Incentivize players to participate in competitive game plots

Abstract

Techniques for incentivizing competitive gameplay include: measuring a metric of a plurality of players (e.g., ranked players and non-ranked players) participating in a gameplay; and generating a ranked profile of the ranked players and a non-ranked profile of the non-ranked players based on the metric. The technique also includes: mapping the ranked profile and the non-ranked profile in a vector space, wherein one metric corresponds to one dimension in the vector space; and presenting a notification to the non-ranked player based on a distance between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile in the vector space. The notification provides an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive gameplay episode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to multi-player gameplay, such as tournament gameplay accessible over a network, and more particularly to incentivizing non-ranked players to participate in competitive gameplay. Background Art

[0002] Modern technological progress in computing power, network connectivity and similar aspects supports the growth group of subscribers of online content hosted by network platforms. In the context of video / entertainment industry, network platforms often establish relationships with consumers via competitive game plots (e.g., game plots in the form of tournaments), in which a large number of players access the game content hosted by network platforms and compete with other players from all over the world. However, many content providers from large enterprises to individuals constantly generate a large amount of diversity content, which can overwhelm and overwhelm potential consumers, and make these consumers break away from or ignore multiple temptations. In addition, potential consumers of competitive game plots can be particularly difficult to reach when they only participate in non-competitive game plots (e.g., local game plots, non-network game plots or non-ranking game plots). Optionally, some of these potential consumers may have previous bad experiences to competitive game plots due to the mismatch of ability / skills. In addition, many potential consumers may not know the width (growth) of tournaments and / or may not understand their own skills compared with other competitive players. Therefore, it is necessary to improve and encourage consumer business about competitive game plots hosted by network platforms in this area. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure generally describes the technology of incentivizing non-ranked players to participate in competitive game plots. In an exemplary embodiment, these technologies will be described by a method, which includes the steps of measuring the metrics of multiple players participating in the game plot. The players can include, for example, ranked players and non-ranked players, and the metrics are often associated with specific players and used to generate the ranking profiles of ranked players and the non-ranking profiles of non-ranked players. The method also includes mapping the ranked profiles and the non-ranking profiles in a vector space, wherein one metric corresponds to a dimension in the vector space. In particular, the vector space provides important tools for analyzing player skills (e.g., based on corresponding profiles), comparing the distances (e.g., positions) between ranked profiles and non-ranked profiles, and similar operations. The method also provides steps for presenting notifications to the non-ranked players based on the distances between the non-ranked profiles and one or more ranked profiles (in the vector space). For example, the distance can be compared with a distance threshold, which can help indicate the time when the skill of the non-ranked player approaches (or exceeds) the skill of the ranked player (e.g., based on the corresponding profiles in the vector space). In particular, the notification provides incentives for the non-ranked player to participate in competitive gameplay, and can include planned or potential rankings, rewards, invitations to participate in tournaments, head-to-head challenges with ranked players, and the like.

[0004] In another embodiment, a system uses the above-discussed techniques to incentivize non-ranked players to participate in a competitive game plot (e.g., a game plot hosted by a multi-player platform over a network). For example, the system includes: a network interface for communicating over one or more communication networks; a processor coupled to the network interface and adapted to execute one or more processes; and a memory configured to store processes executable by the processor. The system (e.g., the processor) executes the process and is operable to measure metrics of players participating in a game plot, the players including ranked players and non-ranked players. The process also generates a ranking profile of the ranked player, a non-ranking profile of the non-ranked player, and maps the ranking profile and the non-ranking profile in a vector space, the vector space including one dimension for one metric. The process also presents a notification based on a distance (in the vector space) between the non-ranking profile and at least one ranked profile, the notification providing an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive game plot.

