System and method for providing rewards to a user in a virtual space based on user performance of gestures

• US 9,448,634 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Harrington, Clifford J., Wakeford, Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Toan
• Application Number:
  US13/798,008
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system and method for providing rewards to a user in a virtual space based on the user performance of gestures is disclosed. Gesture parameters may be obtained for physical actions performed by virtual space users in the real world. Gestures and corresponding gesture commands in the virtual space may be identified based on the gesture parameters. User performance of an identified gesture may be qualified by one or more gesture metrics. The gesture metrics may be determined based on the obtained gesture parameters. Access to reward content may be provided to the user based on user performance of the identified gestures as qualified by the determined gesture metrics.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide rewards to a user in a virtual space based on user performance of a gesture, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

execute an instance of the virtual space, and to implement the instance of the virtual space to facilitate participation by users in the virtual space, wherein users participate in the virtual space by controlling virtual space elements by inputting commands that are executed in the virtual space;

obtain gesture parameters that represent physical actions of the users in the real world, and to identify individual ones of multiple gestures performed by the users based on the obtained gesture parameters;

determine gesture commands corresponding to the identified gestures such that responsive to a performance of a first action by a first user having gesture parameters that correspond to a first gesture such that the first action is identified as the first gesture, wherein a first gesture command that corresponds to the first gesture is determined and executed;

determine a first gesture metric quantifying a quality of user performance of the first gesture, wherein the first gesture metric is determined based on the obtained gesture parameters for the first action;

provide access for the first user to a first set of reward content in the virtual space based on the first gesture metric determined for the first user;

determine whether the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user breaches a first threshold; and

associate a second gesture which is different than the first gesture with the first gesture command responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user has breached the first threshold so that subsequent and responsive to such association, identification of the second gesture results in execution of the first gesture command, and

provide, responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user breaches a second threshold, a second set of reward content to the first user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that the quality quantified by the first gesture metric for performance of the first gesture by the first user includes one or more of accuracy with respect to the first gesture, precision, speed, style, power, direction or duration.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that access to the first set of reward content is provided to the first user responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user has breached the first threshold.

4. The system of claim 3, the further configured to obtain the first threshold.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first threshold corresponds to one or more of accuracy, average accuracy, a speed, an average speed, a number of correct gestures performed, a score, or an average score.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that the first set of reward content includes one or more:

virtual items, virtual currency, virtual space controls, invitation to virtual space events, real-world items or real-world currency.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

determine gesture commands corresponding to the identified gestures such that responsive to a performance of a third action by the first user having gesture parameters that correspond to a third gesture such that the third action is identified as the third gesture, wherein a third gesture command that corresponds to the third gesture is determined and executed;

determine a third gesture metric quantifying a quality of user performance of the third gesture, wherein the third gesture metric is determined based on the obtained gesture parameters for the third action; and

provide access for the first user to a third set of reward content in the virtual space based on the third gesture metric determined for the first user.

8. A method for providing rewards to a user in a virtual space based on user performance of a gesture, the method being implemented in one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of the virtual space, and to implement the instance of the virtual space to facilitate participation by users in the virtual space, wherein users participate in the virtual space by controlling virtual space elements by inputting commands that are executed in the virtual space;

obtaining gesture parameters that represent physical actions of the users in the real world, and to identify individual ones of multiple gestures performed by the users based on the obtained gesture parameters;

determining gesture commands corresponding to the identified gestures such that responsive to a performance of a first action by a first user having gesture parameters that correspond to a first gesture such that the first action is identified as the first gesture, wherein a first gesture command that corresponds to the first gesture is determined and executed in the virtual space;

determining a first gesture metric quantifying a quality of user performance of the first gesture such that the first gesture metric is determined based on the obtained gesture parameters for the first action; and

providing access for the first user to a first set of reward content in the virtual space based on the first gesture metric determined for the first user;

determining whether the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user breaches a first threshold; and

associating a second gesture which is different than the first gesture with the first gesture command responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user has breached the first threshold so that subsequent and responsive to such association, identification of the second gesture results in execution of the first gesture command; and

providing a second set of reward content to the first user responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user breaches a second threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the quality quantified by the first gesture metric for performance of the first gesture by the first user includes one or more of accuracy with respect to the first gesture, precision, speed, style, power, direction or duration.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the access to the first set of reward content is provided to the first user responsive to a determination that the first gesture metric determined for performance of the first gesture by the first user has breached the first threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the first threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first threshold corresponds to one or more of accuracy, average accuracy, a speed, an average speed, a number of correct gestures performed, a score, or an average score.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of reward content includes one or more:

virtual items, virtual currency, virtual space controls, invitation to virtual space events, real-world items or real-world currency.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising

determining gesture commands corresponding to the identified gestures such that responsive to a performance of a third action by the first user having gesture parameters that correspond to a third gesture such that the third action is identified as the third gesture, wherein a third gesture command that corresponds to the third gesture is determined and executed in the virtual space;

determining a third gesture metric quantifying a quality of user performance of the third gesture such that the third gesture metric is determined based on the obtained gesture parameters for the third action; and

providing access for the first user to a third set of reward content in the virtual space based on the third gesture metric determined for the first user.