System and method for providing feedback on game players and enhancing social matchmaking

• US 8,066,568 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lamb, Steven D., Bortnik, Michal, O'Kelley, Patrick W. II, Hansen, Johan Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYHR, JUSTIN L
• Application Number:
  US11/110,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20060247055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,415 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 45
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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

Abstract

A service that receives feedback from players in a game playing service. The service provides an aggregation of the feedback so that a reputation score can be determined by various players in the system. The service takes into account direct feedback from other players about positive and negative experiences with a particular player and expectations about appropriate conduct and type of game being played before a player joins the game session.

Claims

1. A system for playing a multi-player computer-based game, comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor;

a memory in communication with said computing device when the system is operational, said memory having stored thereon computer readable instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the operation of;

accessing a database having a plurality of user profiles, said user profiles comprising a plurality of attributes of a plurality of users, the user profiles being developed from a set of services;

providing a service configured for receiving input from a select one of said plurality of users, said input configured for providing feedback about the reputation of another of the plurality of users, said service configured for maintaining an aggregation of feedback for the another of the plurality of users, wherein an indication of said aggregation is readable by the other of the plurality of users and wherein providing feedback by a user causes a change in an affiliate list maintained for the user providing the feedback wherein the affiliate list stores relational information comprising an indication of others of the plurality of users with whom the user has established a relationship and an indication of others of the plurality of users about whom the user has given positive or negative feedback, wherein the indications of others of the plurality of users in the affiliate list are prioritized based on whether the user has an established relationship with the others of the plurality of users and whether the user has given positive or negative feedback about the others of the plurality of users; and

providing a service that tracks a user'"'"'s online and offline activity to provide usage statistics in the user profiles.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service maintains said another of the plurality of users in an affiliate list for said select one of said plurality of users when the feedback is positive or negative.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the service is maintained on a server and wherein said plurality of users connect to the service over a network connection.

4. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the plurality of users connect to the server by way of a game console.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the aggregation is aggregated over a plurality of different games.

6. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said game consoles locally execute at least a portion of the multi-player game.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the indication of feedback comprises at least one of an indication of the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided positive feedback and the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided negative feedback.

8. A method for playing a multi-player computer-based game, comprising:

providing on a computing device a database having a plurality of user profiles, said user profiles comprising a plurality of attributes of a plurality of users;

receiving on a computing device input from a select one of said plurality of users, said input providing feedback about the reputation of another of the plurality of users; and

maintaining in said database an aggregation of feedback for the another of the plurality of users, wherein an indication of said aggregation is readable by the other of the plurality of users, wherein the feedback for a user causes a change in an affiliate list maintained for the select one of said plurality of users providing the feedback wherein the affiliate list stores relational information comprising an indication of other users with whom the user has established a relationship and an indication of other users about whom the user has given positive or negative feedback, wherein the indications of others of the plurality of users in the affiliate list are prioritized based on whether the user has an established relationship with the others of the plurality of users and whether the user has given positive or negative feedback about the others of the plurality of users.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 comprising maintaining said another of the plurality of users in an affiliate list for said select one of said plurality of users when the feedback is positive.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the database is maintained on a server.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the plurality of users connect to the server by way of a game console.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the aggregation is aggregated over a plurality of different games.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said game consoles locally execute at least a portion of the multi-player game.

14. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the indication of feedback comprises at least one of an indication of the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided positive feedback and the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided negative feedback.

15. A computer-readable memory device bearing computer-readable instructions for playing a multi-player computer-based game, comprising:

computer-readable instructions for accessing a database having a plurality of user profiles, said user profiles comprising a plurality of attributes of a plurality of users;

computer-readable instructions for receiving input from a select one of said plurality of users, said input providing feedback about the reputation of another of the plurality of users; and

computer-readable instructions for storing in said database an aggregation of feedback for the another of the plurality of users, wherein an indication of said aggregation is readable by the other of the plurality of users, and wherein providing feedback for a user causes a change in an affiliate list maintained for the user providing the feedback wherein the affiliate list stores relational information comprising an indication of other users with whom the user has established a relationship and an indication of other users about whom the user has given positive or negative feedback, wherein the indications of others of the plurality of users in the affiliate list are prioritized based on whether the user has an established relationship with the others of the plurality of users and whether the user has given positive or negative feedback about the others of the plurality of users.

16. The computer-readable memory device as recited in claim 15 comprising computer-readable instructions for adding said another of the plurality of users to an affiliate list for said select one of said plurality of users when the feedback is positive.

17. The computer-readable memory device as recited in claim 15 comprising computer-readable instructions for accepting a connection from said plurality of users over a network connection.

18. The computer-readable memory device as recited in claim 16 comprising computer-readable instruction for accepting a connection from the plurality of users by way of a game console.

19. The computer-readable memory device as recited in claim 18 wherein each of said game console locally executes at least a portion of the multi-player game.

20. The computer-readable memory device as recited in claim 15 wherein the indication of feedback comprises at least one of an indication of the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided positive feedback and the number of other ones of the plurality of users who provided negative feedback.