WO2016148753A1

WO2016148753A1 - Interactive event system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2016148753A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/065304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott Parker; Kevin TRANSUE
Original assignee: Ir4C Inc.
Priority date: 2015-03-13
Filing date: 2015-12-11
Publication date: 2016-09-22

Abstract

An interactive event system comprises a server side system comprising a server, a communications device for receiving participant data from each of the electronic devices of the plurality of participants, a storage device coupled with the server and the communications device, electronically, for storing the participant date, and a processing device for determining a change in the participant data. An interactive, virtual environment-system is hosted on the server of the server side system, the server applying the change in the participant data within the interactive, virtual environment system, such that an interactive, virtual environment, when experienced by the one of the plurality of participants, for which the participant data applies, is modified according to the participant data received from the one of the plurality of participants via the communications device. A geospatial system provides location specific imagery to the interactive, virtual environment system, and a mapping tool comprises a mapping engine and course generator, wherein the mapping engine accesses a geospatial database and the course generator generates a course within the interactive, virtual environment comprised of a series of line segments and waypoints from the data provided, by the geospatial database that chart a course through the interactive, virtual environment, wherein the interactive, virtual environment system provides the participant location specific imagery based on a distance determined by the processing device from the participant data.

Description

INTERACTIVE EVENT SYSTEM AND METHOD CROSS RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Appl. No. 62/132.995 filed March 13. 2015 the entirety of the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The field relates to online virtual environments.

BACKGROUND

[0003] A virtual race may comprise of a distance, a course and. optionally, a time frame within which the participants must complete the course. The course can be of varying length. The course length can be sized to be completed by a participant within a short time frame during the same day or an extended time by which the participant can add distance completed over several days. With the advent of virtual races and events, organizers create registration portals, accept payment and ship a give-away to a participant. There is no actual user experience or verification process involved to determine the actual participation or participation levels.

[0004] Known virtual race solutions had no way to automate verification of participants' workouts or efforts. These known systems did not reward personal accomplishments with any interactive feedback (progress updates, badges, maps, and the like). Instead, these crude virtual race systems were inexact and relied solely on user submitted data, which is often flawed, provide a poor user experience void of any feedback, interim recognition or sense of community, and are non-interactive.

[0005] Virtual environments are known in online games that provide for a high degree of interactivity, but input devices for such virtual environments are limited to keyboard, mouse, stationary cameras and pointing devices and have nothing to do with geospatial data related to a participant in the game. Indeed, participants are stationary in most cases. Even in games that track user movements, such as by a camera or the like, the user is required to remain in front of the camera, which is stationary, and the games do not use geospatial data and mapping to provide an interactive event. Furthermore, such games arc not capable of accepting data from exercise equipment or other devices for geospatially mapping the location of a participant within the gaming environment.

SUMMARY

[0006] An interactive event system comprises a server (at least one) hosting an interactive, virtual environment and communicating with client devices, such as phones, computers, tablets and wearable devices. Wearable devices include devices that track physical activity and location of a wearer and other devices, such as virtual reality headsets and other wearable devices that provide the user with a virtual experience, such as visual, audio, tactile or any stimulus of any of the physical senses. In one example, these wearable devices arc paired with the interactive event system, and information from these wearable devices is used by the interactive event system to control the experience of a participant in an interactive event. For example, a plurality of participants may particpatc in an interactive, virtual running or walking event, while each of the plurality of participants are actually physically located at a location other than the event. The event may be an actual location, such as the New York City Marathon, or the event may be entirely imaginary, such as the land of Oz (from the Wizard of Oz). for example.

[0007] In one example, a participant may be exercising on a stationary exercise machine, and the participant may be experiencing an interactive event, such as a trek through a virtual reality environment on a virtual reality headset or any other device, such as a computer screen, tablet, phone (including cellular phone devices) or projection. In one example, the participant experiences a first person view of the event. In an alternative example, the participant may experience a third person view of an event wherein the participant, alone or together with other participants, views himself or herself and others participating in the event from the perspective of a third person. For example, whichever view is chosen, the person may be represented within the environment by an actual image of the person or by an avatar or other artificial image selected or created by the participant. For example, a participant may be Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz and may relive the experiences of Dorothy in a virtual environment similar to the environment presented in a motion picture. Thus, the interactive event system creates an environment, cither a real location, such as the New York City Marathon, or an imaginary environment, such as the land of Oz, and allows the participant to experience the environment based on data received from the participant.

