U.S. patent application number 15/663913 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-16 for quality of experience reverse control for electronic games.
This patent application is currently assigned to EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC. Invention is credited to Jun Fang, Daqi Li.
Application Number | 20170326453 15/663913 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51490569 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170326453 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Li; Daqi ; et al. |
November 16, 2017 |
QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE REVERSE CONTROL FOR ELECTRONIC GAMES
Abstract
Technologies and implementations for managing an experience
during play of an interactive electronic game are generally
disclosed.
Inventors: |
Li; Daqi; (Xi'an, CN)
; Fang; Jun; (Xi'an, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
LLC
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
51490569 |
Appl. No.: |
15/663913 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14409526 |
Dec 19, 2014 |
9717991 |
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PCT/CN2013/072231 |
Mar 6, 2013 |
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15663913 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/53 20140902;
A63F 2300/6045 20130101; A63F 13/65 20140902; A63F 13/50 20140902;
A63F 13/533 20140902; G07F 17/3237 20130101; G07F 17/3206 20130101;
A63F 13/40 20140902; A63F 13/10 20130101; A63F 2300/535 20130101;
A63F 13/12 20130101; A63F 2300/1012 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 13/65 20140101
A63F013/65; A63F 13/53 20140101 A63F013/53; A63F 13/40 20140101
A63F013/40; G07F 17/32 20060101 G07F017/32; G07F 17/32 20060101
G07F017/32 |
Claims
1. A method to manage a quality of experience (QoE) for a user
during play of an interactive electronic game, wherein the
interactive electronic game comprises an interactive electronic
game experience management module, the method comprising:
identifying the user based on one or more user identification
details; enabling a specific treatment mode that corresponds to the
identified user based on the one or more user identification
details, wherein enabling the specific treatment mode includes
applying a control action to the interactive electronic game, and
wherein the control action is configured to reduce the QoE of the
interactive electronic game, the QoE being determined based, at
least in part, on physiological state of the user while the user
plays the interactive electronic game; and terminating, via the
interactive electronic game experience management module, the
control action applied to the interactive electronic game, in
response to a determination that the QoE falls below a particular
value.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user
identification details comprise login details that correspond to a
user account of the user for the interactive electronic game.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user
identification details comprise details of a computing device used
by the user to play the interactive electronic game, and wherein
the details include at least one of a device identification, a
media access control (MAC) address, and an internet protocol (IP)
address.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoE is determined based, at
least in part, on sensor readings from a physiological sensor in
communication with the interactive electronic game experience
management module.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the physiological sensor is
configured to be attached to a feedback device used by the
identified user.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the feedback device is configured
to be in communication with the interactive electronic game
experience management module to provide a feedback from the
interactive electronic game and receive a control input from the
interactive electronic game.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a rate at
which the QoE is reduced.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application of the control
action comprises at least one of: delay of a response time by the
interactive electronic game, increase in a difficulty level of the
interactive electronic game, adjustment of image quality of the
interactive electronic game, or introduction of a random pause in
the interactive electronic game.
9. The method of claim 4, wherein the physiological sensor is
further configured to monitor one or more of facial expressions and
blood pressure of the user.
10. The method of claim 4, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module further comprises: a monitor module
configured to receive one or more physiological measurements from
the physiological sensor; and a calculator module in communication
with the monitor module, wherein the calculator module is
configured to determine the QoE based, at least in part, upon the
received physiological measurements.
11. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored therein
instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,
operatively enable an interactive electronic game experience
management module to: receive one or more physiological
measurements from a physiological sensor in communication with the
interactive electronic game experience management module via a
monitor module; determine a quality of experience (QoE), wherein
the QoE is based, at least in part, on the received one or more
physiological measurements; apply a control action to an
interactive electronic game, in response to a determination that
the QoE exceeds a first value, wherein the control action is
configured to reduce the QoE of the interactive electronic game;
and terminate the control action applied to the interactive
electronic game, in response to another determination that the QoE
falls below a second value.
12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the stored instructions, when executed by the one or more
processors, enable the interactive electronic game experience
management module to determine a rate at which the QoE is reduced,
and terminate the control action, if the determined rate exceeds a
particular value.
13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the stored instructions, when executed by the one or more
processors, enable the interactive electronic game experience
management module to perform at least one of: delay a response time
by the interactive electronic game, increase a difficulty level of
the interactive electronic game, adjust image quality of the
interactive electronic game, or introduce a random pause in the
interactive electronic game.
14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the stored instructions, when executed by the one or more
processors, further enable the interactive electronic game
experience management module to receive sensor readings from the
physiological sensor, wherein the physiological sensor is
configured to monitor one or more of facial expressions and blood
pressure of the user.
