System and method for correlating user action pattern in on-line game with psychological user attribute

Abstract

To correlate a user action pattern in an on-line game with a psychological user attribute showing the user action pattern.SOLUTION: A system may: store user information related to each user including allocation of each user to each of different user cohorts, the different cohorts being related to different psychological profiles, the given psychological profiles being defined by multiple psychological parameter values, users being allocated to different cohorts on the basis of psychological parameter values; obtain execution information characterizing execution of a user action pattern by each user; and determine correlation between each of execution of a user action pattern and each of psychological patterns on the basis of an acquired user action pattern, a user's allocation to cohorts, and common points in a user's psychological profile in the respective cohorts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for correlating user behavior patterns in online games with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, users of a digital environment are not "classified" (e.g., into a user type) until they begin interacting with the digital environment and have a large enough usage sample for classification and / or predictions about future activity to be made based on behavior within the environment. Users may have difficulty "finding" activities and / or features in a digital environment that result in long-term, highly engaged users. Even with behavior-based classification, such behavior-based classification may not maintain accuracy over time. Furthermore, existing technologies are unable to psychologically understand users as they interact within a digital environment or experience that may result in an experience being uniquely tailored to a particular user. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns. Users of an online game may be organized into different cohorts based on the psychological profiles of the individual users. Such organization may result in users with similar psychological profiles being assigned to the same cohort. In some cases, the determination of the psychological profile of an individual user may be based on user-provided answers to questions presented to the user regarding the psychological attributes, the user behavior patterns, and / or other user-provided information in the online game. The user-provided answers, the user behavior patterns, and / or other user-provided information may be used to determine the individual user's psychological parameter values ​​for the psychological attributes. The psychological parameter values ​​of a given user may be included in the psychological profile of the given user. User behavior patterns performed by individual users over a period of time in the online game may be obtained. A given user behavior pattern may be correlated with a given psychological parameter based on the performance (e.g., frequency, total number of performances, etc.) of the given user behavior pattern by users assigned to a cohort in which the user strongly expresses the given psychological parameter. Such correlation may be used for a variety of purposes within the online game.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system configured to correlate user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns. The system may include one or more hardware processors and electronic storage devices configured with machine-readable instructions. The machine-readable instructions may include one or more instruction components. The instruction components may include one or more of an information component, a correlation component, and / or other instruction components.

[0005] The electronic storage device may be configured to store information associated with individual users and / or other information. The information associated with individual users may include user information. The user information may include assignment of the individual users to individual ones of different user cohorts. Different cohorts may be associated with different psychological profiles. A given psychological profile may be defined by multiple psychological parameter values. A user may select a psychological profile based on the individual user's psychological parameter values ​​determined based on descriptive information provided by the user. As a non-limiting example, the user information may include user information of a first user, including an assignment of the first user to a first cohort based on a first psychological profile of the first user determined based on description information previously provided by the first user. The psychological profile of the user assigned to the first cohort may show a strong expression of the first psychological parameter.

[0006] The information component can be configured to obtain performance information characterizing a performance of a pattern of user behavior by individual users in the online game. As a non-limiting example, the individual performance of the pattern of user behavior can include a first performance of the first pattern by a first user and other users assigned to a first cohort.

[0007] The correlation component may be configured to determine a correlation between a respective one of the executions of the user behavior pattern and a respective one of the psychological parameters. Determining the correlation may be based on commonalities in the acquired user behavior pattern, the assignment of users to cohorts, and the psychological profiles of users within the respective cohorts. As a result, as a non-limiting example, a first correlation may be determined between a first execution of the first pattern and the first psychological parameter. The first correlation may be based on relatively frequent executions of the first execution by users assigned to the first cohort and psychological profiles of users assigned to the first cohort that show a strong expression of the first psychological parameter.

[0008] As used herein, the term "obtain" (and its derivatives) may include active and / or passive information retrieval, determination, induction, transfer, uploading, downloading, submission, and / or exchange, and / or any combination thereof. As used herein, the term "effect" (and its derivatives) may include active and / or passive causation of any effect, both local and remote. As used herein, the term "determine" (and its derivatives) may include measuring, calculating, estimating, approximating, generating, and / or otherwise deriving, and / or any combination thereof.

