patent – Page 7 – Patent Arcade

Oct

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,393,486: Character simulation and playback notification in game session replay

Issued July 17, 2016, to Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Priority June 27, 2014

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 9,393,486 (the ‘486 Patent) relates to U.S. Patent No. 9,409,083 (the ‘083 Patent) titled Spawning new timelines during game session replay, which we covered last week. The ‘083 Patent describes a method for allowing players to “step into” a replay and restart a session from that given point. The ‘486 Patent builds on the ‘083 Patent by describing a system to send out a notification to all players involved in the previous session. The notified players can either participate or spectate the session.

Not all players from a previous session are required to replay a previous session. The ‘486 Patent also describes a system to allow a person to replay a multiplayer session without needing the other players. The system creates a profile based on the behavior of a given player. If a single player wishes to replay a past multiplayer session, then AI bots will take over missing human players. AI will use the player’s profile to inform how the character should behave in a given circumstance.

Abstract:
A game system in which game sessions may be recorded and saved as game records. A previously recorded game session may be selected and replayed, and players may step into and assume control of respective game characters during the replay. When a player steps into and takes control of game a character during replay of a game session, a new timeline is spawned from the original timeline, and a new game record corresponding to the new timeline is generated and stored. Players that were involved in a previously recorded game session that is being replayed may be manually or automatically notified that the game session is being replayed. The notification may occur upon initiation of the replay and/or when a new timeline is spawned. Notified players may view the game session without participating, or may take control their respective characters to participate.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A system, comprising; one or more computing devices configured to implement a game system configured to: store a game record comprising a game session involving one or more game characters acting within a game universe, wherein the game characters are associated with one or more of a plurality of players; begin a playback of the game session as recorded in the stored game record to at least one client device; and for at least one of the one or more game characters involved in the game session being played back, send a notification to a player associated with the respective game character via one or more communications channels, said notification indicating to the player that the game session involving the player’s game character is being played back.

Oct

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,409,083: Spawning new timelines during game session replay

Issued August 9, 2017, to Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Priority date: June 27, 2014

Summary:
Traditionally, to restart a multiplayer session requires that all the players begin anew. For co-op multiplayer games, restarting means starting from a point designated by the level designers. Restarting from a designated point can become frustrating when fighting a challenging boss. U.S. Patent No. 9,409,083 (the ‘083 Patent) describes an alternative method. Every gaming session is recorded by a game using the ‘083 Patent system. If the players were to die, the game would use the record to show the players a replay of their last session. The players can watch the replay and see the exact moment where things went wrong. Players can then decide to “step in” and start a new session from that point, creating a new timeline or universe that diverges from the original game session. The new (altered) gaming session will create a new record from which players can repeat the process.

Abstract:
A game system in which game sessions involving one or more players may be recorded and saved as game records. A previously recorded game session may be selected and replayed. However, in addition to providing a static replay of the game session, the game system may allow one or more players to step into and assume control of respective game characters at any point during the replay of the game session. When a player steps into and takes control of game a character during the playback, a new timeline is spawned from the original timeline with potentially different outcomes, and a new game record corresponding to the new timeline is generated and stored.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A system, comprising; one or more computing devices configured to implement a game system configured to: store game records comprising previously played game sessions, each game session involving one or more game characters acting within a game universe along a game session timeline; receive selection input from one of one or more client devices, said selection input selecting one of the stored game records for playback; begin playback of the game session as recorded in the selected game record to at least one client device; receive game input from a game client instance on one of the one or more client devices, said game input causing an action by one of the one or more game characters within the game universe; and in response to said game input, spawn a new game session timeline from the game session timeline as recorded in the selected game record and generate a new game record for the new game session timeline.

Oct

2018

U.S. Patent No. 10,004,981: Input method and apparatus

Issued June 26, 2018 to Nintendo Co. Ltd

Priority Date October 5, 2010

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,004,981 (the ‘981 Patent) describes a method for displaying a digital driving wheel on a touch screen which can control a car in driving games. The ‘981 Patent specifically relates to the Nintendo DS system and how to optimize the bottom, touch screen for driving games. The DS is a dual-screen handheld console. The top screen is a standard screen while the bottom screen had touch capabilities. Driving games could use the bottom screen to display a driving wheel. A player could choose to control their vehicle using this virtual driving wheel. The virtual driving wheel gave players more control over their car than the traditional D-pad control scheme.

Abstract:
A vehicle simulation such as for example a driving game can be provided by displaying an image of a steering wheel on a touch sensitive screen. Touch inputs are used to control the rotational orientation of displayed steering wheel. The rotational orientation of the displayed steering wheel is used to apply course correction effects to a simulated vehicle. Selective application of driver assist and different scaling of touch inputs may be provided.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A handheld device comprising: a housing shaped and dimensioned for being held by a hand; a touch sensitive screen disposed on the housing; a graphics processor operatively connected to the touch sensitive screen, the graphics processor generating display of a virtual object on the touch sensitive screen; and a processor operatively connected to the touch sensitive screen and to the graphics processor, the processor being responsive to input sensed by the touch sensitive screen to detect movements along a multiplicity of paths on the screen, the processor defining vectors in response to said detected touch movements and causing the orientation of the displayed virtual object to change in response to the defined vectors.

Sep

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,120,016: Interactive guitar game designed for learning to play the guitar

Issued September 9, 2015, to Ubisoft Entertainment SA

Priority Date November 21, 2008

Summary:
In 2008, music rhythm games was a billion dollar industry with Guitar Hero and Rock Band leading the way. Rocksmith was Ubisoft’s answer to venture into the music rhythm games. While other games only let players pretend to be a rockstar, Rocksmith teaches the player how to play a real guitar by using the instrument as the controller. One of the problems during the development was how to translate the fretboard and chords into an easily understood gameplay interface. U.S. Patent No. 9,120,016 (the ‘016 Patent) addresses this issues and describes the gameplay mechanics of Rocksmith. Guitar Hero and Rock Band had addressed this issue by reducing the guitar down to a five button rhythm game, where button icons would travel down a vertical “note highway.” Rocksmith took the vertical “note highway” and combined it with a horizontal representation of the fretboard. As notes travel down the “highway,” the horizontal fretboard shifts left and right to the corresponding position on the guitar. Since all of the gameplay prompts corresponded with the actual chord positions on the guitar, a player must successfully play the song on a real guitar to succeed in the game.

