U.S. patent application number 14/339018 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-13 for system and method for providing branded virtual objects in a virtual environment.
The applicant listed for this patent is Zynga Inc.. Invention is credited to Emily Anadu, Revant Kapoor, Edmund Leo, Matt Levine, John Marsland, Matthew Adam Ocko.
Application Number | 20140335953 14/339018 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47006776 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140335953 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marsland; John ; et
al. |
November 13, 2014 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING BRANDED VIRTUAL OBJECTS IN A
VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one
program, and a computer-implemented method for providing branded
virtual objects in a virtual environment are presented. A game
instance of a computer-implemented multiplayer online game is
generated, where the game instance is associated with a virtual
environment of a player. A graphical user interface to the player
is provided, where the graphical user interface displays at least
one branded virtual object for selection by the player, and where
the branded virtual object corresponds to a real-world brand.
Selection and placement of the branded virtual object in the
virtual environment by the player is monitored. The virtual
environment of the player is updated to include the branded virtual
object.
Inventors: |
Marsland; John; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Kapoor; Revant; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Anadu; Emily; (San Francisco, CA) ;
Levine; Matt; (San Francisco, CA) ; Leo; Edmund;
(San Francisco, CA) ; Ocko; Matthew Adam; (Palo
Alto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zynga Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47006776 |
Appl. No.: |
14/339018 |
Filed: |
July 23, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13174765 |
Jun 30, 2011 |
8814696 |
|
|
14339018 |
|
|
|
|
61475128 |
Apr 13, 2011 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/5533 20130101;
A63F 13/87 20140902; A63F 13/61 20140902; A63F 13/10 20130101; A63F
13/533 20140902; A63F 13/12 20130101; A63F 13/85 20140902; A63F
13/847 20140902; A63F 2300/575 20130101; A63F 2300/8082 20130101;
A63F 13/65 20140902; A63F 13/35 20140902; H04L 67/20 20130101; A63F
13/795 20140902; A63F 2300/5506 20130101; H04L 67/38 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/31 |
International
Class: |
A63F 13/30 20060101
A63F013/30 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for providing branded virtual
objects in a virtual environment, comprising: generating a game
instance of a computer-implemented multiplayer online game, the
game instance being associated with a virtual environment of a
player; providing a graphical user interface to the player, the
graphical user interface displaying at least one branded virtual
object for selection by the player, the branded virtual object
corresponding to a real-world brand; monitoring selection and
placement of the branded virtual object in the virtual environment
by the player; and updating the virtual environment of the player
to include the branded virtual object.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/174,765, filed on Jun. 30, 2011, which
claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/475,128,
filed Apr. 13, 2011, the benefit of priority of each of which is
claimed hereby, and each of which are incorporated by reference
herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to branded virtual objects in
games and applications. In an example embodiment, an automated
bidding platform is provided for digital incentives of
computer-implemented online games including branded virtual
objects.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Online advertising is largely dominated by advertisements
placed on Web pages. Typically, advertisers provide an ad network
with target keywords for an ad campaign, and the ad network selects
an advertisement to place on a host Web page by determining which
ad campaigns have keywords that best match the content of the Web
page.
[0004] Additionally, some computer-implemented online games rely on
advertising to generate at least a portion of the game's revenue.
Unfortunately, these online games typically adopt ad bidding
systems that have been optimized for advertising on Web pages, and
thus do not take advantage of special features that are made
available by online games.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and
not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in
which like reference numerals indicate similar elements unless
otherwise indicated. In the drawings,
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system, according to some
embodiments;
[0007] FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social
graph, according to some embodiments;
[0008] FIG. 3 shows a diagram illustrating example communications
between example components of the system of FIG. 1, according to
some embodiments;
[0009] FIG. 4A shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
facilitating the selecting and placing of a branded virtual object
in a virtual game, according to some embodiments;
[0010] FIG. 4B shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
processing an advertising opportunity associated with a player's
request for a virtual object of a computer-implemented virtual
game, according to some embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 4C shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
processing an advertising opportunity associated with a player's
request to upgrade a virtual object in the virtual game, according
to some embodiments;
[0012] FIG. 5 shows an example user interface displaying a player's
virtual environment on a display screen, according to some
embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
gathering engagement data from a player's interaction with a
branded virtual object in a friend's virtual environment, according
to some embodiments;
[0014] FIG. 7A shows an example user interface that allows an
advertiser to select an object category for creating a branded
virtual object for placement by a player in the virtual game,
according to some embodiments;
[0015] FIG. 7B shows an example user interface to create
advertising offers that may be presented to the player for
selection in the virtual game, according to some embodiments;
[0016] FIG. 8A shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
providing an interface to an advertiser that facilitates receiving
a bid for an advertising opportunity, according to some
embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 8B shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
creating an advertising offer for the virtual game, according to
some embodiments;
[0018] FIG. 9 shows an example database to store auction and
placement information related to virtual objects, according to some
embodiments;
[0019] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
storing a placement position for a branded virtual object in a
database, according to some embodiments;
[0020] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
using a search query to select advertising offers to present to the
player, according to some embodiments;
[0021] FIG. 12 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for
generating advertising analysis data for an advertiser, according
to some embodiments;
[0022] FIG. 13 illustrates an example data flow between example
components of the example system of FIG. 1, according to some
embodiments;
[0023] FIG. 14 illustrates an example network environment, in which
various example embodiments may operate, according to some
embodiments; and
[0024] FIG. 15 illustrates an example computing system
architecture, which may be used to implement one or more of the
methodologies described herein, according to some embodiments.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
Overview
[0025] Players of a computer-implemented virtual game may typically
select virtual objects to place within a virtual environment of the
virtual game. For example, in the virtual game CityVille by Zynga,
Inc., a user (e.g., a player) may select virtual objects such as
building structures and position them in a virtual city. Players
may then interact with these virtual objects to complete jobs and
earn virtual currency. Various example embodiments described herein
provide an example system that may generate an advertising
opportunity for placing a branded virtual object in the virtual
game (e.g., CityVille).
[0026] For example, a player of the virtual game may indicate a
desire to place a virtual cafe within a personal virtual
environment of the virtual game, and may prefer to include a
branded virtual cafe that resembles in some way a local cafe that
the player likes to visit. Thus, based on a request from the player
for a virtual cafe, the system may provide the player with one or
more branded cafes that the player may place within the player's
personal virtual environment. Each branded cafe may correspond to a
brick and mortar business that has a physical presence outside of
the virtual environment. Following on with the example branded
cafe, the brick and mortar cafe may be a Starbucks Corp..TM. coffee
shop.
[0027] In some example embodiments, a game server may provide one
or more advertisers with a user interface for creating campaigns
for these branded virtual objects. For example, an advertiser may
select an object category that may be associated with an unbranded
virtual object, and may provide customization information that
allows the advertiser to create a branded virtual object. This user
interface may also allow the advertiser to provide campaign
information such as a bid amount, a campaign budget, and a date
range for the campaign. The game system may use this campaign
information when facilitating an auction for an advertising
opportunity to be presented to a player in a virtual game. The
system may then monitor a selection of a particular branded object
by the player and, for example, a location at which the branded
virtual object is placed in the virtual environment.
Example System
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 for
implementing various example embodiments. In some embodiments, the
system 100 comprises a player 102, a client device 104, a network
106, a social networking system 108.1, a game networking system
108.2, an ad bidding system 108.3, and one or more advertising
systems (e.g., an advertising system 108.n). The components of the
system 100 may be connected directly or over a network 106, which
may be any suitable network. In various embodiments, one or more
portions of the network 106 may include an ad hoc network, an
intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local
area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network
(WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a
portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, or any other type of
network, or a combination of two or more such networks.
[0029] The client device 104 may be any suitable computing device
(e.g., devices 104.1-104.n), such as a smart phone 104.1, a
personal digital assistant 104.2, a mobile phone 104.3, a personal
computer 104.n, a laptop, a computing tablet, or any other device
suitable for playing a virtual game. The client device 104 may
access the social networking system 108.1 or the game networking
system 108.2 directly, via the network 106, or via a third-party
system. For example, the client device 104 may access the game
networking system 108.2 via the social networking system 108.1. The
client device 104 may be any suitable computing device, such as a
personal computer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing
tablet, etc.
[0030] The social networking system 108.1 may include a
network-addressable computing system that can host one or more
social graphs (see for example FIG. 2), and may be accessed by the
other components of system 100 either directly or via the network
106. The social networking system 108.1 may generate, store,
receive, and transmit social networking data. Moreover, the game
networking system 108.2 may include a network-addressable computing
system (or systems) that can host one or more virtual games, for
example, online games. The game networking system 108.2 may
generate, store, receive, and transmit game-related data, such as,
for example, game account data, game input, game state data, and
game displays. The game networking system 108.2 may be accessed by
the other components of system 100 either directly or via the
network 106. The player 102 may use the client device 104 to
access, send data to, and receive data from the social networking
system 108.1 and/or the game networking system 108.2. In various
example embodiments, the game networking system 108.2 may include
an introduction mechanic that can introduce a player of the game
networking system 108.2 to other players of the game networking
system 108.2 that are encountering a common in-game obstacle.
[0031] The ad bidding system 108.3 may be a network-addressable
computing system that can host or facilitate automated auctions for
advertising opportunities within the virtual game. The advertising
system 108.n may include a network-addressable computing system
that can submit advertising offers to the ad bidding system 108.3.
The ad bidding system 108.3 and the advertising system 108.n may be
accessed by the other components of system 100 either directly or
via the network 106.
[0032] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular example of the
arrangement of the player 102, the client device 104, the social
networking system 108.1, the game networking system 108.2, and the
network 106, this disclosure includes any suitable arrangement or
configuration of the player 102, the client device 104, the social
networking system 108.1, the game networking system 108.2, the ad
bidding system 108.3, the advertising system 108.n, and the network
106.
[0033] FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social
graph 200. Social graph 200 is shown by way of example to include
an out-of-game social network 250, and an in-game social network
260. Moreover, in-game social network 260 may include one or more
players that are friends with Player 201 (e.g., Friend 231), and
may include one or more other players that are not friends with
Player 201. The social graph 200 may correspond to the various
players associated with the virtual game. In an example embodiment,
each player may "build" their own virtual structures using branded
virtual objects and/or unbranded virtual objects. When, for
example, Player 201 visits the virtual environment of Friend 231,
the virtual environment displayed to Player 201 includes banded
objects selected and placed in that environment by Friend 231.
Example Player-Engaged Ad Placements
[0034] It is to be appreciated that the branded objects may be
presented to a player for selection and inclusion in the player's
virtual environment but sourced in different ways. For example the
game networking system 108.2 may include a library of branded
objects configured, for example, to correspond with virtual
structures corresponding to brick and mortar structures (e.g.,
physical buildings). Each branded object may be configured to
visually correspond with a physical structure, and advertisers (or
companies) may pay for the opportunity of having their branded
virtual object presented to the player for selection in the
player's virtual environment. In an example embodiment, advertising
opportunities to present a particular branded object to a player
may be auctioned. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a bidding
system facilitates accepting offers from one or more advertising
entities for an advertising opportunity within a virtual game.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows a diagram illustrating example communications
300 between components of an example system. Communications 300 may
be performed using one or more of the components of example system
100 and, accordingly, is described by way of example with reference
thereto. For example, client device 302 may correspond to client
device 104, game server 304 may correspond to game networking
system 108.2 and/or ad bidding system 108.3, and ad server 306 may
correspond to advertising system 108.n.
[0036] In some example embodiments, the ad server 306 may send one
or more advertising offers 308 to the game server 304, at which
point the game server considers these advertising offers to satisfy
an advertising opportunity (e.g., the game server may receive
advertising offers from McDonald's.TM. and Burger King.TM. for an
opportunity to place a branded virtual diner in a player's virtual
environment). Moreover, a client device 302 may send an event
notification 310 to the game server 304 (e.g., when a player using
client device 302 browses through an in-game environment for a
virtual diner to build within a personal virtual city of the
virtual game). In response to the event notification 310, the game
server 304 may create an advertising opportunity (e.g., an
opportunity to present the player with one or more branded virtual
diners to place in the player's personal virtual city). The game
server 304 may, for example, select and send a set of one or more
branded virtual objects 312 to the client device 302 based on an
outcome of the auction. The client device 302 may present the
player with the in-game environment that allows the player to
select one of the branded virtual objects 312 (e.g., a virtual
diner), and to place or position it in the player's personal
virtual environment. The player may then subsequently be presented
with further branded objects from the same or different advertisers
(e.g., based on an outcome of further auctions) for placement in
the player's virtual environment. For example, if the player
selects a different object category of the in-game environment, the
client device 302 may send another event notification 310 to the
game server 304 for this new object category, and the game server
304 may send a new set of branded virtual objects 312 to the client
device 302 for the selected object category. The new set of branded
virtual objects 312 may be determined based on an outcome of an
auction for the advertising opportunity.