[0009] These and other characteristics and features of the present technology, as well as the method of operation and function of the associated elements of construction, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims, with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part hereof, and in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the various views. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in this specification and claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a system configured to correlate user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a method for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example implementation for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. [Figure 4]1 illustrates an example implementation for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 configured to correlate user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. In some implementations, the system 100 may include one or more servers 102, storage devices 128, and / or other components. The server 102 may be configured to communicate with one or more client computing platforms 104 and / or game servers 132 according to a client / server architecture and / or other architecture. The client computing platforms 104 may be configured to communicate with other client computing platforms via the game servers 132 and / or according to a peer-to-peer architecture and / or other architecture. A user may access the game servers 132 via the client computing platforms 104. As used herein, the game servers 132 may refer to individual (video) game providers, game consoles, game companies, website developers, user experience companies, and / or combinations thereof. In some implementations, the game servers 132 may be configured to provide and / or host one or more (online) games. As used herein, an "online game" or variants thereof may include a digital experience. Digital experiences may include one or more of games (e.g., online via a web browser, via a desktop application, via a mobile application, via a game console, etc.), websites (e.g., retail stores), mobile applications, desktop applications, social network platforms, service providers (e.g., email providers), and / or other digital experiences. Such digital experiences may collect similar information about their users and provide some of the same or similar interactions between individual users, between individual users and virtual content, and / or other interactions.The virtual content (or portions thereof) may include one or more of a player-controlled character, a non-player-controlled character, a task, a quest, an assignment, a mission, a level, a chapter, a mini-game, a virtual item, a virtual resource (e.g., weapons, tools), an in-game power, an in-game skill, an in-game technology, a user interface component, an image, a video, and / or other portions of virtual content. By way of non-limiting example, the virtual item may include one or more of clothing, a pet, a transportation unit (e.g., an aircraft, a car, a seaplane, etc.), a unit, a building, and / or other virtual items.

[0012] The game server 132 may be configured with machine-readable instructions 116. The machine-readable instructions 116 may include one or more instruction components. The instruction components may include computer program components. The instruction components may include one or more of the game components 108 and / or other instruction components.

[0013] The game component 108 may be configured to execute an instance of the online game and implement the instance of the online game by receiving and executing commands. The commands may be received from a user through a client computing platform 104 associated with the user. The users may include a first user, a second user, and one or more other users. Execution of the commands may facilitate interaction between users and / or content within the online game. Implementing the instance of the online game may include determining individual view information for presenting the online game to the user on the client computing platform. The game component 108 may be configured to present the individual view information of the online game to the user.

[0014] An online game may be provided through a virtual space, which may include multiple resource types and / or maps. An instance of the virtual space may be executed by a computer component to determine a view of the virtual space. The view may then be communicated from the server 102, the game server 132, and / or a source to the client computing platform 104 for presentation to the user (e.g., via streaming, via object / position data, and / or other information). The view determined and transmitted to a given client computing platform 104 may correspond to a location in the virtual space (e.g., the location from which the view is captured, the location the view depicts, and / or other locations), a zoom ratio, object dimensions, a viewpoint, and / or view parameters. One or more of the view parameters may be selectable by the user.

[0015] An instance of a virtual space may comprise a simulated space accessible by a user via a client (e.g., client computing platform 104) that presents a view of the virtual space to the user. The simulated space may have a terrain, may represent ongoing real-time interactions by one or more users, and / or may include one or more objects disposed within the terrain that can be moved within the terrain. In some instances, the terrain may be a two-dimensional terrain. In other instances, the terrain may be a three-dimensional terrain. The terrain may include the dimensions of the space and / or the surface features of surfaces or objects that are "naturally" present in the space. In some instances, the terrain may depict a surface (e.g., the ground) that spans at least a substantial portion of the space. In some instances, the terrain may depict a volume with one or more objects disposed therein (e.g., a simulation of a gravity-deprived space with one or more celestial bodies disposed therein). The instances executed by the computer components may be synchronous, asynchronous, and / or semi-synchronous.

[0016] The above description of the manner in which a view of a virtual space is provided is not intended to be limiting. A virtual space may be represented in a more limited or richer manner. For example, a view determined for a virtual space may be selected from a limited set of graphics depicting events at a given location within the virtual space. A view may include additional content (e.g., text, audio, pre-stored video content, and / or other content) that goes beyond relatively general graphics to explain details of the current state of the location. For example, a view may include a general combat graphic with a text description of an opposing opponent. Other representations of individual locations within the virtual space are contemplated.

[0017] The user behavior pattern may include actions performed by a user in a virtual space. The actions may include one or more of buying, selling, trading, selecting a user interface element, time spent on a particular user interface, time of an online game session, immersion in virtual content, user communication with a particular user, completion of a task by a user, incompletion of a task by a user, failure of a task by a user, frequent interaction with content by a user, formation of an alliance by a user, and / or other actions performed by a user. The user behavior pattern may include individual ones of the actions, sets of actions, sets of ordered actions, and / or more of the individual actions, sets of actions, and sets of ordered actions. The execution information may include counts of the user behavior pattern, time information of the user behavior pattern, occurrence of the user behavior pattern, duration of the user behavior pattern, period during which the user behavior pattern occurred (e.g., over a week, over a month, over 100 hours, etc.), and / or other execution information. The temporal information may include, by way of non-limiting example, the time of day of the user behavior pattern, the day of the week of the user behavior pattern, the date of the user behavior pattern, the continuity of the user behavior pattern, whether the user behavior pattern is a reaction, and / or other temporal information.