The ‘016 Patent also describes a system that adjusts to the player’s skill and provides methods for the player to improve. If a player struggled with a particular portion of a song, Rocksmith would generate a mini-game related specifically to part troubling the player. The game also provides other forms of feedback to help the player learn how to play the guitar.

Abstract:
An interactive game designed for learning to play a guitar. A guitar may be connected to a computer or other platform, capable of loading music and displaying notes and chords and other feedback and visual learning aids on a display screen, allowing a user to read music and play along. The goal of the software or interactive game engine is for players to learn how to play a guitar. Users may operate the game in a number of modes with different goals, playing mini-games throughout the levels of the game. The game provides feedback and statistics to help users learn how to play the guitar.

Illustrative Claim:
5. An interactive guitar playing system as in claim 1, wherein the notation is presented in a timeline view, the timeline view having notation scrolling from right to left and a video in the background, wherein an audio output of the song is timed to the scrolling notation, and wherein the scrolling notation includes notes or chords that reach a hit area indicating to the user to play the notes or chords within the hit area.

Sep

2018

Acceleration Bay LLC v. Activision Blizzard – Case Update

Acceleration Bay LLC v. Activision Blizzard
United States District Court for the District of Delaware
No. 1:16-cv-00453-RGA
August 28, 2018

Case Update:
Back in 2015 Acceleration Bay filed lawsuits against Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and Rockstar Games. Acceleration Bay accused the video game companies of infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 6,829,634 (the ‘634 Patent); 6,732,147 (the ‘147 Patent); 6,714,966 (the ‘966 Patent); 6,701,344 (the ‘344 Patent); 6,920,497 (the ‘497 Patent). You can read our initial coverage of each case here, here, and here. All of the asserted patents related to networks used for online gaming. On August 28, 2018, in a summary judgment, the Delaware District Court ruled in favor of Activision by invalidating two of the patents and determining Activision did not infringe the other three.

The court found claim 19 in the ‘634 Patent to be indefinite. Claim 19 reads, “a non-routing table based computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling communications of a participant of a broadcast channel within a network, by a non-routing tabled based method . . . .” (‘634 Patent, Col. 30, line 20). Acceleration Bay argued that claim 19 contained an obvious error which should be corrected. The court rejected the plaintiff’s argument because it did not think there was an obvious error, and even if there were, any correction would still be the subject of a reasonable debate. In addition to having an indefinite claim, the court found another reason to invalidate the ‘634 Patent.

The district court also determined the ‘634 and ‘147 Patents to be invalid because both contained unpatentable subject matter. There are four statutory categories of patentable subject matter: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. Anything determined to be outside those four categories is considered unpatentable. The claims being asserted by Acceleration Bay all related to a computer-readable medium, which the court constructed to mean “any medium for storing or transporting computer readable instructions, including memory, storage devices, carrier waves, and communication links.” Memorandum Opinion at 21, Acceleration Bay v. Activision Blizzard, No. 1:16-cv-00453-RGA (2018). Carrier waves have been found to be unpatentable subject matter since it is a type of signal, which is also unpatentable. Therefore the computer-readable medium claims in the ‘634 and ‘247 Patents were invalid because the claims contained non-statutory subject matter.

Despite the court invaliding two patents, Activision still needed to show it did not infringe the remaining patents. An entity infringes a patent when it makes, uses, sells, or offers to sell the invention, as defined by at least one claim of the patent. Acceleration Bay claimed that Activision made, used, and sold video games that included the inventions claimed in the ‘147 and ‘966 Patents. However, the district court rejected each assertion. First, the court did not believe that merely owning software was equal to creating a network, plus the court found it was players who formed the networks, not Activision. Second, the court found Activision did not use the claimed systems because Activision “neither puts the entire claimed invention into service nor obtains the benefit from each and every element of the claimed system.” Memorandum Opinion at 16, Acceleration Bay v. Activision Blizzard, No. 1:16-cv-00453-RGA (2018). Lastly, the court ruled that selling software was not the same as selling a computer network. Since Activision did not make, use, or sell a network as claimed in the ‘147 and ‘966 Patents, there was no patent infringement.

The last patent Acceleration Bay asserted against Activision was the ‘497 Patent, which is related to hardware components. The court agreed with Activision that since it does not make, use, or sell infringing hardware, therefore there is no infringement of the ‘497 Patent.

Acceleration Bay can appeal the district court’s decision to the Federal Circuit. If Acceleration Bay does decide to appeal, we will provide an update.

Sep

2018

U.S. Patent No. 8,929,721: Methods for identification of highlight game events and automated generation of videos for same

Issued January 6, 2015, to Sony Interactive Entertainment America, LLC

Priority Date February 15, 2008

Summary:
Streaming and posting videos of gameplay footage used to be difficult for the average gamer. Recording gameplay used to require expensive equipment or to use a camera to record the gameplay from a television, which lowers the quality of the videos. Also, a player needed to be recording right when the cool moment occurred, which could be difficult given the technological limitations. Despite the difficulties, people still posted video highlights from multiplayer matches onto websites like YouTube.

U.S. Patent No. 8,929,721 (the ‘721 Patent) describes a method for a computer system to high light pivotal events during a multiplayer video game and create videos for the same. The system creates a video archive of the multiplayer match from which it selects events it deems significant. A player may also tag a moment or event that she wishes to preserve. The system generates video clips based on the significant events and tags. The video clips can be saved and played back by the player. Players are also able to change views to find the best angle to highlight the action.