15. A system for managing a user's experience during play of an
interactive electronic game, the system comprising: a processor; a
physiological sensor; and an interactive electronic game experience
management module communicatively coupled to the processor and to
the physiological sensor, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module is configured to monitor a quality of
experience (QoE) of the interactive electronic game, wherein the
interactive electronic game experience management module is further
configured to: identify a type of the interactive electronic game
that the user is currently playing; apply a control action to the
interactive electronic game based on the identified type of the
interactive electronic game, wherein the control action is
configured to reduce the QoE of the interactive electronic game,
the QoE being determined based, at least in part, on physiological
state of the user while the user plays the interactive electronic
game; and terminate the control action to the interactive
electronic game, in response to a determination that the QoE falls
below a particular value.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the type of the interactive
electronic game comprises a single user game, and wherein the
interactive electronic game experience management module is
configured to apply the control action by addition of a delay or
mixture of control parameters of the interactive electronic
game.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module is configured to receive one or more
physiological measurements from the physiological sensor.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module is configured to determine the QoE
based, at least in part, upon the received physiological
measurements.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module is configured to receive baseline
physiological data from the physiological sensor within a specified
period after a start of the interactive electronic game.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the interactive electronic game
experience management module is configured to: receive current
physiological data, at various intervals, from the physiological
sensor; and determine the QoE based on the baseline physiological
data and the current physiological data.
21. The system of claim 15, wherein a type of the control action is
based, at least in part, on an objective of the interactive
electronic game.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation application under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/409,526 filed
on Dec. 19, 2014, which is a U.S. National Stage filing under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.371 of International Application No.
PCT/CN2013/072231, filed on Mar. 6, 2013. International Application
No. PCT/CN2013/072231 and U.S. application Ser. No. 14/409,526,
including any appendices or attachments thereof, are hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described
in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application
and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this
section.
[0003] Some people may enjoy the experience of interacting with an
electronic game. For example, some people may enjoy using a
computing device (e.g., a console video game system, a computer, or
the like) to interact with an electronic game. Additionally, some
people may enjoy social aspects associated with playing electronic
games with other people (e.g., over the Internet, or the like).
Furthermore, some people may have difficulty controlling their
desire to play such games. Additionally, some people may have
difficulty controlling the amount of time they spend playing such
games.
SUMMARY
[0004] Described herein are various illustrative methods for
managing an experience during play of an interactive electronic
game. Example methods may include monitoring a quality of
experience (QoE) of the interactive electronic game, the QoE based
at least in part on sensor readings from a physiological sensor
communicatively coupled to the interactive electronic game,
determining if the QoE exceeds a first value, and applying a
control action to the interactive electronic game in response to
determination that the QoE exceeds the first value, the control
action reducing the QoE of the interactive electronic game.
[0005] The present disclosure also describes various example
machine readable non-transitory medium having stored therein
instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,
operatively enable an interactive electronic game experience
management module to monitor a quality of experience (QoE) during
play of an interactive electronic game, the QoE based at least in
part on sensor readings from a physiological sensor communicatively
coupled to the interactive electronic game, determine if the QoE
exceeds a first value, and apply a control action to the
interactive electronic game in response to determination that the
QoE exceeds the first value, the control action reducing the QoE of
the interactive electronic game.
[0006] The present disclosure additionally describes example
systems. Example systems may include a processor, a physiological
sensor, and an interactive electronic game experience management
module communicatively coupled to the processor and to the
physiological sensor, the interactive electronic game experience
management module configured to monitor a quality of experience
(QoE) of an interactive electronic game, the QoE based at least in
part on sensor readings from the physiological sensor
communicatively coupled to the interactive electronic game,
determine if the QoE exceeds a first value, and apply a control
action to the interactive electronic game in response to
determination that the QoE exceeds the first value, the control
action reducing the QoE of the interactive electronic game.
[0007] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and not intended
to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects,
embodiments, and features described above, further aspects,
embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the
drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly
claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The
foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become
more fully apparent from the following description and appended
claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments
in accordance with the disclosure, and are, therefore, not to be
considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described
with additional specificity and detail through use of the
accompanying drawings.
[0009] In the drawings:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a block diagram of an example
interactive game environment;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an example method for managing an
experience during play of an interactive electronic game;
[0012] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example computer program
product; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a block diagram of an example
computing device, all arranged in accordance with at least some
embodiments described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The following description sets forth various examples along
with specific details to provide a thorough understanding of
claimed subject matter. It will be understood by those skilled in
the art that claimed subject matter might be practiced without some
or more of the specific details disclosed herein. Further, in some
circumstances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, components
and/or circuits have not been described in detail, in order to
avoid unnecessarily obscuring claimed subject matter.