[0037] In some example embodiments, when the player selects a
branded virtual object to place within the player's personal
virtual environment, the game server 304 may record selection of
the particular branded object and, for example, advise the
advertiser accordingly. In some example embodiments, the game
server 304 may charge the advertiser a display bid amount for
presenting a branded virtual object to the player. In other example
embodiments, the game server 304 may charge the advertiser a
placement bid amount when the player selects and places the branded
virtual object within the player's virtual embodiment. In some
embodiments, the game server 304 may send auction data 316 that
indicates the winning bid to the ad server 306 that won the bid
auction.
[0038] In various example embodiments, the player may visit a
virtual environment of any other player (and other players may
visit the virtual environment of this player). For example, the
player may access a "Friend" menu of the virtual game to click on a
friend's icon, and may select "visit" from a sub-menu to visit this
friend's virtual environment. Then, the client device 302 may send
an event notification 318 to the game server 304 indicating the
player's request to visit the player's friend's virtual
environment, and the game server 304 may respond by providing
virtual environment data 320 to the client device 302. The virtual
environment data 320 may include placement information for the
friend's placed virtual objects, which may include branded virtual
structures placed in the friend's virtual environment. Then, while
the player is visiting the player's friend's virtual environment,
the player may help the player's friend (e.g., when the player's
friend is not playing the virtual game) by harvesting the player's
friend's crops before they wither, or by collecting coins from the
businesses and homes in the player's friend's virtual environment.
In various example embodiments, the friend may have placed branded
virtual structures within the friend's virtual environment, and the
player may engage with a branded virtual structure (e.g., to
complete an in-game job, or to collect coins from the branded
virtual structure). Then, in response to the player engaging with
the branded virtual structure, the client device 302 may send
player engagement information 322 to the game server 304, which the
game server 304 may use to gather advertising data that corresponds
to the branded virtual structure for the advertiser.
[0039] In some embodiments, the ad server 306 may send a request
324 to the game server 304 for advertising analysis data pertaining
to one or more advertising offers, and the game server 304 may send
advertising analysis data 326 to the ad server 306. The advertising
analysis data 326 may relate to a plurality of different bidding
opportunities, data on the number of display bids or placement bids
won by the advertiser, data on the number of times players selected
the advertiser's branded virtual object, and/or the like. The
advertising analysis data 326 may also include a distance between
the branded virtual object and a particular virtual object of the
virtual game (e.g., a competitor's branded virtual object),
classification information for other virtual objects within a
determinable distance to the branded virtual object, and the like.
The advertising analysis data 326 may also include player
engagement data indicating player-interactions with the branded
virtual object, and data for any event related thereto.
[0040] FIG. 4A shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 400
for facilitating the selecting and placing of a branded virtual
object in a virtual game. In some embodiments, the method 400 may
be performed using the game networking system 108.2 and/or the ad
bidding system 108.3, the method 400 may perform communications
300, and, accordingly, is described by way of example with
reference thereto. In some example embodiments, the method 400
presents the player with an option to select a branded virtual
object for placement within the player's virtual environment (e.g.,
placing a virtual structure in a virtual city).
[0041] The method 400 may begin, at operation 402, by generating a
game instance of the virtual game, which may be a
computer-implemented multiplayer online game. Also, the game
instance may be uniquely associated with the virtual environment of
the player. At operation 404, the method 400 may provide a
graphical user interface (GUI) to the player. This GUI may display
at least one branded virtual object that the player may select for
placement in the player's virtual environment, where the branded
virtual object may correspond to a real-world brand.
[0042] In some example embodiments, this branded virtual object may
correspond to a winning bid in an auction for presentment of the
branded virtual object to the player. As an example, the GUI may
display an in-game menu that includes menu positions for five
virtual objects, and at least one of these menu positions may
display a branded virtual object that the player may select.
Further, the ad bidding system 108.3 may host an auction for
presentment of the branded virtual object at a menu position of the
GUI. Then, the method 400 may generate the GUI so that this menu
position displays a branded virtual object that corresponds to the
winning bid that, for example, may represent a McDonald's.TM.
fast-food diner. In some example embodiments, different menu
positions of the GUI may display branded virtual objects that may
correspond to different real-world brands. For example, at least
two of the brands displayed in the GUI may correspond to competing
real-world brands (e.g., McDonald's.TM. and Burger King.TM.).
[0043] At operation 406, the method 400 may monitor the player's
selection for a branded virtual object, and may monitor the
placement position of the player's virtual environment at which the
player places the branded virtual object. For example, the method
400 may monitor the player's in-game event information (e.g., from
the event notification 310 or 318 of FIG. 3) to determine that the
player selected the McDonald's branded virtual object. Further, the
method 400 may also monitor this event information to determine a
placement position of the player's virtual environment at which the
player located the McDonald's branded virtual object. Then, at
operation 408, the method 400 may update the player's virtual
environment to include the branded virtual object. The method 400
may include this branded virtual object at the placement position
of the virtual environment indicated by the player.
[0044] In some example embodiments, at operation 404, the method
400 may determine a branded virtual object to present to the player
by accessing a database that includes a plurality of branded
virtual objects. The method 400 may, for example, retrieve a
branded virtual object that corresponds to a successful bidder that
bids in the auction, and may present this branded virtual object to
the player in the GUI for selection and placement in the virtual
environment. This branded virtual object may correspond to a
virtual building for placement in the virtual environment, or may
correspond to a virtual vehicle that may traverse virtual roads of
the virtual environment.
[0045] The virtual game may also include a plurality of un-branded
virtual objects for selective placement in the virtual environment
(e.g., the player may select an un-branded virtual object using the
GUI, and may place this un-branded virtual object in the player's
virtual environment). The un-branded virtual object may have a
predefined shape and dimension, and may have associated object
parameters. In some example embodiments, a branded virtual object
may be associated with an un-branded virtual object (e.g., the
branded virtual object and the un-branded virtual object may have a
matching object category), and the branded virtual object may have
associated parameters that correspond to the un-branded virtual
object. Furthermore, a branded virtual object may have a predefined
shape, predetermined dimensions, and object parameters associated
with the un-branded object.
[0046] In some example embodiments, the database may include a
selection count for branded virtual objects and unbranded virtual
objects. Thus, if the player selects a branded virtual object from
the GUI, the method 400 may update (e.g., increment) a branded
virtual object selection count. Similarly, if the player selects an
un-branded virtual object from the GUI, the method 400 may update
(e.g., increment) an un-branded virtual object selection count.
Further, the database may include a view count and an engagement
count for branded virtual objects and unbranded virtual objects.
For example, when the player or a guest player (e.g., another
player of the virtual game that views the player's virtual
environment) accesses the player's virtual environment, the guest
player may be presented with a plurality of branded virtual objects
at various placement positions of the player's virtual environment.
Thus, when the player, or the guest player, accesses the player's
virtual environment, the method 400 may update (e.g., increment)
the branded object view count for a branded virtual object that is
displayed in the virtual environment. Similarly, if the player, or
the guest player, interacts with the branded virtual object, the
method 400 may update (e.g., increment) a branded object engagement
count for the branded virtual object. Further, when the guest
player interacts with the branded virtual object in the
host-player's virtual environment, the method 400 may provide an
in-game reward to the player and/or the guest player.
[0047] FIG. 4B shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 420
for processing an advertising opportunity associated with a
player's request for a virtual object of the virtual game. In an
example embodiment, advertising opportunities are made and
fulfilled on-the-fly while the game is in progress or being played.
In some embodiments, the method 420 may be performed using the game
networking system 108.2 and/or the ad bidding system 108.3, the
method 420 may perform communications 300, and, accordingly, is
described by way of example with reference thereto. In some example
embodiments, the method 420 performs an auction to fulfill an
advertising opportunity for presenting the player with an option to
select a branded virtual object for placement within the player's
virtual environment (e.g., placing a virtual structure in a virtual
city). For example, the method 420 may correspond to operation 404
of FIG. 4A.
[0048] The method 420 may begin, at operation 422, by receiving an
event notification (e.g., the event notification 310) from a
player's client device (e.g., the client device 302). In some
example embodiments, this event notification from operation 422 may
correspond to the player navigating through object categories of
the virtual environment to view virtual objects (e.g., virtual
buildings providing different products) to place in the player's
virtual environment. When the player selects an object category,
the client device 302 may send a corresponding event notification
310 to the game server 304.
[0049] At operation 424, the method 420 may generate an advertising
opportunity based on the event notification. For example, the
method 420 may generate an advertising opportunity for a selected
object category, and may generate opportunity constraints based on
at least one of the following: an inventory constraint (e.g., a
number of menu positions available within an in-game menu for
displaying virtual objects), the virtual game's metadata (e.g.,
game classification information and marketing preferences), the
player's game state (e.g., an amount of virtual currency attributed
to the player's character), the player's consumer preferences
(e.g., preference information indicating the player's preference to
coffee over soda), and the like. Then, at operation 426, the method
420 may select at least one advertising offer to display to the
player based on the opportunity constraints of the advertising
opportunity. At operation 428, the method 420 may provide the
client device with branded virtual objects from the selected
advertising offers so that the client device 104 may display these
branded virtual objects within the in-game menu.
[0050] At operation 430, the method 420 may determine whether the
game networking system 108.2 received a player's selection for a
different object category. If the player selects a different object
category, the method 420 may return to operation 424 to generate a
new advertising opportunity for the selected object category, and
to provide the client device with a corresponding new set of
branded virtual objects. It is to be appreciated that the methods
described herein may be distributed over one or more game playing
sessions.
[0051] If the player does not select a different object category,
the method 420 may continue to operation 432 to determine whether
the game networking system 108.2 received a player's selection for
a branded virtual object.
[0052] If the method 420 determines at operation 432 that the
player did not select a branded virtual object (e.g., the player
selected an unbranded virtual object, or closed the in-game menu
without selecting a virtual object), the method 420 may end without
providing a branded virtual object to the player. However, if the
method 420 determines at operation 432 that the player selected a
branded virtual object (e.g., from display menu displaying one or
more branded virtual objects), the method 420 may continue to
operation 434 to facilitate placement of the branded virtual object
by the player in the player's virtual environment.
Rebranding a Virtual Object
[0053] In some example embodiments, the player may select a placed
virtual object of the player's virtual environment, and may
indicate a desire to rebrand this virtual object. For example, the
player may click on a "Tools" menu provided by a user interface of
the virtual game, and may select a "Re-brand" tool that allows the
player to select a virtual object to re-brand. Then, when the
player selects a virtual object to re-brand, the player's client
device (e.g., client device 302 of FIG. 3) may send an event
notification 310 to the game server 304. This event notification
310 may indicate the virtual object that was selected by the
player, and may indicate that the player desires to re-brand this
virtual object. The virtual object to re-brand may be an un-branded
virtual object, or may be a branded virtual object. In response to
the re-branding event notification 310 from the client device 302,
the game server 304 may perform an auction using method 420 to
select branded virtual objects for the player, and the client
device 302 may present the player with an in-game menu that
displays these branded virtual objects for the user to select
from.
[0054] FIG. 4C shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 450
for processing an advertising opportunity associated with a
player's request to upgrade a virtual object in the virtual game.
In an example embodiment, advertising opportunities are made and
fulfilled on-the-fly while the game is in progress or being played.
In some embodiments, the method 450 may be performed using the game
networking system 108.2 and/or the ad bidding system 108.3, method
450 may perform communications 300, and, accordingly, is described
by way of example with reference thereto. In some example
embodiments, the method 450 performs an auction to fulfill an
advertising opportunity for re-branding a virtual object placed
within the player's virtual environment. The method 450 may select
branded virtual objects to present to the player based on the
category of the virtual object being re-branded, and may initially
present the player with branded virtual objects that correspond to
this object category. However, the player may select a branded
virtual object of a different object category (e.g., by navigating
an in-game menu that presents the selected branded virtual objects
to the player).
[0055] The method 450 may begin at operation 452 by receiving the
re-branding event notification 310. Then, at operation 454, the
method 450 may generate an advertising opportunity for re-branding
the virtual object selected by the player. For example, the method
450 may use the re-branding event notification 310 to generate an
advertising opportunity for the object category corresponding to
the selected virtual object. This advertising opportunity
facilitates obtaining advertising offers for upgrading the selected
virtual object, and may include at least an opportunity constraint
that indicates the object category for the selected virtual object,
and a number of menu positions that are available within an in-game
menu for presenting a branded virtual object to the player. The
advertising opportunity may also include an opportunity constraint
that indicates the maximum dimensions for a branded virtual object
(e.g., the dimensions of the virtual object to re-brand, or the
dimensions of the unoccupied area of a virtual landscape that
surrounds the virtual object).
[0056] At operation 456, the method 450 may select advertising
offers to display to the player based on the opportunity
constraints of the advertising opportunity. For example, the method
450 may generate a search query to obtain sorted search results of
advertising offers, which may be sorted based on their proximity to
the opportunity constraints of the advertising offer (e.g., sorted
by how well their branded virtual objects fit at the placement
position of the selected virtual object). The method 450 may then
process the search query on a database that includes advertising
offers from a plurality of advertisers to obtain the sorted search
results, and may select a set of the top-ranking advertising offers
from the sorted search results. Then, at operation 458, the method
450 may provide the client device with branded virtual objects from
the selected advertising offers so that the client device 104 may
display these branded virtual objects within the in-game menu.