Abstract:
Methods, systems and computer readable media for automated creation of videos for interactive entertainment involving at least one individual, based on events that occur within that interactive entertainment are provided. One method includes storing a video history of a session of the interactive entertainment for an individual and examining the interactive entertainment for the session to identify events designated as significant. The designation as significant for each event being predefined to meet a threshold. Then, selecting segments of video from the video history of the session of the interactive entertainment. The selected segments being for a set of the identified events. The method then generates a video defined from the selected segments of video. The video is playable to show the selected segments of video in a selected order for the individual and saving the video.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for automated creation of videos for interactive entertainment involving at least one individual, based on events that occur within that interactive entertainment, comprising: (a) storing a video history of a session of the interactive entertainment for an individual; (b) examining the interactive entertainment for the session to identify events designated as significant, wherein the events are designated as significant based on performance by the individual in relation to events that occur during the session of the interactive entertainment, the designation of an event as significant is based on number of votes received for the event from multiple individuals meeting a predefined threshold, wherein the multiple individuals are participants or observers of at least part of the session of the interactive entertainment or viewers of the stored video history (c) selecting segments of video from the video history of the session of the interactive entertainment, the selected segments being for a set of the identified events; (d) generating a video defined from the selected segments of video, the video being playable to show the selected segments of video in a selected order for the individual; and (e) storing the video; and wherein the method being executed by a processor.

Sep

2018

PTAB finds Game and Technology’s Patent on Unit Pilots Unpatentable

Wargaming Group Limited v. Game and Technology Co., LTD.
Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Case IPR2017-01082

September 7, 2018

On September 7, 2018, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) issued a final written decision holding U.S. Patent No. 7,682,243 (the ‘243 Patent) unpatentable as obvious. The ‘243 Patent had been asserted by Game and Technology (GAT) against Activision Blizzard, Inc. and Wargaming Group Ltd. in a patent infringement lawsuit. For more information on the original complaint click here. Activision Blizzard and Wargaming responded to GAT’s allegations by each filing separate petitions for Inter Partes Review of the ‘243 Patent. Activision Blizzard was joined to Wargaming’s petition, and its own petitions were dismissed. The ‘243 Patent relates to a “pilot” or player character controlling a “unit,” like an animal mount or vehicle. According to the patent, the invention allowed for the unit to level up according to the pilot’s level. The ‘243 Patent is specifically related to online multiplayer games, especially MMORPGs. Claim 1 reads:

1. An online game providing method for providing a pilot and a unit associated with the pilot at an online game, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling an online game such that a player can manipulate a pilot and a unit associated with said pilot, said pilot being a game character operated by a player, said pilot representing the player, said unit being a virtual object controlled by the player;

maintaining a unit information database, the unit information database recording unit information on said unit, in which the unit information includes ability of said unit and sync point information;

maintaining a pilot information database, the pilot information database recording pilot information on said pilot, in which the pilot information includes a unit identifier indicating said unit associated with said pilot, ability of said pilot and the ability of said unit associated with said pilot;

receiving a request for update on first pilot ability information of a first pilot;

searching for unit identifier information associated with the first pilot by referring to the pilot information database;

searching for sync point information associated with the searched unit identifier information by referring to the unit information database; and

updating and recording the first pilot ability information and unit ability information associated therewith in accordance with the searched sync point information such that said ability of unit is changed proportionally to changes in ability of the pilot by referring to said sync point,

wherein said sync point information is a ratio of which changes in said ability of pilot are applied to said ability of unit, and said steps of searching for unit identifier information and of searching for sync point information are performed by a processor. (‘243 Patent, col. 11, line 13).

The PTAB found claims 1-7 in the ‘243 Patent to be obvious based on the combined teachings of Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook Core Rulebook I v.3.5 (“D&D Rulebook”) and U.S. Patent Publication N0. 2003/0177187 (“Levine”). Levine was a patent application for a massively multiplayer online game. While the D&D Rulebook lays out the rules for a table-top board game, the PTAB held it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the lessons from Levine with the D&D Rulebook because many video games implement rules similar to D&D, and Levine expressly references D&D. As a result, the PTAB found the ‘243 Patent to be an obvious combination of the prior art teachings of Levine and the D&D Rulebook.

Wargaming’s petition had also challenged the claims as obvious over the D&D Rulebook in view of a strategy guide for Master of Orion. The PTAB denied this part of the challenge since, in the PTAB’s view, the MOO strategy guide did not show increasing a pilot’s abilities. Nonetheless, the patent stands invalid because the PTAB found the first combination rendered the claims obvious.

One interesting aspect of this case is the unusual dispute over whether Wargaming had been served with a copy of the complaint in the corresponding lawsuit. The date of service on a party is extraordinarily important in IPRs because a Petitioner must file its IPR petition within one year of service of a patent infringement complaint. GAT produced evidence it said showed that its representative, Mr. Talbot, had served the complaint to an accounting and auditing firm used by Wargaming in England, through Mr. Joannou. Mr. Joannou denied meeting Mr. Talbot, and said he was out of the office on the date of alleged service. The PTAB instituted the IPR and allowed the parties to depose Mr. Talbot and Mr. Joannou, who both corroborated their side’s positions. The PTAB struggled to figure out who was remembering the situation more clearly, but noted that some time had passed between when Mr. Joannou was allegedly served the complaint and when he prepared his statement.

Ultimately, the PTAB punted on the he-said/he-said question and decided that GAT’s service (even if it had taken place) was deficient since the included summons was not sealed and signed. Thus, Wargaming’s petition was not time-barred. With this ruling, the ‘243 Patent is the second GAT owned patent to be invalidated by the PTAB this year. In March, the PTAB invalidated GAT’s U.S. Patent No. 8,253,743 (the ‘743 Patent), titled “Method and system for providing character having game item functions.” For more information click here. Both patents were involved in the lawsuits against Wargaming and Activision Blizzard, and those cases had been stayed pending the outcome of the IPRs. Only the ‘243 and ‘743 Patents remained in the case, but GAT has the opportunity to appeal the PTAB’s decision finding the claims unpatentable. If GAT cannot get the Federal Circuit to overturn the PTAB’s decisions, then this case is effectively over for now.