[0018] Within an instance of a virtual space, for example, users may control characters, objects, simulated physics (e.g., wind, rain, earthquakes, and / or other phenomena), and / or other elements within the virtual space to interact with the virtual space and / or with each other. User characters may include avatars. As used herein, the term "user character" may refer to an object (or a group of objects) present in the virtual space that corresponds to an individual user. A user character may be controlled by the user with which it is associated.

[0019] User-controlled elements may move through and interact with the virtual space (e.g., non-user characters in the virtual space, other objects in the virtual space). User-controlled elements controlled by and / or associated with a given user may be created and / or customized by the given user. A user may have an "inventory" of virtual goods and / or currency (e.g., resources of multiple resource types) that the user can use (e.g., by manipulation of the user character or other user-controlled elements, and / or other items) to perform actions (in-game) within the virtual space.

[0020] Users may participate in an instance of a virtual space by controlling one or more of the available user-controlled elements within the virtual space. Control may be through control inputs and / or commands entered by users through the client computing platforms 104. Users may interact with one another through communications exchanged within the virtual space. Such communications may include one or more of text chat, instant messages, private messages, voice communications, and / or other communications. Communications may be received and entered by users through their respective client computing platforms 104. Communications may be routed to and from appropriate users through the server 102, game server 132, and / or other sources.

[0021] The server 102 may be configured with machine-readable instructions 106. The machine-readable instructions 106 may include one or more instruction components. The instruction components may include computer program components. The instruction components may include one or more of a game component 108, an information component 110, a correlation component 112, an utilization component 114, and / or other instruction components.

[0022] In some implementations, the server 102 may include one or more components that are the same as or similar to the game component 108, which may be configured to run an instance of an online game and / or to otherwise perform some or all of the functionality of the game component 108.

[0023] The electronic storage device 128 may be configured to store information associated with individual users and / or other information. Information associated with individual users may include user information. User information may include descriptive information previously provided by individual users, psychological profiles of individual users, assignments of individual users to individual ones of cohorts of different users, and / or other information regarding individual users.

[0024] The descriptive information previously provided by the users may be obtained by a component the same as or similar to the information component 110. The descriptive information may include answer sets to questions regarding psychological attributes. Individual answer sets may be provided by individual ones of the users. In some implementations, the game component 108 may provide, via a graphical user interface of the client computing platform 104, The description information may be configured to provide a presentation of a question. In some implementations, the description information may include an execution of a user behavior pattern. The execution of the user behavior pattern may be executed by an individual one of the users in the one or more various online games. In some implementations, the description information may include communication information provided by an individual one of the users in the one or more various online games. The communication information may include text and / or verbal utterances entered and / or spoken by the individual users, respectively. The answer set, the execution of the user behavior pattern, the communication information, and / or other description information may be transmitted over a network to one or more processors (e.g., information component 110) to determine a set of psychological parameter values ​​for the individual users. The answer set, the execution of the user behavior pattern, the communication information, and / or other description information may be indicative of, facilitate prediction of, and / or facilitate determination of, one or more psychological parameter values ​​for the individual users.

[0025] Different cohorts may be associated with different psychological profiles (of individual users). A given psychological profile may be defined by multiple psychological parameter values. The psychological parameter values ​​of an individual user may be determined based on description information provided by the user. In some implementations, an individual user may be associated with multiple psychological profiles in other online games. The multiple psychological profiles may be aggregated to generate an aggregated psychological profile, and / or each of the multiple psychological profiles may be updated to include psychological parameter values ​​from other ones of the multiple psychological profiles. Thus, an individual user's psychological profile may be based on correlating the performance of user behavior patterns by the individual user from various different online games (e.g., in a first online game, in a retail application, in a charity website) with one or more particular psychological parameter values.