[0057] In some example embodiments, the method 450 allows the
player to upgrade the selected virtual object having a first object
category to a branded virtual object of having a second, and
different, object category. At operation 460, the method 450 may
determine whether the game networking system 108.2 received a
player's selection for a different object category. If the player
selects a different object category, the method 450 may return to
operation 454 to generate a new advertising opportunity for this
object category, and to provide the client device with a
corresponding new set of branded virtual objects. Once again,
method 450 may generate an advertising opportunity with an
opportunity constraint indicating the maximum dimensions for a
branded virtual object that would fit at the placement position of
the selected virtual object.
[0058] If the player does not select a different object category,
the method 450 may continue to operation 462 to determine whether
the game networking system 108.2 received a player's selection for
a branded virtual object.
[0059] If the method 450 determines at operation 462 that the
player did not select a branded virtual object (e.g., closed the
in-game menu without selecting an upgraded virtual object), the
method 450 may end without replacing the virtual object of the
player's virtual environment. However, if the method 450 determines
at operation 462 that the player selected a branded virtual object
(e.g., from a display menu displaying one or more branded virtual
objects), the method 450 may continue to operation 464 to replace
the virtual object in the player's virtual environment with the
branded virtual object that the player selected as an upgrade.
[0060] In some example embodiments, re-branding a virtual object
incurs an upgrade cost (e.g., virtual currency) to the player. This
upgrade cost may be determined by the method 450, or may be
indicated by an advertiser. Also, in response to the player
re-branding a virtual object to an advertiser's branded virtual
object, the method 450 may charge the advertiser a re-branding bid
amount that is different than a bid amount for placing a branded
virtual object (e.g., the advertiser may indicate a separate bid
for advertising opportunities associated with re-branding a virtual
object, or the method 450 may calculate a higher or lower bid
amount based on a determinable percentage of a bid amount for
placing a branded virtual object).
[0061] In some example embodiments, the advertiser creates an
upgraded version of a branded virtual object for the player to
place in the player's virtual environment. For example, the
advertiser may create a new advertising offer for the upgraded
virtual object, and may create offer attributes for this offer that
include the same object category and/or campaign name for the
upgraded virtual object as that of the original branded virtual
object. When the player selects the branded virtual object to
re-brand, the method 450 may provide the player's client device
with the upgraded version of the branded virtual object from this
advertiser, along with other branded virtual objects from other
advertisers. The player's client device may then present the player
with an in-game menu that allows the player to replace the selected
branded object with the upgraded virtual object of the same
advertiser, or to select a branded virtual object from a different
advertiser.
[0062] The upgraded virtual object may be a persistent upgrade, or
may be a temporary upgrade (e.g., a Halloween-themed version of a
virtual structure that is available during the month of October).
In the case of a temporary upgrade, the advertiser may set a date
range for the advertising offer's campaign. Then, when the campaign
reaches the end date, the method 450 may replace the upgraded
virtual object in the player's virtual environment with the
original version of the branded virtual object. In some example
embodiments, if the original version of the branded virtual object
has also reached its end date, then method 450 may replace the
branded virtual object with an un-branded virtual object.
Example Advertising Opportunities
[0063] In some example embodiments, an advertising opportunity may
include an in-game display, or may include a branded product
placement within the virtual game. Accordingly, the branded product
may be provided in a GUI presented to a player participating in the
virtual game. For example, an apparel company may submit a bid to
display an image on a virtual billboard or poster displayed in a
player's virtual environment of the virtual game. As a second
example, a car manufacturer may submit a bid to cause a particular
car model to drive through a virtual city of the virtual game. In
various other embodiments, an advertising opportunity may include a
menu position within an in-game menu for displaying a branded
virtual object that a player can purchase and place within the
player's personal virtual environment of the virtual game. In an
example embodiment, the game networking system 108.2 provides a
plurality (e.g., millions) of virtual environments each associated
with a particular player. Individual players may uniquely build a
virtual environment (e.g., a virtual city) using different virtual
objects (e.g., virtual objects representing different physical
objects such as buildings, cars, decorative signs, or the like).
The virtual game may be an asynchronous multiplayer game that in
which actions and/or events within the game progress even when a
particular player is not playing the game. Thus, other players may
visit the particular player's virtual environment and view the
player's virtual environment, including the branded virtual objects
even when the player is not actively playing the virtual game. In
an example embodiment, the branded virtual objects are not
pre-programmed into the virtual environment, but are added to the
virtual game that is in progress by an advertiser or the game
developer.
[0064] In some example embodiments, an advertising offer for
presenting a branded virtual object in an in-game menu of the
virtual game includes offer attributes that indicate skinning
images for one or more orientations of the branded virtual object,
an object category for the branded virtual object, item properties
for the branded virtual object, and campaign information for the
advertising offer. The item properties may include a cost for
purchasing the branded virtual object, an earnings amount (e.g., a
payout amount), a supply amount that indicates an amount of goods
needed to re-supply the branded virtual object, and a display name
for the branded virtual object. The campaign information may
include a campaign name, a maximum bid amount, a campaign budget
amount, a date range for the advertising campaign, and a game in
which to execute the campaign.
[0065] In some example embodiments, a player may be presented with
digital incentives associated with a branded virtual object. For
example, players that have placed a branded virtual coffee shop
within their virtual environment may be presented with a digital
coupon redeemable against the price of a cup of coffee in a
real-world (e.g., brick and mortar) coffee shop corresponding to
the branded virtual coffee shop. An advertising offer for a digital
incentive may include offer attributes that indicate a unique
identifier for a physical good or service (e.g., a unique
identifier for coffee sold virtually in a virtual coffee shop in
the virtual environment), a coupon price for the physical good or
service, a bid price for presenting the digital coupon to the
player, and the like. In some embodiments, the offer attributes may
indicate a market restriction for a set of venues and/or dates at
which the digital coupon may not be redeemed (e.g., the coupon may
not be redeemed at a downtown coffee shop on weekday mornings), a
game state of the virtual game at which the digital coupon is to be
presented to the player (e.g., when the player collects coins from
the virtual coffee shop), and the like.
[0066] The offer attributes may also indicate a bid price for an
incentive that is offered to the player to encourage the player to
perform a particular in-game action (e.g., offering the player a
free cup of coffee for inviting three other players to visit the
virtual coffee shop). In various embodiments, an advertising offer
may be associated with a group incentive, and the offer attributes
may also indicate a social relationship required between players in
the required number of players, a game state associated with a
player in the required number of players, a minimum level of
in-game social interaction from the required number of players,
and/or the like. For example, these offer attributes may indicate
that the incentive is to be provided to a group of at least two
close friends that are highly active in the virtual game. The
example social graph 200 (see FIG. 2) may be used to identify a
relationship between two or more players.
[0067] In some example embodiments, method 420 (see FIG. 4B) may
perform operation 426 to select a branded virtual object to include
in the in-game menu by selecting an advertising offer for the
advertising opportunity, such that the offer attributes of the
advertising offer do not violate an opportunity constraint of the
advertising opportunity. An opportunity constraint may include an
inventory constraint of the advertising opportunity, and/or an
entity constraint applicable to an entity from which the offer is
received. An inventory constraint may, for example, include a
number of available in-game displays (e.g., a virtual billboard or
a poster of the virtual environment), a number of menu positions
available within an in-game menu to display branded virtual
objects, a number of pop-up views available to present offers to
players of the virtual game, and/or the like. For example, the game
system may include a limit to the number or frequency of pop-up
displays that are presented to the player, and may determine an
availability of pop-up displays based on the number of online
players and the sum of their individual available inventories.
[0068] In some embodiments, an entity constraint may be imposed by
the method 420 onto an entity (e.g., an advertiser) from which an
offer is received. Example entity constraints include a visual
constraint that restricts the placement and/or dimensions for
images and virtual objects placed or located in the virtual
environment, and may include a content constraint that restricts
the nature of the content being displayed. For example, a visual
constraint may include an available position on a virtual landscape
within the virtual game that is displayed on a display screen of a
client device 104, and may include a minimum and/or maximum
dimensions for an in-game display or for a skinning image. A
content constraint for a branded object being injected into the
virtual game may include a virtual object category, a restriction
to certain types of decorative objects, a list of restricted image
content categories, a list of restricted words, a list of
restricted brand names, a list of restricted products, and/or the
like. Virtual object categories may include, for example,
businesses (e.g., a diner, a restaurant, a store), a residential
building (e.g., a hotel, a house), a public building (e.g., City
Hall), a business asset (e.g., a stove), landmarks (e.g., the
Eiffel tower), a decorative item (e.g., a tree, a fountain, roads),
or the like.
Example Virtual Environment with Branded Virtual Objects
[0069] FIG. 5 shows an example user interface 500 displaying a
player's virtual environment 501 on a display screen. In some
embodiments, the user interface 500 may be provided to the client
device 104 by the game networking system 108.2, and displayed to
the player by the client device 104. For example, the user
interface 500 may provide the player with an example virtual game
that includes a virtual city. In the example virtual game
illustrated in FIG. 5, the user interface 500 shows the virtual
city and various components or virtual structures of this city, and
the player may interact with various components of this city (e.g.,
the player may collect coins from a branded virtual object 522.5
that shows a virtual structure representing a branded diner (e.g.,
a Burger King.TM. hamburger restaurant) to complete game objectives
and earn virtual currency.
[0070] In various example embodiments, the player may click on (or
otherwise activate) various aspects of the game interface to
provide instructions to the virtual game. For example, by clicking
on the branded virtual object 522.5, the player may collect virtual
currency in the form of an in-game rent payment or in-game revenue.
Moreover, the player's in-game character may possess a certain
level of in-game character energy, and may expend a determinable
amount of character energy when interacting with a virtual object
to complete an in-game job (e.g., when plowing a field to grow a
new crop). The player may also click on various icons in the user
interface 500 to activate various game options. For example, the
player may cause the virtual game to display an in-game menu (e.g.,
an in-game menu 510) that presents options for buying and selling
in-game objects for use in the virtual environment. These in-game
objects include but are not limited to virtual objects, virtual
goods, virtual furniture, virtual appliances, decor, or the
like.
[0071] In various example embodiments, the player may purchase
virtual objects to construct a virtual city by placing these
virtual objects within the virtual environment 501. For example,
the player may place a farm plot object 522.1 in the virtual
environment 501 to grow a crop, and may place a barn object 522.2
in the virtual environment 501 to store goods. The player may place
a road 522.3 that spans across a portion of the virtual environment
501 for in-game characters to travel on, and may place a house
522.4 next to a portion of the road 522.3. The player may also
place branded or unbranded businesses (e.g., a branded diner 522.5)
next to the road 522.3, which allows the diner 522.5 to serve
residents of the house 522.4. The player may collect rent from the
house 522.4 at determinable time intervals, and may collect coins
from the diner 522.5 after a determinable number of guests have
been served.
[0072] In some example embodiments, placing additional houses in
virtual environment 501 increases the population of the player's
virtual city, which in turn may increase the rate at which a placed
business serves guests, thereby increasing the rate at which the
player may collect coins. Also, adding friends as neighbors (e.g.,
a friend 221 of the in-game social network 260 of FIG. 2) allows
friends to send a tour bus to the player's virtual city, which may
travel on road 522.3 to visit a placed business (e.g., the diner
522.5) in the player's virtual environment 501. The tour bus may
then visit the branded virtual businesses in the virtual
environment 501.
[0073] In some example embodiments, "placing" the virtual object is
performed by the player selecting an object from the in-game menu
510 (e.g., the object 526.3 at menu position 516 of menu 510), at
which point a game engine for the virtual game (e.g., an
application executed by the client device 104 and/or the game
networking system 108.2) places the selected object at an initial
placement position of the virtual environment 501. The user may
then drag the virtual object from the initial placement position to
a desired placement position of the virtual environment 501 (e.g.,
a placement position 502). In other example embodiments, placing
the virtual object is performed by the player dragging the virtual
object from the menu 510 to the desired placement position (e.g.,
dragging object 526.3 from the menu position 516 to the placement
position 502).
[0074] In some example embodiments, "selecting" the virtual object
may be performed by the player using a pointing device (e.g., a
mouse or a touch pad) to click on the virtual object (e.g., using
the left mouse button). Moreover, "dragging" the object may be
performed by the player using the pointing device to click on the
virtual object, and drag the virtual object to a different display
position while the mouse button is being held down. In other
example embodiments, for a player using a touch screen (e.g., a
resistive touch screen or a capacitive touch screen), "selecting"
the virtual object may be performed by the player tapping (e.g.,
using a finger or a stylus) on a portion of the touch screen that
is displaying the virtual object. Moreover, "dragging" the virtual
object may be performed by the player placing a finger on a portion
of the touch screen that displays the virtual object (e.g., the
menu position 516), and dragging the finger across a portion of the
touch screen that displays the virtual environment 501 to place the
virtual object (e.g., the branded virtual object 522) at a
different placement position (e.g., the placement position 502) of
the virtual environment 501.