Sep

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,427,668: Storage medium storing game program and game apparatus for improved collision detection in a video game

Issued August 30, 2016, to Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Priority Date May 29, 2009

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 9,427,668 helps fans of fighting and shoot ‘em up games make sure lag does not stop them from winning a game. In these sort of games, “determination areas” help figure out if objects in a game contact each other, which helps determines if a bullet shot from an enemy hits a player. Conventional televisions usually temporarily store a program received from a broadcast station in its memory and process the image to improve the image quality before displaying it. For game consoles, the temporary storage causes a lag between the execution of a player’s action and the display of the result on the television.Therefore, this patent provides a solution using a storage medium for a game program and a game apparatus. In the game apparatus, the aforementioned “determination areas” repeatedly determine whether or not a player contacts something. The results of these determinations are stored in succession, permitting the player to move when there is an indication the player contacts something. Storing the determinations reduces lag and helps players keep fighting and dodging both enemies and bullets.

Abstract:
A computer readable storage medium storing a game program and a game apparatus capable of preventing a game process which is performed, depending on a result of contact determination with respect to objects from being illogical for a player are provided. In the game apparatus, a contact determination section repeatedly determines whether a player object contacts a block. The results of determination are successively stored into a determination result storing section. A first processing section permits the player object to jump when, of the results of determination stored in the determination result storing section, at least one result of determination including a result of determination a predetermined period of time before indicates that the player object contacts the block.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus which outputs to a display device a game image showing a behavior of an object in a game space, the game program causing the computer to execute instructions comprising: repeatedly determining whether or not a first object contacts a second object at a first point in time and at a second point in time, the second point in time being a latest result of determination stored after the first point in time; successively storing results of the repeated determination; and performing a predetermined process with respect to the first object when, of the results of the stored determination, at least one result of determination includes determining that the first object contacted the second object at the first point in time.

Research By: Rachel Johns
Edited By: Andrew F. Thomas

Sep

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849: Augmented reality playspaces with adaptive game rules

Issued September 27, 2016, to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
Priority Date November 03, 2011

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849 (the ‘849 Patent) describes a method for generating a virtual gaming environment based on real-world objects. The patent describes a scenario where a player puts on an augmented reality head set and begins to travel around the real world. During the player’s travels, he may encounter monsters or puzzles which is generated by the headset. The headset will generate the monsters based on the real world environment surrounding the player. For example, a player in a forest is more likely to encounter a forest monster than an ocean monster. While wearing the headset, players will be able to interact with both real objects and virtual objects. Virtual objects will be created based on a variety of factors, including the real world environment.

Abstract:
A system for generating a virtual gaming environment based on features identified within a real-world environment, and adapting the virtual gaming environment over time as the features identified within the real-world environment change is described. Utilizing the technology described, a person wearing a head-mounted display device (HMD) may walk around a real-world environment and play a virtual game that is adapted to that real-world environment. For example, the HMD may identify environmental features within a real-world environment such as five grassy areas and two cars, and then spawn virtual monsters based on the location and type of the environmental features identified. The location and type of the environmental features identified may vary depending on the particular real-world environment in which the HMD exists and therefore each virtual game may look different depending on the particular real-world environment.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for generating an augmented reality environment, comprising: generating one or more virtual objects associated with a computing application using a mobile device, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object: identifying one or more real-world objects within a first real-world environment that are of a particular type; acquiring a computing application requirement that a particular number of real-world objects of the particular type be identified within the first real-world environment from the computing application; determining that a number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application; adjusting the one or more virtual objects in response to determining that the number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object that moves within the augmented reality environment; detecting a particular sound using the mobile device; determining a distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device; setting a degree of transparency for the first virtual object based on the distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device in response to detecting the particular sound; generating one or more images associated with the first virtual object based on the degree of transparency; and displaying on the mobile device the one or more images, the one or more images are displayed such that the first virtual object is perceived to exist within the augmented reality environment.

Aug

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,566,503: Massively single-playing online game

U.S. Patent No. 9,566,503 Massively single-playing online
game

Issued February 14, 2017, to Nintendo Co. Ltd.
Priority Date February 2, 2010

Summary:
A huge draw to online games, especially MMORPGs, is the impact one person can have on another person’s game. Games like World of Warcraft, Second Life, or Minecraft are built around the concept of people interacting in an online digital world. Minecraft allows players to interact with features built by other players. To affect the world in these multi-player games, all the players inhabit the same world. Interacting with all the players can both be a positive and a negative experience.

What if a player wants to play a single-player game but still have other people affect the game world? U.S. Patent No. 9,566,503 (the ‘503 Patent) describes a method for a massively single-player online game. According to the patent, the game will be a traditional single-player game, but every player occupies the same digital world. Players will not be able to see or interact directly with other players, but the actions of a player can affect others by changing the game world. For example, a player could build a house in this digital world. A second player would be able to see and interact with the house, but could not see or communicate with the person who built the house.

The ‘503 Patent sounds similar to the kind of multiplayer experience found in the Dark Souls games. Dark Souls is primarily a single-player game but has a few multiplayer features. Players in Dark Souls can invade another player’s game, leave “helpful” notes in the world, or summon a friend to defeat a demanding boss. Demon Souls, the predecessor to Dark Souls, would alter gameplay depending upon world and individual character tendencies. The ‘503 Patent describes a game where foreign players affect the game world more directly than what happened in Demon Souls, but also more isolated than that of Dark Souls.

Abstract:
A method and apparatus that allows a player to play a massively single-player online game without directly interacting with other players, while affecting and being affected by other players playing the online game.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for playing a massively multiplayer online game that provides a massively multiplayer-affected shared game experience without requiring interaction between human-controlled player characters, comprising: simulating a virtual game environment using an online server processor; establishing connections between human players and the online server processor to establish respective game sessions which include player characters that interact with the simulated virtual game environment under direct control received from said human players over said established connections; storing, with the server processor, updated parameters related to the game sessions being played by the human players, said updated parameters related to changes to the simulated virtual game environment caused by massively multiplayer-controlled player characters interacting with the simulated virtual game environment; in response to the updated parameters, using the processor to simulate changing game conditions within the simulated virtual game environment, the changing game conditions dynamically changing over time based on interactions of massively multiplayer-controlled player characters with the simulated virtual game environment to thereby reflect said massively multiplayer-controlled player character interactions with the simulated virtual game environment; establishing a connection between an additional human player and the server processor to establish a further game session which includes a further player character directly controlled by said additional human player; and using the server processor, displaying, in the further game session played by the additional human player, game images according to the simulated virtual game environment and changing game conditions simulated in accordance with the updated parameters thereby exposing the additional human player’s controlled player character to the effect of changing game conditions reflecting said massively multiplayer-controlled player character interactions within the simulated virtual game environment, said additional human player’s controlled player character being at the same position in the simulated virtual game environment and at the same time with the simultaneously-online human players’-controlled player characters, without allowing said additional human player’s controlled player character to see or interact with the other simultaneously-online human players’-controlled player characters.