[0008] In one example, the interactive event system captures data from a participant about the distance that a participant has run or walked and uses the data to display to the participant a view in the interactive event system, such as a location in an actual marathon corresponding to the participants progress or a location in an imaginary environment, such as along the route of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Of course, the interactive event system can accept any number of input devices for tracking progress of a participant and can provide an unlimited number of virtual environments, real and imaginary, for the participant to experience.

[0009] In one example, a participant may choose to participate with friends in an interactive event, and the progress of the participant and his or her friends may be determined by the input of data from any one or more of the participants. In one example, the location of each participant may be determined by data input from that particular participant. In another example, the team may progress together through the interactive event, based on an average of the data accumulated from the participants on the team or the best data accumulated from any of the participants.

[0010] In one example, each of the plurality of participants uses an electronic device for interacting with an interactive event system. The interactive event system comprises: a server side system comprising a server, a communications device for receiving participant data from each of the electronic devices of the plurality of participants, a storage device coupled with the server and the communications device, electronically, for storing the participant data, and a processing device for determining a change in the participant data; an interactive, virtual environment system hosted on the server of the server side system, the server applying the change in the participant data within the interactive, virtual environment system, such that an interactive, virtual environment, when experienced by the one of the plurality of participants for which the participant data applies, is modified according to the participant data received from the one of the plurality of participants via the communications device; a geospatial system, the geospatial system providing location specific imagery to the interactive, virtual environment system; a mapping tool, wherein the mapping tool comprises a mapping engine and course generator, w herein the mapping engine accesses a geospatial database and the course generator generates a course within the interactive, virtual environment comprised of a series of line segments and waypoints from the data provided by the geospatial database that chart a course through the interactive, virtual environment wherein the interactive, virtual environment system, when accessed by the one of the plurality of participants by a client device, provides the location .specific imager)' to the client device of the one of the plurality of participants based on a distance along the line segments and waypoints from a distance determined by the processing device for determining a change in the participant data received by the communications device.

[0011] In one example, an interactive event system for a plurality of participants provides for each of the plurality of participants to use a personal electronic device for interacting with the interactive event system. For example, the system comprises: a computing device comprising a processor, a communications device for receiving participant data from each of the electronic devices of the plurality of participants, a storage device, coupled with the processor and the communications device, electronically, for storing the participant data, wherein the processor is configured to process the participant data, determining a change in the participant data; an interactive, virtual environment system hosted on the computing device, the computing device applying the change in the participant data within the interactive, virtual environment system, such that an interactive, virtual environment, when experienced by the one of the plurality of participants for which the participant data applies, is modified according to the participant data received from the one of the plurality of participants via the communications device; a geospatial system, the geospatial system providing location specific imagery to the interactive, virtual environment system; a mapping tool, wherein the mapping tool utilizes a mapping engine and course generator, wherein the mapping tool and course generator generates a course within the interactive, virtual environment comprised of a scries of line segments and waypoints from the data provided by a geospatial database such that the mapping tool charts a course through the interactive, virtual environment, wherein the interactive, virtual environment system, when accessed by the one of the plurality of participants, provides location specific imagery from the geospatial system to the one of the plurality of participants based on the change in the participant data and a distance determined from the change in the participant data along the line segments and waypoints. [0012] The computer device may comprise at least one server, and the at least one server may be coupled to a network and may communicate with a plurality of client devices, wherein the at least one server hosts the interactive, virtual environment system accessible by the plurality of client devices. The interactive, virtual environment system may comprise a map, generated by the mapping tool and having the course defined on the map with an indicator indicating the location of at least one of the plurality of participants, for example. In one example, the interactive, virtual environment system further comprises a rendering engine, whereby the location specific imagery is rendered for a particular client device. For example, the rendering engine overlays a visual element upon the location specific imagery. The visual element may be an advertisement or a product placement. For example, the visual element is a billboard containing the advertisement. The visual element may be a sponsor promotion, such as a table runner on a refreshment table or a placard or the like, within a virtual reality environment or ovcrlayed on an image of an actual physical location along the course. The product placement may be rendered in virtual reality video. The advertisement may be rendered on pavement over which the participant is running in a first person view of the pavement, for example. The interactive, virtual environment may be an actual physical location or an imaginary environment. An actual physical location may be rendered by the gcospatial system, such as a street view database storing images recorded by street view cameras and accessible using a formatted URL including actual latitude and longitude data generated by the mapping tool, for example.