[0075] In various example embodiments, the menu 510 may include a
set of menu positions that display unbranded or branded virtual
objects of a certain object category. For example, the menu 510 may
include a top display zone that displays multiple object categories
524 for the virtual game (e.g., for a game category 523). Moreover,
when the player selects an object category (e.g., one of display
categories 524.1-524.n), the system may present the player with a
set of unbranded objects (not shown) from the selected category
(e.g., virtual "diner" and "coffee shop" objects of a "business"
category 524.2). In some example embodiments, this unbranded object
represents an object sub-category 526 for which advertisers can
submit advertising offers. If advertising offers exist for the
object sub-category (e.g., sub-category 526), the player may click
on the unbranded object in the menu 510 to view a set of virtual
objects associated with this object sub-category (526.1-526.5). For
example, menu 510 displays multiple virtual objects associated with
the "diners" sub-category 526. Here, the position 512 of the
"diners" sub-category 526 displays the unbranded "diner" virtual
object 526.1, and the remaining menu positions (e.g., positions
514, 516, 518, and 520) may display branded virtual objects
526.2-526.n for which advertisers have bid.
[0076] In some example embodiments, at operation 424, the method
420 generates an advertising opportunity that accounts for the menu
positions that are available for displaying branded virtual objects
(e.g., menu positions 514, 516, 518, and 520), thereby making these
menu positions available for bids from multiple advertising
entities (e.g., the advertising system 108.n). For example, the
method 420 may reserve a subset of the menu positions to display
variations for the unbranded virtual object of an object
sub-category (e.g., position 512 of the object sub-category 526),
and may not account for these menu positions in the inventory
constraint for an advertising opportunity.
[0077] In various embodiments, the menu position for a branded
virtual object is determined based on a bid amount that an
advertiser sets for the branded virtual object. For example, at
operation 426, the method 420 may require higher bids for branded
virtual objects that are placed farther away from an unbranded
virtual object (e.g., the branded virtual goods are displayed in a
sorted order of increasing bid amounts). Moreover, the cost (e.g.,
the amount of virtual currency needed for a player to buy a virtual
object) may be higher for branded virtual objects that are placed
farther from unbranded virtual objects, thereby resulting in a
higher perceived value for these virtual objects. Thus, an
advertising entity may find it beneficial to submit advertising
offers with a highest possible bid amount so that their branded
virtual objects, and thus their brand name, is attributed the
highest perceived value within the virtual game.
[0078] In various other embodiments, the menu position for a
branded virtual object is determined based on a cost that the
advertiser sets for the branded virtual object (e.g., the branded
virtual objects are sorted by an increasing or a decreasing cost),
and an advertising opportunity may be generated for individual menu
positions of the in-game menu 510. Thus, an advertising entity may
need to increase the bid amount for an advertising offer associated
with a menu position that is of high demand (e.g., for advertising
offers that indicate a high cost or a low cost for a branded
virtual object).
[0079] In some example embodiments, the branded virtual object may
include an object that is customized by an advertising entity from
which an offer is received. Also, the branded virtual object may
include a virtual representation for a branded consumer product or
service, such as a store or restaurant, clothing apparel, a food
item, an automobile, etc. For example, a player may purchase a
McDonald's.TM. diner to place within the virtual environment 501 of
the virtual game, or may customize an avatar so that it wears
distinguishable clothing that has been designed by Guess.TM.
jeans.
Cross-Player Branded Virtual Object Interactions
[0080] In some example embodiments, the player may visit a friend's
virtual environment (e.g., an in-game friend as reflected by the
social graph 200 of FIG. 2, or any other player of the virtual
game), either when the friend is online or offline. The player may
view and interact with a branded virtual object that that player's
friend placed in the player's friend's virtual environment. In some
embodiments, the friend may place the branded virtual object in the
friends' own virtual environment (e.g., virtual environment 501 of
FIG. 5 may be a virtual environment for the player's friend) by
selecting the branded virtual object from the in-game menu 510 of
the user interface 500. The game networking system 108.2 may
perform method 420 to select virtual objects to present to the
friend using an in-game auction, and the game networking system
108.2 may place the branded virtual object at a position of the
friend's virtual environment 501. In some embodiments, the branded
virtual object is a persistent advertisement in the virtual
environment 501 that is positioned by the friend, and that is
presented to the player, the player's friend, and/or any player
that visits the friend's virtual environment 501. If the player
visits the friend's virtual environment 501 at a later game
session, the player may interact with the branded virtual object
once again if the friend has not removed this branded virtual
object from the friend's virtual environment 501. This persistent
advertisement allows the friend to share the friend's brand
preferences with the player (and with any other visitor), which may
have a higher influence on the player due to the player's repeated
interactions with the branded virtual object across numerous
visits, and due to the player knowing that this branded object was
placed in the virtual environment by the player's friend (e.g., the
player may treat the branded virtual object as a brand
recommendation from the player's friend).
[0081] In some embodiments, the player's client device 104 may
gather engagement details from the player's interactions with the
branded virtual object, and may communicate these player
engagements to the game networking system 108.2. The game
networking system 108.2 may receive a request from an advertiser
(the advertising system 108.n) for advertising analysis data, and
the game networking system 108.2 may provide an advertiser (e.g.,
the advertising system 108.n) with this advertising analysis data
that may includes the player engagements, demographic data obtained
from a profile of the player (e.g., a profile of the player in the
virtual game, a profile of the player in a social network), and
other data that is derived from player engagements of a plurality
of players.
[0082] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 600
for gathering engagement data from a player's interaction with a
branded virtual object in a friend's virtual environment. In an
example embodiment, the player may visit the friend's virtual
environment either when the friend is online or offline. In some
embodiments, the method 600 may be performed using the game
networking system 108.2 and may perform communications 300, and,
accordingly, is described by way of example with reference thereto.
Also, the virtual environment 501 of FIG. 5 may correspond to the
player's friend, and method 600 is described by way of example with
reference thereto.
[0083] The method 600 may begin at operation 602 by receiving a
request from the player's client device (e.g., the client device
104 of FIG. 1) to visit the friend's virtual environment 501 (e.g.,
event notification 318 of FIG. 3). At operation 604, the method 600
may provide the client device with virtual environment data for the
friend's virtual environment 501 (e.g., virtual environment data
320). Then, at operation 606, the method 600 may receive an event
notification from the player's client device 104 for an event in
the friend's virtual environment 501 (e.g., player engagements
322). Some events may involve the player interacting with a branded
virtual object associated with an advertising campaign, while
others may not. For example, the player may click on the crop
object 522.1 to harvest the crop, or may click on a virtual object
of a branded or unbranded business to collect coins or complete an
in-game task.
[0084] At operation 608, the method 600 may determine whether the
event corresponds to a branded virtual object that the player's
friend placed in the virtual environment 501 (e.g., branded virtual
object 522.6). If not (e.g., there is no advertising analysis data
to gather from this event), the method 600 may end. Otherwise, if
the method 600 determines at operation 608 that the event
corresponds to a branded virtual object, the method 600 may
continue to operation 610 to determine an advertising campaign for
the branded virtual object. At operation 612, the method 600 may
generate player engagement data based on the player's interaction
with the branded virtual object of the player's friend's virtual
environment 501. For example, the engagement data may include a
record of the time duration (e.g., a date and/or time interval) at
which the branded virtual object 522.6 was presented to the player
at a prominent position of the user interface 500 (e.g., a time
duration at which the branded virtual object 522.6 was viewable
anywhere within the user interface 500, or was viewable within a
determinable center portion of the user interface 500).
[0085] The engagement data may also include a record of the
interactions between the player and the branded virtual object
522.6. These interactions may include the player clicking on the
branded virtual object 522.6 to send a tour bus to the branded
virtual object 522.6 or to complete an in-game task (e.g., collect
coins), and may include the user interface 500 presenting a branded
message in a speech balloon over a character of the virtual
environment 501. For example, the player may click on the branded
virtual object 522.6 of the user interface 500 to send a tour bus
to the branded virtual object 522.6, and a predetermined number of
the player's characters will visit the branded virtual object
522.6. As the in-game characters leave the virtual object 522.6,
the virtual environment 501 may display a speech balloon that
includes a branded message from the advertiser (e.g., characters
leaving the branded virtual object 522.6, e.g., a McDonalds virtual
diner, may be displayed with a speech balloon that includes the
slogan "I'm Loving It.!").
[0086] Then, at operation 614, the method 600 may store the player
engagement data in relation with the advertising campaign. In
various example embodiments, the method 600 may store player
engagement data for a plurality of players that engage with the
branded virtual object (e.g., the interactions taking place either
in the virtual environment 501 of the player's friend, or a virtual
environment of any other player). Moreover, when the game
networking system 108.2 receives a request for advertising analysis
data (e.g., request 324 of FIG. 3), the game networking system
108.2 may generate the advertising analysis data 326 for the
advertiser by aggregating player engagement data from the plurality
of players that engage with the branded virtual object and may
provide the advertising analysis data 326 to the advertiser.
Examples for advertising analysis data 326 that may be provided to
the advertiser is described in more detail below with respect to
FIG. 12.
User Interface for Generating Advertising Offers
[0087] In various embodiments, an advertising entity may use a
Web-based user interface to create an advertising offer for an
object category. For example, the advertising entity may navigate
through a hierarchy of object categories to select a desired object
category, and may customize an unbranded virtual object of this
desired object category to create a branded virtual object. The
advertising entity may also use this Web-based UI to provide offer
attributes for the advertising offer. These offer attributes may
indicate a skinning image for one or more orientations of the
branded virtual objects, and may include campaign information.
[0088] FIG. 7A shows an example user interface 700 that allows an
advertiser to select an object category for creating a branded
virtual object for placement by a player in the virtual game. In
some embodiments, user interface 700 may be provided to the client
device 104 by the ad bidding system 108.3, and displayed to an
advertiser by the client device 104. The user interface 700 may
include a set of navigation tabs for accessing various features of
an ad campaign utility. For example, the "create," "manage," and
"analyze" tabs may provide the advertiser with features for
creating, managing, and analyzing campaigns for branded virtual
objects, respectively.
[0089] In some example embodiments, when the advertiser clicks on
the "create" tab, the advertiser may be presented with an object
category hierarchy that allows the advertiser to select an object
sub-category for which to create an advertising offer. The
advertiser may begin navigating the object category hierarchy by
first selecting a game, and then selecting the appropriate object
category and sub-category. The order in which the user interface
700 presents category items to an advertiser may or may not
correspond to the order in which menu 510 (see FIG. 5) presents
category items to a player. When the advertiser selects an object
sub-category, the user interface 700 may present the advertiser
with entry fields for creating a campaign for a branded virtual
object (e.g., see user interface 750 of FIG. 7B).
[0090] FIG. 7B shows an example user interface 750 to create
advertising offers that may be presented to the player for
selection in the virtual game. In some embodiments, user interface
750 may be provided to the client device 104 by the ad bidding
system 108.3, and displayed to an advertiser by the client device
104. The user interface 750 may include an interface for uploading
various images for the branded virtual object. For example, the
advertiser may upload various images of the branded virtual object
facing various directions (e.g., a southwest image and a southeast
image), and may upload a thumbnail image to display in the in-game
menu 510.
[0091] The user interface 750 may also include an interface for
entering various properties for the branded virtual object. For
example, the advertiser may provide a cost (e.g., an amount of
virtual currency that a player pays to purchase the branded virtual
object), an earnings amount (e.g., a revenue amount that a player
earns periodically from the branded virtual object), and a supply
amount (e.g., an amount of goods that a player needs to supply to
the branded virtual object). The advertiser may also provide an
in-game display name for the branded virtual object.
[0092] The user interface 750 may also include an interface for
adjusting various campaign properties. For example, the advertiser
may use a "Game" drop-down menu to select a different game category
for the campaign, and may use an "Object" drop-down menu to select
a different virtual object category for the campaign. The "Name"
entry field allows the advertiser to provide a name for the
campaign, the "Max Bid" entry field allows the advertiser to
provide a maximum bid amount for the campaign, and the "Budget"
entry field allows the advertiser to provide a budget for the
campaign. The "Start" and "End" date fields allow the advertiser to
enter a date range during which the campaign is to run.
[0093] FIG. 8A shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 800
for providing an interface to an advertiser that facilitates
receiving a bid for an advertising opportunity. In some
embodiments, method 800 may be performed using the ad bidding
system 108.3 and, accordingly, is described by way of example with
reference thereto. The method 800 may begin, at operation 802, by
providing an advertiser's requestor device with a graphical user
interface. The requestor device may be associated with a real-world
company, for example, a brand or an advertising agency.