Aug

2018

U.S. Patent No. 9,616,345: Systems and methods for crowd-sourced game strategy

Issued April 11, 2017, to Electronic Arts Inc.
Priority Date July 1, 2014

Summary:
Playing EA’s Madden can be daunting because of the number of systems and strategies concurrently happening, especially for a person who does not understand American Football. The playcall selection menu can very be confusing to a novice who may not understand the differences between a running play and a passing play. To help the player, Madden will provide suggested playcalls based on the situation, but early incarnations of the suggestion system were all based on pre-programmed suggestions. The game had no way of learning a players habits or adjusting the suggestion based on the opponent. U.S. Patent No.9,616,345 addresses this problem by creating a system and method to collect game play strategy data from online matches and use the data to adjust suggestions accordingly. Now, Madden will provide you suggestions not only based off your previous calls but also what you did in your previous matches as well as how other players handled similar situations. The game will even show you the number of times you have called a play and your success rate. The patent also suggests that this data could be used to alter AI player strategy, but the primary focus of the patent is on playcall suggestions.

Abstract:
Various embodiments provide systems and methods that collect data regarding game strategy decisions by human players during video game, and utilize the collected data to either adjust or replace behaviors of computer players and/or suggest game strategies to human players during video game sessions. The game strategy decisions may be harvested from human-vs-human and human-vs-computer video game sessions. The data may be harvested from online-connected video game sessions, which may be hosted over an online video game network. Depending on the embodiment, the harvested data can include information regarding game strategies used by players during the video game sessions, the game contexts in which the game strategies were respectively used, and the results achieved by the respective use of the game strategies. Systems and methods described herein may facilitate a computer player having behavior that is (at least partially) “crowd-sourced” based on game strategies used by online-connected video game sessions.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A method comprising: as implemented by a processor configured with computer-executable instructions, receiving first data from a first client device, the first data regarding a first game strategy used, by a first game player, in a first game context of a first video game session between the first game player and at least a second game player, the first video game session executing within a video game, the first game strategy being a playcall; updating a game strategy dataset based on the first data, the first data at least including an identity of the first game strategy and an association between the first game context and the first game strategy, the game strategy dataset including a set of one or more previous playcalls used in a set of one or more previous game contexts; receiving gameplay data from a second client device during a second gameplay session, the gameplay data identifying a second game context of the second video game session, the second video game session being between a third player and a fourth player; identifying in the game strategy dataset a set of one or more relevant game strategies based, at least in part, on the second game context during the second video game session, wherein individual game strategies are playcalls available for use within the second video game session; and transmitting to the second client device second data regarding the set of one or more relevant game strategies, the second client device being configured to use the second data to identify at least one suggested game strategy of the set of one or more relevant game strategies for use in the second game context of the second video game session, and generate instructions to output the at least one suggested game strategy within a video game user interface during the second video game session.

Aug

2018

U.S. Patent No. 8,944,919: Network game system for executing event in network game

U.S. Patent No. 8,944,919: Network game system for executing event in network game
Issued February 3, 2015 to Square Enix

Summary:

This patent relates to a network game such as an MMORPG in which multiple players participate. When an event occurs in a network game, a movie may be played back to each player’s device so players can watch the movie at the same time. However, there are players with a variety of skills, so it is likely experienced players have already seen such a movie. From the viewpoint of just playing back a movie generally, each player may be allowed to freely skip the movie. When an event such as a battle immediately follows the end of a movie, however, the timing may vary among the players. It is not desirable that while some players are watching a movie, the others may start the battle.

Therefore, this patent was created to reliably restrain players from freely playing an event in a game which should be played together. When the party battles an opponent, the server simultaneously transmits movie playback information to each player’s device. Each of the players can skip the movie, and a screen is displayed on the screen of each player that skipped the movie. When information is received from each player’s device that indicates playback of the movie has ended, the server simultaneously transmits battle start information to each player. Therefore, players can coordinate to take down a boss together.

Abstract:

A network game system includes a server apparatus and a plurality of video game apparatuses connected to the server apparatus. A party includes player characters of a plurality of players. When the party battles with an opponent character, the server apparatus simultaneously transmits movie playback information to each video game apparatus for starting playback of a movie. Each of the players can skip the movie at a desired timing. A screen is displayed on each video game apparatus that has skipped the movie until the battle starts. When information is received from each video game apparatus that indicates playback of the movie has ended, the server apparatus simultaneously transmits battle start information to each video game apparatus.

Illustrative Claim:

1. A network game system including a server apparatus, and a plurality of terminal apparatuses connected to the server apparatus over a network, the server apparatus comprising: an event occurrence information transmitter that transmits event generating information to each of the terminal apparatuses when a predetermined event generation condition for playing an event in a game is met during the game, the terminal apparatuses comprising a party in the game and cooperating to play the event during the game; an end-of-preparation notifying information receiver that receives end-of-preparation notifying information transmitted from each of the terminal apparatuses of the party; and an event start information transmitter that simultaneously transmits event start information to all of the terminal apparatuses of the party on condition that the end-of-preparation notifying information receiver has received the end-of-preparation notifying information from all of the terminal apparatuses of the party, each terminal apparatus of the terminal apparatuses of the party comprising: an event occurrence information receiver that receives the event occurrence information transmitted from the event occurrence information transmitter; an event preparation image display that, upon reception of the event occurrence information at the event occurrence information receiver, displays an event preparation image on a display device included in the terminal apparatus and enables termination of a display of the event preparation image at a desired timing in response to a termination instruction from a player using the terminal apparatus; an end-of-preparation notifying information transmitter that transmits the end-of-preparation notifying information to the server apparatus when the display of the event preparation image is terminated; an event start information receiver that receives the event start information transmitted from the event start information transmitter; a standby processor that executes a predetermined standby process until the event start information receiver receives the event start information after the end-of-preparation notifying information transmitter has transmitted the end-of-preparation notifying information; and an event processor that executes the event during the game when the event start information receiver receives the event start information, wherein the server provides an advantage to a first game apparatus of the party over a second game apparatus of the party when the end-of-preparation notifying information receiver of the server receives the end-of-preparation notifying information from the first game apparatus before the second game apparatus.

