Spectator interactions with games in a specatating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345897-B2
Application number	US-201514755922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A spectating system that generates game inputs based on spectator inputs and interactions, and provides the game inputs to game systems according to an application programming interface (API). The spectating system may allow spectators to interact with and affect a game being broadcast via inputs to and interactions with user interface (UI) elements presented on the spectating UI. Spectators may affect or influence the game, objects within the game universe, events within the game, or the players in the game via the UI elements on the spectating UI. The spectators may become involved in the games being broadcast by influencing game play via the spectating inputs. Game play for the players may be enhanced by providing interesting variations in game play based on the spectating inputs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices configured to implement a spectating system configured to:
broadcast video received from a broadcaster device to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein the video includes game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, wherein the plurality of spectator devices participates as non-player spectators of the game;
generate broadcast content at least in part according to game metadata for the game obtained from the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system;
provide, to the plurality of spectator devices, a spectating user interface (UI) including the video and the broadcast content, wherein the broadcast content includes UI elements for interacting with the game executing on the game system;
obtain, from the plurality of spectator devices, spectator interactions with the broadcast content according to the spectating UI, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;
generate game inputs at least in part according to collection and analysis of the inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;
provide the game inputs to the game system according to the API; and
broadcast additional video received from the broadcaster device to the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the video includes additional game play of the game as modified, at the game system, by the game inputs.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spectating system is configured to:
iteratively perform said obtain, said generate, and said provide during the broadcast;
detect a change in the inputs to the UI elements while iteratively performing said obtain and said generate; and
change a value of at least one of the game inputs in response to said detecting.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spectating system is further configured to:
obtain spectator chat inputs from the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the spectator chat inputs include one or both of audio chat inputs or text chat inputs for a plurality of spectators associated with the plurality of spectator devices;
process the spectator chat inputs to determine chat content specifying interactions with the game executing on the game system;
generate additional game inputs according to the determined chat content indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system; and
provide the additional game inputs to the game system according to the API.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for communicating game information to broadcasters, wherein the spectator interactions include spectator inputs to the one or more UI elements specifying game information to be provided to the broadcaster, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to provide the specified game information to the broadcaster device for display to the broadcaster.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the broadcast content includes one or more of:
one or more UI elements for adding content to a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying content to be added to the game world;
one or more UI elements for affecting an environment of a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying one or more effects on the environment of the game world;
one or more UI elements for affecting events in the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying one or more effects on the events in the game; or
one or more UI elements for specifying parameters of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying values for one or more parameters of the game.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for providing players in the game with in-game content or information, and wherein the game inputs include inputs from one or more spectator devices specifying in-game content or information to be provided to specified players.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for searching for objects in a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying locations to be searched in the game world.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spectator interactions further include interactions with one or more of controller devices, joysticks devices, motion tracking input devices, or gesture-based input devices of the spectator devices, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to generate additional game inputs at least in part according to the interactions.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spectating system comprises a game interaction module for the game executing on the game system, the game interaction module configured to:
define the UI elements for interacting with the game;
define the game inputs for the game; and
map inputs to the UI elements for interacting with the game to values for the game inputs.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the game metadata includes information describing or representing game content for the game, and wherein at least some of the UI elements correspond to or represent the game content.

11. A method, comprising:
performing, by a spectating system implemented on one or more computing devices:
streaming one or more broadcasts received from one or more broadcaster devices to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein each broadcast shows game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, wherein the plurality of spectator devices participates as non-player spectators of the game;
generating broadcast content for the broadcasts at least in part according to game metadata describing or representing game content, wherein the broadcast content includes user interface (UI) elements for interacting with the game executing on the game system;
providing, to the plurality of spectator devices, a spectating UI including the one or more broadcasts and the broadcast content;
obtaining, from the plurality of spectator devices, spectator interactions with the broadcast content, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;
generating game inputs at least in part according to collection and analysis of the inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices; and
exposing the game inputs to the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system; and
streaming one or more additional broadcasts received from the one or more broadcaster devices to the plurality of spectator devices, wherein each additional broadcast includes additional game play of the game as modified, at the game system, by the generated game inputs.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , further comprising obtaining, by the spectating system, at least some of the game metadata from the game system according to the API of the spectating system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the game system, values for the game inputs according to the API; and
affecting execution of the game on the game system according to the obtained valu

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Verfaillie David Hendrik
• Leung Hok Peng
• Gilmore Patrick
• Evans Ethan Zane
• Willette Michael Anthony
• Dury Christopher Paul
• Davis Collin Charles
• Bantegui Richard
• Surjo-Subagio Francis Xavier
• Frazzini Michael Anthony
• George Michael Martin

Classifications

• A63F13/00

  Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/013 Primary

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63F13/35

  Details of game servers · CPC title

• A63F13/87

  Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat · CPC title