[0094] At operation 804, the method 800 may receive a request from
the requestor device to present a branded virtual object to the
player. For example, the requestor device may be associated with
the McDonald's.TM. franchise, and the request received from the
requestor device may include display information and advertising
campaign information associated with the branded virtual object
526.2 of FIG. 5. In some example embodiments, the request from the
requestor device may include placement parameters that indicate a
presentation opportunity when the branded virtual object is to be
presented to the player. The placement parameters, for example, may
be selected from the group consisting of virtual geographic
limitations, a player age limitation, a placement restriction
within the virtual environment, and the like.
[0095] In some example embodiments, while the player is interacting
with the virtual game (e.g., during rendering of the virtual game),
the method 800 may update the player's virtual environment to
include a branded virtual object selected by the player. At
operation 806, the method 800 may receive a request from the player
to locate a virtual object in the player's virtual environment. For
example, the player may activate the menu 510 within the user
interface 500 of FIG. 5, which may cause the player's client device
104 to send a request to the ad bidding system 108.3 to obtain at
least one branded virtual object to display in the menu 510. Then,
at operation 808, the method 800 may present the player with the
menu 510 so that it includes the at least one branded virtual
object. The menu 510 may include a plurality of menu positions that
present the player with an option to select a branded virtual
object or an unbranded virtual object for placement in the player's
virtual environment. For example, the menu position 514 may present
the player with the option to select the branded virtual object
526.2 that is associated with the McDonald's.TM. franchise.
[0096] At operation 810, the method 800 may determine that the
branded virtual object was selected by the player from the menu
510. Then, at operation 812, the method 800 may insert the branded
virtual object in the player's virtual environment at a placement
position selected by the player. Further, at operation 814, the
method 800 may update (e.g., increment) a selection count
associated with the selected branded virtual object. For example,
the player may select the branded virtual object at the menu
position 516 of the in-game menu 510, and may place the branded
virtual object at the placement position 502 of the player's
virtual environment 501. Then, the method 800 may insert the
branded virtual object 522.5 at the placement position 502 of the
virtual environment 501.
[0097] In some example embodiments, the method 800 receives a
plurality of requests from a plurality of requestor devices, where
each request may include a bid for an advertising opportunity to
present a branded virtual object in the virtual game. Further, a
request may indicate an object category for which the bid is
placed. Thus, at operation 808, the method 800 may present the
player with an option to select, for a certain object category, the
branded virtual object of the requestor device from which the
highest bid is received. For example, the in-game menu 510 of FIG.
5 may include a plurality of menu positions that display virtual
diners, and the menu position 516 may present the branded virtual
object 526.3 to the player based on determining that the request
from the Burger King.TM. franchise is the highest bid. Further, the
in-game menu 510 may present a plurality of branded virtual objects
that may correspond to different real-world brands. In some example
embodiments, at least two virtual objects presented in the menu 510
correspond to virtual structures that correspond to vendors of
similar goods or services.
[0098] FIG. 8B shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 830
for creating an advertising offer for the virtual game. In some
embodiments, method 830 may be performed using the ad bidding
system 108.3 and, accordingly, is described by way of example with
reference thereto. Further, the method 830 may correspond to
operation 804 of FIG. 8A.
[0099] The method 830 may begin, at operation 832, by providing an
advertiser with a category-navigating user interface (e.g., user
interface 700 of FIG. 7A). The method 830 may then receive a
selection for a game (e.g., CityVille) from the advertiser at
operation 834, and may provide the advertiser with object
categories for the selected game at operation 836. At operation
838, the method may receive a selection for an object category
(e.g., "Businesses") from the advertiser, and at operation 840, the
method 830 may provide the advertiser with object sub-categories
for the selected object category. Then, at operation 842, the
method 830 may receive a selection for an object sub-category
(e.g., a diner) for which to generate an advertising offer. In
various example embodiments, at operations 834, 838, and 842, the
method 830 may update the user interface 700 to dim the items not
selected by the advertiser (e.g., to dim the "Community Building"
category when the advertiser selects the "Businesses"
category).
[0100] At operation 844, the method 830 may provide the advertiser
with an offer-placing user interface (e.g., user interface 750 of
FIG. 7B), which the advertiser may use to create a branded virtual
object, and to enter offer attributes and other campaign
information related to an advertising offer for the branded virtual
object.
[0101] In some example embodiments, an advertiser provides a higher
bid amount for the branded virtual object to have a higher payout
amount (e.g., to pay more coins to the player when the player
clicks on the branded virtual object to collect coins). For
example, the menu 510 of FIG. 5 may display virtual objects that
are sorted by their payout amount, and the ad bidding system 108.3
may select virtual objects to display in the menu 510 of FIG. 5 in
an order that is sorted by their payout amount (e.g., at operation
424 of the method 420), but may not include branded virtual objects
whose advertising offer indicates a bid amount that is below a
determinable value (e.g., as determined based on the payout
amount).
[0102] In various example embodiments, at operation 844, the method
830 interacts with the advertiser to facilitate receiving
advertising offers that are likely to be selected for display in
the in-game menu 510. For example, the method 830 may determine a
minimum bid value for an advertising offer based on one or more of
the offer attributes (e.g., based on the value in the "Earnings"
entry field of FIG. 7B). If the advertiser includes a bid that is
below the determined minimum value, the method 830 may inform the
advertiser that the bid amount is too low (e.g., by presenting a
message to the advertiser via a pop-up display, or by providing the
message in red next to the "Earnings" entry field of FIG. 7B. In
some embodiments, the advertising offer needs to include a bid
amount that is at or above the determinable minimum value before it
can be accepted, in which case the method 830 may update the user
interface 750 at operation 844 to replace the value in the "Max
Bid" entry field of FIG. 7B with the determinable minimum value, or
the method 830 may dim the "Submit for Review" button until the
advertiser has entered a value in the "Max Bid" that is above the
determinable minimum value (or until the advertiser has entered a
value in the "Earnings" entry field that causes the method 830 to
compute a new determinable minimum value that is at or below the
advertiser's "Max Bid" value).
[0103] At operation 846, the method 830 may then receive offer
attributes from the advertiser at operation 846, for example, when
the advertiser clicks on the "Submit for Review" button of the user
interface 750 (e.g., offer attributes associated with the entry
fields provided by user interface 750 of FIG. 7B). Then, at
operation 848, the method 830 may generate an advertising offer
based on these offer attributes.
[0104] FIG. 9 shows an example database 900 to store auction and
placement information related to virtual objects. In some
embodiments, the database 900 is managed by the game networking
system 108.2 and/or the ad bidding system 108.3 and, accordingly,
is described by way of example with reference thereto. For example,
the database 900 may include a structured query language (SQL)
database that is managed using a SQL-based database management
software (e.g., MySQL, SQLite, or the like), or may include other
database technologies now known or later developed (e.g., a
proprietary data structure that is managed using proprietary
database management software).
[0105] The database 900 may include database tables for storing
implementation details for branded virtual objects 902 and
unbranded virtual objects 904, and for storing object placement
information 906 for branded virtual objects 902 and unbranded
virtual objects 904. In some embodiments, an advertiser may access
the example user interfaces 700 and 750 to create a branded virtual
object 902, and to create an advertising campaign related thereto.
In response, the ad bidding system 108.3 may create a corresponding
entry in the database table for branded virtual object 902 to store
implementation details for the branded virtual object 902 and the
advertising campaign information related thereto (e.g., advertising
offers). Moreover, throughout the evolution of the virtual game, a
developer for the virtual game may create new entries in the
database table for unbranded virtual objects 904 to store new
virtual objects for players to interact with, or may update
existing entries to upgrade the functionality and/or visual
representation for an existing virtual object.
[0106] In some example embodiments, as players purchase and place
either branded virtual objects 902 or unbranded virtual objects 904
in their virtual environment, the game networking system 108.2
updates database table entries for the object placement information
906 to reflect these object placements. Also, if a player moves a
virtual object to a different placement position of the player's
virtual environment, the game networking system 108.2 may update
the corresponding entry of the object placement information 906 to
reflect this new placement position. Further, the database 900 may
include a selection count, a view count, and an engagement count
for branded virtual objects 902 and unbranded virtual objects
904.
[0107] The database 900 may also include database tables for
storing advertising opportunities 908, and for storing auction
information 910 related thereto. For example, the ad bidding system
108.3 may store an advertising opportunity for displaying a
billboard advertisement within the player's virtual environment.
Also, as multiple players access the example menu 510 of FIG. 5 to
view branded virtual objects 902 of a particular sub-category, the
ad bidding system 108.3 may create database table entries for
advertising opportunities 908 to reflect these new menu advertising
opportunities for these players. The ad bidding system 108.3 may
update (either in real-time, or periodically) an inventory amount
for these advertising opportunities 908 across the multiple
players. The ad bidding system 108.3 may use the inventory amount
for this particular sub-category to determine a minimum bid price
for this advertising opportunity. In various example embodiments,
the ad bidding system 108.3 may update the database table entries
for the advertising opportunities 908 to reflect the winning bids,
and may update the database table entries for the auction
information 910 to store charge amounts for the advertisers that
won the bids.
[0108] The database 900 may also include database tables for
storing analysis information 912 related to player interactions
with the branded virtual objects 902 and the unbranded virtual
objects 904. For example, the game networking system 108.2 and/or
the ad bidding system 108.3 may track how the player interacts with
a particular virtual object in the player's virtual environment,
and may generate analysis data. The analysis data may include at
least one of a unique identifier for the particular virtual object,
unique identifiers for other virtual objects placed within a
determinable distance of the particular virtual object in the
virtual environment, an interaction frequency (e.g., collecting
coins from a coffee shop) for the particular virtual object and/or
any other context information associated with branded virtual
objects 902 or unbranded virtual objects 904.
[0109] The database 900 may also include database tables for
storing a player game state 914 that may include information about
the player's virtual environment, the player's character, or other
game-related information. For example, player game state 914 may
include virtual objects owned or used by the player, placement
positions for virtual structural objects in the player's virtual
environment, and the like. Player game state 914 may also include
in-game obstacles of tasks for the player (e.g., new obstacles,
current obstacles, completed obstacles, etc.), the player's
character attributes (e.g., character health, character energy,
amount of coins, amount of cash or virtual currency, etc.), and the
like.
[0110] The database 900 may also include database tables for
storing a player profile 916 that may include user-provided player
information that is gathered from the player, the player's client
device, or an affiliate social network. The user-provided player
information may include the player's demographic information, the
player's location information (e.g., a historical record of the
player's location during game play as determined via a GPS-enabled
device or the internet protocol (IP) address for the player's
client device), the player's localization information (e.g., a list
of languages chosen by the player), the types of games played by
the player, and the like.
[0111] In some example embodiments, the player profile 916 may also
include derived player information that may be determined from
other information stored in the database 900. The derived player
information may include information that indicates the player's
level of engagement with the virtual game, the player's friend
preferences, the player's reputation, the player's pattern of
game-play, and the like. For example, the game networking system
108.2 may determine the player's friend preferences based on player
attributes that the player's first-degree friends have in common,
and may store these player attributes as friend preferences in the
player profile 916. Furthermore, the game networking system 108.2
may determine reputation-related information for the player based
on user-generated content (UGC) from the player or the player's
N.sup.th degree friends (e.g., in-game messages or social network
messages), and may store this reputation-related information in the
player profile 916. The derived player information may also include
information that indicates the player's character temperament
during game play, anthropological measures for the player (e.g.,
tendency to like violent games), and the like.
[0112] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may be indicated from the player's performance within
the virtual game. For example, the player's level of engagement may
be determined based on one or more of the following: a play
frequency for the virtual game or for a collection of virtual
games; an interaction frequency with other players of the virtual
game; a response time for responding to in-game actions from other
players of the virtual game; and the like.
[0113] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may include a likelihood value indicating a likelihood
that the player may perform a desired action. For example, the
player's level of engagement may indicate a likelihood that the
player may purchase a certain branded virtual object from the
virtual game, or may complete a new challenge within a determinable
period of time from when it is first presented to him.
[0114] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may include a likelihood that the player may be a
leading player of the virtual game (a likelihood to lead). The game
networking system 108.2 may determine the player's likelihood to
lead value based on information from other players that interact
with this player. For example, the game networking system 108.2 may
determine the player's likelihood to lead value by measuring the
other players' satisfaction in the virtual game, measuring their
satisfaction from their interaction with the player, measuring the
game-play frequency for the other players in relation to their
interaction frequency with the player (e.g., the ability for the
player to retain others), and/or the like.
[0115] The game networking system 108.2 may also determine the
player's likelihood to lead value based on information about the
player's interactions with others and the outcome of these
interactions. For example, the game networking system 108.2 may
determine the player's likelihood to lead value by measuring the
player's amount of interaction with other players (e.g., as
measured by a number of challenges that the player cooperates with
others, and/or an elapsed time duration related thereto), the
player's amount of communication with other players, the tone of
the communication sent or received by the player, and/or the like.