Research By: Rachel Johns

Jul

2018

U.S. Patent No. 6,488,505: System and method of vehicle competition with enhanced ghosting features

U.S. Patent No. 6,488,505: System and method of vehicle competition with enhanced ghosting features
Issued December 3, 2002, to Midway Games West Inc.
Priority Date July 15, 1999

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 6,488,505 (the ‘505 Patent) concerns “ghosting” in auto-racing games, a process where a player races against a previously recorded best effort of a previous player. The ‘505 Patent is a one of a number of ghosting patents which originated from a mode in the Atari arcade game Hard Drivin’. Hard Drivin’ was the first car racing game that allowed players to race against a translucent “ghost” recording of a previous race. In this particular patent, if a player finishes a race time fast enough, they are rewarded with free game time. If a player beats the sufficient time to qualify for a free game, this data would be stored in the game along with the finish time and the name of the player. The patent allows the storage of past routes of the cars over which the ghost car travels. By accumulating a plurality of competition scores from multiple past competitions, the game selects one of the scores as the threshold for free game time. The score is calculated according to the ability of the players in the system. Once a player surpasses that threshold, they receive the award.

Abstract:
A system and method for computerized competition useful for rewarding a player. The system and method may be utilized in arcade games, personal computer games, dedicated video games, networked games, and simulators. The method may include selecting a target reward level or threshold such as by selecting a score from a list of past scores, and dynamically adjusting the reward level according to the ability of the players of the system. The method may further include adjusting the playback of a previous competition sequence according to the adjusted reward level. In one embodiment, a previous vehicle race sequence is stored and played back as a ghost or phantom vehicle simultaneously with a present vehicle of a player.

Illustrative Claim:
A simulated vehicle system, comprising: a simulated vehicle configured to traverse a simulated course; a data structure holding a plurality of course finish times; a present course buffer configured to store a present course path of the simulated vehicle and a course finish time of the simulated vehicle as it traverses the simulated course; a recorded course storage configured to store a recorded course path; and a playback adjuster configured to adjust the speed of playback of the recorded course path when a course finish time in the data structure which corresponds to the recorded course path is different than a selected one of the course finish times which is based on an adjusting ratio.

Research By: Rachel Johns
Edited By: Andrew F. Thomas

Jul

2018

Striking from the Shadows

Infernal Technology, LLC et al v. Crytek GmbH

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

Docket No. 2-18-cv-00284, filed July 10, 2018

On July 10, 2018, Infernal Technology and Terminal Reality (Infernal) filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas alleging that Crytek GmbH (Crytek) infringed upon U.S. Patent Nos. 6,362,822 (the ‘822 Patent) and 7,061,488 (the ‘488 Patent). The two patents relate to lighting and shadowing methods in computer graphic simulations.

Image from the ‘822 Patent, Fig. 2.

Claim 1 of the ‘822 Patent reads:

A shadow rendering method for use in a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing observer data of a simulated multi-dimensional scene;

providing lighting data associated with a plurality of simulated light sources arranged to illuminate said scene, said lighting data including light image data;

for each of said plurality of light sources, comparing at least a portion of said observer data with at least a portion of said light data to determine if a modeled point within storing at least a portion of said light image data associated with said point and said light source in a light accumulation buffer; and then

combining at least a portion of said light accumulation buffer with said observer data; and

displaying resulting image data to a computer screen. (‘822 patent, col 12, lines 4-21).

Infernal claims that Crytek’s utilization of video game engine “CryEngine” allegedly infringes the asserted patents. According to the Complaint, Crytek used the allegedly infringing game engine to develop the Crysis series, Warface, Ryse: Son of Rome, The Climb, and Robinson: The Journey.

Typically, the next step for a defendant in this situation is to petition the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) for an Inter Partes Review (IPR), but the ‘822 and ‘488 Patents have already survived an IPR because of earlier litigation. In 2015, Infernal sued Electronic Arts for patent infringement. EA responded by petitioning the PTAB for an IPR; however, the PTAB found the ‘822 and ‘488 Patents to be “Not Unpatentable.” EA settled the lawsuit after the PTAB’s decision. Crytek can still petition for an IPR of the asserted patents, but will likely have to use different prior art that the art used by EA or provide a good reason why the Board got it wrong the first time around.

If this seems like deja vu that is because Infernal filed complaints similar to the Crytek Complaint against Microsoft in April and against Activision Blizzard in May. To read our blog post on the Microsoft case click here. We will continue to monitor all three of these cases and provide updates when possible.

Jun

2018

Candy Crush Pushing into Possible Patent Infringement

Groove Digital, Inc. v. King.com, LTD. et al.,
United States District Court for the District of Delaware,
1-18-cv-00836, filed 06/04/2018

On June 4, 2018, Groove Digital filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Delaware alleging King.com infringed upon U.S. Pat. No. 9,454,762 (the ‘762 Patent), titled “System and Method for Delivery of Content to a Network Device.” Groove Digital claims the ‘762 Patent relates to push notifications for mobile apps. In the Complaint, King’s game, Candy Crush Saga, infringes upon the ‘762 Patent.

