JP2014130621A - System and method for targeted recommendations using social gaming networks - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to target a recommendation to a first user of an online multi-player gaming environment on the basis of tracked data of a second user with which the first user has a relationship in the online multi-player gaming environment.SOLUTION: Activity indicative of a relationship between a first user and a second user is tracked in an online multi-player gaming environment. First data indicative of a preference of the second user is received. Then, a recommendation is determined based on the first data and the activity, and the recommendation is sent to the first user.

Description

  Online multiplayer services for video games such as XBOX LIVE (R) services (WA, Redmond, Microsoft) allow gamers anywhere in the world to play together or against each other. to enable. Online multiplayer services allow users to interact with each other within the gaming service.

  Electronic commerce systems are trying hard to connect a user to items and / or services that may be of interest to the user. For example, the electronic commerce system can present recommendations, suggestions, related items and / or services to the user. The context advertisement similar to the item or service the user is viewing can also be shown to the user.

  These electronic commerce systems generally make recommendations based on a user's purchase / browsing history, clustering of purchases made by others on the site, recommendations made by others to the user, and the like. However, these legacy recommended techniques make use of the unique information available in the online multiplayer gaming service environment that captures the natural social network aspects that have developed within the online multiplayer gaming service. Not done. Targeted recommendation techniques can be improved by utilizing this unique information about user relationships with similar ideas.

  The disclosed methods and systems take advantage of natural social networking relationships between users seeking to provide recommendations, such as online multiplayer gaming environments and e-commerce recommendations. To illustrate, assume that a first user and a second user can connect to an online multiplayer gaming environment. Once connected, these users can interact with the gaming environment and / or interact with each other within the gaming environment.

  The activity indicating the relationship between the first user and the second user can be tracked. This activity may indicate an interaction between the first user and the second user within the online multiplayer gaming environment. For example, a first user and a second user may have played together, may have been listed as friends with each other in the gaming environment, and have participated in a common online chat within the gaming environment It may be possible. These users may transfer game data to each other, may play the same instance of the same game, may transfer text, audio, or video communications to each other.

  The second user's e-commerce preference can be received. E-commerce preferences can be associated with products and / or services that the second user has purchased and / or used. For example, e-commerce preferences can be associated with games that a second user plays regularly in a gaming environment.

  Activities between the first and second users and the second user's e-commerce preferences can be used to determine recommendations for the first user. The recommendation can be sent to the first user in a format compatible with the first user's access device. For example, the access device can include a gaming console, and the recommendation can include a link to a recommended product, such as a downloadable game within the gaming environment.

  The first user and the second user may have already established a relationship within the natural social network of the online multiplayer gaming environment, so that they share common interests, hobbies, beliefs, The possibility of having values and the like increases. That is, recommendations based on the preference of the second user are likely to be more relevant to the first user, and it is more effective to connect the first user to the desired product and / or service. .

  The above is a summary, including simplification, generalization and omission of details as necessary. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this summary is exemplary only and is not intended to be limiting in any way.

The system, method, and computer readable medium for making recommendations to online multiplayer gaming service users through a computerized gaming environment based on user behavior and social networks according to this specification Further description will be made with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system that provides users with targeted recommendations based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming network. FIG. 2 shows an example of a system that provides users with targeted recommendations based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming network. FIG. 3 illustrates an example operational procedure for providing a user with targeted recommendations based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming network. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example computer network environment suitable for providing users with targeted recommendations based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming network. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a gaming console that can be incorporated into a computer network environment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing environment that can be incorporated into a computer network environment. FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of a processor.

  In order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments, some specific details are set forth in the following description and drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the details described below. The following disclosure describes various methods with reference to steps and sequences, but such descriptions are for purposes of defining a clear implementation of an embodiment of the present invention, and the steps and sequence of steps are essential. Do not catch it as a thing. 1, 2, and 4-7 illustrate an operating environment in which an operating procedure can be performed. FIG. 3 shows an example of the operation procedure.

  FIG. 1 illustrates the use of data in a social network within the online multiplayer gaming environment 100 to make recommendations 122. The system includes a computing network 108 that includes a gaming server 102, an e-commerce server 104, a recommendation server 106, a first user access device 112, and a second user access device. 116 are linked. Gaming server 102, e-commerce server 104, and recommendation server 106 may reside on one physical computing device or multiple computing devices. Similarly, an online multiplayer gaming environment can comprise a single computing server or a plurality of such servers networked together.

