Patent Application
20080082406
The invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:
The inventors have realized that, while providing games in an episodic fashion can be an effective marketing tool (i.e., a player of an episode of a game is likely to be interested in other episodes of the same game), it can be even more effective to market or otherwise treat subsequent game episodes to users based on information about how the users have interacted with current and/or previous game episodes.
We first describe an example system architecture in which such treatment of subsequent game episodes may be implemented. We then describe particular examples of such treatment of subsequent game episodes.
A computer program 108, typically a media management application (MMA) or other media player application, may run on the client system 104. One example of a media management application is the iTunes® application, produced by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. The client system 104 may include, in general, computing devices. As an example, the client system 104 can include specific or general-purpose personal computers and/or portable media players. One example of such a portable media player is the iPod®, also produced by Apple Computer, Inc. The computer program 108 can be used by a consumer for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to: (i) browsing, pre-ordering and/or purchasing media assets from the on-line media store provided by the media store server 102, (ii) creating and sharing media asset groups (e.g., playlists), (iii) organizing media assets, (iv) presenting/playing media assets, and (v) transferring media assets between client systems 104.
The media purchase system 100 may also include a digital asset manager 114. The digital asset manager 114 is coupled to a media assets database 116. The media assets database 116 stores media asset information including metadata relating to digital media assets available for purchase or pre-order at the on-line media store. In one embodiment, the digital asset manager 114 can control what media assets and media asset information are available on the on-line media store. The metadata can pertain to individual media assets (digital media assets) or media asset groups (digital media asset groups). Media assets can include, but are not limited to games, music, video, text and/or graphics files.
The media store server 102 can enable the user of a particular client system 104 to purchase or pre-order media assets through on-line transactions. On-line transactions to purchase media items are also referred to as electronic commerce (e-commerce). Subsequently, the client system 104 can cause the purchased media assets to be downloaded from the media store server 102, or some other server, via the data network 106. As will be understood by those familiar with data networks, other network configurations are possible. Furthermore, while the media store server 102 and the digital asset manager 114 are shown as individual and separate devices, it will be understood by those familiar with the art that other configurations are possible. As one example, each device can be implemented such that it is distributed over multiple server computers. As another example, these various servers and/or managers can be implemented by a single physical server computer.
As mentioned above, the client system 104 can include facility for a user to play games. The client system 104 can also include facility to monitor characteristics of a game player's behavior with respect to particular game episodes. As will be discussed with reference to
Referring now to
As the game episode is being played, the game player's behavior with respect to the game and/or with respect to other functions of the portable media player 202 may be monitored. In one example, indications of the game player's monitored behavior may be stored in a storage mechanism 204 associated with the portable media player 202, typically (but not required to be) physically contained within a housing of the portable media player 202.
Generally speaking, the player behavior indications may be provided via the network 106 to a game episode service 208 that includes processing to process the player behavior indications, to generate commerce information that is responsive to the player behavior indications. The term “service” is meant to broadly indicate a functionality and does not necessarily indicate any particular configuration of one or more computers. In one example, the game episode commerce service 208 is provided by one or more of the media store server 102, the digital media manager 114 or the media assets database 116 in association with, in conjunction with, or as part of, other functionality of those components.
In a specific example, the player behavior indications may be provided from the portable media player 202 to the host computer 206 when the portable media player 202 is connected to the host computer 206 to interoperate with the MMA 108, as part of an exchange of data that happens normally between the portable media player 202 and the MMA 108 when the portable media player 202 and the MMA 108 are connected. The player behavior indications may then be provided to the game episode commerce service 208. In some examples, the host computer 206 acts substantially as a conduit for providing the player behavior indications.
In other examples, the player behavior indications may be provided from the portable media player 202 to the game episode commerce service 208 without being provided to a host computer such as the host computer 204. For example, the portable media player 202 may be directly connectable to the game episode commerce service 208. In one example, the portable media player 202 may be incorporated into or, may be incorporated with, a telephone or other communication device that is connectable (e.g., wirelessly) to the game episode commerce service 208.
Based on processing the player behavior indications, commerce information may be provided to the MMA 108 and/or to the portable media player 202. For example, based on an indication that a player has reached a particular level with respect to a particular game episode, the commerce information may include information to cause a subsequent game episode to be offered to the player. The commerce information may include information to cause customization of a subsequent game episode for the player, such as taking a particular path through the game episode or offering particular features of the game episode, based on how the previous game episode or game episodes were played.
In one example, the player may have pre-purchased a particular number of episodes (e.g., even before the episodes are accessible) or may have purchased an ability to access episodes for a particular amount of time, and the commerce information may include information that can be used to unlock or otherwise enable a subsequent game episode to be accessed (e.g., downloaded) and/or played. Pre-ordering may be accomplished, for example, in a manner similar to that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/247,948, entitled “On-Line Media Store that Supports Pre-Ordering of Digital Media Assets”, and filed on Oct. 10, 2005 (hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). The unlocking or otherwise enabling may be a result of explicit interaction between the player and the portable media player 202 and/or MMA 108 or may be a result of substantially automatic processing.
The commerce information may cause commerce-related notifications and/or suggestions to be provided to the player, relative to the game episodes. For example, the commerce information may cause a notification to be provided to the player indicating that the player is able to and/or should access another game episode. The commerce information may cause a notification that various paths are available through a particular episode.
In one example, the commerce information is provided to the MMA 108, operating on the host computer, and the MMA 108 may interoperate with the portable media player 202 based at least in part on the commerce information. For example, the interoperation of the MMA 108 and the portable media player 202 with respect to the commerce information may be integrated into the overall interoperation of the MMA 108 and the portable media player 202. In another example, the portable media player 202 interoperates more directly over the network with a service or services to obtain the commerce information and to act upon the commerce information.
At step 308, commerce information may be generated that is responsive to the information regarding the player behavior characteristics. At step 310, the commerce information may be provided to the MMA and/or to the portable media player. At step 312, the commerce information may be appropriately processed and the player may be able to play subsequent game episodes.
Thus, methods and systems have been shown to market or otherwise treat subsequent game episodes to users based on information about how the users have interacted with current and/or previous game episodes. As discussed, for example, this can be a very effective marketing tool.
The following application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/481,303, filed Jul. 3, 2006, and entitled “MEDIA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR MANAGEMENT OF GAMES ACQUIRED FROM A MEDIA SERVER.”