[0005] In yet another embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium includes software having coded instructions executable by a processor. The processor executes the instructions and is operable to measure metrics of players participating in a game plot, the players including ranked players and non-ranked players. A process also generates a ranking profile of the ranked players, a non-ranking profile of the non-ranked players, and maps the ranking profile and the non-ranking profile in a vector space, the vector space including one dimension for one metric. The process also presents a notification based on a distance (in the vector space) between the non-ranking profile and at least one ranked profile, the notification providing an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive game plot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an example communication network;

[0007] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an example network device;

[0008] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a stimulation module is shown, wherein the novel module monitors the game play, extracts metrics of the game session, and maps the profile in a vector space based on the corresponding metrics;

[0009] Figure 4 Graphics Figure 3 , the schematic diagram also showing an additional submodule that compares ranked profiles to non-ranked profiles and provides notifications that motivate non-ranked players to participate in competitive game play;

[0010] Figure 5 a schematic diagram of the illustrated vector space showing the locations of ranked and unranked profiles and the grouping of ranked players into corresponding tiers;

[0011] Figure 6 Graphics Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the stimulus module shown in , showing the vector space of different games;

[0012] Figure 7 Graphics Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a stimulus module shown in , showing the selection of stimuli in a notification based on distances between profiles in vector space; and

[0013] Figure 8 Illustrated is an example simplified procedure for stimulating competitive game play. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] As used herein, the term "user" refers to a user of an electronic device, and the action performed by the user in the context of computer software should be considered as an action for providing input to the electronic device, which causes the electronic device to perform steps or operations embodied in the computer software. As used herein, the term "ranked" player refers to a player who participates in a competitive game plot (e.g., a tournament) with other players through a network (e.g., usually hosted by a multi-player platform). The ranking player achieves a corresponding ranking or position based on performance, and for a specific game or a series of games, the performance can be measured in a single game session, multiple game sessions (e.g., a season match). The term "non-ranked" player refers to a player who does not rank a player to participate in the same competitive game plot. The term "competitive game plot" refers to a multi-player game plot for a player's ranking count. The competitive game plot can be accessed through a network (e.g., usually hosted by a multi-player platform). The competitive game plot involves a player who competes with other players and includes a personal duel and a team duel.

[0015] As mentioned above, the ever-increasing amount of accessible content and competition among content providers presents challenges in soliciting competitive game play participation among potential consumers. Furthermore, some potential consumers who only participate in non-competitive game play may not be aware of tournaments for competitive game play and / or may not understand the extent of the consumer's own skills. Therefore, the present disclosure describes techniques for stimulating consumer business in the context of competitive game play (e.g., multi-player game play) hosted by a network platform.

[0016] In the reference diagram, Figure 1 Schematic diagram 100 of an example communication network 105 is illustrated. Communication network 105 is shown for illustration and represents various types of networks, from local area networks (LANs) to wide area networks (WANs). LANs typically connect multiple nodes via dedicated private communication links located in substantially the same physical location (e.g., a building or campus). On the other hand, WANs typically connect multiple geographically dispersed nodes via long-distance communication links, such as public carrier telephone lines, optical light paths, synchronous optical networks (SONET), synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) links; or wireline communications (PLC), such as IEEE61334, IEEE P1901.2, and other links.

[0017] The communication network 105 also includes a geographically distributed collection of devices or nodes 110, which are interconnected by communication links 120 for exchanging data, such as data packets 140, and for transmitting data to terminal nodes or client devices 130 via, for example, a multi-player platform 125. The multi-player platform 125 distributes media content (e.g., audio content, visual content, text content, etc.) to subscribers, such as client devices 130. The client devices 130 include personal computing devices, network gaming systems (e.g., game consoles, peripheral devices, display hardware, etc.), laptop devices, tablets, mobile devices, or other devices known to those skilled in the art. In operation, a user connects to the multi-player platform 125 through the network 105 and subscribes to content provided by the multi-player platform 125. In this way, the user is able to play, view, or otherwise access media content hosted by the multi-player platform 125.

[0018] The communication links 120 in the network 105 include wired links or shared media links (e.g., wireless links, PLC links, etc.), where specific devices such as routers, servers, switches, sensors, computers, etc. can communicate with other devices based on distance, signal strength, current operating status, location, etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that any number of nodes, devices, links, etc. may be used in the communication network 105, and the views shown herein are for discussion and simplicity purposes, not limitation.

[0019] Where appropriate, data packets 140 represent network traffic / messages exchanged between devices over and within communication network 105 using a predefined network communication protocol, such as certain known wired protocols, wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE Standard 802.15.4, WiFi, In this context, a protocol consists of a set of rules that define how devices or nodes interact with each other.

[0020] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example network device 200 is illustrated that can be used in conjunction with a multi-player platform 125 (e.g., a component or subcomponent of a multi-player platform 125) and / or in conjunction with one of the client devices 130 (e.g., a game console system or a component thereof). As shown, the device 200 includes one or more network interfaces 210, at least one processor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250.