Moreover, the game networking system 108.2 may determine the
player's likelihood to lead value based on determining a likelihood
for the other players to perform a certain action in response to
interacting or communicating with the player and/or the player's
virtual environment. For example, the game networking system 108.2
may determine the player's likelihood to lead value based on
measurements for a number of friends that purchase a certain
branded virtual object after they interact with this branded
virtual object within the player's virtual environment.
Storing Branded Virtual Objects
[0116] In some example embodiments, the database 900 may store
description information and placement positions for a plurality of
branded virtual objects (e.g., individual instances of the branded
virtual object across a plurality of virtual environments for a
plurality of players). The game networking system 108.2 may receive
advertising offers from a plurality of advertisers, and may store
these advertising offers in the database 900. For example, an
advertiser may use the user interface 750 to create an advertising
offer that includes description information for a branded virtual
object (e.g., display images, a cost amount, an earnings amount,
and a supply amount for the virtual object), various campaign
parameters (e.g., a campaign name, a bid amount, and/or the like).
Also, the advertiser may associate an advertising campaign with one
or more advertising offers (e.g., the advertiser may assign the
same campaign name to multiple advertising offers). When the
advertising offer wins an auction and the player places the branded
virtual object within the player's virtual environment, the game
networking system 108.2 may store placement information for the
branded virtual object in the database 900 in relation to the
advertising offer for the branded virtual object.
[0117] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method
1000 for storing a placement position for a branded virtual object
in a database. In some embodiments, the method 1000 may be
performed using the game networking system 108.2 and, accordingly,
is described by way of example with reference thereto. In some
embodiments, the method 1000 may perform operation 434 of FIG. 4 to
place a branded virtual object in the player's virtual environment.
The method 1000 may begin, at operation 1002, by receiving a
placement position from the player's client device. The placement
position may indicate a position of the player's virtual
environment for the branded virtual object. For example, the player
may use the user interface 500 (see FIG. 5) to select the branded
virtual object at menu position 516 from the in-game menu 510, and
to place the branded virtual object 522.5 at a placement position
502 in the player's virtual environment 501.
[0118] At operation 1004, the method 1000 may store the placement
position 502 in the database 900. Then, at operation 1006, the
method 1000 may associate the placement position with the branded
virtual object in the database 900. For example, the method 1000
may store a relation between the placement position 502 and the
branded virtual object 522.5 (or to its advertising offer) in the
database 900. This stored relation between the placement
information in the player's virtual environment and the branded
virtual object facilitates presenting the branded virtual object at
a persistent position of the player's virtual environment across
multiple game sessions. In some embodiments, the branded virtual
object is a persistent advertisement that is selected by the
player, and that is positioned at the placement position of the
player's virtual environment that is selected by the player. For
example, as the player (or a visiting player) views the virtual
environment during subsequent game sessions, the virtual game may
present the branded virtual environment at the same placement
position of the virtual environment until either the player moves
the branded virtual object to a different placement position of the
virtual environment, or the player removes the branded virtual
object from the virtual environment.
Accessing Branded Virtual Objects
[0119] In various example embodiments, the game networking system
108.2 may perform a search through the database 900 using a search
query to select one or more branded virtual objects to present to
the player. For example, the search query may be a SQL search query
that is either generated by the game networking system 108.2, or
received from client device 104 or the advertising system
108.3.
[0120] In some example embodiments, when providing virtual
environment data to the player's client device (e.g., at operation
604 of FIG. 6), the game networking system 108.2 may generate a
search query to determine virtual objects that the player has
placed in the player's virtual environment. For example, method
1000 may store a placement position for a branded virtual object
(e.g., a persistent advertisement). Then, when the player (or a
visiting player) visits the player's virtual environment, the game
networking system 108.2 may generate a search query based on
various placement positions of the player's virtual environment.
For a certain placement position, the search results will include
the branded virtual object (e.g., the persistent advertisement)
that was previously placed in the virtual environment by the
player.
[0121] In some example embodiments, the game networking system
108.2 may generate a search query to select branded virtual objects
to present to the player in the in-game menu 510 (see FIG. 5). The
search query may be used to select advertising offers based on an
object category, and to generate search results that include
advertising offers sorted based on their offer attributes.
[0122] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method
1100 for using a search query to select advertising offers to
present to the player. In some embodiments, the method 1100 may be
performed using the game networking system 108.2 and, accordingly,
is described by way of example with reference thereto. In some
embodiments, the method 1100 may perform operation 426 of FIG. 4B
or operation 456 of FIG. 4C to select advertising offers to display
to the player. The method 1100 may begin, at operation 1102, by
receiving a request for advertising offers. For example, the player
may select an object category of the in-game menu 510 of the user
interface 500 (see FIG. 5), and the player's client device 302 (see
FIG. 3) may send the event notification 310 to the game server 304
that may include a request for advertising offers associated with
the selected object category. As another example, the player may
select a virtual object in the player's virtual environment to
re-brand, and the player's client device 302 may send the event
notification 310 to the game server 304 that may include the
request for advertising offers associated with an object category
of the virtual object being re-branded.
[0123] Then, at operation 1104, the method 1100 may generate a
search query for the request, and at operation 1106, the method
1100 may perform a search for one or more advertising offers using
the search query. For example, if the player desires to select a
virtual diner to place in the player's virtual environment, the
method 1100 may generate the search query to select advertising
offers for the "diner" object category from the database 900 (e.g.,
from the branded virtual objects 902). Then, the method 1100 may
use the search query to perform a search through the database 900
and generate search results that include advertising offers that
satisfy the search query parameters.
[0124] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 generates a
search query at operation 1104 based on the object category
selected by the player from the in-game menu 510. In other example
embodiments, the method 1100 may generate a search query at
operation 1104 based on the object category for a virtual object
that the player desires to re-brand. The search query may, for
example, select branded virtual objects that correspond to this
object category, and that satisfy various opportunity constraints
imposed by the advertising opportunity. For example, the
opportunity constraints may indicate player attributes (e.g.,
location information and/or the player's game state information),
game attributes (e.g., a game theme of the virtual game), and/or
the like. Moreover, if the advertising opportunity corresponds to
the player selecting a branded virtual object to re-brand, the
opportunity constraints may also include the maximum dimensions for
a branded virtual object that may replace the virtual object at the
placement position of the virtual environment. The maximum
dimensions may correspond to the dimensions of the virtual object
being replaced, or may correspond to the dimensions of the unused
area in the virtual environment that surrounds the virtual object
being replaced (e.g., an unused virtual landscape surrounding the
virtual object).
[0125] In various example embodiments, the game networking system
108.2 generates the search query to obtain advertising offers that
are sorted based on their offer attributes. For example, the search
query may cause the search results to be sorted based on a
build-through rate for the branded virtual objects (e.g., the
advertising offers may be sorted by computing the product of each
advertising offer's build-through rate and its bid amount). The
build-through rate indicates a percentage of players that place an
advertiser's branded virtual object in their virtual environment
after being presented with the branded virtual object within the
in-game menu 510 (see FIG. 5). As another example, the search query
may cause the search results to be sorted based on a level of
player engagements with the branded virtual objects. The level of
player engagements may include the number of times players view the
branded virtual object in a virtual landscape, and the number of
times the players click on the branded virtual object (e.g., to
collect coins, to supply the branded virtual object, to send a tour
bus to the branded virtual object, and/or the like).
[0126] In some example embodiments, the search query causes the
search results to be sorted by an increasing cost to the player,
and/or by an increasing payout amount to the player. The branded
virtual objects may be presented to the player in this sorted
order, which may convey to the player that the perceived value for
the branded objects also increases in this order. In some example
embodiments, the advertising offers may be sorted based on how well
they match the player game state 914 and/or the player profile 916
(see FIG. 9). Moreover, the method 1100 may compute a weighted
value for individual advertising offers in the search results
(e.g., based on an expression in the search query), and may sort
the search results based on the weighted values. For example, some
advertising offers may be associated with a physical location
(e.g., the physical location for a brick-and-mortar business
associated with the advertising offer), and the method 1100 may
assign a higher weighted value for advertising offers associated
with a physical location that are relatively close to the player's
physical location (e.g., the player is frequently within the same
city or a near-by city, or the player frequently visits the
brick-and-mortar business).
[0127] The method 1100 may also compute a purchase likelihood value
for individual advertising offers in the search results (e.g., a
likelihood that the player may purchase the corresponding branded
virtual object), and may assign weighted values to the advertising
offers in the search results based on their purchase likelihood
values. The purchase likelihood value may, for example, be computed
based on the advertising offer's similarity or relevance to virtual
objects in the player's purchase history, virtual objects in the
player currently owns, virtual objects in the player's wish list,
virtual objects which the player needs to complete an unfinished
challenge, and/or the like. The purchase likelihood value may also
be computed based on classification data for the advertising offer,
and its resemblance to the player's pattern of game-play, the
player's temperament during game play, and/or any other data from
the player profile 916.
[0128] Then, at operation 1108, the method 1100 may select one or
more of the top-ranking advertising offers from the search results.
In some embodiments, the method 1100 may screen the search results
using additional opportunity constraints to ignore advertising
offers that violate an opportunity constraint. For example, the
method 1100 may ignore an advertising offer if it includes a
restricted word (e.g., uses profanity), includes a restricted
image, corresponds to a restricted brand, corresponds to a
restricted product (e.g., cigarettes), or includes other restricted
content.
Providing Advertising Analysis Data
[0129] In some example embodiments, the game networking system
108.2 tracks how players engage with branded virtual objects placed
in a plurality of virtual environments of the virtual game, and may
store these engagements within the analysis information 912 of the
database 900. These engagements may include the interactions that a
player performs with a branded virtual object to build the branded
virtual object at a certain position of the virtual game, and may
include the interactions that the player (or any visiting player)
may perform while interacting with the branded virtual object that
the player has placed in the player's virtual environment. In some
example embodiments, the game networking system 108.2 receives a
request from an advertiser (e.g., the advertising system 108.n) to
obtain advertising analysis data, and the game networking system
108.2 may generate this advertising analysis data based on player
engagement data stored in the database 900.
[0130] FIG. 12 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method
1200 for generating advertising analysis data for an advertiser. In
some embodiments, the method 1200 may be performed using the game
networking system 108.2 and, accordingly, is described by way of
example with reference thereto. The method 1200 may begin, at
operation 1202, by receiving a request from an advertiser for
advertising analysis data. Then, at operation 1204, the method 1200
may generate a search query for the request. For example, the
method 1200 may receive a request from the advertiser for
advertising analysis data pertaining to a certain advertising
campaign that may include one or more branded virtual objects. The
method 1200 may then generate a search query for the request, which
may search the database 900 for player engagements that one or more
players have performed with the branded virtual objects of the
advertiser's campaign. At operation 1206, the method 1200 may use
the search query to perform a search in database 900 for player
engagements with the advertiser's branded virtual objects. Then, at
operation 1208, the method 1200 may generate advertising analysis
data based on the player engagements with the branded virtual
objects of the advertiser's campaign.
[0131] In some embodiments, at operation 1208, the method 1200
computes a build-through rate for a branded virtual object which
indicates a percentage of players that place an advertiser's
branded virtual object in their virtual environment after being
presented with the branded virtual object within the in-game menu
510 (see FIG. 5). For example, the game networking system 108.2 may
use the database 900 to store a record for the instances at which
the advertiser wins a bid to display a branded virtual object in
the in-game menu 510 (e.g., the date, the player to which the
branded virtual object was presented, and the like). The game
networking system 108.2 may also use the database 900 to store a
record for the instances at which the branded virtual object is
placed in a virtual environment (e.g., the date, the player that
placed the branded virtual object, and the like). Then, at
operations 1204 and 1206, the method 1200 may generate and process
a search query to determine the number of impressions in the
in-game menu 510 for the branded virtual object during a certain
time period (e.g., per hour, per day, per month, per year, and the
like), and the number of times the branded virtual objects have
been placed in a virtual environment during this time period. Then,
at operation 1208, the method 1200 may determine the build-through
rate for the branded virtual object for this time period by
computing the ratio of the number of impressions to the number of
times the branded virtual object has been placed in a virtual
environment within this time period.
[0132] In some example embodiments, the game networking system
108.2 stores a tally of the number of impressions for the branded
virtual object within a determinable time period, and may store a
tally of the number of times the branded virtual object has been
placed (e.g., built into a virtual structure) in a virtual
environment within this time period. The game networking system
108.3 may store this tally information in the analysis information
912 of the database 900, and may do so for various time periods
(e.g., per hour, per day, per month, per year, and the like). Then,
the method 1200 may use this tally information at operation 1208 to
compute the build-through rate for the branded virtual object.
[0133] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 generates
advertising analysis data that indicates whether the player has
placed the advertiser's branded virtual object at a prominent
position of the virtual environment. For example, the method 1200
may generate and process a search query to determine a placement
position of the branded virtual object, and may determine position
coordinates for a perimeter of a determinable size that surrounds
the virtual object. Then, the method 1200 may generate and process
a second database search query to determine the value (e.g., the
cost, or an esteemed value) of other virtual objects placed within
this perimeter's coordinates. If the determined value is above a
determinable amount, the method 1200 may determine that the branded
virtual object may be highly regarded by the player.
