Automatic generation of suggested mini-games for cloud-gaming based on recorded gameplay

• US 9,352,226 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miura, Victor Octav Suba, Perry, David, Dias, Philippe, Yong, Kelvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/831,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2402 Input by manual operation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2404 Keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2407 Joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2457 Display screens, e.g. monitors, video displays
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32

Abstract

A method for generating a playable limited version of a video game is provided. A user'"'"'s gameplay of a full version of the video game is recorded. The user'"'"'s recorded gameplay is analyzed to determine a region of interest. Boundaries are defined within a gameplay context of the video game based on the determined region of interest. The limited version of the video game is generated based on the defined boundaries.

Claims

1. A method for generating a playable game slice of a video game, comprising:

recording, by a cloud gaming system that includes at least one server computer, a user'"'"'s gameplay of the video game, wherein recording the user'"'"'s gameplay includes recording one or more of user input data received over a network from a first client device, or game state data generated by processing the user input data by a video game processor of the cloud gaming system;

analyzing, by a game state analyzer of the cloud gaming system, the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay to determine a region of interest, wherein analyzing the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay includes determining levels of activity of the user input data or game state data, the region of interest being a region having levels of activity that exceed a predefined threshold;

defining, by a break point processor of the cloud gaming system, boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game based on the determined region of interest that define options for selection of a beginning and an end for the playable game slice; and

generating, by a game slice generator of the cloud gaming system, the playable game slice of the video game based on the selection defined from the boundaries, the playable game slice of the video game being a portion of the video game, the playable game slice being configured for interactive gameplay as defined by the selected beginning and end;

sharing the playable game slice of the video game over the network to one or more additional client devices for interactive gameplay by one or more additional users;

wherein the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game includes defining a spatial boundary within a virtual space of the video game.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the spatial boundary within the virtual space of the video game defines a portion of the virtual space less than an entirety of the virtual space, the portion of the virtual space having a subset of features of the virtual space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein defining boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game includes one or more of, defining a temporal boundary within a temporal context of the video game, or identifying a nearest start point or a nearest end point of one or more of a stage, level, or scene.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein analyzing the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay includes determining user game state settings based on the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay;

and

wherein generating the playable game slice of the video game includes defining the playable game slice of the video game to have initial game state settings based on the determined user game state settings.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest is automatically identified based on correspondence to one or more thresholds.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said thresholds is associated to one or more of user inputs, a rate of user input, a frequency of user input, repeats of a user input, an input pattern, sharing of the gameplay context with other users, posting of comments associated with the gameplay on a social network, or popularity of portions of the video game based on social network sharing levels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the break point processor is configured to determine breakpoints that define the boundaries based on one or more of geography, time, task accomplishment, goal accomplishment, a physical scene boundary, or a temporal scene boundary.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the video game by the video game processor to generate video data;

transmitting the video data over the network from the cloud gaming system to the first client device for rendering to a display by the first client device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first client device is configured to generate the user input data from user interactivity with the rendered video data detected through one or more peripheral devices.

11. A method for generating a playable game slice of a video game, comprising:

recording, by a cloud gaming system that includes at least one server computer, a user'"'"'s gameplay of the video game;

analyzing, by a game state analyzer of the cloud gaming system, the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay to determine one or more regions of interest;

presenting each of the regions of interest for selection;

receiving a selection input indicating a selected region of interest;

for the selected region of interest, defining, by a break point processor of the cloud gaming system, boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game based on the selected region of interest to define a beginning and an end for the playable game slice; and

generating, by a game slice generator of the cloud gaming system, the playable game slice of the video game based on the defined boundaries, the playable game slice of the video game being a portion of the video game, the playable game slice being configured for interactive gameplay as defined by the beginning and end;

sharing the playable game slice of the video game on an information page communicated over the network to one or more client devices for interactive gameplay by one or more additional users;

wherein the method is executed by a processor.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein recording the user'"'"'s gameplay includes recording one or more of user input data or game state data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay includes determining levels of activity of the user input data or game state data, each region of interest being a region having levels of activity that exceed a predefined threshold.

14. The method of claim 11,

wherein analyzing the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay includes determining user game state settings based on the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay;

and

wherein generating the playable game slice of the video game includes defining the playable game slice of the video game to have initial game state settings based on the determined user game state settings.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each region of interest is automatically identified based on correspondence to one or more thresholds.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the break point processor is configured to determine breakpoints that define the boundaries based on one or more of geography, time, task accomplishment, goal accomplishment, a physical scene boundary, or a temporal scene boundary.

16. A method for generating a playable game slice of a video game, comprising:

recording, by a cloud gaming system that includes at least one server computer, a user'"'"'s gameplay of a full version of the video game, wherein recording the user'"'"'s gameplay includes recording one or more of user input data received over a network from a first client device, or game state data generated by processing the user input data by a video game processor of the cloud gaming system;

analyzing, by a game state analyzer of the cloud gaming system, the user'"'"'s recorded gameplay to determine one or more regions of interest, wherein each region of interest is automatically identified based on correspondence to one or more thresholds;

presenting each of the regions of interest for selection;

receiving a selection input indicating a selected region of interest;

for the selected region of interest, defining, by a breakpoint processor of the cloud gaming system, boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game for the playable game slice based on the selected region of interest;

generating, by a game slice generator of the cloud gaming system, the playable game slice of the video game based on the defined boundaries, the playable game slice of the video game being a portion of the video game, the playable game slice being configured for interactive gameplay;

sharing the playable game slice of the video game over the network via a social network to one or more additional client devices for interactive gameplay by one or more additional users;

wherein the method is executed by a processor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the break point processor is configured to determine breakpoints that define the boundaries based on one or more of geography, time, task accomplishment, goal accomplishment, a physical scene boundary, or a temporal scene boundary.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein defining boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game includes defining a spatial boundary within a virtual space of the video game;

wherein the spatial boundary within the virtual space of the video game defines a portion of the virtual space less than an entirety of the virtual space, the portion of the virtual space having a subset of features of the virtual space.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein defining boundaries within a gameplay context of the video game includes one or more of, defining a temporal boundary within a temporal context of the video game, or identifying a nearest start point or a nearest end point of one or more of a stage, level, or scene.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of said thresholds is associated to one or more of user inputs, a rate of user input, a frequency of user input, repeats of a user input, an input pattern, sharing of the gameplay context with other users, posting of comments associated with the gameplay on a social network, or popularity of portions of the video game based on social network sharing levels.