[0015] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components,
unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments
described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not
meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other
changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of
the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood
that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described
herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged,
substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different
configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and make
part of this disclosure.
[0016] This disclosure is drawn, inter alia, to methods, devices,
systems and computer readable media related to managing an
experience during play of an electronic game.
[0017] Some people may have difficulty moderating the amount of
time they spend playing electronic games. Additionally, some people
may have difficulty controlling their desire to play electronic
games. As a result, it may be said that playing electronic games
may be habit forming. Furthermore, in some cases, the desire to
play electronic games may be treated as an addiction. Conventional
treatments for the addiction to electronic games may include
counseling, engaging in physical activity as an alternative, and
taking medication. Additionally, some treatments for the addiction
to electronic games may include stays at a treatment center and
hospitalization. In general, the various conventional treatments
may be expensive, require specific equipment, require the
assistance of trained individuals, necessitate that the patient
take breaks from their normal daily routine, and/or necessitate an
extended stay in a hospital or treatment center.
[0018] Various embodiments described herein may be provided for the
treatment of an addiction to electronic games. Various embodiments
described herein may provide that a quality of experience (QoE) of
an electronic game may be degraded. For example, in some
embodiments, an electronic game may include a treatment mode.
Furthering this example, a user may play (e.g., interact with) the
electronic game while the electronic game is in the treatment mode.
While in the treatment mode, the electronic game, upon detecting
certain conditions, may reduce the QoE, by, for example, reducing
the performance of the game.
[0019] In some examples, the electronic game may monitor the QoE
and reduce the performance of the game based at least in part upon
the monitored QoE. For example, if the monitored QoE is determined
to be above a threshold level, the electronic game may degrade
performance accordingly. Non-limiting examples of degrading
electronic game performance include, for example, introducing delay
in the game, mixing the control parameters (e.g., switching left
and right movement controls, adjusting the rate or movement, and/or
the like), shifting and/or simplifying a display corresponding to
the electronic game (e.g., adjusting the viewing angle, downgrading
the resolution, and/or the like), causing portions of the game to
be repeated, and the like. The electronic game may implement any
action(s) or otherwise alter the electronic game in a manner as to
reduce or lower the QoE of a player playing the game.
[0020] In general, an electronic game (herein sometimes referred to
as "interactive game", "interactive electronic game", or "video
game") may be any game played with the aid of a computing device.
For example, an interactive game may be a game played on a
computing device (e.g., laptop, desktop, console video game system,
mobile video game system, smart phone, tablet computer, or the
like). An interactive game may be a game played using specific
electronic equipment (e.g., a television, a microphone, a speaker,
virtual reality glasses, or the like). Furthermore, although
reference is made herein to "game", various embodiments described
herein may be applicable to any "habit forming" activity wherein
interaction with a computing device takes place. For example,
various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to
viewing streaming video over the Internet, browsing web pages,
interacting with a social media website, interacting with a social
media computing application, or the like.
[0021] As an illustrative example, various embodiments of the
present disclosure may be applied to video games played using a
video game console. Accordingly, a video game may be configured to
monitor a QoE of the video game. For example, the video game may be
configured to monitor one or more physiological state(s) of a user
(also referred to herein as "player") while the user is playing the
video game. Non-limiting examples of physiological states include,
for example, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and/or
the like. The video game may then use the monitored physiological
state(s) to determine the QoE (e.g., the QoE of the player playing
the video game). If the determined QoE is above a threshold value,
the video game may be configured to degrade its performance. For
example, the video game may introduce delay(s), adjust control
parameter(s), shift and/or simplify a displayed scene, and/or
replay portions of the video game. It is to be appreciated that
this example, as well as other examples provided herein are given
for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be
limiting.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates an example interactive game environment
100, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein. The interactive game environment 100 may be
implemented to degrade the QoE experienced by a player playing an
interactive game upon detecting a certain condition or condition.
In some examples, the interactive game environment 100 may be
implemented to degrade the QoE experienced by a player playing an
interactive game as part of a treatment of an addiction to the
interactive game. In general, the interactive game environment 100
may monitor a QoE (e.g., of a user) of an interactive game played
within the interactive game environment 100, and, based at least in
part upon the monitored QoE, reduce the performance of the
interactive game.
[0023] As depicted, the interactive game environment 100 may
include a computing device 110 and an interactive electronic game
111. The computing device 110 may be any type of computing device
upon which the interactive electronic game 111 may be played. For
example, the computing device may be a laptop, a desktop, a console
video game system, a mobile video game system, a smart phone, a
tablet computer, or the like.
