Game metrics

• US 20070238528A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Schneider, Steve C., Harris, Adam P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,622,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

Various metrics as may be deployed in an active, passive, or hybrid validation architecture are disclosed. A computing device configured to monitor network game activity may identify an inconsistency between user game data and a particular game metric governing a particular aspect of the network gaming environment. Upon identification of an inconsistency between game data and a game metric, which may indicative of illicit game play, a validation process (e.g., active, passive, and/or hybrid) may be implemented to further confirm the existence of illicit game. Alternatively, an action to maintain integrity of the gaming community may be executed without further confirmation whereby a purportedly illicit game device may be ejected from the network.

Claims

1. A method for validating devices in a gaming network, comprising:

receiving game data generated by at least one device in the gaming network, the at least one device configured for play of a network game;

identifying at least one game metric from a library of game metrics, the identified game metric associated with the network game;

identifying at least one aspect of the received game data that does not correspond to the at least one game metric identified from the library of game metrics;

sending at least one query to the device that generated the game data that does not correspond to the at least one game metric;

receiving a response to the at least one query from the queried device; and

determining whether the queried device is valid for continued play of the network game based on the response to the at least one query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one game metric comprises a conditional network game environment rule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one game metric comprises a mandatory network game environment rule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the game metric comprises a rule associated with an attribute of at least one game character in the network game environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the attribute is health of the at least one game character.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the attribute is stamina of the at least one game character.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the attribute is strength of the at least one game character.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one game metric comprises a rule associated with an ability of at least one game character in the network game environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the game metric comprises a rule associated with a prerequisite condition in the network game environment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the prerequisite condition is associated with a task to be completed by a player of the network game.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the prerequisite condition is associated with an ability of at least one game character.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the game metric comprises a rule associated with the presence of an object in the network game environment.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the game metric comprises a rule associated with a physical limitation of the network game environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical limitation comprises at least one boundary of the network game environment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical limitation comprises the position of a game character in a prohibited portion of the game environment, wherein the prohibited portion is within a set of boundaries defining the network game environment

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical limitation comprises the position of a game character in the game environment with respect to the passage of game time.

17. A system for validating client computing devices in a network game environment, comprising:

a monitoring module configured to monitor game data received from one or more client computing devices executing a network game over a network;

a rules library comprising one or more game metrics associated with the network game;

an analysis engine configured to access at least one of the one or more game metrics from the rules library, the analysis engine further configured to determine whether the received game data complies with the accessed at least one of the one or more game metrics.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a query engine configured to pose at least one query to the one or more computing devices whose game data fails to comply with the accessed at least one of the one or more game metrics.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the analysis engine is further configured to determine whether the one or more computing devices are validated for continued network game play based on the response to the at least one query.

20. A method for validating devices in a gaming network, comprising:

monitoring one or more devices interacting with a network game in the gaming network;

receiving game data from the one or more monitored devices;

evaluating the received game data in conjunction with at least one game metric associated with the network game;

determining whether the game data received from the one or more monitored devices adheres to the at least one game metric; and

initiating a validation sequence for determining whether the one or more monitored devices are valid for continued network game play if the game data received from the one or more monitored devices does not adhere to the at least one game metric.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the validation sequence comprises:

sending at least one query to the one or more monitored devices that generated the game data that does not adhere to the at least one game metric; and

determining whether the queried device is valid for continued network game play based on a response to the at least one query.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the validation sequence comprises:

selecting one or more additional game metrics associated with the network game;

receiving additional game data from the one or more monitored devices that generated the game data that does not adhere to the at least one game metric; and

evaluating the additional received game data in conjunction with the one or more additional game metrics associated with the network game.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising ejecting from the gaming network any of the one or more network devices whose additional received game data does not adhere to the one or more additional game metrics associated with the network game.

24. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program comprising instructions for executing a method for validating devices in a gaming network, comprising:

monitoring one or more devices interacting with a network game in the gaming network;

receiving game data from the one or more monitored devices;

evaluating the received game data in conjunction with at least one game metric associated with the network game;

determining whether the game data received from the one or more monitored devices adheres to the at least one game metric; and

initiating a validation of the one or more monitored devices if the game data received from the one or more monitored devices does not adhere to the at least one game metric.

25. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program comprising instructions for executing a method for validating devices in a gaming network, comprising:

receiving game data generated by at least one device in the gaming network, the at least one device configured for execution of a network game;

identifying at least one game metric from a library of game metrics, the identified game metric associated with the received game data;

identifying at least one aspect of the received game data that does not adhere to the at least one game metric identified from the library of game metrics;

sending at least one query to the device that generated the game data that does not adhere to the at least one game metric;

receiving a response to the at least one query from the queried device; and

determining whether the queried device is valid for continued network game play based on the response to the at least one query.