Incentivizing users to alter virtual item balances in an online game

• US 9,582,965 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: McLellan, Sam, Pieron, Luc, Schultz, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Wei
• Application Number:
  US14/034,685
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

A system and method for incentivizing users to alter virtual item balances in an online game are disclosed. The incentives may include rewards for users to reach balance goals. The balance goals may specify target balances of virtual items to be reached in user inventories, and a time by which such target balances must be reached in order for the users to receive a reward. Such target balance may include minimum or maximum balances levels, a range of absolute balance levels, a change in the current balance levels of virtual items in the user inventories and/or any other target balances. Determinations whether a given user has reached such target balance in accordance with a balance goal may be made at or before the time specified in the balance goal.

Claims

1. A system for incentivizing users to alter virtual item balances in user inventories in a game space, the system comprising:

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

execute a game instance of a game space, and to implement the game instance of the game space to effectuate transmission of information over a network to client computing platforms associated with users that causes the client computing platforms associated with the users to present views of the game space to the users, and to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users;

manage user inventories of virtual items associated with individual ones of the users and the game space, the user inventories indicating balances of a first virtual item usable in the game space associated with the individual ones of the users such that a first user inventory indicates a balance of a first virtual item associated with a first user;

enable users to spend virtual currencies within the game space in exchange for virtual items usable in the game space;

obtain current balances of the virtual items indicated by the user inventories, the current balances including first current balances of the first virtual item indicated by the user inventories associated with the individual ones of the users;

dynamically determine, based on the current balances of the virtual items obtained, balance goals for users to reach target balances of the virtual items in the user inventories associated with the game space, the balance goals including a first balance goal specifying a target balance of the first virtual item to be reached in the first user inventory determined based on the first current balances of the first virtual item indicated by the user inventories associated with the individual ones of the users, the first balance goal further specifying a time by which such target balance must be reached in order for the first user to receive a reward;

review the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory and determine whether the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goal determined; and

distribute a reward to the first user inventory associated with the first user and the game space responsive to a determination that the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory in accordance with the first balance goal wherein the reward is distributed to the first user irrespective of a purchase or achievement within the game by the first user and distribution of the reward causes the first user inventory to update to include the reward without depleting the first user inventory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goal comprises:

obtaining the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory at the time specified by the first balance goal; and

determining that the obtained balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory has reached the target balance specified by the first balance goal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goal comprises:

obtaining the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory intermittently during a period ending at the time specified by the first balance goal; and

determining that a given balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory obtained during the period has reached the target balance specified by the first balance goal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the target balance of the first virtual item specified by the first balance goal includes an amount of change in the balance of the first virtual time to be reached in the user inventories.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal include a range of absolute balances of the first virtual item to be reached in the user inventories.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal is higher than any of the first current balances of the first virtual item in the user inventories associated with the game space.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal is lower than any of the first current balances of the first virtual item in the user inventories associated with the game space.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first virtual item includes virtual currency, virtual resource and/or virtual objects.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first balance goal is obtained for the first user only.

10. A method for incentivizing users to alter virtual item balances in user inventories in a game space, the method being implemented in one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing a game instance of a game space, and implementing the game instance of the game space to effectuate transmission of information over a network to client computing platforms associated with users that causes the client computing platforms associated with the users to present views of the game space to the users, and to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users;

managing user inventories of virtual items associated with individual ones of the users and the game space, the user inventories indicating balances of a first virtual item usable in the game space associated with the individual ones of the users such that a first user inventory indicates a balance of a first virtual item associated with a first user;

obtaining current balances of the virtual items indicated by the user inventories, the current balances including first current balances of the first virtual item indicated by the user inventories associated with the individual ones of the users;

dynamically determining, based on the current balances of the virtual items obtained, balance goals for users to reach target balances of the virtual items in the user inventories associated with the game space, the balance goals including a first balance goal specifying a target balance of the first virtual item to be reached in the first user inventory determined based on the first current balances of the first virtual item indicated by the user inventories associated with the individual ones of the users, the first balance goal further specifying a time by which such target balance must be reached in order for the first user to receive a reward;

reviewing the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory and determine whether the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goals determined; and

distributing a reward to the first user inventory associated with the first user and the game space responsive to determining that the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory in accordance with the first balance goal wherein the reward is distributed to the first user irrespective of a purchase or achievement within the game by the first user and distribution of the reward causes the first user inventory to update to include the reward without depleting the first user inventory.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goal comprises:

obtaining the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory at the time specified by the first balance goal; and

determining that the obtained balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory has reached the target balance specified by the first balance goal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the first user has reached the target balance of the first virtual item in accordance with the first balance goal comprises:

obtaining the balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory intermittently during a period ending at the time specified by the first balance goal; and

determining that a given balance of the first virtual item in the first user inventory obtained during the period has reached the target balance specified by the first balance goal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the target balance of the first virtual item specified by the first balance goal includes an amount of change in the balance of the first virtual time to be reached in the user inventories.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal include a range of absolute balances of the first virtual item to be reached in the user inventories.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal is higher than the first current balances of the first virtual item in the user inventories associated with the game space.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the target balance specified by the first balance goal is lower than the first current balances of the first virtual item in the user inventories associated with the game space.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first virtual item includes virtual currency, virtual resource and/or virtual objects.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first balance goal is obtained for the first user only.