[0024] The interactive electronic game 111 may be played using a
control and/or feedback device 120. The control and/or feedback
device 120 may be any device configured to facilitate interaction
with the interactive electronic game 111. For example, the control
and/or feedback device 120 may be a display (e.g., television,
computer monitor, smart phone screen, or the like) configured to
display content from the interactive electronic game 111. The
control and/or feedback device may be a controller (e.g., joystick,
paddle, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, microphone, or the like)
configured to provide control input to the interactive electronic
game 111. It is to be appreciated, that in some examples, the
interactive game environment 100 may include more than one control
and/or feedback device. For example, the interactive game
environment 100 may include both a display and a controller.
Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control and/or feedback
device 120 may be configured to both provide feedback and receive
control input. For example, the control and/or feedback device 120
may be a touch screen. Additionally, although not shown as such in
FIG. 1, the control and/or feedback device 120 may be incorporated
into the computing device 110.
[0025] As depicted in FIG. 1, the interactive electronic game may
include an interactive electronic game experience management module
(here on out an IEGEMM) 112. The IEGEMM 112 may be configured to
monitor the QoE (e.g., of a user) of the interactive electronic
game 111, and, based at least in part upon the monitored QoE,
reduce the performance of the interactive electronic game 111. In
some examples, the IEGEMM 112 may use an application programming
interface (API) of the interactive electronic game 111 to reduce
the performance. In some embodiments, the IEGEMM 112 may be
included as part of the interactive electronic game 111. The IEGEMM
112 may then be "enabled" or "disabled". For example, the IEGEMM
112 may be enabled or disabled by a user of the interactive
electronic game 111, by an administrator of the computing device
110, after an amount of play has elapsed, or the like. In some
embodiments, the IEGEMM 112 may be installed as a plug-in to the
interactive electronic game 111. In some embodiments, the IEGEMM
112 may be enabled based on a particular user playing the
interactive electronic game 111. For example, the IEGEMM 112 may be
configured to identify the user and enable the treatment mode
described above based upon identifying a particular user. For
example, the IEGEMM 112 may identify a user based upon user account
and/or login details. The IEGEMM 112 may identify a user based upon
the computing device 110 details (e.g., a device ID, MAC address,
IP address, or the like).
[0026] As stated, the IEGEMM 112 may be configured to monitor the
QoE (e.g., of a user) of the interactive electronic game 111, and,
based at least in part upon the monitored QoE, reduce the
performance of the interactive electronic game 111. The IEGEMM 112
may include a monitor module 113. The monitor module 113 may be
configured to monitor physiological state(s) of a user (e.g., while
the user is playing the interactive electronic game 111, or the
like). For example, the monitor module 113 may be configured to
monitor physiological state(s) using a physiological sensor 130.
The physiological sensor 130 may be any sensor configured to
determine a physiological state. For example, the physiological
sensor may be a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, a
respiratory rate monitor, an electrocardiogram (EKG) monitor, an
electroencephalography (EEG) monitor, and/or the like.
[0027] In some embodiments, the physiological sensor 130 may be
incorporated into the control and/or feedback device 120. For
example, the control and/or feedback device 120 may be a joystick
controller. The joystick controller may include a heart rate
monitor incorporated into the joystick controller configured to
measure a heart rate. The monitor module 113 may be configured to
receive the measured physiological state (e.g., heart rate, or the
like) from the physiological sensor 130. In some examples, the
physiological sensor 130 may be configured to periodically measure
(e.g., at fixed periods, at irregular intervals, upon request from
the monitor module 113, and/or the like) the physiological state.
In some embodiments, more than one physiological sensor 130 may be
provided. Additionally, in some embodiments, the physiological
sensor 130 may be configured to measure more than one physiological
state. For example, the physiological sensor 130 may be a combined
heart rate and respiratory monitor.
[0028] The IEGEMM 112 may also include a calculator module 114
configured to determine the QoE of the interactive electronic game
111 from the measured physiological state(s). The calculator module
114 may also be configured to determine a control action to be
applied to the control and/or feedback device 120 based upon the
determined QoE and QoE parameters 115. The determined control
action may be such that the performance of the interactive
electronic game 111 is degraded. For example, the determined
control action may be to introduce delay(s) into the interactive
electronic game 111, mix control parameter(s) of the interactive
electronic game 111, shift and/or simplify a displayed scene from
the interactive electronic game 111, and/or replay portions of the
interactive electronic game 111. Various examples of different
control actions that may be determined by the calculator module 114
are provided below.