[0026] Users may be assigned to different cohorts based on the individual users' psychological parameter values, as described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 16 / 854,660, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADAPTING USER EXPERIENCE IN A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE BASED ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF INDIVIDUAL USERS," Attorney Docket No. 01TT-064001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0027] The psychological parameter values ​​may include, by way of non-limiting example, achievement motivation, motivation, personality traits, cultural values, competitiveness, positive and negative affect (i.e., emotions) before, during, and / or after immersion in online games, communication style, personal values, daily routines / activities, life / game pain points, life / game hopes and aspirations, well-being, user experience, game / experience usage time, subscription behavior, affinity information, personality, affective style, goal orientation, goal focus, ego and task orientation, relatedness, sense of community, social influence, social identity, group belonging, our identity, The following psychological parameters may be characterized: identity, quality of life, life satisfaction, quality of life related to work, mindfulness, happiness, emotional intelligence, self-awareness / inner awareness, outer awareness, connectedness to nature, social connectedness, social bonding, perceived stress, depression, anxiety, decision-making style, thinking style, critical thinking, cognitive approach to learning, learning style, attributional style, intrinsic-external, stability-instability, global uniqueness, creativity, curiosity, playfulness, exploration, mental toughness, grit, sustained happiness, gratitude, inspiration, spirituality, hedonism, materialism / materialistic values, perception, sentimentality, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0028] Achievement motivation can be measured by compensatory effort, competitiveness, confidence in success, dominance, enthusiasm for learning, immersion, fearlessness, flexibility, flow, goal setting, independence, inner focus, persistence, preference for difficult tasks, pride in productivity, self-control, status orientation, ambition, self-assurance, and / or other psychological parameters. Motivations may include mastery, purpose, autonomy, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0029] The personality trait items may include neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, and / or other psychological parameters. Neuroticism may include anxiety, impulsivity, vulnerability, and / or other psychological parameters. Openness may include fantasy, emotion / empathy, action, and / or other psychological parameters. Conscientiousness may include achievement striving, competence, self-discipline, and / or other psychological parameters. Extraversion may include kindness affirmation, liveliness, and / or other psychological parameters. Agreeableness may include trust, altruism, humility, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0030] Cultural values ​​may include individualism, self-indulgence, long-term orientation, masculinity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and / or other psychological parameters. Competitiveness may include avoidance, cooperation, competitive affectivity, dependency, dominance, general competitiveness, independence, personal enhancement, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0031] The positive and negative affect before, during, and / or after engaging in online gaming may include hostility, joy, negative emotion, positive emotion, sadness, self-assurance, and / or other psychological parameters. The communication style may include sensory, intuitive, perceptual, thinking, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0032] Well-being may include social well-being, psychological well-being, physical well-being, physical activity, sleep, bounded interactions, resilience, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0033] Personality may include anger, hostility, depression, self-consciousness, excitement-seeking, positive emotions, sociability, ideas, values, aesthetics, caring, forthright, obedience, contemplation, order, duty, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0034] Affective styles may include resilience, perspective, social intuition, self-awareness, sensitivity to context, attention, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0035] The goal orientation may include a mastery-approach / learning goal orientation, a performance-approach / performance goal orientation, a performance-avoidance / avoidance goal orientation, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0036] Work-related quality of life may include structure, boundaries, focus, efficiency, information provision, communication, psychological support, stress at / from work, psychological safety, team connection, motivation to work, fit, job / career satisfaction, control at work, boundaries between home and work, general well-being, working conditions, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0037] Mindfulness may include observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judgment, non-reaction, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0038] Emotional intelligence may include emotion perception, emotion expression, emotion management, emotion regulation, impulse control, relationships, stress management, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0039] Social connectedness may include social connectedness, loneliness, membership self-esteem, private self-esteem, public self-esteem, identity self-esteem, interdependent self, independent self, social avoidance, social distress, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0040] Decision-making styles may include respected, confident, self-motivated, dependent, cautious, avoidant, brooding, intuitive, anxious, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0041] Thinking styles may include intuitive, experiential, analytical, rational, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0042] Cognitive approaches to learning may include avoidant, participative, competitive, cooperative, dependent, independent, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0043] Learning styles may include visual (spatial), auditory (auditory-musical), verbal (verbal), physical (kinesthetic), logical (mathematical), social (interpersonal), solitary (intrapersonal), and / or other psychological parameters.

[0044] Mental toughness may include tenacity, self-confidence, optimism, adaptability, self-awareness, reliability, responsibility, well-being, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0045] Sustained well-being may include positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, health, loneliness, and / or other psychological parameters.

[0046] As non-limiting examples, the psychological parameter values ​​for the psychological parameters may be numerical scores in a predetermined range specific to each psychological parameter, letter scores, and / or other types of values ​​that may generally characterize a particular user.

[0047] By way of non-limiting example, the user information may include user information of a first user. The user information of the first user may include description information previously provided by the first user, a first psychological profile of the first user determined based on the description information, an assignment of the first user to a first cohort based on the first psychological profile, and / or other information regarding the first user. The psychological profile of the user assigned to the first cohort may show a strong representation of the first psychological parameter.

[0048] The information component 110 can be configured to obtain performance information that can characterize the performance of user behavior patterns by individual users within an online game.

