System and method for facilitating player payments for in-game actions through activities external to an online game

• US 9,656,159 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Chanthasiriphan, Kevin, McNeill, David, Kim, John, Wei, Albert, Tsao, Bryan, Akpan, Inyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Wei
• Application Number:
  US14/038,655
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to providing players of an online game the option of performing one or more activities external to the online game instead of spend virtual currency to accomplish a specific action in the game. This option is presented through an interface that creates and displays separate “offer walls” for separation actions in the game. The activities may thematically correspond to the type of action the player wants to perform.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating satisfaction of costs for in-game actions through activities external to an online game, the system comprising:

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

execute an instance of online game, and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate presentation of the online game to players on client computing platforms, such presentation facilitating participation of the players in the game through the reception of commands from the players through the client computing platforms, and executing corresponding actions in the instance of the online game, wherein the actions are associated with costs such that completion of a first action in the instance of the online game in response to a command received from a first player requires satisfaction of a first cost associated with the first action by the first player and completion of the first action in the instance of the online game in response to a second command received from a second player requires satisfaction of the first cost associated with the first action by the second player, the first cost including one or both of time and/or expenditure of a virtual item; and

effectuate presentation to the players of sets of proposed activities for the individual actions in the online game that can be performed by the players instead of satisfying the costs of the individual actions for completion of the actions, the sets of proposed activities including a first set of proposed activities that is specific to the first player wherein individual activities within the first set of proposed activities are associated with a given benefit amount specific to the first action such that a first individual activity within the first set of proposed activities is associated with a first benefit amount specific to the first action, and a second set of proposed activities that is specific to the second player, the first set of proposed activities including activities external to the online game that can be performed by the first player instead of satisfying the first cost for completion of the first action and the second set of proposed activities including activities external to the online game that can be performed by the second player instead of satisfying the first cost for completion of the first action, wherein the first set of proposed activities specific to the first player includes at least one proposed activity that is different than proposed activities included in the second set of proposed activities specific to the second player;

receive selection of the first individual activity from the first set of proposed activities by the first player;

obtain an indication of successful performance of the first individual activity by the first player; and

complete the first action in the instance of the online game in accordance with the first benefit amount for the first player responsive to receiving the indication of successful performance of the first individual activity by the first player.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of proposed activities is specific to the first action.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cost may comprise one or more of:

a virtual item, virtual currency, time, or virtual items obtained from a game shop.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sets of proposed activities are determined based on the cost of the action, values of performance of the individual activities to the game operator, the past history of the player of accepting or not accepting the proposed activities, nature of action, or nature of activities.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to present offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items to the players in a game shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a virtual currency having a real money value, the offers including a first offer to sell a first set of one or more items having a first purchase price, wherein the virtual items can be expended by players to satisfy the costs associated with actions such that the first set of one or more items includes a first item that can be expended in the game to satisfy the first cost.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to effectuate display of the sets of proposed activities as being associated with the individual offers to which the sets of proposed activities correspond.

7. A computer implemented method for facilitating game events, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of online game, and implementing the instance of the online game to facilitate presentation of the online game on to players on client computing platforms, such presentation facilitating participation of the players in the game through the reception of commands from the players through the client computing platforms, and executing corresponding actions in the instance of the online game, wherein the actions are associated with costs such that completion of a first action in the instance of the online game in response to a command received from a first player requires satisfaction of a first cost associated with the first action by the first player and completion of the first action in the instance of the online game in response to a second command received from a second player requires satisfaction of the first cost associated with the first action by the second player, the first cost including one or both of time and/or expenditure of a virtual item; and

effectuating presentation to the players of sets of proposed activities for the individual actions in the online game that can be performed by the players instead of satisfying the costs of the individual actions for completion of the actions, the sets of proposed activities including a first set of proposed activities that is specific to the first player wherein individual activities within the first set of proposed activities are associated with a given benefit amount specific to the first action such that a first individual activity within the first set of proposed activities is associated with a first benefit amount specific to the first action, and a second set of proposed activities that is specific to the second player, the first set of proposed activities including activities external to the online game that can be performed by the first player instead of satisfying the first cost for completion of the first action and the second set of proposed activities including activities external to the online game that can be performed by the second player instead of satisfying the first cost for completion of the first action, wherein the first set of proposed activities specific to the first player includes at least one proposed activity that is different than proposed activities included in the second set of proposed activities specific to the second player;

receiving selection of the first individual activity from the first set of proposed activities by the first player;

obtaining an indication of successful performance of the first individual activity by the first player; and

completing the first action in the instance of the online game in accordance with the first benefit amount for the first player responsive to receiving the indication of successful performance of the first individual activity by the first player.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of proposed activities is specific to the first action.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the cost may comprise one or more of:

a virtual item, virtual currency, time, or virtual items obtained from a game shop.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the sets of proposed activities are determined based on the cost of the action, values of performance of the individual activities to the game operator, the past history of the player of accepting or not accepting the proposed activities, nature of action, or nature of activities.

11. The method of claim 7, configured to present offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items to the players in a game shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a virtual currency having a real money value, the offers including a first offer to sell a first set of one or more items having a first purchase price, wherein the virtual items can be expended by players to satisfy the costs associated with actions such that the first set of one or more items includes a first item that can be expended in the game to satisfy the first cost.

12. The method of claim 7, configured to effectuate display of the sets of proposed activities as being associated with the individual offers to which the sets of proposed activities correspond.