  The access devices 112, 114 are computers that can be used by the users 110, 114 to connect to the online multiplayer gaming environment 100. It consists of a dedicated video game console, a general purpose computer configured to play games online, a portable digital media player configured to play simple games, and playing simple games A cellular telephone or personal data assistant configured to do so can be provided. Through the access devices 112, 116, users 110, 114 can access the online multiplayer gaming environment 100 and participate in its activities.

  The online multiplayer gaming environment 100 is an environment that includes services that allow users to interact with each other. For example, a user playing a game with or against another user, chatting with another user through audio, video, and text (both in real time and asynchronously) , Paste on message boards, watch audio or video, and otherwise can participate in the services provided by the service. As a result of user interaction through this environment, a social network can be formed. A social network is one or more specific types of interdependencies such as values, vision, ideas, monetary exchanges, friends, kinship, disgust, conflicts, transactions, and web links A social structure created by nodes (generally individuals or organizations) connected by sex. These network connections can be explicit, such as when two users add each other to the "friends" list held by the server, or two users can explicitly send their messages to each other May be implied, such as when pasted on the same message board.

  One component of an online multiplayer gaming environment may be an e-commerce server 104. This provides functionality that allows the user to search for an item, learn about it, and purchase it. Items can be the entire game, additional content of the game, such as a new map to play, video content, music, etc. The function of purchasing an item includes the function of interacting with a financial institution that makes a payment to pay for the purchased item. The e-commerce server can also be a separate web server from the online multiplayer gaming environment.

  Another component of the online multiplayer gaming environment may be the gaming server 102. This gaming server allows users to find other users who are playing the same game, establish game instances with each other, and play games together. The gaming server can also track things like user high scores, the best users in the game, tournament play, and user records against other users. In one embodiment, the gaming server assists the user in searching for other users to play the game together, initializes the game according to the selected parameters, and then all between the players during the game. Monitor communications. In other embodiments, the gaming server assists the user in searching for other users to play the game together, initializes the game according to the selected parameters, and then between users during game play, Communicates independently of the game server.

  The second user's e-commerce activities or preferences include items that the second user has searched for, items that the second user has seen details, items that the second user has rated, and second users May have read the review and items that the second user has purchased. Data indicating the first user's online activity includes games played by the first user, videos viewed by the first user, content purchased by the first user, services used by the first user, and preferred language of the first user. be able to. The data indicating the preference of the second user includes the game played by the second user, the video viewed by the second user, the content purchased by the second user, the services used by the second user, and the preferred language of the second user Can do.

  The recommendation server 106 includes both data indicative of the first user's online activity 118 drawn from the first user's access device 112 and data indicative of the second user's preference 120 drawn from the second user's access device 116. Can be taken to determine the recommendation 112, which is then sent to the first user. The recommendation server captures this data and from this determines recommendations that include items provided by services that may be of interest to the first user. This recommendation may include friends to add to the friends list, videos to watch, songs to listen to, games to play, games to join, groups to join, and enemies to play games. For example, the recommendation server captures data indicating that the first user's friend list and many of the friends on the friend list are downloading a new game, and recommends the new game to the first user. be able to.

  FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system that provides targeted recommendations to users based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming environment. The recommendation server 200 can be mounted on a general-purpose computer, or can be mounted on a plurality of general-purpose computers that form a network with each other. The server may include a memory for storing first data of a first user's activity while using an online multiplayer gaming environment. This data can indicate the relationship between the first user and the second user. The memory can also store second data that can indicate the preferences of the second user. In addition, the server can also include a processor that determines a recommendation based on the first data and the second data and sends the recommendation to the first user.

  A two-way communication link with the first user's access device 202 exists with the recommendation server 200. The recommendation server 200 may be a component of an online multiplayer gaming environment. The device can include a gaming console, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, general purpose computer, and portable digital music player capable of playing simple games.

  While interacting with the online multiplayer gaming environment, the user communicates behavior data that the behavior data collection component 204 collects. This behavioral data is the total information communicated to the environment by the first user, such as which section of the environment the user has viewed, which video the user has viewed, and which game the user has played. Also good. The behavior data can also be e-commerce behavior.

  The behavior data is then sent from the behavior data collection component to the behavior data removal and aggregation component 206. This component can determine which part of the data is valuable in making recommendations and pass only that data. For example, in one embodiment, it is not useful to know how much time a user has spent looking at a particular section of the environment in making recommendations, only that the user has seen that section. It may be useful to know. In such cases, the behavioral data removal and aggregation component passes information about the sections the user has seen from that data, but does not pass information about how much the user has spent looking at each section.