[0049] As a non-limiting example, an individual performance of a user behavior pattern may include a first performance of a first pattern by a first user and other users assigned to a first cohort.

[0050] In some implementations, the information component 110 can be configured to store information associated with individual users (eg, user information, performance information) in the electronic storage device 128.

[0051] The correlation component 112 may be configured to determine a correlation between each one of the executions of the user behavior patterns and each one of the psychological parameters. Determining the correlation may be based on the obtained execution information (e.g., the user behavior patterns, the relatively frequent executions of the user behavior patterns), the assignment of users to cohorts, commonalities in the psychological profiles of users within each cohort, user information, and / or other information. The commonalities in the psychological profiles of users may include common psychological parameters having similar and / or closely similar psychological parameter values. In some implementations, the commonalities in the psychological profiles of users may include commonalities between the individual aggregated psychological profiles of the individual users and / or the individual psychological profiles of the individual users with a particular online game. In some implementations, an individual's psychological profile for a particular online game may include psychological parameter values ​​determined from other psychological profiles in other online games. Correlation may be determined by a Pearson correlation coefficient formula, a linear correlation coefficient formula, a sample correlation coefficient formula, a population correlation coefficient formula, machine learning, and / or other formulas for determining correlation.

[0052] It will be understood that the description herein of a "correlation" between a psychological parameter and a user behavior pattern that is positively correlated is not intended to be limiting, and that a negative correlation between a psychological parameter and a user behavior pattern is also contemplated and may be included in the general "correlation." A negative correlation may be determined when users assigned to one or more cohorts that strongly express a certain psychological parameter avoid a particular user behavior pattern and / or when users assigned to one or more cohorts that do not express that psychological parameter perform a particular user behavior pattern relatively more often (e.g., in frequency, total executions, etc.) than users assigned to one or more cohorts that strongly express that psychological parameter.

[0053] As a result, by way of non-limiting example, a first correlation may be determined between the first execution of the first pattern and the first psychological parameter. The first correlation may be based on the relatively frequent execution of the first execution by the user assigned to the first cohort and the psychological profile of the user assigned to the first cohort showing a strong expression of the first psychological parameter. The relatively frequent execution of the first execution by the user assigned to the first cohort may be executed more frequently than other user behavior patterns. In some implementations, the other user behavior patterns may include a second pattern executed by a user assigned to the first cohort (i.e., the same cohort as the first execution). In some implementations, the second pattern may be executed by a user assigned to another of the different cohorts. In this way, the first pattern (or its first execution) is executed more frequently than the second pattern.

[0054] In some implementations, information associated with individual users (i.e., user information), correlations, and / or other information may be communicated to the game server 132. The game server 132 may download, export, purchase, subscribe, obtain in real time, and / or otherwise obtain information associated with individual users, correlations, and / or other information.

[0055] In some implementations, the utilization component 114 may be configured to adapt the online game for the individual user based on the determined correlation. By way of non-limiting example, a first adaptation of the online game may be performed for a first user cohort including the first user. Thus, the view information presented (e.g., by the game component 108) may include the online game adapted for the individual user. The adaptation of the online game may be a modification of the user experience of the individual cohort of users. The modification of the user experience may result in multiple variations of the online game. For example, based on the cohort in which the first user is included, the user experience of the online game may be oriented toward a storytelling experience versus a competitive experience. For example, based on the determined psychological parameter values ​​of the particular user, the user experience (e.g., the story development path, the opponents encountered, the virtual content, etc.) may be modified to be unique to the particular user. The adaptation of the online game may be a modification of the appearance and / or aesthetics of the online game. For example, the theme (e.g., brightness, color, size, etc.) and / or time of day (e.g., background lighting) of the online game may be modified based on the cohort that the second user is included in. The adaptations may be designed to enhance future use of the online game by the user.

[0056] As non-limiting examples, the adaptations may include one or more of recommendations, suggestions, adjusted difficulty settings, game content made available, omission of game content, communication means, communications, offers to sell one or more virtual items made available, adjustments to offers to sell one or more virtual items, offers to sell bundles or packages of virtual items, slower or faster development of skills / abilities, game content acquisition means, user matching, harmful user detection, and / or other adaptations.

[0057] Tailoring the recommendation may include adjusting a particular choice and / or action that the user is encouraged to select and / or take, determined based on the cohort. Tailoring the suggestion may include adjusting a particular idea, plan, and / or strategy that the user is willing to implement, follow, and / or known to enjoy. An adjusted difficulty setting may adjust how challenging one or more aspects of the online game are. The suggestions and / or recommendations may be adapted such that non-player characters may provide different guidance based on the cluster and / or cohort, and / or pop-ups directing users to content may be adapted based on the cluster and / or cohort.