Claim 1 of the ‘762 Patent reads:

A system for delivering information to a networked device of a user, the system comprising:

a microprocessor running a software application for delivering an applet application to the networked device and managing the delivery of the applet application to the networked device, wherein the applet application passively deploys one or more applets at a time of deployment,

wherein the applet application provides for delivery of content to the networked device and a display of the content in a predetermined portion of a user display that is less than an entire display of the networked device, by the one or more applet, wherein the one or more applet is configured to deploy at least one of independent of or in conjunction with an internet browser window, wherein an internet browser is configured to deploy subsequent to deployment of the one or more applets based on at least one action or inaction of the user, wherein at least one of the applets is configured to become idle upon deployment of the internet browser, and wherein the deployment of the one or more applets is such that at the time of deployment of the one or more applets the user can continue to operate the networked device in a state prior to the deployment of the one or more applets;

a first database coupled to the microprocessor and storing a first set of information relating to the user; and

a second database coupled to the microprocessor and including a second set of information for comparison to the first set of information,

wherein the microprocessor compares the first set of information to the second set of information to determine whether the content should be transmitted to the networked device for display by the one or more applets. (‘762 patent, col. 14, lines 9-43).

The ‘762 Patent has an interesting prosecution history. Samuel Gaidemak and Paul Chacko filed the ‘762 Patent on March 17, 2006, but the USPTO did not issue the patent until September 27, 2016. During those ten years, the PTO issued eleven office actions against the ‘762 Patent. On average a patent will face three or four office actions. The more office actions a patent faces, the more prosecution history estoppel the patent acquires, which is used to narrow the patent’s claims and restrict the owner’s use of the doctrine of equivalents. Groove Digital is asserting the doctrine of equivalents in addition to allegations of literal infringement. King has not yet filed an Answer in response to the Complaint.

Groove Digital is also suing United Bank for infringing the ‘762 Patent. Normally, we do not report on non-video game related case, but this is the only other lawsuit in which the ‘762 Patent is asserted. Groove Digital filed the lawsuit against United Bank on December 1, 2017, in the Eastern District of Virginia. The Complaint in that lawsuit alleges that United Bank’s mobile banking app infringes the ‘762 Patent by using push notifications, and the Complaint filed against United Bank is very similar to the Complaint filed against King. United Bank has only filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. These lawsuits against United Bank and King could be the start of Groove Digital suing every mobile app developer that uses push notifications, so it will be interesting to see if Apple takes notice (in view of the integrated push notification technology built into iOS).

We will continue to follow Groove Digital’s lawsuit against King and provide updates when available.

May

2018

Case Update: GAT v. Activision Blizzard et al.

Game and Technology v. Activision Blizzard et al., C.D. Cal.,
Case No. 2:16-cv-06499-MLH-SK, Filed August 29, 2016

On March 14, 2018, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidated U.S. Patent No. 8,253,743 (the ‘743 Patent), which Game and Technology (GAT) owns and asserted in this lawsuit. Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and Valve had petitioned for Inter Partes Review of the ‘743 Patent in response to litigation we had reported on earlier. The ‘743 Patent is related to the layering of items on a character avatar in a video game.

FIG. 5 shows avatars (gamvatars) having a game item function according to an embodiment of the present invention, and it exemplifies gamvatars 530 and 540 generated by combining an avatar 510 which wears clothes purchased at the avatar shop 430 and a game item 520 purchased at the item shop 440. The gamvatar 530 shows the avatar 510 but is arranged in the background layer. As described above, it is possible for the avatar 510 to wear the item 520 or not wear the item 520 depending on the user’s setting. (‘743 patent, col. 6, lines 33-44).

The PTAB found that the ‘743 Patent would have been obvious based on the combined teachings of a Diablo II manual and a 2005 publication of U.S. patent application 2005/0127015 A1 filed August 19, 2004. GAT filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on May 16, 2018.

Earlier, we had reported on Activision Blizzard and Wargaming filing a petition for IPR on another asserted patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,682,243 (the ‘243 Patent). The petition was granted but the PTAB has not yet issued a final written decision in that matter. The Central District of California granted a stay on the original lawsuit until the IPR and the appeals process for the ‘243 and ‘743 Patents have concluded.

In the original lawsuit, GAT claimed the defendants infringed upon three patents. Indeed, Activision had sought an IPR on the third patent, U.S. Patent No. 8,035,649 (the ‘649 Patent). But on February 28, 2017, the PTAB denied instituting a review of the ‘649 Patent. Then, on May 17, 2018, both sides jointly asked the District Court to drop all claims relating to the ‘649 Patent, which the court granted four days later.

As of this writing, the Central District of California case remains stayed until the PTAB and the Federal Circuit determine the validity of the ‘743 and ‘243 Patents, while the claims relating to the ‘649 Patent have been dismissed. We will continue to track any new developments.

May

2018

PTAB Institutes Inter Partes Review of Group Messaging Patent

On May 15, 2018, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the “PTAB”) instituted two Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) proceedings against U.S. 5,822,523 (the “’523 Patent”). The ’523 Patent generally relates to group messaging in interactive applications. The petitioner is Riot Games, Inc. (“Riot Games”), maker of popular titles like League of Legends The patent owner is Paltalk Holdings, Inc. (“Paltalk”). From 2006-2009, the ’523 Patent was asserted by Paltalk in patent infringement cases against Microsoft, Sony, Activision Blizzard, NCsoft, Jagex, and Turbine Inc., among others.

Claim 1 of the ’523 Patent reads:

1. A method for providing group messages to a plurality of host computers connected over a unicast wide area communication network, comprising the steps of:

providing a group messaging server coupled to said network, said server communicating with said plurality of host computers using said unicast network and maintaining a list of message groups, each message group containing at least one host computer;

sending, by a plurality of host computers belonging to a first message group, messages to said server via said unicast
network, said messages containing a payload portion and a portion for identifying said first message group;

aggregating, by said server in a time interval determined in accordance with a predefined criterion, said payload portions of said messages to create an aggregated payload;

forming an aggregated message using said aggregated payload; and

transmitting, by said server via said unicast network, said aggregated message to a recipient host computer belonging to said first message group.