[0021] The network interface 210 contains mechanical, electrical, and signaling circuitry for communicating data via a link coupled to one or more of the networks shown in the schematic diagram 100. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the network interface 210 is configured to transmit and / or receive data using a variety of different communication protocols. In addition, the network interface 210 may include an input interface for providing or receiving user input (e.g., from an input device such as a touch screen, a controller device, and the like).

[0022] The memory 240 includes a plurality of storage locations addressable by the processor 220 for storing software programs and data structures associated with the embodiments described herein. The processor 220 includes a plurality of elements or logic suitable for executing the software programs and manipulating the data structures 245. The operating system 242 functionally organizes the device 200 by specifically calling operations that support software processes and / or services executed on the device, portions of which are typically resident in the memory 240 and executed by the processor 220. These software processes and / or services may include an illustrative "competitive stimulus" process / service 244. Note that although the competitive stimulus process / service 244 is shown in the centralized village memory 240, these processes / services may be configured to operate in a distributed computing network.

[0023] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other processors and memory types including various computer-readable media can be used to store and execute program instructions for the techniques described herein. In addition, although the present description illustrates various processes, it is explicitly contemplated that various processes can be embodied as modules configured to operate according to the techniques herein (e.g., according to the functionality of similar processes). In addition, although the processes have been shown separately, those skilled in the art will appreciate that processes can be routines or modules within other processes. For example, the processor 220 can include one or more programmable processors, such as microprocessors or microcontrollers, or fixed logic processors. In the case of a programmable processor, any associated memory such as memory 240 can be any type of tangible processor-readable memory such as random access, read-only, etc., which is encoded with or stores multiple instructions that can implement multiple program modules, such as a module encoded with a competitive stimulation process 244. The processor 220 can also include a fixed logic processing device, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a digital signal processor configured with firmware, and the firmware includes instructions or logic that enable the processor to perform the functions described herein. Thus, program modules may be encoded in one or more tangible computer-readable storage media for execution, for example, by fixed logic or programmable logic, such as software / computer instructions executed by a processor. And any processor may be a programmable processor, programmable logic (e.g., a field programmable gate array), or an ASIC including fixed digital logic, or a combination thereof. In general, any process logic may be embodied in a processor or computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of instructions for execution by the processor, which instructions, when executed by the processor, are operable to cause the processor to perform the functions described herein.

[0024] Figure 3 Schematic diagram 300 illustrates a stimulus module 305. The stimulus module 305 includes two sub-modules, namely a metric extraction module 306 and a mapping module 307. In particular, the stimulus module 305 may represent multiple components or multiple sub-components of the apparatus 200 and / or the multi-player platform 125. For example, the stimulus module 305 may perform the operations described by the competitive stimulus process / service 244.

[0025] In operation, metric extraction module 306 monitors gameplay (e.g., actions / interactions) of a game session. In particular, metric extraction module 306 monitors gameplay corresponding to specific players, including non-ranked players 310 (Player 1) and ranked players 320 (Player 2, Player 3, Player 4, etc.). As mentioned above, the gameplay of ranked players 320 can include competitive gameplay (typically hosted by a multi-player platform), and the gameplay of non-ranked players 310 includes non-competitive gameplay, such as local gameplay, non-network gameplay, or other non-ranked gameplay. Metric extraction module 306 operates in conjunction with metric extraction module 306 and extracts metrics such as "gameplay metrics" associated with a game session. As shown, examples of gameplay metrics include time to acquire a target (e.g., when a player or object appears in a frame), number of headshots, gameplay distance corresponding to successful headshots, button press speed, number of points earned, transition times between gameplay activities or milestones, orientation of a player and / or controller, gameplay locations (e.g., on a world map of a game session), axial directions or angular momentum of characters in a gameplay session (and / or hardware controllers associated with the player), inventory, etc. Gameplay metrics are typically extracted and organized on a per-player basis and can include real-world metrics measured by hardware (e.g., input controllers) or virtual metrics measured by actions, interactions, etc. performed by characters in a game session. In summary, gameplay metrics include a comprehensive data set representing every move, action, interaction, etc. in a game session. Therefore, gameplay metrics can be used to reconstruct or simulate gameplay in subsequent game sessions (e.g., non-competitive or competitive game sessions, as appropriate) by a particular player. For example, gameplay metrics of ranked players may be used to simulate matches against non-ranked players in non-competitive game sessions, such as non-network game sessions, local game sessions, non-ranked game sessions, and the like.