  The behavioral data removal and aggregation component then sends the cleaned data to the data analysis and inference engine 214. The engine captures this information along with information from the user database 208, the item database 210, and the game database and assigns a relative weight to each item in the item database. This relative weight represents the likelihood that the first user is interested in the item. The user database 208 can include a collection of users, noting which has a relationship with the first user, the nature of such a relationship, and the priorities for each user's items. The item database 210 is provided by a recommendation server such as games, videos, songs, friend users, and supplemental content for the game, as well as information describing each item, such as title, descriptive text, and preview. A collection of items to be processed. The game database can include a list of games that can be played in an online multiplayer gaming environment and games that can be downloaded to an access device and played independently of the environment.

  Data analysis and reference engine 214 then sends the weighted results to recommendation component 216. The recommendation component captures this information along with the user database 208, the item database 210, and the game database 212, and uses this information to recommend items back to the first user through the first user access device 202. Can be determined. In one embodiment, the recommendation component can return to the first user the items that the first user is most likely to want. In another embodiment, the recommendation component can return a plurality of items to the first user, including items that may be of interest to the user. For example, a recommendation can include a link to purchase the item, descriptive text about the item, the title of the item, a preview of the item, a review of the item, and, where appropriate, the item itself.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of an operational flow for providing targeted recommendations to a user based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming network. One skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosed process is illustrative and that different implementations are possible.

  At 300, a process flow is disclosed. This process can be triggered in response to determining that the first user is using, for example, an online multiplayer gaming device.

  At 302, the activity of a first user in an online multiplayer gaming environment can be tracked. This activity may include logging into an online multiplayer gaming environment and selecting game aspects to play, such as game maps and / or levels to play. This activity may include selecting characteristics that change game play, such as music, game options, difficulty levels, and the like. This activity may include actions that interact with other users of the online multiplayer gaming environment. For example, this activity may include online chatting, collaborative game play, message posting, and the like.

  The aforementioned activities can indicate a relationship between the first user and the second user. For example, the first and second users can play each other in an online match. The first and second users can chat with each other. The first and second users can play together with other users. The first and second users can have similar game options and / or difficulty levels. The first and second users can be part of the same online grouping or team.

  In one embodiment, the aforementioned activities can include playing a game that the first and second users play together or against. This activity can include direct audio, video, and text communication between the first and second users. This activity can include interaction with each other's friends. This activity may include presenting common video, music, message boards, etc. to both the first user and the second user.

  Tracking can include storing data about the aforementioned activities in a database. Storing can include filtering data about the activity such that the data indicates an interaction between the first user and the second user.

  The interaction between the first user and the second user can also include an explicit interaction. For example, two users can add each other to their respective friends list, play games together or against, and stick to the same thread on the message board And / or have direct conversations with each other, such as through instant messaging, audio, and / or video chat. The interaction between the first user and the second user can also imply a relationship. For example, they share each other's friends, play the same game, watch the same video, log in from the same time, share default language preferences, or do something at the same level Can be rated.

   The interaction between the first user and the second user can occur in real time, such as during an audio or video chat session or while playing a game together, or the second user When the first user is sticking to the message board while not using the environment, the second user will respond to the message board later while the first user is not using the environment at the same time be able to.

  At 304, first data indicating a second user's preferences can be received, for example, at a recommendation engine. In one embodiment, the first data includes games played by the second user, videos viewed by the second user, content purchased by the second user, services used by the second user, and the preferred language of the second user. In addition, the second user's preferences are the second user's gaming activity within the gaming environment, the second user's e-commerce activity within the gaming environment, the second user's e-commerce activity outside the gaming environment, and the environment Preferences expressed by any of the second user's social activities in can also be included.

  The preference of the second user may be explicit. Such explicit preferences can include answering surveys, rating products, message board posts, videos, games, or users, or voting for or against anything on Paul. . The preference of the second user may be implicit. Such implicit preferences can include playing a particular game, often playing a particular game, watching content, and spending most of the time in a particular part of the environment.

  The second user's preferences can also come from the gaming system. Preferences derived from such gaming systems can include downloading a map for the game, playing a game against a particular player, and playing the game. The second user's preferences can also come from outside the gaming system. Preferences derived from outside such gaming systems can include searching for and purchasing products from e-commerce websites.

  At 306, recommendations based on the first data and activity can be determined. This recommendation can suggest a course of action for the first user. For example, recommendations can recommend friends to add to the friend list, games to play, matches to join, groups to join, and opponents to play the game.

  The online multiplayer gaming environment can also determine multiple recommendations suitable for the first user. The recommendation presented to the user can be selected as the most relevant of the determined recommendations.