[0134] As another example, the method 1200 generates and processes
one or more search queries to determine other virtual objects that
are positioned in front of the advertiser's branded virtual object.
Then, based on the placement position and size of these other
virtual objects, the method 1200 may determine whether the image
for any of these virtual objects is tall enough to cover at least a
portion of the advertiser's branded virtual object. For example,
the method 1200 may determine a percentage of the virtual object's
image that is being covered by other virtual objects. If the
percentage is above a determinable amount, the method 1200 may
determine that the virtual object is not highly regarded by the
player.
[0135] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 determines a
value indicating how much this player likes the advertiser's brand
based on determining whether the player has placed the advertiser's
branded virtual object at a prominent position of the player's
virtual environment. In other embodiments, the method 1200 may
determine a value indicating how much players like the advertiser's
brand based on determining a percentage of players that have placed
the branded virtual object at a prominent position of their virtual
environment.
Example Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs
[0136] In an online multiplayer game, players control player
characters (PCs), a game engine controls non-player characters
(NPCs), and the game engine also manages player character state and
tracks states for currently active (e.g., online) players and
currently inactive (e.g., offline) players. A player character may
have a set of attributes and a set of friends associated with the
player character. As used herein, the terms "state" and "attribute"
can be used interchangeably to refer to any in-game characteristic
of a player character, such as location, assets, levels, condition,
health, status, inventory, skill set, name, orientation,
affiliation, specialty, and so on. The game engine may use a player
character state to determine the outcome of a game event, sometimes
also considering set variables or random variables. Generally, an
outcome is more favorable to a current player character (or player
characters) when the player character has a better state. For
example, a healthier player character is less likely to die in a
particular encounter relative to a weaker player character or
non-player character.
[0137] A game event may be an outcome of an engagement, a provision
of access, rights and/or benefits or the obtaining of some assets
(e.g., health, money, strength, inventory, land, etc.). A game
engine may determine the outcome of a game event according to game
rules (e.g., "a character with less than 5 health points will be
prevented from initiating an attack"), based on a character's state
and possibly also interactions of other player characters and a
random calculation. Moreover, an engagement may include simple
tasks (e.g., cross the river, shoot at an opponent), complex tasks
(e.g., win a battle, unlock a puzzle, build a factory, rob a liquor
store), or other events.
[0138] In a game system according to aspects of the present
disclosure, in determining the outcome of a game event in a game
being played by a player (or a group of more than one players), the
game engine may take into account the state of the player character
(or group of PCs) that is playing, but also the state of one or
more PCs of offline/inactive players who are connected to the
current player (or PC, or group of PCs) through the game social
graph but are not necessarily involved in the game at the time.
[0139] For example, Player A with six friends on Player A's team
(e.g., the friends that are listed as being in the player's
mob/gang/set/army/business/crew/etc. depending on the nature of the
game) may be playing the virtual game and choose to confront Player
B who has 20 friends on Player B's team. In some embodiments, a
player may only have first-degree friends on the player's team. In
other embodiments, a player may also have second-degree and higher
degree friends on the player's team. To resolve the game event, in
some embodiments the game engine may total up the weapon strength
of the seven members of Player A's team and the weapon strength of
the 21 members of Player B's team and decide an outcome of the
confrontation based on a random variable applied to a probability
distribution that favors the side with the greater total. In some
embodiments, all of this may be done without any other current
active participants other than Player A (e.g., Player A's friends,
Player, B, and Player B's friends could all be offline or
inactive). In some embodiments, the friends in a player's team may
see a change in their state as part of the outcome of the game
event. In some embodiments, the state (assets, condition, level) of
friends beyond the first degree are taken into account.
[0140] Example Game Networking Systems
[0141] A virtual game may be hosted by the game networking system
108.2, which can be accessed using any suitable connection 110 with
a suitable client device 104. A player may have a game account on
the game networking system 108.2, wherein the game account may
contain a variety of information associated with the player (e.g.,
the player's personal information, financial information, purchase
history, player character state, game state, etc.). In some
embodiments, a player may play multiple games on the game
networking system 108.2, which may maintain a single game account
for the player with respect to the multiple games, or multiple
individual game accounts for each game with respect to the player.
In some embodiments, the game networking system 108.2 may assign a
unique identifier to a player 102 of a virtual game hosted on the
game networking system 108.2. The game networking system 108.2 may
determine that the player 102 is accessing the virtual game by
reading the user's cookies, which may be appended to HTTP requests
transmitted by the client device 104, and/or by the player 102
logging onto the virtual game.
[0142] In some embodiments, the player 102 accesses a virtual game
and control the game's progress via the client device 104 (e.g., by
inputting commands to the game at the client device 104). The
client device 104 can display the game interface, receive inputs
from the player 102, transmit user inputs or other events to the
game engine, and receive instructions from the game engine. The
game engine can be executed on any suitable system (such as, for
example, the client device 104, the social networking system 108.1,
or the game networking system 108.2). For example, the client
device 104 may download client components of a virtual game, which
are executed locally, while a remote game server, such as the game
networking system 108.2, provides backend support for the client
components and may be responsible for maintaining application data
of the game, processing the inputs from the player 102, updating
and/or synchronizing the game state based on the game logic and
each input from the player 102, and transmitting instructions to
the client device 104. As another example, when the player 102
provides an input to the game through the client device 104 (such
as, for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of
the client device 104), the client components of the game may
transmit the player's input to the game networking system
108.2.
[0143] In some embodiments, the player 102 accesses particular game
instances of a virtual game. A game instance is a copy of a
specific game play area that is created during runtime. In some
embodiments, a game instance is a discrete game play area where one
or more players 102 can interact in synchronous or asynchronous
play. A game instance may be, for example, a level, zone, area,
region, location, virtual space, or other suitable play area. A
game instance may be populated by one or more in-game objects. Each
object may be defined within the game instance by one or more
variables, such as, for example, position, height, width, depth,
direction, time, duration, speed, color, and other suitable
variables.
[0144] In some embodiments, a specific game instance may be
associated with one or more specific players. A game instance is
associated with a specific player when one or more game parameters
of the game instance are associated with the specific player. For
example, a game instance associated with a first player may be
named "First Player's Play Area." This game instance may be
populated with the first player's PC and one or more in-game
objects associated with the first player.
[0145] In some embodiments, a game instance associated with a
specific player is only accessible by that specific player. For
example, a first player may access a first game instance when
playing a virtual game, and this first game instance may be
inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a game
instance associated with a specific player is accessible by one or
more other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with the
specific player's game play. For example, a first player may be
associated with a first game instance, but the first game instance
may be accessed by all first-degree friends in the first player's
social network.
[0146] In some embodiments, the set of in-game actions available to
a specific player is different in a game instance that is
associated with this player compared to a game instance that is not
associated with this player. The set of in-game actions available
to a specific player in a game instance associated with this player
may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set of in-game
actions available to this player in a game instance that is not
associated with him. For example, a first player may be associated
with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game, and may be able to
plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If the first player accesses a game
instance associated with another player, such as Whiteacre Farm,
the game engine may not allow the first player to plant crops in
that game instance. However, other in-game actions may be available
to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing crops on
Whiteacre Farm.
[0147] In some embodiments, a game engine interfaces with a social
graph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities
(e.g., individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player
characters, non-player characters, businesses, groups,
associations, concepts, etc.). These entities are considered
"users" of the social graph; as such, the terms "entity" and "user"
may be used interchangeably when referring to social graphs herein.
A social graph can have a node for each entity and edges to
represent relationships between entities. A node in a social graph
can represent any entity. In some embodiments, a unique client
identifier may be assigned to individual users in the social graph.
This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of a social graph
is a player or player character in an online multiplayer game.
[0148] In some embodiments, the social graph is managed by the game
networking system 108.2, which is managed by the game operator. In
other embodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking
system 108.1 managed by a third party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster,
Myspace). In yet other embodiments, the player 102 has a social
network on both the game networking system 108.2 and the social
networking system 108.1, wherein the player 102 can have a social
network on the game networking system 108.2 that is a subset,
superset, or independent of the player's social network on the
social networking system 108.1. In such combined systems, game
network system 108.2 can maintain social graph information with
edge-type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an
"in-game friend," an "out-of-game friend," or both. The various
embodiments disclosed herein are operable when the social graph is
managed by the social networking system 108.1, the game networking
system 108.2, or both.
Example Systems and Methods
[0149] Returning to FIG. 2, the Player 201 may be associated,
connected or linked to various other users, or "friends," within
the out-of-game social network 250. These associations, connections
or links can track relationships between users within the
out-of-game social network 250 and are commonly referred to as
online "friends" or "friendships" between users. Each friend or
friendship in a particular user's social network within a social
graph is commonly referred to as a "node." For purposes of
illustration, the details of out-of-game social network 250 are
described in relation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms
"player" and "user" can be used interchangeably and can refer to
any user in an online multiuser game system or social networking
system. As used herein, the term "friend" can mean any node within
a player's social network.
[0150] As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with
several friends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with
another individual, that connection is referred to as a
first-degree friend. In out-of-game social network 250, Player 201
has two first-degree friends. That is, Player 201 is directly
connected to Friend 1.sub.1 211 and Friend 2.sub.1 221. In social
graph 200, it is possible for individuals to be connected to other
individuals through their first-degree friends (e.g., friends of
friends). As described above, the number of edges in a minimum path
that connects a player to another user is considered the degree of
separation. For example, FIG. 2 shows that Player 201 has three
second-degree friends to which Player 201 is connected via Player
201's connection to Player 201's first-degree friends.
Second-degree Friend 1.sub.2 212 and Friend 2.sub.2 222 are
connected to Player 201 via Player 201's first-degree Friend
1.sub.1 211. The limit on the depth of friend connections, or the
number of degrees of separation for associations, that Player 201
is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions and policies
implemented by the social networking system 108.1.
[0151] In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree
friends connected to him through a chain of intermediary degree
friends as indicated in FIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend
1.sub.N 219 is connected to Player 201 within in-game social
network 260 via second-degree Friend 3.sub.2 232 and one or more
other higher-degree friends.
[0152] In some embodiments, a player (or player character) has a
social graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained
by the game engine and another social graph maintained by a
separate social networking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of
in-game social network 260 and out-of-game social network 250. In
this example, Player 201 has out-of-game connections 255 to a
plurality of friends, forming out-of-game social network 250. Here,
Friend 1.sub.1 211 and Friend 2.sub.1 221 are first-degree friends
with Player 201 in Player 201's out-of-game social network 250.
Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a plurality of
players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2.sub.1
221, Friend 3.sub.1 231, and Friend 4.sub.1 241 are first-degree
friends with Player 201 in Player 201's in-game social network 260.
In some embodiments, a game engine can access in-game social
network 260, out-of-game social network 250, or both.
[0153] In some embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game
social network is formed both explicitly (e.g., when users "friend"
each other) and implicitly (e.g., when the system observes user
behaviors and "friends" users to each other). Unless otherwise
indicated, reference to a friend connection between two or more
players can be interpreted to cover both explicit and implicit
connections, using one or more social graphs and other factors to
infer friend connections. The friend connections can be
unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not a limitation of
this description that two players who are deemed "friends" for the
purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (e.g., in
disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be the
case.
[0154] FIG. 13 illustrates an example data flow between example
components of an example system 1300. One or more of the components
of the example system 1300 may correspond to one or more of the
components of the example system 100. In some embodiments, system
1300 includes a client system 1330, a social networking system
1320a, and a game networking system 1320b. The components of system
1300 can be connected to each other in any suitable configuration,
using any suitable type of connection. The components may be
connected directly or over any suitable network. The client system
1330, the social networking system 1320a, and the game networking
system 1320b may have one or more corresponding data stores such as
the local data store 1325, the social data store 1345, and the game
data store 1365, respectively.
[0155] The client system 1330 may receive and transmit data 1323 to
and from the game networking system 1320b. This data can include,
for example, a web page, a message, a game input, a game display, a
HTTP packet, a data request, transaction information, and other
suitable data. At some other time, or at the same time, the game
networking system 1320b may communicate data 1343, 1347 (e.g., game
state information, game system account information, page info,
messages, data requests, updates, etc.) with other networking
systems, such as the social networking system 1320a (e.g.,
Facebook, Myspace, etc.). The client system 1330 can also receive
and transmit data 1327 to and from the social networking system
1320a. This data can include, for example, web pages, messages,
social graph information, social network displays, HTTP packets,
data requests, transaction information, updates, and other suitable
data.
[0156] Communication between the client system 1330, the social
networking system 1320a, and the game networking system 1320b can
occur over any appropriate electronic communication medium or
network using any suitable communications protocols. For example,
the client system 1330, as well as various servers of the systems
described herein, may include Transport Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to provide for datagram and
transport functions. Of course, any other suitable network and
transport layer protocols can be utilized.