[0029] The IEGEMM 112 may also include a control module 116
configured to apply the determined control action to the
interactive electronic game 111. For example, if the determined
control action is to add delay to the control inputs received from
the control and/or feedback device 120, the control module 116 may
add the delay.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for
managing an experience during play of an interactive electronic
game, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein. In some portions of the description, illustrative
implementations of the method are described with reference to
elements of the interactive game environment 100 depicted in FIG.
1. However, the described embodiments are not limited to these
depictions. More specifically, some elements depicted in FIG. 1 may
be omitted from some implementations of the methods detailed
herein. Furthermore, other elements not depicted in FIG. 1 may be
used to implement example methods detailed herein.
[0031] Additionally, FIG. 2 employs block diagrams to illustrate
the example methods detailed therein. These block diagrams may set
out various functional blocks or actions that may be described as
processing steps, functional operations, events and/or acts, etc.,
and may be performed by hardware, software, and/or firmware.
Numerous alternatives to the functional blocks detailed may be
practiced in various implementations. For example, intervening
actions not shown in the figures and/or additional actions not
shown in the figures may be employed and/or some of the actions
shown in the figures may be eliminated. In some examples, the
actions shown in one figure may be operated using techniques
discussed with respect to another figure. Additionally, in some
examples, the actions shown in these figures may be operated using
parallel processing techniques. The above described, and other not
described, rearrangements, substitutions, changes, modifications,
etc., may be made without departing from the scope of claimed
subject matter.
[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates an example method 200 for managing an
experience during play of an interactive electronic game. In some
examples, the method 200 may be employed as part of a treatment for
the addiction electronic games. Beginning at block 210 ("Monitor a
Quality of Experience (QoE) of an Interactive Electronic Game"),
the IEGEMM 112 may include logic and/or features to monitor a QoE
(e.g., of a user playing an interactive electronic game). At block
210, the monitor module 113 may receive one or more physiological
measurements from the physiological sensor 130 and the calculator
module 114 may determine the QoE based at least in part upon the
received physiological measurements.
[0033] In some embodiments, the monitor module 113 may be
configured to receive "baseline" physiological data. For example,
the monitor module 113 may be configured to receive physiological
data from the physiological sensor 130 within a specified period
after play of the interactive electronic game 111 has begun.
Subsequently, at various intervals, the monitor module 113 may be
configured to receive "current" physiological data from the
physiological sensor 130. The calculator module 114 may then
determine the QoE based on the baseline physiological data and the
current physiological data.
[0034] For example, suppose the monitor module 113 was configured
to receive heart rate (p), blood pressure (bp), and respiratory
rate (b). The baseline and current physiological data may be
represented as weight vectors v.sub.baseline={w.sub.1.sup.baseline,
w.sub.2.sup.baseline, w.sub.3.sup.baseline} and
v.sub.current={w.sub.1.sup.current,w.sub.2.sup.current,w.sub.3.sup.curren-
t} respectively, where w.sub.1=bp, w.sub.2=b, and w.sub.3=bp. The
calculator module 114 may be configured to determine a change in
the QoE (.DELTA.QoE) based on the similarity of the baseline and
current physiological data vectors. For example, the change in the
QoE may be determined based in part upon equation [1], wherein sim
is the similarity of the two vectors and may be determined based in
part upon equation [2].
.DELTA. QoE = 1 - sim ( v baseline , v current ) [ 1 ] sim ( v
baseline , v current ) = 1 - v baseline v current v baseline
.times. v current = 1 - j = 1 3 w j baseline .times. w j current j
= 1 3 ( w j baseline ) 2 .times. i = 1 3 ( w i current ) 2 [ 2 ]
##EQU00001##
[0035] Continuing from block 210 to block 220 ("Determine if the
QoE Exceeds a First Value"), the IEGEMM 112 may include logic
and/or features to determine if the QoE exceeds a first value. At
block 220, the calculator module 114 may be configured to determine
if the QoE exceeds a threshold value. For example, the calculator
module 114 may be configured to determine if the QoE exceeds a
threshold value represented by the QoE parameters 115. In some
embodiments, the calculator module 114 may determine if the change
in the QoE exceeds a threshold value.
[0036] Continuing from block 220 to block 230 ("Apply a Control
Action to the Interactive Game in Response to the Determination
that the QoE Exceeds the First Value"), the IEGEMM 112 may include
logic and/or features to apply a control action to the interactive
electronic game 111 based on the determination that the QoE exceeds
a first value. At block 230, the control module 116 may be
configured to apply a control action to the control and/or feedback
device 120 in an attempt to lower the QoE of the interactive
electronic game 111.