Both Riot Games and Paltalk agree that the ’523 Patent expired. While it might seem strange for Riot Games to attack the validity of an expired patent, a patent owner may sue for damages that were incurred when their now-expired patent was valid, though they cannot recover damages that were incurred more than six years prior to the filing of the lawsuit. As it appears that the ’523 Patent expired in 2016, Paltalk could potentially file patent infringement lawsuits up until around 2022, but only for damages that they incurred prior to 2016, and only so long as their damages were in the six years before they filed the lawsuits. For example, if Paltalk sued a game company for patent infringement on Jan. 1, 2021, they could recover damages from Jan. 1, 2015, up until the date the ’523 Patent expired in 2016.

May

2018

Gamevice v Nintendo – Let’s try this again, at the ITC

Certain Portable Gaming Console Systems with Attachable Handheld Controllers and Components Thereof

International Trade Commission, Inv. No. 337-TA-1111

-and-

Gamevice, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. et al

CAND-3-18-cv-01942

Last year, we reported on Gamevice’s lawsuit against the Nintendo Switch filed in August 2017. That case was voluntarily dismissed by Gamevice in October 2017 without comment as to why.

At the end of March this year, Gamevice came back to try again. They filed corresponding lawsuits in the Northern District of California as well as at the International Trade Commission. On May 1, the ITC announced that it would institute the investigation against Nintendo. The CAND case will be stayed now that the ITC investigation has begun, once the parties notify the court.

The ITC can be a desirable venue for patent owners because it offers an accelerated timeline and is more likely to award injunctions than District Courts. Another significant advantage of the ITC in this age of inter partes review challenges is that the ITC typically refuses to stay its proceedings even if the USPTO decides to institute an IPR. However, monetary damages are not available at the ITC.

The patents at issue are US 9,855,498 and 9,808,713, titled “Game Controller with Structural Bridge.” Looking at the ‘713 patent, the claims appear to recite a “structural bridge” connecting the two controllers. One issue in this case may be identifying which component of the Nintendo Switch corresponds to the claimed “structural bridge.”

US 9,808,713 – Fig. 35

This suit involves some newer patents that claim partial priority to the patents asserted in March of last year. These are “continuation-in-part” patents from the earlier asserted patents, meaning they added some new material. Importantly, these new CIPs name different inventors than the original patents, suggesting that the claims may be directed to the new subject matter. If that’s the case, then these patents will have a later priority date than their earlier parents, and the earlier parents might themselves become usable as prior art. If the new subject matter in the claims is just an obvious variation of the earlier patents, yet was not disclosed in the earlier patents, Gamevice might have trouble defending their patents.

We’ll continue to watch for interesting developments.

Apr

2018

WWE Star Randy Orton’s Tattoo Artist Sues WWE, Take Two, 2K over In-Game Tattoos

On April 17, 2018, Catherine Alexander, a tattoo artist from Illinois, sued Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “WWE”), Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s Co., Ltd., and Yuke’s LA Inc. for copyright infringement relating to the tattoos on Randy Orton.

Randy Orton is a 13-time world champion professional wrestler for the WWE whose arms are almost entirely covered by tattoos. Between 2003 and 2008, Alexander tattooed Mr. Orton’s arms. Alexander’s complaint alleges that various WWE-branded videogames, including WWE 2K16, WWE 2K17, and WWE 2K18, feature “meticulous reproduction[s]” of those tattoos. Per Alexander, the WWE offered her $450 for the rights to Orton’s tattoos, which she declined.

This is far from the first time that the gaming industry has been involved in a copyright dispute over in-game tattoos. One suit, still ongoing, involves various tattoo artists suing Take-Two Interactive over reproductions of the tattoos of professional basketball players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Similarly, an Arizona tattoo artist once sued THQ over a tattoo in UFC Undisputed, though it appears that case was settled. In the movie industry, a similar dispute arose over the depiction of Mike Tyson’s tattoo in the movie Hangover II, though the dispute was quickly settled.

One strategy, explored by companies like Electronic Arts, has been to require that athletes acquire the rights to their tattoos if they want them properly represented in-game. Another option would be for athletes’ contracts to require that they acquire all rights to any tattoos they receive, such that the athletes may grant licenses to use the tattoos if necessary.

In any event, the outcome of these cases are likely to hinge on, among other arguments, whether tattooed individuals like Randy Orton have an implied license to their tattoos, and whether depiction of an individual’s tattoos is fair use. Another potential issue is whether a tattoo is sufficiently “fixed” to warrant copyright protection in the first place (there is precedent that a living garden is not “fixed” and one might make the same argument about artwork on living skin). We will monitor the cases and keep our readers informed of any updates.

Apr

2018

Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, EA, Harmonix, and Majesco win challenge of motion control patent

On April 9, 2018, the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of defendants Microsoft Corporation, Ubisoft, Inc., Nintendo of America, Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., and Majesco Entertainment in a patent infringement suit brought by Australian individual Richard J. Baker. The suit relates to Baker’s U.S. Patent No. 5,486,001, which relates to an instructional aid for movements. The accused products included video games that incorporated an image capturing device (like a camera) connected to a gaming console or personal computer.

The ’001 Patent reads, in claim 1 and as amended during prosecution:

capturing and storing initial visual image signals representative of a particular movement at a first location,

storing preferred image signals representative of a selected preferred movement at a second location remote from said first location in a data base of a computer,

transmitting said captured and stored visual image signals from said first location to said computer at said second location,

. . .

transmitting said regenerated signals from said computer at said remote second location to said first location and stored in image presentation means which permits viewing thereof with dialogue relating to said regenerated visual secondary image signals.

The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s finding that “remote,” as used above, requires “more than physical separation at the same location.” The Federal Circuit found that this amendment prevented infringement by any of the defendants, both literally and under the doctrine of equivalents.

Cases like these emphasize the importance of careful patent prosecution. Per the Federal Circuit, the “first location” and “second limitation” language used above was added to traverse a reference (U.S. Patent No. 5,184,295 to Mann). Little changes like these, which invoke the doctrine of prosecution history estoppel, can have significant ramifications during litigation, as demonstrated here. It’s game over for Mr. Baker in this case.

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U.S. Patent No. 9,566,503 Massively single-playing online
game