[0026] The mapping module 307 receives gameplay metrics from the metric extraction module 306 and creates profiles based on the corresponding gameplay metrics. For example, the mapping module 307 creates a ranked profile corresponding to the ranked player 320 and a non-ranked profile corresponding to the player 310, and maps these profiles in a vector space (e.g., an n-dimensional vector space). With respect to the mapped profiles, the mapping module 307 determines the vector space locations of the profiles corresponding to player 1 (P1), player 2 (P2), player 3 (P3), and player 4 (P4). In particular, the vector space can include (or exclude) any multiple axes, each of which corresponds to a gameplay metric. For example, dimension 1 corresponds to a first metric, dimension 2 corresponds to a second gameplay metric, dimension 3 corresponds to a third gameplay metric, and so on.

[0027] As discussed in more detail below, the stimulation module 305 also analyzes the corresponding positions of the profiles in the vector space to determine relative distances (and / or position vectors with corresponding angles (α)), and compares the non-ranked profiles to the ranked profiles.

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram 400 illustrating the stimulation module 305 also shows an analysis module 407 that operates in conjunction with the mapping module 307 and a notification module 408 that provides notifications that incentivize non-ranked players to participate in competitive gameplay.

[0029] As discussed above, the metric extraction module 306 extracts gameplay metrics, and the mapping module 307 maps profiles in a vector space based on the respective gameplay metrics. Here, the analysis module 407 analyzes a plurality of locations and determines distances between respective profiles. For example, the analysis module 407 determines a distance "d1" between profile P1 (corresponding to non-ranked player 1) and profile P2 (corresponding to ranked player 2). The notification module 408 additionally compares the distance d1 to a threshold distance, and when the distance d1 is within the threshold distance, presents a notification to a client device 410 client associated with non-ranked player 1. Here, the notification is illustrated by a stimulus 410 that solicits and / or provides an incentive for non-ranked player 1 to participate in a competitive gameplay.

[0030] In other words, incentive 410 represents an inducement to encourage non-ranked player 1 to participate in a competitive gameplay with ranked players. Incentive 410 can include, for example, a gameplay challenge (e.g., an invitation) between non-ranked player 1 and a ranked player (e.g., ranked player 2 in this case), a tournament invitation, a schedule of one or more tournaments, a predicted ranking of one or more game sessions of a non-competitive gameplay (e.g., if non-ranked player 1 participates in a competitive gameplay), a predicted reward (e.g., a point reward, a monetary reward, a gift certificate, a voucher, a coupon, etc.) for one or more game sessions of a competitive gameplay, a reservation for a service or game, etc.

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram 500 of a vector space is shown, showing the corresponding positions of ranked and non-ranked profiles and the grouping of ranked players into multiple tiers (here "Tier 1," "Tier 2," "Tier 3," and "Unranked"). As shown, the vector space includes multiple dimensions for certain gameplay metrics, such as "Conversion Time," "Headshots," and "Level," where one dimension corresponds to one gameplay metric. In addition, the vector space also includes non-ranked profiles 505 that are close to the ranked profiles grouped in Tier 2.

[0032] The stimulation module 305 creates the vector space shown in the schematic diagram 500 based on the gameplay metrics associated with the players. For example, the stimulation module 305 monitors the gameplay of the game session and extracts the gameplay metrics of the corresponding players (e.g., ranked players and non-ranked players). The stimulation module 305 also creates profiles and maps the profiles to corresponding positions in the vector space. As illustrated, the stimulation module 305 analyzes the positions of the profiles and determines the ranking or grouping based on the distance between the positions. In this way, profiles that are relatively close to each other are grouped into one layer.

[0033] The stimulus module 305 also maps the non-ranked profiles 505 in the vector space and determines that the position of the non-ranked profiles is within the Tier 2 ranking. For example, the stimulus module 305 may determine that the non-ranked profiles 505 are within a threshold distance to one or more ranked profiles grouped in or associated with Tier 2. Alternatively, the stimulus module 305 may develop a grouping criterion that describes the ranked profiles within Tier 2 as a whole and compare the distances between the non-ranked profiles 505 in the vector space to the grouping criterion.