[0037] In some embodiments, the control module 116 may be
configured to add delay to the interactive electronic game 111. For
example, the control module 116 may add a delay into the inputs
received from the control and/or feedback device 120. As another
example, the control module 116 may add a delay into the feedback
and/or outputs sent to the control and/or feedback device 120. In
some embodiments, the control module 116 may be configured to mix
the control parameters. For example, a movement input may be
reversed (e.g., forward becomes backward and vice versa). As
another example, the parameter that affects the speed with which
movement occurs may be adjusted (e.g., slow movement becomes
faster, fast movement becomes slower, or the like). In some
embodiments, the control module 116 may be configured to shift
and/or simplify the display. For example, the resolution of any
displayed content may be lowered. Additionally, items within a
scene or portions of the scene may be rearranged. In some
embodiments, the control module 116 may be configured to repeat
portions of the game. For example, specific missions and/or
objectives may be repeated.
[0038] In some embodiments, the type of control action may be based
in part upon the interactive electronic game 111. For example, if
the interactive electronic game 111 is a first person shooter game,
then the control module 116 may add delay and/or mix the control
parameters. In some embodiments, the type of control action may be
based in part upon an objective of the interactive electronic game
111. For example, if the interactive electronic game 111 is a
flight simulator game wherein an objective is to accomplish
particular missions, the control module 116 may cause that already
completed missions be repeated.
[0039] With some embodiments, the methods described herein may be
performed in an iterative fashion. For example, the method 200 may
be repeated. In some embodiments, during subsequent iterations of
the method 200, the calculator module 114 may, at block 210,
determine a decrease in the QoE. For example, the monitor module
may receive updated physiological data and then determine a
decrease in the QoE based in part upon the updated physiological
data (v.sub.updated). In some embodiments, the monitor module may
be configured to receive physiological data near the time point
when the control module 116 starts to apply the control action
(v.sub.control applied), for example, at or near block 230. Updated
physiological data may be received at some interval after
application of the control action (e.g., at a subsequent iteration
of block 210, or the like). In some example, the decrease in the
QoE (D.sub.QoE) may be determined based in part upon equation [3],
where n is a coefficient 1.gtoreq.n>0.
D QoE = n sim ( v baseline , v updated ) 1 - sim ( v control
applied , v updated ) [ 3 ] ##EQU00002##
In some embodiments, the calculator module 114 may, at block 220,
determine whether D.sub.QoE exceeds a threshold value. The control
module 116 may cease applying the control action (e.g., at block
230) based on the determination that D.sub.QoE exceeds the
threshold value.
[0040] In general, the method described with respect to FIG. 2 and
elsewhere herein may be implemented as a computer program product,
executable on any suitable computing system, or the like. For
example, a computer program product for managing an experience
during play of an interactive electronic game may be provided.
Example computer program products are described with respect to
FIG. 3 and elsewhere herein.
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates an example computer program product 300,
arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described
herein. Computer program product 300 may include machine readable
non-transitory medium having stored therein instructions that, when
executed, cause the machine to manage an experience during play of
an interactive electronic game according to the processes and
methods discussed herein. Computer program product 300 may include
a signal bearing medium 302. Signal bearing medium 302 may include
one or more machine-readable instructions 304, which, when executed
by one or more processors, may operatively enable a computing
device to provide the functionality described herein. In various
examples, some or all of the machine-readable instructions may be
used by the devices discussed herein.
[0042] In some examples, the machine readable instructions 304 may
include monitoring a quality of experience (QoE) during play of an
interactive electronic game, the QoE based at least in part on
sensor readings from a physiological sensor communicatively coupled
to the interactive electronic game. In some examples, the machine
readable instructions 304 may include determining if the QoE
exceeds a first value. In some examples, the machine readable
instructions 304 may include applying a control action to the
interactive electronic game in response to determination that the
QoE exceeds the first value, the control action reducing the QoE of
the interactive electronic game. In some examples, the machine
readable instructions 304 may include determining if the QoE falls
below a second value, and to terminate the control action in
response to determination that the QoE falls below the second
value. In some examples, the machine readable instructions 304 may
include determining a rate at which the QoE is reduced, and to
terminate the control action if the determined rate exceeds a
particular value. In some examples, the machine readable
instructions 304 may include at least one of delay a response time
by the interactive electronic game, increase a difficulty level of
the interactive electronic game, adjust image quality of the
interactive electronic game, or randomly pause the interactive
electronic game.
[0043] In some implementations, signal bearing medium 302 may
encompass a computer-readable medium 306, such as, but not limited
to, a hard disk drive (HDD), a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital
Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape, memory, etc. In some
implementations, the signal bearing medium 302 may encompass a
recordable medium 308, such as, but not limited to, memory,
read/write (R/W) CDs, R/W DVDs, etc. In some implementations, the
signal bearing medium 302 may encompass a communications medium
310, such as, but not limited to, a digital and/or an analog
communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a
wired communication link, a wireless communication link, etc.). In
some examples, the signal bearing medium 302 may encompass a
machine readable non-transitory medium.