[0157] In some embodiments, an instance of a virtual game is stored
as a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of
various in-game objects, such as, for example, player character
state parameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual item
parameters. In some embodiments, game state is maintained in a
database as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as a
so-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses a
virtual game on the game networking system 1320b, the BLOB
containing the game state for the instance corresponding to the
player may be transmitted to the client system 1330 for use by a
client-side executed object to process. In some embodiments, the
client-side executable is a FLASH-based game, which can
de-serialize the game state data in the BLOB. As a player plays the
game, the game logic implemented at the client system 1330
maintains and modifies the various game state parameters locally.
The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such as
mouse clicks, and transmit these events to the game networking
system 1320b. Game networking system 1320b may itself operate by
retrieving a copy of the BLOB from a database or an intermediate
memory cache (memcache) layer. The game networking system 1320b can
also de-serialize the BLOB to resolve the game state parameters and
execute its own game logic based on the events in the batch file of
events transmitted by the client to synchronize the game state on
the server side. The game networking system 1320b may then
re-serialize the game state, now modified into a BLOB, and pass
this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistent
database.
[0158] In some embodiments, a computer-implemented game is a
text-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages
that are generated after a player selects one or more actions to
perform. The web pages may be displayed in a browser client
executed on the client system 1330. For example, a client
application downloaded to the client system 1330 may operate to
serve a set of web pages to a player. As another example, a virtual
game may be an animated or rendered game executable as a
stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or other
structured document. In some embodiments, the virtual game is
implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As an example, a
game may be fully or partially implemented as a SWF object that is
embedded in a web page and executable by a Flash media player
plug-in. In some embodiments, one or more described web pages is
associated with or accessed by the social networking system 1320a.
This disclosure contemplates using any suitable application for the
retrieval and rendering of structured documents hosted by any
suitable network-addressable resource or website.
[0159] Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the
game (e.g., player inputs). In some embodiments, each application
datum may have a name and a value, and the value of the application
datum may change (e.g., be updated) at any time. When an update to
an application datum occurs at the client system 1330, either
caused by an action of a game player or by the game logic itself,
the client system 1330 may need to inform the game networking
system 1320b of the update. For example, if the game is a farming
game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), an event
can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvest
a crop. In such an instance, the application event data may
identify an event or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the
game to which the event or action applies.
[0160] In some embodiments, one or more objects of a game is
represented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector
and raster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio
and video. "Flash" may mean the authoring environment, the player,
or the application files. In some embodiments, the client system
1330 may include a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured
to receive and run Flash application or game object code from any
suitable networking system (such as, for example, the social
networking system 1320a or the game networking system 1320b). In
some embodiments, the Flash client is run in a browser client
executed on the client system 1330. A player can interact with
Flash objects using the client system 1330 and the Flash client.
The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-game objects. Thus,
the player may perform various in-game actions on various in-game
objects by making various changes and updates to the associated
Flash objects.
[0161] In some embodiments, in-game actions are initiated by
clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object that
represents a particular in-game object. For example, a player can
interact with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,
shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplates
performing any suitable in-game action by interacting with any
suitable Flash object. In some embodiments, when the player makes a
change to a Flash object representing an in-game object, the
client-executed game logic may update one or more game state
parameters associated with the in-game object. To ensure
synchronization between the Flash object shown to the player at the
client system 1330, the Flash client may send the events that
caused the game state changes to the in-game object to the game
networking system 1320b. However, to expedite the processing and
hence the speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client
may collect a batch of some number of events or updates into a
batch file. The number of events or updates may be determined by
the Flash client dynamically or determined by the game networking
system 1320b based on server loads or other factors. For example,
client system 1330 may send a batch file to the game networking
system 1320b whenever 50 updates have been collected or after a
threshold period of time, such as every minute.
[0162] As used herein, the term "application event data" may refer
to any data relevant to a computer-implemented virtual game
application that may affect one or more game state parameters,
including, for example and without limitation, changes to player
data or metadata, changes to player social connections or contacts,
player inputs to the game, and events generated by the game logic.
In some embodiments, each application datum has a name and a value.
The value of an application datum may change at any time in
response to the game play of a player or in response to the game
engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In some embodiments, an
application data update occurs when the value of a specific
application datum is changed.
[0163] In some embodiments, when a player plays a virtual game on
the client system 1330, the game networking system 1320b serializes
all the game-related data, including, for example and without
limitation, game states, game events, user inputs, for this
particular user and this particular game into a BLOB and may store
the BLOB in a database. The BLOB may be associated with an
identifier that indicates that the BLOB contains the serialized
game-related data for a particular player and a particular virtual
game. In some embodiments, while a player is not playing the
virtual game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in the database.
This enables a player to stop playing the game at any time without
losing the current state of the game the player is in. When a
player resumes playing the game next time, game networking system
1320b may retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to
determine the most-recent values of the game-related data. In some
embodiments, while a player is playing the virtual game, the game
networking system 1320b also loads the corresponding BLOB into a
memory cache so that the game system may have faster access to the
BLOB and the game-related data contained therein.
[0164] Various embodiments may operate in a wide area network
environment, such as the Internet, including multiple network
addressable systems. FIG. 14 illustrates an example network
environment 1400, in which various example embodiments may operate.
Network cloud 1460 generally represents one or more interconnected
networks, over which the systems and hosts described herein can
communicate. Network cloud 1460 may include packet-based wide area
networks (such as the Internet), private networks, wireless
networks, satellite networks, cellular networks, paging networks,
and the like. As FIG. 14 illustrates, various embodiments may
operate in a network environment 1400 comprising one or more
networking systems, such as a social networking system 1420a, a
game networking system 1420b, and one or more client systems 1430.
The components of the social networking system 1420a and the game
networking system 1420b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter
they may be referred to simply as the networking system 1420. The
client systems 1430 are operably connected to the network
environment 1400 via a network service provider, a wireless
carrier, or any other suitable means.
[0165] The networking system 1420 is a network addressable system
that, in various example embodiments, comprises one or more
physical servers 1422 and data stores 1424. The one or more
physical servers 1422 are operably connected to computer network
cloud 1460 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/or
networking switches 1426. In an example embodiment, the
functionality hosted by the one or more physical servers 1422 may
include web or HTTP servers, FTP servers, as well as, without
limitation, webpages and applications implemented using Common
Gateway Interface (CGI) script, PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP),
Active Server Pages (ASP), Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML),
Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous
JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash, ActionScript, and the like.
[0166] The physical servers 1422 may host functionality directed to
the operations of the networking system 1420. Hereinafter servers
1422 may be referred to as server 1422, although the server 1422
may include numerous servers hosting, for example, the networking
system 1420, as well as other content distribution servers, data
stores, and databases. Data store 1424 may store content and data
relating to, and enabling, operation of, the networking system 1420
as digital data objects. A data object, in some embodiments, is an
item of digital information typically stored or embodied in a data
file, database, or record. Content objects may take many forms,
including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images (e.g., jpeg, tif
and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio, video (e.g.,
mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof. Content
object data may also include executable code objects (e.g., games
executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, etc.
[0167] Logically, data store 1424 corresponds to one or more of a
variety of separate and integrated databases, such as relational
databases and object-oriented databases, that maintain information
as an integrated collection of logically related records or files
stored on one or more physical systems. Structurally, data store
1424 may generally include one or more of a large class of data
storage and management systems. In some embodiments, data store
1424 may be implemented by any suitable physical system(s)
including components, such as one or more database servers, mass
storage media, media library systems, storage area networks, data
storage clouds, and the like. In one example embodiment, data store
1424 includes one or more servers, databases (e.g., MySQL), and/or
data warehouses. Data store 1424 may include data associated with
different networking system 1420 users and/or client systems
1430.
[0168] The client system 1430 is generally a computer or computing
device including functionality for communicating (e.g., remotely)
over a computer network. The client system 1430 may be a desktop
computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or
out-of-car navigation system, smart phone or other cellular or
mobile phone, or mobile gaming device, among other suitable
computing devices. Client system 1430 may execute one or more
client applications, such as a Web browser.
[0169] When a user at a client system 1430 desires to view a
particular webpage (hereinafter also referred to as target
structured document) hosted by the networking system 1420, the
user's web browser, or other document rendering engine or suitable
client application, formulates and transmits a request to the
networking system 1420. The request generally includes a URL or
other document identifier as well as metadata or other information.
By way of example, the request may include information identifying
the user, a timestamp identifying when the request was transmitted,
and/or location information identifying a geographic location of
the user's client system 1430 or a logical network location of the
user's client system 1430.
[0170] Although the example network environment 1400 described
above and illustrated in FIG. 14 is described with respect to the
social networking system 1420a and the game networking system
1420b, this disclosure encompasses any suitable network environment
using any suitable systems. For example, a network environment may
include online media systems, online reviewing systems, online
search engines, online advertising systems, or any combination of
two or more such systems.
[0171] FIG. 15 illustrates an example computing system
architecture, which may be used to implement a server 1422 or a
client system 1430. In one embodiment, the hardware system 1500
comprises a processor 1502, a cache memory 1504, and one or more
executable modules and drivers, stored on a tangible
computer-readable storage medium, directed to the functions
described herein. Additionally, the hardware system 1500 may
include a high performance input/output (I/O) bus 1506 and a
standard I/O bus 1508. A host bridge 1510 may couple the processor
1502 to the high performance I/O bus 1506, whereas the I/O bus
bridge 1512 couples the two buses 1506 and 1508 to each other. A
system memory 1514 and one or more network/communication interfaces
1516 may couple to the bus 1506. The hardware system 1500 may
further include video memory (not shown) and a display device
coupled to the video memory. Mass storage 1518 and I/O ports 1520
may couple to the bus 1508. The hardware system 1500 may optionally
include a keyboard, a pointing device, and a display device (not
shown) coupled to the bus 1508. Collectively, these elements are
intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware
systems.
[0172] The elements of the hardware system 1500 are described in
greater detail below. In particular, the network interface 1516
provides communication between the hardware system 1500 and any of
a wide range of networks, such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3)
network, a backplane, etc. The mass storage 1518 provides permanent
storage for the data and programming instructions to perform the
above-described functions implemented in servers 1422 of FIG. 14,
whereas system memory 1514 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage
for the data and programming instructions when executed by the
processor 1502. I/O ports 1520 are one or more serial and/or
parallel communication ports that provide communication between
additional peripheral devices, which may be coupled to the hardware
system 1500.
[0173] The hardware system 1500 may include a variety of system
architectures and various components of the hardware system 1500
may be rearranged. For example, cache memory 1504 may be on-chip
with the processor 1502. Alternatively, the cache memory 1504 and
the processor 1502 may be packed together as a "processor module,"
with processor 1502 being referred to as the "processor core."
Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may
neither require nor include all of the above components. For
example, the peripheral devices shown coupled to the standard I/O
bus 1508 may couple to the high performance I/O bus 1506. In
addition, in some embodiments, only a single bus may exist, with
the components of the hardware system 1500 being coupled to the
single bus. Furthermore, the hardware system 1500 may include
additional components, such as additional processors, storage
devices, or memories.
[0174] An operating system manages and controls the operation of
the hardware system 1500, including the input and output of data to
and from software applications (not shown). The operating system
provides an interface between the software applications being
executed on the system and the hardware components of the system.
Any suitable operating system may be used.
[0175] Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations may
comprise instructions that are stored on non-transitory storage
media. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a
processing system. Some examples of instructions are software,
program code, and firmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage
media are memory devices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and
servers. The instructions may be executed by the processing system
to direct the processing system to operate in accord with the
disclosure. The term "processing system" refers to a single
processing device or a group of inter-operational processing
devices. Some examples of processing devices are integrated
circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled in the art are familiar
with instructions, computers, and storage media.
[0176] One or more features from any embodiment may be combined
with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing
from the scope of the disclosure.
[0177] A recitation of "a", "an," or "the" is intended to mean "one
or more" unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In
addition, it is to be understood that functional operations, such
as "awarding", "locating", "permitting" and the like, are executed
by game application logic that accesses, and/or causes changes to,
various data attribute values maintained in a database or other
memory.
[0178] The present disclosure encompasses all changes,
substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the
example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in
the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the
appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations,
alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein
that a person having ordinary skill in the art would
comprehend.
[0179] For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics
described herein may be implemented using hardware components,
software components, and/or any combination thereof. By way of
example, while embodiments of the present disclosure have been
described as operating in connection with a networking website,
various embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in
connection with any communications facility that supports web
applications. Furthermore, in some embodiments the term "web
service" and "website" may be used interchangeably and additionally
may refer to a custom or generalized API on a device, such as a
mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, smart phone, personal GPS,
personal digital assistance, personal gaming device, etc.), that
makes API calls directly to a server. Still further, while the
embodiments described above operate with business-related virtual
objects (such as stores and restaurants), the embodiments can be
applied to any in-game asset around which a harvest mechanic is
implemented, such as a virtual stove, a plot of land, and the like.
The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in
an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however,
be evident that various modifications and changes may be made
thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
the disclosure as set forth in the claims and that the disclosure
is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the
scope of the following claims.
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