Video game content aggregation, normalization, and publication systems and methods

• US 10,765,948 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2018
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Eatedali, Josiah, Schonfeld, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Ross A
• Application Number:
  US15/953,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20190192971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• 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 13/798 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 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

The present specification describes a system and method for aggregating user results, rankings and statistical data associated with playing video games across two or more games, normalizing the aggregated data to unified values and presenting the aggregated and unified data via an interface, such that data from one game may be fairly combined and/or compared to data from another game. The present system enables users of one game to trade game-related virtual items with users of another game by providing a normalized score or value for virtual items, thereby permitting virtual items associated with one game to be fairly compared against virtual items of another game.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating and normalizing data across a plurality of different video games to achieve uniform data values, said plurality of different video games being executed by at least one game server and rendered on a plurality of client devices to be played by users of said client devices, said at least one game server being in communication with a database that stores game data, the method comprising:

accessing said at least one game server to obtain game data for a plurality of games, said game data comprising information about virtual items associated with game environments of said plurality of different video games;

storing game data comprising information about the virtual items from the plurality of different video games in the database;

acquiring the game data comprising information about the virtual items from the database;

normalizing the game data comprising information about the virtual items, such that a value of a virtual item from one of the plurality of different video games can be compared with a value of a virtual item from another one of the plurality of different video games;

wherein the normalizing comprises;

grouping the game data based on at least a video game genre corresponding to said game data and an attribute genre corresponding to said game data, wherein grouping the attribute genre is based on at least two of a virtual item'"'"'s rarity, a percentage of video game players possessing the virtual item, a cost of purchasing the virtual item, a gaming level at which the virtual item is available for purchase, or an availability of the virtual item as a reward;

assigning one or more scores measured on a common scale to each virtual item, wherein each assigned score corresponds to a video game genre and attribute genres that said item is grouped into; and

obtaining a normalized value of each of the virtual items by aggregating each of the assigned common scale scores corresponding to each virtual item; and

generating data representative of a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to allow multiple users to concurrently trade virtual items from different ones of the plurality of different video games based on the normalized values of said virtual items.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of different video games belong to the a plurality of genres.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on its rarity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assigning each virtual item to more than one of the attribute genres and wherein a value of each virtual item is assessed based at least partially on the more one of the attribute genres.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a percentage of users who have the virtual item.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a cost of purchasing the virtual item.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a level at which the virtual item is available for purchase or as a reward to a player.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the game data comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on whether the virtual item is achieved only as a reward after winning a certain number of matches.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a recommendation module to recommend a virtual item for trade based a value of a virtual item owned by a user.

10. A system for aggregating and normalizing game data from a plurality of different video games in order to standardize and publish values for the game data, said plurality of different video games being executed by a plurality of game servers and rendered on a plurality of client devices to be played by users of said plurality of client devices, said plurality of game servers being in communication with a database that stores the game data, the system comprising:

one or more game server interface call modules, wherein the one or more game server interface call modules are configured to generate and transmit interface calls to the plurality of game servers and are configured to receive game data from the plurality of game servers based upon the interface calls and wherein the game data comprises information about virtual items owned by the users of said plurality of client devices and associated with game environments from the plurality of different video games;

said database in data communication with the one or more game server interface call modules, wherein the database is configured to receive and store the game data;

a video game content aggregation module in data communication with the database, wherein the video game content aggregation module is configured to acquire game data from the database, determine a normalization process to be applied to the game data based upon at least a genre of a video game corresponding to said game data and attribute genres corresponding to said game data;

wherein the attribute genres is based on at least two of a virtual item'"'"'s rarity, a percentage of video game players possessing the virtual item, a cost of purchasing the virtual item, a gaming level at which the virtual item is available for purchase, or an availability of the virtual item as a reward, and to apply the determined normalization process to the portion of the game data such that a value of a virtual item from one of the plurality of different video games can be compared with a value of a virtual item from another one of the plurality of different video games; and

a publication module in data communication with the video game content aggregation module, wherein the publication module is configured to generate data representative of a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to enable with multiple users to concurrently trade virtual items from different ones of the plurality of different video games based on the normalized values of said virtual items.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of different video games belong to a plurality of genres.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on its rarity, wherein the rarity is an attribute genre.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assigning each virtual item to more than one of the attribute genres and wherein a value of each virtual item is assessed based at least partially on more than one of the attribute genres.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a percentage of users who have the virtual item.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a cost of purchasing the virtual item.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on a level at which the virtual item is available for purchase or as a reward to a player.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the normalization process comprises assessing a value of each virtual item based at least partially on whether the virtual item is achieved only as a reward after winning a certain number of matches.

18. The system of claim 10 further comprising a recommendation module configured to recommend a virtual item for trade based a value of a virtual item owned by a user.