[0044] In general, the methods described with respect to FIG. 2 and
elsewhere herein may be implemented in any suitable computing
system and/or interactive electronic game. Example systems may be
described with respect to FIG. 4 and elsewhere herein. In general,
the system may be configured to manage an experience during play of
an interactive electronic game.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing
device 400, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein. In various examples, computing device 400 may be
configured to manage an experience during play of an interactive
electronic game as discussed herein. In one example of a basic
configuration 401, computing device 400 may include one or more
processors 410 and a system memory 420. A memory bus 430 can be
used for communicating between the one or more processors 410 and
the system memory 420.
[0046] Depending on the desired configuration, the one or more
processors 410 may be of any type including but not limited to a
microprocessor (.mu.P), a microcontroller (.mu.C), a digital signal
processor (DSP), or any combination thereof. The one or more
processors 410 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a
level one cache 411 and a level two cache 412, a processor core
413, and registers 414. The processor core 413 can include an
arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital
signal processing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. A
memory controller 415 can also be used with the one or more
processors 410, or in some implementations, the memory controller
415 can be an internal part of the processor 410.
[0047] Depending on the desired configuration, the system memory
420 may be of any type including but not limited to volatile memory
(such as RAM), non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory,
etc.) or any combination thereof. The system memory 420 may include
an operating system 421, one or more applications 422, and program
data 424. The one or more applications 422 may include experience
management module application 423 that can be arranged to perform
the functions, actions, and/or operations as described herein
including the functional blocks, actions, and/or operations
described herein. The program data 424 may include physiological
and QoE data 425 for use with the experience management module
application 423. In some example embodiments, the one or more
applications 422 may be arranged to operate with the program data
424 on the operating system 421. This described basic configuration
401 is illustrated in FIG. 4 by those components within dashed
line.
[0048] Computing device 400 may have additional features or
functionality, and additional interfaces to facilitate
communications between the basic configuration 401 and any required
devices and interfaces. For example, a bus/interface controller 440
may be used to facilitate communications between the basic
configuration 401 and one or more data storage devices 450 via a
storage interface bus 441. The one or more data storage devices 450
may be removable storage devices 451, non-removable storage devices
452, or a combination thereof. Examples of removable storage and
non-removable storage devices include magnetic disk devices such as
flexible disk drives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk
drives such as compact disk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk
(DVD) drives, solid state drives (SSD), and tape drives to name a
few. Example computer storage media may include volatile and
non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any
method or technology for storage of information, such as computer
readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other
data.
[0049] The system memory 420, the removable storage 451 and the
non-removable storage 452 are all examples of computer storage
media. The computer storage media includes, but is not limited to,
RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,
digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium which may be used to store the
desired information and which may be accessed by the computing
device 400. Any such computer storage media may be part of the
computing device 400.
[0050] The computing device 400 may also include an interface bus
442 for facilitating communication from various interface devices
(e.g., output interfaces, peripheral interfaces, and communication
interfaces) to the basic configuration 401 via the bus/interface
controller 440. Example output interfaces 460 may include a
graphics processing unit 461 and an audio processing unit 462,
which may be configured to communicate to various external devices
such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports 463.
Example peripheral interfaces 470 may include a serial interface
controller 471 or a parallel interface controller 472, which may be
configured to communicate with external devices such as input
devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch
input device, etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer,
scanner, etc.) via one or more I/O ports 473. An example
communication interface 480 includes a network controller 481,
which may be arranged to facilitate communications with one or more
other computing devices 483 over a network communication via one or
more communication ports 482. A communication connection is one
example of a communication media. The communication media may
typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data
structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data
signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and
may include any information delivery media. A "modulated data
signal" may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristics
set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the
signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media
may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired
connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency
(RF), infrared (IR) and other wireless media. The term computer
readable media as used herein may include both storage media and
communication media.
[0051] The computing device 400 may be implemented as a portion of
a small-form factor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as
a cell phone, a mobile phone, a tablet device, a laptop computer, a
personal data assistant (PDA), a personal media player device, a
wireless web-watch device, a personal headset device, an
application specific device, or a hybrid device that includes any
of the above functions. The computing device 400 may also be
implemented as a personal computer including both laptop computer
and non-laptop computer configurations. In addition, the computing
device 400 may be implemented as part of a wireless base station or
other wireless system or device.