[0058] By way of non-limiting example, adjusting a difficulty setting may include adjusting how challenging the online game is overall, how challenging a particular task (e.g., building, combat, problem solving, etc.) is, how challenging it is to complete one or more levels, how challenging it is to complete each level, and / or adjusting other difficulty settings.

[0059] Virtual content may include game content. Game content made available or omitted by adaptation may include game content provided to a user when performing actions within an online game, such as exploring a map, researching techniques or skills, purchasing items within an online game, completing achievements within an online game, and / or other information. Such game content (or portions thereof) may include one or more of a player-controlled character, a non-player-controlled character, a task, a quest, an assignment, a mission, a level, a chapter, a mini-game, a virtual item, a virtual resource (e.g., weapons, tools), an in-game power, an in-game skill, an in-game technology, and / or other portions of game content. As non-limiting examples, virtual items may include one or more of clothing, pets, transportation units (e.g., aircraft, cars, seaplanes, etc.), units, buildings, and / or other virtual items.

[0060] Adapting the communication means may include adjusting the communication means to be available simultaneously, to be available one at a time, to be omitted, and / or to be used separately. Adapting a communication may include adjusting when a communication (e.g., a message, a call) is sent, when a communication is received, to whom a communication is sent, from whom a communication is received, and / or other adjustments regarding the communication. The communication means may include one or more of text chat, instant messaging, private messaging, voice communication, video communication, in-game communication, out-of-game communication, hybrid communication (i.e., in-game and out-of-game), and / or other communication means. Adapting a communication may include adjusting when a communication (e.g., a message, a call) is sent, when a communication is received, to whom a communication is sent, from whom a communication is received, and / or other adjustments regarding the communication.

[0061] Adjusting an offer to sell one or more virtual items that are made available may adjust the price (e.g., money, coins, tokens, stars, etc.) that a user must pay for one or more virtual items or other game content. Adjusting an offer to sell one or more virtual items may adjust which virtual items or game content may be offered to a user for purchase. Offers to sell bundles or packages of virtual items may be purchased at a game's online store. This may include adjusting the bundles that can be purchased and / or that are offered to users at the start of an online game. These adjustments may also include the items that are included together, the prices of the items, and other associated characteristics.

[0062] Means of acquiring game content may include discovery (e.g., exploring a map, in-game research of techniques or skills available only to a particular user, and / or other discovery), unlocking (e.g., through purchase), achievements (e.g., quest rewards, item drops for boss kills, other PvE activities), and / or other means of acquisition.

[0063] Tailoring user matching may include more accurately matching users to social situations, competitive situations, and / or other situations. Tailoring user matching to competitive environments may further accommodate various competitive styles. Competitive styles may include individual races, team battles, team races, friendly competition, highly competitive competition, and / or other competitive styles.

[0064] Adapting harmful user detection may include adapting which individual users or types of users based on their corresponding groups and / or cohorts may be detected and displayed as harmful (e.g., offensive, harmful, dangerous) to a particular user and / or the online game as a whole.

[0065] Adapting the online game may include one or more modifications of the appearance, aesthetics, and / or other user interface presentation of the online game. By way of non-limiting example, the user interface presentation may include one or more of color, layout, scenery, animation, font, font size, shape, user interface elements, and / or other user interface presentation. The user interface elements may be configured to facilitate user interaction with the user interface, user entry, and / or selection. By way of non-limiting example, the user interface elements may include one or more of text entry fields, drop-down menus, check boxes, display windows, virtual buttons, and / or other user interface elements.

[0066] In some implementations, online gaming adaptations may be made for individual users without grouping the individual users into clusters and / or cohorts, and thus such adaptations may be specific to a particular user.

[0067] In some implementations, the utilization component 114 may be configured to assign each non-listed user to a respective cohort. The assignment may be based on the individual non-listed user's execution of the user behavior pattern, the determined correlation, and / or other information. A user exhibiting a user behavior pattern in an online game may include a non-listed user. The non-listed user may not have provided description information to determine psychological parameter values ​​associated with the user. Thus, the non-listed user may not have a psychological profile defined by the psychological parameter values. By way of non-limiting example, the non-listed user may include a second user. The second user may be assigned to the first cohort based on a second execution of a second pattern by the second user and the first correlation.

[0068] In some implementations, upon assignment of each unlisted user to a respective cohort, the information component 110 may be configured to obtain performance information characterizing the performance of user behavior patterns by the respective unlisted user. In some implementations, the utilization component 114 may be configured to implement the information component 110 to perform such obtaining upon assignment of each unlisted user to a respective cohort. The correlation determination (by correlation component 112) may be based on the performance of the captured user behavior patterns by the individual non-listed users. In some implementations, the correlation determination may be based on the performance of the captured user behavior patterns by the individual non-listed users and / or the captured performance of the user behavior patterns by the individual users who provided the listed information, including a second performance.