  In one embodiment, determining a recommendation may include receiving data indicative of a first user's preference and using the first user's preference as a criterion for recommendation. The first user's preferences get better results, as if the first user showed a strong preference to not from getting a new game map for games owned by the first user. Can help.

  Further, in one embodiment, the recommendation is any of the characteristics of the social network of the first user, the behavior of the third user connected to the first user through the second user, the characteristics of the gaming environment of the first user, etc. It can also be determined by determining recommendations based on Additional data about the first user can help to get better results.

  The recommendation can be determined based on the communication capabilities of the access device associated with the first user. Access devices can include gaming consoles, cellular telephones, personal data assistants, general purpose computers, and portable digital music players. For example, when a first user uses a portable digital music player with the ability to play a simple game, recommend a song or simple game, i.e. something that can be used with a portable digital music player Is probably preferred.

  In one embodiment, the recommendation may include an action suggestion for the first user. This behavior may involve visiting a message board with content that may be of interest to the first user, or using the service at some point when a user with the same proficiency in the game frequently plays the game It can be.

  In one embodiment, in determining the recommendation, the characteristics of the first user's social network, the behavior of the third user connected to the first user through the second user, and the characteristics of the first user's gaming environment. Can be based on any of them.

  In one embodiment, determining the recommendation includes determining the recommendation based on characteristics of the second user's social network. The characteristics of the second user's social network are the amount of friends associated with the second user, feedback from other users about the second user, the behavior of the second user's friends, and the friend of the second user's friends Any of the actions can be included.

  In one embodiment, this operation also includes receiving a recommendation request from the first user. The first user can click on a link that indicates that the user wants to see which game map is recommended for that user, or likes the user when viewing such a map You can click on a link that displays a similar map that might be. In both of these instances, such actions include a request to receive a recommendation from the first user, which is sent to an online multiplayer gaming environment.

  The recommendation system may employ an information filtering algorithm to determine a recommendation based on the first data about activity and second user preferences. This information filtering algorithm can include collaborative filtering methods, formulating recommendations by adjusting multiple inputs from multiple sources. For example, the information filtering algorithm may be a slope-one algorithm.

  At 308, recommendations can be sent to the first user. This recommendation can include descriptive objects. This descriptive object can be selected to be compatible with the communication capabilities of the first user's access device. For example, descriptive objects may include descriptive text, price, title, length, recommended image, recommended preview, recommended quality level rating, recommended age aptitude rating, and the like.

  Recommendations can include additional content. For example, if a song is recommended, a short sample of that song can be included in the recommendation. In addition, recommendations include text describing the song, game information, artist information, song name, artist or album picture from which the song was drawn, song length, sample music video attached to the song, and other such It can also contain descriptive objects that contain such information.

  The descriptive object can be selected based on the compatibility of the first user's access device. For example, the first user's access device may include a gaming console, cellular telephone, personal data assistant, general purpose computer, and portable digital music player. For illustration, if the first user is using a portable digital music player with the ability to play audio files, the descriptive object may also contain information for audio. Similarly, if the first user's access device has limited communication bandwidth, the selected descriptive object may have a complementary small storage size. In one embodiment, the recommendation can be sent to the first user in response to a recommendation request from the first user. The first user may not wish to receive unsolicited recommendations, but may be welcomed when he or she initiates the process.

  In one embodiment, the recommendation can include a link to the product. For example, the link can be a hyperlink according to hypertext markup language (HTML), eExtensible markup language (XML), or the like. The link can facilitate the purchase of products and / or services according to recommendations.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example computer network that may include media reliability aspects. Computers 400a-400e can host various computational objects such as games or other applications. Although this physical environment shows the connected device as a computer, such a diagram is for illustrative purposes only, and various digital devices and processors such as PDAs, game consoles, cellular phones, etc. Can be provided. Further, the communication network 460 itself may comprise network devices such as a plurality of computers, servers, routers and the like.

  There are a variety of systems, components, and network configurations that support distributed computing environments. For example, computing systems can be connected to each other by wired or wireless systems, by local networks, or by widely distributed networks. Currently, many of these networks are coupled to the Internet, which provides a widely distributed computing infrastructure and can span many different networks. Aspects of the various embodiments may be usable for distributing computer-readable instructions, code fragments, applications, etc., to various distributed computing devices.