[0034] Figure 6 Schematic diagram 600 is shown, the schematic diagram shows the vector space of the first game "Game 1" and the vector space of the second game "Game 2". As shown, the stimulation module 305 performs the operations discussed above, extracts the gameplay metrics, creates the vector space, and maps the profiles of each game. The non-ranked profile 605 mapped in the vector space of Game 1 does not fall within the threshold distance of any ranked profile associated with the layer 1 grouping criteria and / or the layer 1 group. However, this non-ranked profile 605 is within the threshold distance of the layer 1 grouping criteria (and / or one or more ranked profiles associated with the layer 1 group) of the vector space of Game 2, and the vector space uses the same gameplay metrics for the same dimension. That is, a specific gameplay metric may be beneficial for one game, and may hinder success in another game.

[0035] In addition, in some examples, the player associated with the non-ranked profile 605 cannot play Game 2 (e.g., cannot participate in the gameplay of the game session associated with Game 2). In these examples, the stimulus module 305 can discover new games (here, Game 2) that may interest the player associated with the non-ranked profile 605, and provide recommendations about potential interest to the non-ranked player associated with the non-ranked profile 605. For example, the stimulus module 305 can determine the gameplay metrics of the non-ranked profile 605 that led to success in another game based on the proximity of the non-ranked profile 605 to the ranked profiles associated with successful players in Game 2. The stimulus module 305 can, in turn, provide a notification to the player associated with the non-ranked profile 605 (e.g., using the notification module 408) and recommend Game 2. The notification can include, for example, incentives about potential rankings in competitive gameplay in Game 2, suitable skill sets, prizes, etc.

[0036] Figure 7 Schematic diagram 700 of stimulus module 305 is illustrated, which shows the selection of stimuli in a notification based on the distance between profiles in vector space. In particular, schematic diagram 700 illustrates the operations performed by stimulus module 305 for selecting different stimuli to present to client device 410. Here, stimulus module 305 determines the distance (d2) between non-ranked profile 705 and ranked profile 710. Stimulus module 305 also selects a stimulus - "stimulus 2" - based on the distance (d2), and sends a notification with stimulus 2 to client device 410.

[0037] In this way, the stimulus module 305 can map different stimuli to different distance thresholds in the vector space and provide stimuli based on the distance thresholds. For example, as the non-ranked profile 705 approaches or becomes closer to the ranked profile 710, the stimulus can change to further encourage the non-ranked player to participate in the competitive game plot.

[0038] Figure 8 An example simplified procedure 800 for motivating competitive gameplay for non-ranked players is illustrated, particularly from the perspective of a stimulation module, such as stimulation module 305. Although procedure 800 describes operations performed by stimulation module 305, it will be appreciated that these operations are not intended to be limited to stimulation module 305, and it will be appreciated that these operations may be performed by multiple portions of the stimulation module and / or by other devices, such as game consoles, networked gaming systems, multi-player platforms, and the like.

[0039] The process 800 starts at step 805 and continues to step 810, where the stimulation module measures metrics (e.g., gameplay metrics) of players participating in a gameplay (e.g., competitive gameplay, non-competitive gameplay, etc.), as discussed above. The stimulation module also generates a profile based on the metrics of each player at step 815. For example, the profile can include a ranked profile for ranked players and a non-ranked profile for non-ranked players.

[0040] In step 820, the stimulation module also maps the profiles of the corresponding players in the vector space. Here, the vector space can include dimensions for corresponding metrics, where one dimension corresponds to one metric. In addition, as mentioned above, the stimulation module can also define layers (e.g., layer 1, layer 2, etc.) or groups for co-located or closely located ranking profiles in the vector space.

[0041] In step 825, the stimulation module analyzes and determines the relative distance (and / or angle between vectors) between the non-ranked profile and one or more ranked profiles in the vector space. The stimulation module can also compare the relative distance with the distance threshold to determine the time when the positioning of the non-ranked profile is close to the ranked profile. When the distance between the non-ranked profile and one or more ranked profiles (and / or the criteria of the description layer) is within the distance threshold, in step 830, the stimulation module also presents a notification to the non-ranked player to encourage the non-ranked player to participate in the competitive game plot. For example, the incentive can be in various forms, such as a game plot challenge between a non-ranked player and a ranked player, a tournament invitation for a non-ranked player, a schedule of one or more tournaments, a predicted ranking (global ranking, or a ranking of a specific game session of a competitive game plot), a predicted reward for one or more game sessions of a competitive game plot, and the like. Program 800 then ends in step 835, but can continue to step 810, in which the stimulation module measures the game plot metric of the player.