[0069] By way of non-limiting example, upon assignment of a second user to the first cohort, a second execution may be obtained and a correlation determination may be based on the second execution, the first execution, and / or other executions of user behavior patterns by individual users within the online game.

[0070] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary implementation for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. FIG. 3 illustrates a cohort 300. The cohort 300 includes users 302a, 302b, and 302c. The users 302a, 302b, and 302c are associated with psychological profiles (e.g., profile 1, profile 2, and profile 3, respectively) that define the users' psychological parameter values. The users 302a, 302b, and 302c may perform user behavior patterns in the online game. For example, the user 302a may perform behavior W and behavior X, the user 302b may perform behavior X and behavior Y, and the user 302c may perform behavior X and behavior Z. Based on the assignment of the users 302a, 302b, and 302c to the cohort 300, the user behavior patterns, and the commonalities (e.g., parameter A) in the psychological profiles, a correlation 304 between parameter A and behavior X may be determined.

[0071] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary implementation for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. FIG. 4 illustrates a utilization implementation 400. The utilization implementation 400 may include an unlisted user 402 who performed a user behavior pattern (e.g., behavior W and behavior X). The unlisted user 402 may not have a psychological profile defined by psychological parameter values. Upon obtaining the user behavior pattern of the user 304 and the determined correlation (e.g., correlation 304 between behavior X and parameter A in FIG. 3), the user 402 may be assigned to a cohort 300 (in FIG. 3) with users 302a, 302b, and 302c. The correlation 304 may indicate that the user 402 and users 302a, 302b, and 302c may have commonalities between psychological attributes (e.g., parameter A), and thus the user 402 may be assigned to the cohort 300 and / or best fit the cohort 300.

[0072] In some implementations, the server 102, the client computing platforms 104, the game server 132, and / or the external resources 126 may be operatively linked via one or more electronic communications links. For example, such electronic communications links may be established, at least in part, via a network, such as the Internet and / or other networks. It will be understood that this is not intended to be limiting, and that the scope of the present disclosure includes implementations in which the server 102, the client computing platforms 104, the game server 132, and / or the external resources 126 may be operatively linked via some other communications medium.

[0073] A given client computing platform 104 may include one or more processors configured to execute computer program components to enable a professional or user associated with a given client computing platform 104 to interface with the system 100 and / or external resources 126 and / or to provide other functionality attributed to the client computing platform 104 herein. By way of non-limiting example, a given client computing platform 104 may include one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computing platform, a netbook, a smartphone, a game console, and / or other computing platform.

[0074] The external resources 126 may include information sources external to the system 100, external entities participating with the system 100, and / or other resources. In some implementations, some or all of the functionality attributed to the external resources 126 herein may be provided by resources included in the system 100.

[0075] The server 102 may include electronic storage 128, one or more processors 130, and / or other components. The server 102 may include communication lines or ports to enable exchange of information with a network and / or other computing platforms. The illustration of the server 102 in FIG. 1 is not intended to be limiting. The server 102 may include multiple hardware, software, and / or firmware components that work together to provide the functionality attributed to the server 102 herein. For example, the server 102 may be implemented by a cloud of computing platforms that work together as the server 102.

[0076] The electronic storage 128 may comprise a non-transitory storage medium that electronically stores information. The electronic storage medium of the electronic storage 128 may include one or both of a system storage device provided integrally with the server 102 (i.e., substantially non-removable) and / or a removable storage device that is removably connectable to the server 102, for example, via a port (e.g., USB port, Firewire port, etc.) or drive (e.g., disk drive, etc.). The electronic storage 128 may include one or more of an optically readable storage medium (e.g., optical disk, etc.), a magnetically readable storage medium (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), a charge-based storage medium (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), a solid-state storage medium (e.g., flash drive, etc.), and / or other electronically readable storage medium. The electronic storage 128 may include one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., cloud storage, virtual private networks, and / or other virtual storage resources). The electronic storage device 128 may store software algorithms, information determined by the processor 130, information received from the server 102, information received from the client computing platforms 104, information determined by the processor 120, information received from the game server 132, and / or other information that enables the server 102 to function as described herein.

