upon the comparison of the evaluated virtual skill levels of the characters; and

communicating, via the server results in real time back and forth between the competitive group of game devices to track results of the local instance of the online interactive game executing on the game devices of the competitive group.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the skill level of each character is based on purchased in-game virtual items.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the skill level of each character is based on an attribute of the character.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the attribute is strength of the character.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the attribute is agility of the character.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the skill level of each character is based on likelihood of success.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the skill level of each character is based on likelihood of success determined from past game play.