[0013] In one example, the virtual environment comprises an imaginary environment and the gcospatial system is a geospatial imagery database corresponding to the imaginary environment and accessible using a formatted URL including imaginary latitude and longitude generated by the mapping tool. The imaginary latitude and longitude may be provided by the mapping tool, which accesses a particular virtual reality environment corresponding to the imaginary latitude and longitude, for example. The latitude and longitude may provide a position, and a virtual reality display device may provide a direction of view from the position within the virtual reality environment, such that the view within the virtual reality environment displays a particular view based on the direction of view from the position corresponding to the latitude and longitude within the particular virtual reality environment. As the direction of the virtual reality display device changes, the direction of view provided changes, correspondingly, for example, and the view within the virtual reality environment displays another view based on the changes in the direction of view. A plurality of the plurality of participants may share the same virtual reality environment, and an image or avatar of each of the plurality of the plurality of participants may be rendered within the virtual reality environment, for example. Each of the plurality of the plurality of particpants sharing the same virtual reality environment may be capable of communicating with the others.

[0014] In one example, the system further comprises a registration and fundraising engine, wherein the registration and fundraising engine comprises a registration utility for registering the participant for a charitable event and a utility for the participant, third parties or both the participant and third parties to pledge donations or donate to the a charity via the charitable event. In one example, the system further comprises an incentive engine, wherein the incentive engine provides incentives based on the distance determined from the change in the participant data along the line segments and waypoints.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The following drawings arc illustrative examples and do not further limit any claims that may eventually issue.

[0016] Figure I illustrates an example of an interactive event system.

[0017] Figure 2 illustrates another example of an interactive event system.

[0018] Figure 3 illustrates a detailed view of an interactive mapping tool.

[0019] Figure 4 illustrates a screen shot of an example for a fundraising engine 7.

[0020] Figure 5 illustrates a screen shot of 26.2 mile course charted through Honolulu, Hawaii for a virtual race event benefiting Marrowthon For A Cure.

[0021] Figure 6 illustrates a screen shot of a workout history based on a distance calculated by a processor of the interactive event system based on data provided by a participant's device.

[0022] Figure 7 illustrates a screen shot of imagery from a virtual environment.

[0023] When the same reference characters are used, these labels refer to similar parts in the examples illustrated in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Images of a real world course, at given geographic coordinates along the route, may be provided by a race coordinator or may be provided by accessing a database of geospatial images, such as street views. Images may be provided and added to a database for off-road, water-based or trail races where existing images are unavailable. Images can be displayed to a participant for each point of distance submission or at fixed interval along a charted route. In this way, a participant may be provided a virtual experience similar to traveling along an actual physical route, without the need of physically traveling to that location.

[0025] Race interval messages also provide a unique marketing opportunity. As a participant passes certain distance points, a marketer can insert images, advertisements, links to sites, coupons and media messages into the collection of physical views. The interval message is set to display when a participant matches or exceeds a cumulative distance associated with the image. Examples include, an image of a specific billboard at a mile marker along a road which is on the course. Another example would be a static image that appears in the collection of physical world images. Additionally, the marketer can push a message to a participant once the distance is achieved.

[0026] Figure I shows one example of an interactive event system 10. The interactive event system comprises a server 4 hosting an interactive, virtual environment 5 and a communications device communicating with client devices 2,3. such as phones, computers, tablets and wearable devices. The environment 5 is distributed to participant devices 2. such as displays, handheld devices and virtual reality devices to provide participants with a virtual experience. In one example, wearable devices 3 are paired with the interactive event system's server 4 by the communications device, and information from these wearable devices is used by the interactive event system server 4 to control the experience of a participant in an interactive event via the participant's preferred device 6. For example, a plurality of participants 1 may particpate in an interactive, virtual running or walking event, while each of the plurality of participants are actually physically located 3 at a location other than the event. The event may be an actual location, such as the New York City Marathon, or the event may be entirely imaginary, such as the land of Oz (from the Wizard of Oz). for example. In one example, a registration and fundraising engine 7 is coupled, electronically, with the interactive event system. The registration and fundraising engine 7 may be integrated within the server 4 or may be separately hosted. Λ participant may register with the registration and fundraising engine 7 to participate in a fundraising event with like-minded participants. For example, the fundraising engine 7 may keep track of distances and may calculate an amount to be paid to a charity based on the distance and a sponsors pledged rate, for example. The registration and fundraising engine 7 may automatically debit a sponsors account at certain milestones, for example. In this way, a charitable organization can raise funds based on pledges by sponsors based on the progress of participants in an event, such as a race, run. walk or the like. Λ sponsor may be able to access the event and may be able to experience the virtual environment. For example, the participant and his or her sponsors may be able to experience a virtual environment of an event, together. A participant experience 6 provided by the server 4 may be delivered to a participant's device 2 based on a distance calculated by the server 4 from data received from a participant's device 3, such as an exercise device or wearable device that logs the participant's location, speed and distance traveled during exercise, for example. A geospatial system and geospatial view databases may be hosted elsewhere 5, and may be coupled electronically, or may be integrated within the server 4, for example.

[0027] Figure 2 illustrates a server side system 100 comprising a server 4, a communications device 1 1 for receiving participant data from each of the electronic devices 3 of a plurality of participants 1, a storage device 12 coupled with the server and the communications device, electronically, for storing the participant data, and a processing device 13 for determining a change in the participant data. An interactive, virtual environment system 6 is hosted on the server 4 of the server side system 100, the server applying the change in the participant data within the interactive, virtual environment system 6, such that an interactive, virtual

environment, when experienced by the one of the plurality of participants for which the participant data applies, is modified according to the participant data received from the one of the plurality of participants' devices 3 via the communications device 1 1. A geospatial system 5 provides location specific imagery to the interactive, virtual environment system 6 via the server side system 100. for example. A mapping tool 9 comprises a mapping engine 19 and course generator 20, wherein the mapping engine 9 accesses a geospatial database 18. and the course generator 20 generates a course within the interactive, virtual environment 6 comprised of a series of line segments 90 and waypoints 91. as illustrated in Figure 3, from the data provided by the geospatial database 18 that charts a course through the interactive, virtual environment 6, wherein the interactive, virtual environment system 6. when accessed by the one of the plurality of participants I, provides location specific imagery to the one of the plurality of participants 1 based on a distance along the line segments 90 and waypoints 91 from a distance determined by the processing device 13 for determining a change in the participant data received from participant device 3 by the communications device 11, for example.

[0028] Figure 4 illustrates a detailed view relating to a registration and fundraising engine 7. The registration page may provide a link to a registration form 47 or a button or registration form for completion. A description 43 may be provided for the purpose of the event and the charitable beneficiary of money raised, as a result of the event. Λ number of miles logged 42 and number of registered participants 41 may be provided from data stored in a registration and fundraising database, for example. The total amount collected 44 may be displayed, for example. In addition, the engine 7 may provide for social sub groups 46 to participate and to be recognized by the registration and fundraising engine 7.

[0029] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a screen shot for a virtual race using geospatial data from an actual location. Honolulu, Hawaii. An example of a map 52 having a course charted by line segments 90 and waypoints 91 is shown, for example, for a marathon through Honolulu on the island ot^'Oahu. Figure 6 illustrates processed data displayed on a screen shot, for example. In this example, the data was entered manually, merely as an example, and shows the miles remaining 61 tor the event, the date 62 of the activity recorded, the distance reported 63, the pace calculated 64 by the system, the calories calculated 65 by the system, and the duration of the activity 66 reported. The system encourages social media interaction, such as posting comments to a forum 67 or other social media engines, which may be linked to the system. For example, the system can generate automatic updates of activity 68 for social media (internal and external, linked social media platforms.

[0030] Figure 7 illustrates interactive "badges" such as a still first person image 70 or video 71. The system provides opportunities for displaying ads 72 or product placement 74 of sponsors of the events, along the interactive course. The images 70 may be obtained by accessing a geospatial database of images, such as google (trademark of Alphabet, inc.) streetviews.