[0052] Some portions of the foregoing detailed description are
presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of
operations on data bits or binary digital signals stored within a
computing system memory, such as a computer memory. These
algorithmic descriptions or representations are examples of
techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing
arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the
art. An algorithm is here, and generally, is considered to be a
self-consistent sequence of operations or similar processing
leading to a desired result. In this context, operations or
processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities.
Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the
form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,
transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has
proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common
usage, to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, elements,
symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerals or the like. It
should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms
are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are
merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as
apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that
throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as
"processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining" or the like
refer to actions or processes of a computing device, that
manipulates or transforms data represented as physical electronic
or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other
information storage devices, transmission devices, or display
devices of the computing device.
[0053] The claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to the
particular implementations described herein. For example, some
implementations may be in hardware, such as employed to operate on
a device or combination of devices, for example, whereas other
implementations may be in software and/or firmware. Likewise,
although claimed subject matter is not limited in scope in this
respect, some implementations may include one or more articles,
such as a signal bearing medium, a storage medium and/or storage
media. This storage media, such as CD-ROMs, computer disks, flash
memory, or the like, for example, may have instructions stored
thereon, that, when executed by a computing device, such as a
computing system, computing platform, or other system, for example,
may result in execution of a processor in accordance with the
claimed subject matter, such as one of the implementations
previously described, for example. As one possibility, a computing
device may include one or more processing units or processors, one
or more input/output devices, such as a display, a keyboard and/or
a mouse, and one or more memories, such as static random access
memory, dynamic random access memory, flash memory, and/or a hard
drive.
[0054] There is little distinction left between hardware and
software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware
or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain
contexts the choice between hardware and software can become
significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency
tradeoffs. There are various vehicles by which processes and/or
systems and/or other technologies described herein can be affected
(e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred
vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or
systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an
implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the
implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle;
if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly
software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the
implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software,
and/or firmware.
[0055] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various
embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block
diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block
diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions
and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art
that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams,
flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or
collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or
virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several
portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented
via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field
Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs),
or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will
recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in
whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated
circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more
computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more
computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more
processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more
microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination
thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code
for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of
one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition,
those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the
subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as
a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative
embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies
regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to
actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing
medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable
type medium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a
Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape,
a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a
digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic
cable, a waveguide, a wired communication link, a wireless
communication link, etc.).
[0056] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common
within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion
set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to
integrate such described devices and/or processes into data
processing systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices
and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data
processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those
having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data
processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit
housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and
non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital
signal processors, computational entities such as operating
systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications
programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or
screen, and/or control systems including feedback loops and control
motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity;
control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or
quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented
utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as
those typically found in data computing/communication and/or
network computing/communication systems.
[0057] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates
different components contained within, or connected with, different
other components. It is to be understood that such depicted
architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other
architectures can be implemented which achieve the same
functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components
to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such
that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two
components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality
can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired
functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or
intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated
can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably
coupled", to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and
any two components capable of being so associated can also be
viewed as being "operably couplable", to each other to achieve the
desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable
include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or
physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable
and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically
interacting and/or logically interactable components.
[0058] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or
singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate
from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the
plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The
various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth
herein for sake of clarity.
[0059] It will be understood by those within the art that, in
general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims
(e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as
"open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as
"including but not limited to," the term "having" should be
interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be
interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be
further understood by those within the art that if a specific
number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an
intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence
of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an
aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain
usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more"
to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases
should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim
recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any
particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
subject matter containing only one such recitation, even when the
same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at
least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a"
and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one"
or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite
articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if
a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly
recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations,"
without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations,
or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where
a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is
used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one
having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a
system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be
limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B
together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to
"at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general, such a
construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art
would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least
one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that
have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together,
B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be
further understood by those within the art that virtually any
disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative
terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be
understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the
terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase
"A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or
"B" or "A and B."
[0060] Reference in the specification to "an implementation," "one
implementation," "some implementations," or "other implementations"
may mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic
described in connection with one or more implementations may be
included in at least some implementations, but not necessarily in
all implementations. The various appearances of "an
implementation," "one implementation," or "some implementations" in
the preceding description are not necessarily all referring to the
same implementations.
[0061] While certain exemplary techniques have been described and
shown herein using various methods and systems, it should be
understood by those skilled in the art that various other
modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted,
without departing from claimed subject matter. Additionally, many
modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the
teachings of claimed subject matter without departing from the
central concept described herein. Therefore, it is intended that
claimed subject matter not be limited to the particular examples
disclosed, but that such claimed subject matter also may include
all implementations falling within the scope of the appended
claims, and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *