Ranking of user-generated game play advice

• US 9,126,116 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Turner, Sean, Harrison, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): ABRAHAMSON, AMANDA C.
• Application Number:
  US11/850,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,925 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 463/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• 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 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Management of user-generated game play advice is disclosed. The present invention allows for management of game play advice that is complete and up-to-date regardless of when a particular interactive gaming title is released. Game play advice is pervasive and easily accessible to game players in addition to being accurate and credible such that game players can trust or rely upon the rendered advice.

Claims

1. A method for managing user-generated game play advice, the method comprising:

receiving new game play advice from a user, by a game play advice submission engine coupled to a server and executable by a processor; and

executing instructions stored in a memory, wherein execution of instructions by the processor;

displays the new game play advice to a community of users, the new game play advice displayed in a default ranking position and in conjunction with previously received game play advice, the new game play advice displayed by a game play advice display engine,

receives feedback associated with the quality of the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice, the feedback received from the community of users, the feedback received by a feedback engine,

allocates a grade to the user for a game based on a performance of the user with respect to the game, by a ranking machine,

ranks the new game play advice against the previously received game play advice based on the feedback received from the community of users and on the user'"'"'s performance in the game, by the ranking machine,

removes the new game play advice from the default ranking position, by the ranking machine, and

displays the new game play advice in conjunction with the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice displayed in accordance with the ranking of the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice displayed by the game play advice display engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new game play advice is displayed in a three-dimensional virtual environment including an object associated with a reward or achievement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the new game play advice is selected from a group consisting of textual, visual, and audible game play advice.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback is selected from a group consisting of numeric, characteristic, and binary feedback, the feedback including user commentary.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice in a position that is not the default ranking position occurs substantially in real-time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice in a position that is not the default ranking position occurs according to a predetermined schedule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice in a position that is not the default ranking position occurs in response to a user query.

8. A system for managing user-generated game play advice, the system comprising:

a game play advice submission engine coupled to a server and executable by a processor to receive game play advice submissions over a network;

a ranking engine stored on a server and executable by a processor to;

allocate a ranking to the game play advice submissions received over the network, and

allocate a grade to a user in a community of users for a game based on a performance of the user with respect to the game;

a game play advice display engine stored on a server and executable by a processor to display the game play advice submissions in accordance with the ranking allocated by the ranking engine; and

a feedback engine stored on a server and executable by a processor to receive feedback from a community of users with respect to the quality of the game play advice displayed by the game play advice display engine, wherein the feedback engine and the ranking engine operate to allocate a new ranking to the game play advice in accordance with the feedback received from the community of users and on the user'"'"'s performance in the game, the game play advice being subsequently displayed by the game play advice display engine in accordance with the new ranking.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranking allocated by the ranking engine is selected from a group consisting of numeric, characteristic, binary, and percentage-based rankings.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranking engine further executes instructions stored on a server to apply a tie-breaker to game play advice receiving an equal ranking from the ranking engine.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the game play advice display engine operates using an asynchronous programming language to continually update displayed game play advice submissions in accordance with a most recent new ranking as allocated by the feedback engine and the ranking engine.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the game play advice display engine displays game play advice submissions in accordance with a most recent new ranking as allocated by the feedback engine and the ranking engine according to a predetermined schedule.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the game play advice display engine displays game play advice submissions in accordance with a most recent new ranking as allocated by the feedback engine and the ranking engine in response to a user query.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the feedback engine further executes instructions stored on a server to receive feedback from a community of users with respect to the reputation of the user submitting game play advice.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a weighting engine, the weighting engine stored on a server and executable by a processor to allocate a first value to the feedback received from the community of users with respect to the quality of the game play advice and a second value to the reputation of the user submitting the game play advice, the first and the second value proportionally affecting the new ranking allocated to the game play advice.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising a weighting engine, the weighting engine stored on a server and executable by a processor to allocate a first value to the feedback received from the community of users with respect to the quality of the game play advice and a second value to the user grade received from the community of users, the first and the second value proportionally affecting the new ranking allocated to the game play advice.

17. A method for displaying user-generated game play advice, the method comprising:

receiving new game play advice from a first user, by a game play advice submission engine coupled to a server and executable by a processor, the first user having previously received feedback from a community of users; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of instructions by the processor;

allocates a grade to the first user for a game based on a performance of the first user with respect to the game, by a ranking engine,

ranks the new game play advice against previously received game play advice based on user feedback received from the community of users and on the performance in the game of the first user, by the ranking engine,

the previously received game play advice having been submitted by at least a second user, the at least a second user having previously received feedback from the community of users, and

displays the new game play advice in conjunction with the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and previously received game play advice displayed in accordance with the ranking of the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and previously received game play advice displayed by a game play advice display engine.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the new game play advice is displayed in a three-dimensional virtual environment including an object associated with a reward or achievement.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the new game play advice is selected from a group consisting of textual, visual, and audible game play advice.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the feedback is selected from a group consisting of numeric, characteristic, and binary feedback, the feedback including user commentary.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice occurs substantially in real-time.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice occurs according to a predetermined schedule.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein ranking and displaying the new game play advice occurs in response to a user query.

24. A method for managing user-generated game play advice, the method comprising:

receiving new game play advice from a user by a game play advice submission engine coupled to a server and executable by a processor; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of instructions by a processor;

displays the new game play advice to a community of users, the new game play advice displayed in a default ranking position and in conjunction with previously received game play advice, the new game play advice displayed by a game play advice display engine,

allocates a grade to the user for a game based on a performance of the user with respect to the game, by a ranking engine,

ranks the new game play advice against the previously received game play advice, by the ranking engine, the previously received game play advice having been submitted by at least a second user, the at least a second user having previously received feedback from the community of users,

receives feedback associated with the quality of the new game play advice and the quality of the previously received game play advice, the feedback received from the community of users, by a feedback engine,

assigns a first weighting value to the user feedback and a second weighting value to the feedback associated with the quality of the game play advice, by the ranking engine,

ranks the new game play advice against the previously received game play advice based on the feedback received from the community of users, a performance in the game of the at least a second user, and the feedback associated with the quality of the game play advice, in accordance with the first weighting value and the second weighting value, by the ranking engine,

removes the new game play advice from the default ranking position, by the ranking engine, and

displays the new game play advice in conjunction with the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice displayed in accordance with the ranking of the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice, the new game play advice and the previously received game play advice displayed by the game play advice display engine.