Likewise, video images 71 may be filmed along a course or generated in an animated virtual environment, providing a realistic virtual environment at milestones along a course. As a participant progresses through the course, various awards and updates to the virtual environment may become available, as well as other incentives, such as discounts, prizes, bonuses and recognition.

[0031] On the participant side of the system, a computer may have a program, user interface or application that connects to the server side system. A participant device, such as a cellphone, may provide a user interface or app for an interactive participant experience, as well as being the device that logs participant activity, tracking a participant's location during a related activity, such as a walk or run. for example. Alternatively, the user may couple a fitness device to a cellular device to communicate user activity with the server side communications device 1 1. A software program may be operated that connects fitness devices 3', as illustrated in Figure 2, with a cellular telephone 3. for communication with a communication device 1 1 coupled

electronically with a server 4, for example. By allowing a user to access a computer or mobile device to pair a device with the system, the system may verify participation, automatically engage with other users to provide recognition, deliver badges and other incentives, chart progress on a map and/or update an interactive, virtual environment on a display or a 3-D virtual environment, such as a headset or helmet worn by a participant. By logging participation in the activity, the participant may interact with the virtual environment. Additional interaction may be provided by communicating with fellow participants who arc participating in the same event, for example. For example, text messages, audio feeds and video-audio connections may be provided by the system. In one example, a participant may be able to sec and/or speak to other participants within the virtual environment while participating in an activity, such as running, walking or exercising on a stationary exercise device.

100321 In one example, a participant interface allow the participant to select a fitness device or application that is used for providing data to the server side system. In another example, the system automatically detects and pairs a compatible device or app to the server side system. Data is sent to the server side system, and the server side system stores the data, processes the data and updates the virtual environment. The system pairs particpants' devices to the system, processes data received and verifies the data, such as with mapping applications, API's and goal setting rules, to provide each participant with interactive updates to a virtual course, charted in an interactive, virtual environment. For example, the system may provide a group activity feed, which may include combining the results of a plurality of participants, such as by adding distances traveled, averaging rates of travel or taking the best rate of travel and applying it to all of the members in a team or some combination of these. In one example, a leader board encourages participants and provides leaders with recognition of their achievements.

[0033] In one example, the system includes the ability to create sub-groups/teams, provides accomplishment-specific media opportunities (rewards marketing), host relays wherein a team's individual participant efforts are combined to achieve a common goal, registration and/or peer- to-peer fundraising. In one method, a system comprises the following steps. Λ participant interacts with a web-enabled computer to join an interactive, virtual event. The participant may connect to the system via a program, an app or fitness device. Data is communicated to the system and is forwarded to a server-side application for processing, and the server-side application creates and transmits mapping information, goal setting data and/or scoring criteria back to the server-side application, which parses the data received and creates an interactive participant experience, such as leader boards, virtual routes, activity feeds, progress updates, subgroup progress, imagery and the like. The participant experiences the participant experience via a participant-side devices, such as a virtual reality system, computer, tablet, cellular phone or other output device, incentivizing participant to continue achieving milestones within the interactive, virtual environment.

[0034] In one example, the system is capable of receiving data from a plurality of devices, pairing the plurality of devices to registered participants, processing the data and updating each individual participant's experience. Applications for this system include corporate wellness programs, fundraising for charitable organizations, fitness coaching, motivational counseling, obesity prevention programs and the like.

[0035] In one method, a mapping and routing system comprises the steps of selecting a route distance, using a mapping tool, such as Microsoft Bing mapping tools to select a beginning and an end point, adding waypoints, if desired, and storing the waypoints in a geography data type. Λ total distance is calculated as a participant competes or participates in an eligible activity. The system determines, based on distance, a position of the participant along the route charted by the mapping tools, using geospatial routing and the geography data. For example, a latitude and longitude may be provided by the system tor a participants position, based on data received from the participant's device, such as an exercise device. Λη Internet URL may be constructed from the latitude and longitude, by the system, which may be transmitted by the Internet to retrieve a strcctview image or images from a database of streetview images, such as google (a trademark Alphabet, inc.) streeviews.

[0036] This detailed description provides examples including features and elements of the claims for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventions recited in the claims. However, these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, directly. Instead, the examples provide features and elements of the claims that, having been disclosed in these descriptions, claims and drawings, may be altered and combined in ways that are known in the art.

[0037] Example I: Coding Example

For example, the following copyrighted code (all rights reserved) is provided as an example. For example. Bing's map waypoint extraction, a geography datatype, may be used for geospatial positioning along a route, as follows:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[ChallengeGeographyl(

The milestone triggers an update to the virtual environment, which displays a streetvicw image from an imagery database, such as google (a trademark of Alphabet, inc.) streetvicw. In addition, a challenge badge may be earned by the participant, for example.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An interactive event system for a plurality of participants, each of the plurality of participants using an electronic device for interacting with the interactive event system, the system comprises:

a computing device comprising a processor, a communications device for receiving participant data from each of the electronic devices of the plurality of participants, a storage device, coupled with the processor and the communications device, electronically, for storing the participant data, wherein the processor is configured to process the participant data, determining a change in the participant data;

an interactive, virtual environment system hosted on the computing device, the computing device applying the change in the participant data within the interactive, virtual environment system, such that an interactive, virtual environment when experienced by the one of the plurality of participants for which the participant data applies, is modified according to the participant data received from the one of the plurality of participants via the communications device;

a geospatial system, the geospatial system providing location specific imagery* to the interactive, virtual environment system:

a mapping tool, wherein the mapping tool utilizes a mapping engine and course generator, wherein the mapping tool and course generator generates a course within the interactive, virtual environment comprised of a series of line segments and waypoints from the data provided by a geospatial database such that the mapping tool charts a course through the interactive, virtual environment, wherein the interactive, virtual environment system, when accessed by the one of the plurality of participants, provides location specific imagery from the geospatial system to the one of the plurality of participants based on the change in the participant data and a distance determined from the change in the participant data along the line segments and waypoints.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer device comprises at least one server, and the at least one server is coupled to a network and communicates with a plurality of client devices. wherein the at least one server hosts the interactive, virtual environment system accessible by the plurality of client devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the interactive, virtual environment system comprises a map. generated by the mapping tool and having the course defined on the map with an indicator indicating the location of at least one of the plurality of participants.

4. The system of claim 3. wherein the interactive, virtual environment system further comprises a rendering engine, whereby the location specific imagery is rendered for a particular client device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the rendering engine overlays a visual clement upon the location specific imagery.

6. The system of claim 5. wherein the visual clement is an advertisement or a product placement.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the visual element is a billboard containing the advertisement.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the visual clement is a sponsor promotion.

9. The system of claim 6. wherein the product placement is rendered in virtual reality video.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement is rendered on pavement over which the participant is running in a first person view of the pavement.

11. The system of claim 1. wherein the interactive, virtual environment is an actual physical location or is an imaginary environment.

12. The system of claim 1 1. wherein the virtual environment comprises an actual physical location and the geospatial system is a street view database storing images recorded by street view cameras and accessible using a formatted URL including actual latitude and longitude data generated by the mapping tool.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual environment comprises an imaginary

environment and the geospatial system is a geospatial imagery database corresponding to the imaginary environment and accessible using a formatted URL including imaginary latitude and longitude generated by the mapping tool.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein (he imaginary latitude and longitude provided by the mapping tool accesses a particular virtual reality environment corresponding to the imaginary latitude and longitude.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the latitude and longitude provide a position and a virtual reality display device provides a direction of view from the position within the virtual reality environment, such that the view within the virtual reality environment displays a particular view based on the direction of view from the position corresponding to the latitude and longitude within the particular virtual reality environment.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, as the direction of the virtual reality display device changes, the direction of view provided changes, correspondingly, and the view within the virtual reality environment displays another view based on the changes in the direction of view.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a plurality of the plurality of participants share the same virtual reality environment, and an image or avatar of each of the plurality of the plurality of participants is rendered within the virtual reality environment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of the plurality of particpants sharing the same virtual reality environment is capable of communicating with the others.

19. The system of claim 1. further comprising a registration and fundraising engine, wherein the registration and fundraising engine comprises a registration utility for registering the participant for a charitable event, and the fundraising engine provides a utility for the participant, third parties or both the participant and third parties to pledge donations or donate to the a charity via the charitable event.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising and incentive engine, wherein the incentive engine provides incentives based on the distance determined from the change in the participant data along the line segments and waypoints.