  An example of a known network configuration is the Microsoft Xbox® networking service. The Microsoft Xbox (R) console supports home network connectivity to a service called Xbox LIVE (R). Xbox Live (R) is an online network developed by Microsoft that allows Xbox (R) gaming systems to compete with or against other Xbox (R) users over the Internet or other networks. And make it possible to play. This service allows players to communicate verbally and maintain a scoreboard and the like. The connection accepts multiplayer internet contacts.

  The network infrastructure enables hosts in network topologies such as client / server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures. A client is a member of a class or group that uses another class or group of services unrelated to it. That is, in computation, a client can be a process (ie, a set of instructions or tasks) that requests a service provided by another program. The client process can use the requested service without having to know any working details about the other program or the service itself. In a client / server architecture, particularly in a networked system, a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer (ie, a server). The server can be a remote computer system accessible through a remote network, such as the Internet, for example. The client process can be active on the first computer system and the server process can be active on the second computer system, communicating through a communication medium, thus providing a distributed function, The client can use the information collection function of the server.

  The client and server can communicate with each other using the functionality provided by the protocol layer. For example, Hypertext-Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocol used with the World Wide Web (WWW). A computer network address or Internet Protocol (IP) address, such as a uniform resource locator (URL), can be used to identify server or client computers from each other. Communication between computers can be provided through a communication medium. That is, the client and server can be operatively coupled to each other via a high capacity TCP / IP connection.

  In general, a computer network can include both server and client devices deployed in a network environment (in a peer-to-peer environment, a device can be both a client and a server). Communication network 460 can be a LAN, WAN, intranet, or the Internet, or any combination of these that facilitates communication between multiple computers 400a-400e. Further, the communication network 460 can comprise a wireless connection, a wired connection, or a combination of wireless and wired connections. In addition, a computer network can have a distributed computing environment. In such an environment, computational tasks can be spread across multiple computers, which are addressable elements within a computer network.

  According to one embodiment, the communication network 460 can host a network service 450 accessible from a plurality of computers 400a-400e. The network service 450 can collect information and track the users of the computers 400a-400e to provide computing services to the users of the service 450.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example game console that can implement the techniques described above. Generally, processor 500 is a type of computer or system and is an example of a computer or system that can be used with such techniques. In the scenario of this example, the processor 500 constitutes a game console such as an XBOX (registered trademark) game console. Media content played or read by the game console 500 includes non-game content such as game content and movie content, music content, audio content, video content, video conferencing content, and / or Or may include, but is not limited to, digital video disc (DVD) content. Game content is also commonly known to, for example, vehicle data and media, characters, weapons, spells, levels, updated statistics, or game console users / players on the game console. Other such graphic displayable or game usable information provided for any particular game being played may be included. Media content can include any game content that can be arbitrarily combined with content other than games.

  The game console 500 has a central processing unit (CPU) 501. The CPU 501 includes a level 1 (L1) cache 502, a level 2 (L2) cache 504, and a flash ROM (read only memory) 506. Level 1 cache 502 and level 2 cache 504 improve processing speed and throughput by temporarily storing data and thus reducing the number of memory access cycles. The flash ROM 506 can store executable code. The executable code is loaded during the initial phase of the boot process when the game console 500 is first powered up. Alternatively, executable code that is loaded during the initial boot phase may be stored in a flash memory device (not shown). Further, the ROM 506 may be arranged separately from the CPU 501. The game console 500 can optionally be a multiprocessor system. For example, the game console 500 can have three processors 501, 503, and 505, where the processors 503 and 505 have similar or identical components as the processor 501.

  Graphics processing unit (GPU) 508 and video encoder / video codec (coder / decoder) 514 form a video processing pipeline for high speed and high resolution graphics processing. Data is communicated from the graphics processing unit 508 to the video encoder / video codec 514 over the bus. A video processing pipeline outputs data to an A / V (audio / video) port 540 for transmission to a television or other display device. A memory controller 510 is connected to the GPU 508 and the CPU 501 to facilitate processor access to various types of memory 512, such as but not limited to RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The processor 500 may be implemented on an I / O controller 520, a system management controller 522, an audio processing unit 523, a network interface controller 524, a first USB host controller 526, a second USB controller 528, and a module 518. Includes panel I / O subassembly 530. USB controllers 526 and 528 include peripheral controllers 542 (1) -542 (2), wireless adapter 548, and external memory unit 546 (eg, flash memory, external CD / DVD ROM drive, removable media, etc.) Act as a host. Network interface 524 and / or wireless adapter 548 provides access to a network (eg, the Internet, home network, etc.) and includes a wide variety of networks, including Ethernet cards, modems, Bluetooth modules, cable modems, etc. Any of the wired or wireless interface components can be used.