[0042] It should be noted that some steps within process 800 may be optional, and furthermore, Figure 8 The steps shown in the foregoing are examples for illustration only, and certain other steps may be included or excluded as needed. In addition, although a particular order of steps is shown, this ordering is illustrative only, and any suitable arrangement of steps may be utilized without departing from the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0043] Therefore, the technology described herein provides stimulation that encourages non-ranked players to participate in competitive game plots. Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described to provide stimulation based on the vector space position of corresponding profiles, it will be understood that various other adaptations and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the embodiments herein. For example, embodiments have been shown and described herein with respect to specific systems, platforms, devices and / or modules that perform specific operations. However, the embodiments are not limited in their broader sense, and in fact, these operations and similar functionality can be performed by any combination of the devices shown and described.

[0044] The foregoing description has been directed to a specific embodiment. However, it will be appreciated that other changes and modifications may be made to the described embodiments to achieve some or all of the advantages of the embodiments. For example, it is explicitly contemplated that the components and / or elements described herein can be implemented as software stored on a tangible (non-transitory) computer-readable media device, and a memory (e.g., disc / CD / RAM / EEPROM / etc.) having program instructions executed on a computer, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. In addition, the methods describing various functions and the techniques described herein can be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored or otherwise obtained from a computer-readable medium. These instructions can include, for example, instructions and data that cause or otherwise configure a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a professional processing device to perform a specific function or a set of functions. Multiple portions of the computer resources used can be accessed over a network. Computer-executable instructions can be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions, firmware, or source code in an assembly language. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during the method according to the described example include a magnetic disk or optical disk, a flash memory, a USB device with a non-volatile memory, a network storage device, etc. In addition, the device implementing the method according to these disclosures can include hardware, firmware and / or software, and can adopt any one of a variety of form factors. Typical examples of these form factors include laptop devices, smart phones, small-size personal computers, personal digital assistants, etc. The functionality described herein can also be embodied in peripheral devices or add-on cards. By means of other examples, this functionality can also be implemented on circuit boards between different chips or on different processes executed in a single device. Instructions, media for transmitting these instructions, computing resources for executing instructions, and other structures for supporting these computing resources are means for providing the functions described in these disclosures. Therefore, this description is made only by example, rather than limiting the scope of the embodiments herein in addition. Therefore, the goal of the attached claims is to cover all these changes and modifications within the true spirit and scope of the embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A method for stimulating a competitive game plot, the method comprising: receiving gameplay data from a plurality of players in a multiplayer network, the gameplay data being received from respective player devices via a communications network, the players including ranked players and non-ranked players; evaluating a metric related to gameplay for each of the plurality of players based on gameplay data received from the plurality of players; generating a ranking profile for the ranked player based on the metric; generating a non-ranked profile for the non-ranked player based on the metric; mapping the ranked profile and the non-ranked profile in a vector space, wherein a metric corresponds to a dimension in the vector space; presenting a notification to the non-ranked player based on a distance between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile in the vector space, the notification providing an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive gameplay episode; defining at least one layer to group a portion of the ranked players in the vector space based on relative positions of the ranked profiles of the portion of the ranked players; as well as The distance in the vector space between the non-ranked profile and the at least one ranked profile is determined, wherein presenting the notification further comprises presenting the notification to indicate a possible ranking corresponding to the at least one tier when the distance in the vector space is within a threshold distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the metrics of the plurality of players further comprises: measuring said metric of said ranked players participating in an online gaming episode; as well as The metric is measured for the non-ranked players participating in a non-network game episode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric comprises a ranking metric of the ranked players participating in a network game episode, and the method further comprises: simulating the network game plot in a non-network game session based on the ranking metric; as well as The non-networked game session is hosted for the non-ranked player.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein evaluating the metrics of the plurality of players further comprises measuring the metrics of the non-ranked players in the non-networked gaming session.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metrics include ranking metrics of gameplay associated with a first game and a second game and non-ranking metrics of gameplay associated with the first game, wherein the vector space includes a first vector space associated with the first game and a second vector space associated with the second game, wherein mapping the ranked profile and the non-ranked profile further comprises mapping the non-ranked profile in the second vector space based on the non-ranking metrics of gameplay associated with the first game.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a recommendation about the second game to the non-ranked player based on a distance between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile in the second vector space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the gameplay is associated with one or more gaming sessions hosted by a multi-player platform over a network.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes at least one of the following: a gameplay challenge between the non-ranked player and at least one ranked player; a tournament invitation for the non-ranked player; a schedule of one or more tournaments; a predicted ranking of one or more game sessions of a competitive gameplay; a predicted reward for one or more game sessions of a competitive gameplay; a monetary reward; or a subscription to one or more competitive game sessions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus comprises a first stimulus and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, and the method further comprises: assigning the first stimulus to a first threshold distance; assigning the second stimulus to a second threshold distance; determining that the distance in the vector space between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile is within the first threshold distance; as well as The first stimulus is selected to be presented in the notification.