  System memory 543 is provided to store application data that is loaded during the boot process. A media drive 544 is provided and may include a DVD / CD drive, a hard drive, or other removable media drive. Media drive 544 may be internal or external to game console 500. If media drive 544 is a drive or reader for removable media (such as a removable optical disk or flash cartridge), media drive 544 is an example of an interface that can mount and read media. The media drive 544 can access application data 544 for execution by the game console 500, playback, and the like. Media drive 544 is connected to I / O controller 520 through a bus such as a serial ATA bus or other high speed connection (eg, IEEE 1394). Although the media drive 544 generally refers to various storage embodiments (eg, hard disk, removable optical disk drive, etc.), the game console 500 can specifically include a hard disk 552. The hard disk 552 can be used to store game data, application data, or other types of data.

  The system management controller 522 provides various service functions related to ensuring the availability of the game console 500. Audio processing unit 523 and audio codec 532 form a corresponding audio processing pipeline with high reliability, 3D, surround, and stereo audio processing according to the forms of the present disclosure described above. A communication link may carry audio data between the audio processing unit 523 and the audio codec 526. The audio processing pipeline outputs data to the A / V port 540 for playback by an external audio player or device with audio capabilities.

  The front panel I / O subassembly 530 supports the functions of the power button 550 and the eject button 552 and can also function as an optional LED (light emitting diode) or other indicator exposed on the outer surface of the game console 500. to support. System power module 536 provides power to components of game console 500. Fan 538 cools the circuitry inside game console 500.

  The CPU 501, GPU 508, memory controller 150, and various other components within the game console 500 are interconnected by one or more buses. These buses include serial and parallel buses, memory buses, peripheral buses, and processor or local buses using any of a variety of bus architectures.

  When the game console 500 is powered on or rebooted, application data can be loaded from the system memory 543 into the memory 512 and / or the caches 502, 504 and executed on the CPU 501. The application can present a graphical user interface that provides a consistent user experience when navigating to the different media types available in the game console 500. In operation, applications and / or other media contained within the media drive 544 may be launched or played from the media drive to provide additional functionality to the game console 500. it can.

  The game console 500 can be operated as a stand-alone system simply by connecting the stand-alone system to a television or other display. In this single mode, the game console 500 can allow one or more users to interact with the system, watch movies, listen to music, and the like. However, with the integration of broadband connections available through the network interface 524 or the wireless adapter 548, the game console 500 can also operate as a participant in a larger network community.

  Computer systems are broadly divided into three component groups: hardware components, hardware / software interface system components, and application program components (also referred to as “user components” or “software components”). Can be divided). In various embodiments of the computer system, the hardware components include a central processing unit (CPU) 521, memory (both ROM 564 and RAM 525), basic input / output system (BIOS) 566, and, among others, a keyboard 540, mouse Various input / output (I / O) devices may be provided, such as 562, monitor 547, and / or printer (not shown). Hardware components constitute the basic physical infrastructure of a computer system.

  FIG. 6 shows an example system for implementing the form of the presently disclosed subject matter, including a general purpose computer in the form of a computer 641. The components of computer 641 include various system units including processing unit 659, system memory 622, graphics processing unit 629 (and graphics interface 631), video memory 630 (and video interface 632), and system memory 622. A system bus 621 that couples components to the processing unit 659 can be included, but is not limited to such. The system bus 621 may be any of several types of bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example and not limitation, such architectures include industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, micro channel architecture (MCA) bus, modified ISA (EISA) bus, video electronic standards alliance (VESA) local Includes buses and peripheral component interconnect (PCI) buses (also known as mezzanine buses).

  Computer 641 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 641 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. A computer storage medium is implemented in any manner or technique for the storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data, both volatile and non-volatile, removable, And non-removable media. Computer storage media include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital video Disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other that can be used to store desired information and is accessible by computer 641 Although any medium is included, it is not limited to these.

  Communication media typically embodies 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 includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means 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 includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Any combination of the foregoing is naturally included in the scope of computer-readable media.

  The system memory 622 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and / or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 623 and random access memory (RAM) 660. The basic input / output system 624 (BIOS) includes basic routines that assist in data transfer between elements in the computer 641, such as during startup, and is typically stored in the ROM 623. The RAM 660 typically contains data and / or program modules that are immediately accessible to the processing unit 659, or data and / or program modules that are currently being processed thereby. By way of example and not limitation, FIG. 6 shows an operating system 625, application programs 626, other program modules 627, and program data 628.