10. A system for stimulating competitive gaming, the system comprising: a network interface for communicating via one or more communication networks, wherein the network interface receives gameplay data from a plurality of players in a multi-player network, the gameplay data being received from respective player devices via the communication network, the players including ranked players and non-ranked players; as well as A processor that executes instructions stored in a memory, wherein the execution of the instructions by the processor: evaluating gameplay-related metrics for a plurality of players based on gameplay data received from the plurality of players; generating a ranking profile for the ranked player based on the metric; generating a non-ranked profile for the non-ranked player based on the metric; mapping the ranked profile and the non-ranked profile in a vector space, wherein a metric corresponds to a dimension in the vector space; presenting a notification to the non-ranked player based on a distance between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile in the vector space, the notification providing an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive gameplay episode; defining at least one layer to group a portion of the ranked players in the vector space based on relative positions of the ranked profiles of the portion of the ranked players; as well as The distance in the vector space between the non-ranked profile and the at least one ranked profile is determined, wherein presenting the notification further comprises presenting the notification to indicate a possible ranking corresponding to the at least one tier when the distance in the vector space is within a threshold distance.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor executes other instructions to: measuring said metrics of said ranked players participating in a network gaming episode; and The metric is measured for the non-ranked players participating in a non-network game episode.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the metric comprises a ranking metric of the ranked players participating in a network gaming episode, and wherein the processor executes other instructions to: simulating the network game plot in a non-network game session based on the ranking metric; and The non-networked game session is hosted for the non-ranked player.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor evaluates the metrics of the plurality of players by measuring the metrics of the non-ranked players in the non-networked gaming session.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the gameplay is associated with one or more gaming sessions hosted by a multi-player platform over a network.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the stimulus comprises a first stimulus and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, and wherein the processor executes other instructions to: assigning the first stimulus to a first threshold distance; assigning the second stimulus to a second threshold distance; determining that the profile is within the first threshold distance; as well as The first stimulus is selected to be presented in the notification.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions encoded thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method for stimulating competitive gameplay, the method comprising: receiving gameplay data from a plurality of players in a multiplayer network, the gameplay data being received from respective player devices via a communications network, the players including ranked players and non-ranked players; evaluating a metric related to gameplay for each of the plurality of players based on gameplay data received from the plurality of players; generating a ranking profile for the ranked player based on the metric; generating a non-ranked profile for the non-ranked player based on the metric; mapping the ranked profile and the non-ranked profile in a vector space, wherein a metric corresponds to a dimension in the vector space; presenting a notification to the non-ranked player based on a distance between the non-ranked profile and at least one ranked profile in the vector space, the notification providing an incentive for the non-ranked player to participate in a competitive gameplay episode; defining at least one layer to group a portion of the ranked players in the vector space based on relative positions of the ranked profiles of the portion of the ranked players; as well as The distance in the vector space between the non-ranked profile and the at least one ranked profile is determined, wherein presenting the notification further comprises presenting the notification to indicate a possible ranking corresponding to the at least one tier when the distance in the vector space is within a threshold distance.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the gameplay is associated with one or more gaming sessions hosted by a multi-player platform over a network.

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