  The computer 641 may also include other removable / non-removable volatile / nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 6 illustrates reading from and writing to a hard disk drive 638 that reads from and writes to non-removable non-volatile magnetic media, and removable non-volatile magnetic disk 654. Shown is a magnetic disk drive 639 and an optical disk drive 640 that reads from and writes to a removable non-volatile optical disk 653 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable / non-removable, volatile / nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in an example operating environment include magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tapes, solids -State RAM, solid state ROM, etc. are included, but are not limited to these. Hard disk drive 638 is typically connected to system bus 621 via a non-removable memory interface, such as interface 634, and magnetic disk driver 639 and optical disk drive 640 are typically as interface 635. The system bus 621 is connected by a removable memory interface.

  The drives discussed above and shown in FIG. 6 and associated computer storage media store computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data of the computer 641. In FIG. 6, for example, hard disk drive 638 is shown to store operating system 658, application programs 657, other program modules 656, and program data 655. It should be noted that these components can be the same or different from operating system 625, application program 626, other program modules 627, and program data 628. Operating system 658, application program 657, other program modules 656, and program data 655 are now given different numbers, at least to indicate that they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 641 through a keyboard 651 and pointing device 652, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) can include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, and the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 659 via a user input interface 636. The user input interface 636 is coupled to the system bus, but can also be connected by other interfaces and bus structures such as a parallel port, a game port, or a universal serial bus (USB). . A monitor 642 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 621 via an interface, such as a video interface 632. In addition to this monitor, the computer can also include other peripheral output devices, such as speakers 644 and printer 643, which can be connected through an output peripheral interface 633.

  Computer 641 can also operate in a network environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer 646. Remote computer 646 can be a personal computer, server, router, network PC, peer device, or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements previously described with respect to computer 641. However, FIG. 6 shows only the memory storage device 647. The logical connections shown in FIG. 6 include a local area network (LAN) 645 and a wide area network (WAN) 649, but can also include other networks. Such network environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.

  When used in a LAN network environment, the computer 641 connects to the LAN 645 via a network interface or adapter 637. When used in a WAN network environment, the computer 641 typically includes a modem 650 or other means of establishing communications over a WAN 649 such as the Internet. The modem 650 can be internal or external and can be connected to the system bus 621 via a user input interface 636 or other appropriate mechanism. In a network environment, the program modules illustrated with respect to computer 641 or portions thereof may be stored in a remote memory storage device. By way of example and not limitation, FIG. 6 shows a remote application program 648 as residing on memory element 647. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.

  It will be appreciated that the various techniques described herein may be implemented with hardware or software and, where appropriate, with a combination of both. That is, the presently disclosed subject method and apparatus, or some form or part thereof, is tangible such as a floppy disk, CD-ROM, hard drive, or any other machine-readable storage medium. It can take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied on a medium, and when loaded and executed on a machine such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for implementing the subject matter. . In the case of program code execution in a programmable computer, the computer typically includes a processor, a storage medium (including volatile and nonvolatile memory and / or storage elements) readable by the processor, at least one input device, and at least One output device can be included. One or more programs may implement or utilize the processes described in connection with the presently disclosed subject matter, for example, through the use of APIs, reusable controls, and the like. Such a program is preferably implemented in a higher procedural language or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program (s) can also be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiler language or an interpreter language and can be combined with a hardware implementation.

  FIG. 7 illustrates an example system that provides users with targeted recommendations based on the use of a social online multiplayer gaming environment 700. In one embodiment, the first user accesses this environment through the first user's access device 702. The device may constitute an e-commerce or advertising client capable of playing games, a dedicated gaming device, or music or other device interface capable of playing games. Data transmitted during this interaction between the first user and the environment is captured and stored by the behavioral data collection component 704 of the environment. The data is then sent to the behavioral data removal and aggregation component 706 to eliminate information that is not necessary for the process of determining recommendations, and to remove it from the correct database (user database 708, item database 710, and game (Data base) and aggregate this to the level required for more appropriate processing.

  The data analysis and reasoning engine 714 then provides information about the items contained in the item database 710 and information aggregated from the first user's actions, as well as the first user, his or her friend, and his Or capture existing information about her social network. This data analysis and reasoning engine 714 assumes that his or her past behavior and his or her friend's behavior in his social network, from among all relevant items in the item database 710. Determine the best recommendation for the first user. For example, if all of the first user's friends have purchased an additional map for a game, but the first user has not yet purchased, the possibility that the first user will purchase the map is his or her The network is far more likely than he or she to purchase items that no one is interested in.

  The recommendation component 716 captures the calculated relevance for each recommended item from the data analysis and inference engine 714, and the data and relevance from the user database 708, the item database 710, and the game database 712. To determine a recommendation to send to the first user. In one embodiment, this recommendation is the recommendation that has been determined to be most helpful to the user. Along with this recommendation, metadata about the recommendation can be sent. For example, if the recommendation is a song, an image of the artist or album associated with this song, and the song name, artist name, album name, song length, text covering similar artists, and song description Can also be sent with a link to purchase the item. This recommendation is then returned to the first user.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of a processor 700 that implements the systems and methods disclosed herein. The processor 700 may include a processing unit 702, a memory unit 704, and an input / output unit 706. By coupling the processing unit 702, the memory unit 704, and the input / output unit 706 together (coupling is not shown in FIG. 7), communication between them becomes possible. As described above, the input / output unit 706 can provide and / or receive content through a network.

  The processor 700 can be implemented as a client processor and / or a server processor. In a basic configuration, the processor 700 may include at least one processing unit 702 and a memory unit 704. The memory unit 704 can store arbitrary information used in association with media reliability. Depending on the exact configuration and type of processor, the memory portion 704 can be volatile (such as RAM) 708, non-volatile (ROM, flash memory, etc.) 710, or a combination thereof. The processor 700 can include both removable storage 712 and non-removable storage 714, including but not limited to a magnetic or optical disk, tape, flash, smart card, and the like. Computer storage media such as memory portions 704, 708, 710, 712, and 714 may be any of the methods or techniques for storing information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Including volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in Computer storage media can be RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or This includes, but is not limited to, other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and that processor 700 can access. Any such computer storage media may be part of processor 700.

  The processor 700 may also incorporate communication connection (s) 720 that allow the processor 700 to communicate with other devices. Communication connection (s) 720 is an example of a communication medium. Communication media typically embodies 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 includes any information delivery media. A modulated data signal may constitute 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 includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein may include both storage media and communication media. The processor 700 may also include input device (s) 718 such as a keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, contact input device, and the like. Output device (s) such as displays, speakers, printers, etc. can also be included.

Claims (15)

A method of targeting recommendations to a first user in an online multiplayer gaming environment,
Tracking the activity of the first user (110) in an online multiplayer gaming environment (100), wherein the activity (118) is a relationship between the first user and a second user (114). Showing steps, and
Receiving first data indicating preferences of the second user (120);
Determining a recommendation based on the first data and the activity;
Sending the recommendation to the first user (122);
A method characterized by.   The method of claim 1, wherein determining a recommendation based on the first data and the activity comprises determining the recommendation as being most relevant among a plurality of recommendations.   The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the activity comprises storing data about the activity in a database (208).   4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of filtering data about the activity such that the data indicates an interaction between the first user and the second user.   The method of claim 1, wherein the first data is a game played by the second user, a video viewed by the second user, content purchased by the second user, a service used by the second user, and the A method comprising any of the preferred languages of the second user.   The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation includes a descriptive object selected to be compatible with an access device communication capability for the first user's online multiplayer gaming environment.   The method of claim 6, wherein the access device (202) comprises any of a gaming console, a cellular telephone, a personal data assistant, a general purpose computer, and a portable digital music player.   The method of claim 1, wherein a recommendation suggests an action to the first user.   The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendations include at least any of friends to add to a friend list, games to play, games to join, groups to join, and opponents to play in the game.   The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for recommendation.   The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving second data indicative of the preference of the first user and determining the recommendation based on the second data.   2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data includes the second user's gaming activity within the gaming environment, the second user's e-commerce activity within the gaming environment, and the second data outside the gaming environment. A method comprising any of user e-commerce activities and social activities of the second user in the environment.   2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the recommendation comprises characteristics of the first user's social network, behavior of a third user connected to the first user through the second user, and the first user. Determining the recommendation based on any of the characteristics of a single user's gaming environment.   The method of claim 1, wherein determining the recommendation comprises determining the recommendation based on a social network characteristic of the second user. A system for targeting recommendations to a first user in an online multiplayer gaming environment,
A memory (512) for storing first data indicating the activity of the first user (110) in the online multiplayer gaming environment (110) and second data indicating the preference of the first user (120) A memory (512) wherein the activity indicates a relationship between the first user (110) and a second user (114);
A processor (501) that determines a recommendation (122) based on the first data and the second data, and sends the recommendation to the first user (110), wherein the first data is the first user (110). ) And the second user (114), the processor filters the first data, and the recommendation (122) suggests an action to the first user. (501),
Including the system.

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