[0077] The processor 130 may be configured to provide information processing capabilities within the server 102. Thus, the processor 130 may include one or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. Although the processor 130 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a separate, single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In some implementations, the processor 130 may include multiple processing units. These processing units may be physically located within the same device, or the processor 130 may represent the processing functionality of multiple devices operating in concert. The processor 130 may be configured to execute the components 110, 112, and / or 114, and / or other components. The processor 130 may execute the components 110, 112, and / or 114, and / or other components in a manner that is consistent with the software, hardware, firmware, software, hardware, or other hardware components. , and / or some combination of firmware, and / or other mechanisms for configuring processing power on processor 130. As used herein, the term "component" may refer to any component or set of components that performs the functionality ascribed to the component. This may include one or more physical processors in execution of processor-readable instructions, processor-readable instructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any other component.

[0078] Although components 110, 112, and / or 114 are shown in FIG. 1 as being implemented within a single processing unit, it should be understood that in implementations in which processor 130 includes multiple processing units, one or more of components 110, 112, and / or 114 may be implemented separately from the other components. The description of the functionality provided by different components 110, 112, and / or 114 described below is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting, as any of components 110, 112, and / or 114 may provide more or less functionality than described. For example, one or more of components 110, 112, and / or 114 may be omitted and some or all of its functionality may be provided by other of components 110, 112, and / or 114. As another example, processor 130 may be configured to execute one or more additional components that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed below to one of components 110, 112, and / or 114.

[0079] The game server 132 may include one or more processors 120, electronic storage, and / or other components. The game server 132 may include communication lines or ports to enable information exchange with a network and / or other computing platforms. The illustration of the game server 132 in FIG. 1 is not intended to be limiting. The game server 132 may include multiple hardware, software, and / or firmware components that operate together to provide the functionality attributed to the game server 132 herein. For example, the game server 132 may be implemented by a cloud of computing platforms that operate together as the game server 132.

[0080] In some implementations, the game server 132 may include electronic storage similar to the electronic storage 128 that may store software algorithms, information determined by the processor 130, information received from the server 102, information received from the client computing platform 104, information determined by the processor 120, information received from the game server 132, and / or other information that enables the game server 132 to function as described herein.

[0081] The processor 120 may be configured to provide information processing capabilities within the game server 132. Thus, the processor 120 may include one or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. Although the processor 120 is shown in FIG. 1 as a separate, single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In some implementations, the processor 120 may include multiple processing units. These processing units may be physically located within the same device, or the processor 120 may represent the processing functionality of multiple devices operating in concert. The processor 120 may be configured to execute the component 108 and / or other components (e.g., components 110, 112, and / or 114). The processor 120 may execute the component 108 and / or other components as software, hardware, firmware, any combination of software, hardware, and / or firmware, and / or processors. may be configured to run via other mechanisms for configuring the processing power on the processor 120.

[0082] It should be understood that the description of the functionality provided by component 108 set forth below is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting, as component 108 may provide more or less functionality than is described.

[0083] In some implementations, some or all of the functionality of one or more of components 108, 110, 112, and / or 114 may reside in the server 102, the game server 132, may be shared between both the server 102 and the game server 132, may be implemented between servers or sub-servers, and / or variations thereof.

[0084] For example, some or all of the functionality of component 108 may be provided by other of components 110, 112, and / or 114 of server 102, or may be performed by server 102 as opposed to game server 132. As another example, processor 120 may be configured to execute one or more additional components that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed below to one of components 108, 110, 112, and / or 114.

[0085] 2 illustrates a method 200 for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of the user behavior patterns, according to one or more implementations. The operations of method 200 presented below are intended to be exemplary. In some implementations, method 200 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and / or without one or more of the operations described. Additionally, the order in which the operations of method 200 are illustrated in FIG. 2 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

[0086] In some implementations, method 200 may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., digital processors, analog processors, digital circuits designed to process information, analog circuits designed to process information, state machines, and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices that perform some or all of the operations of method 200 in response to instructions electronically stored on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured through hardware, firmware, and / or software as specifically designed for performing one or more of the operations of method 200.

[0087] Operation 202 may include storing information associated with individual users, including user information, in electronic storage. Operation 202 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured with machine-readable instructions, including components the same as or similar to electronic storage 128 and information component 110, according to one or more implementations.

[0088] Operation 204 may include obtaining execution information characterizing the execution of user behavior patterns by individual users in the online game. The client computing platform may be associated with the user. Operation 204 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured with machine-readable instructions, including components the same as or similar to information component 110, according to one or more implementations.

[0089] Act 206 may include determining a correlation between respective ones of the executions of the user behavior patterns and respective ones of the psychological parameters. The determination may be based on the obtained user behavior patterns, the assignment of users to cohorts, and the psychological parameters of users within respective cohorts. The operation 206 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured with machine-readable instructions, including components the same as or similar to the correlation component 112, according to one or more implementations.

[0090] Although the present technology has been described in detail for illustrative purposes based on what are presently believed to be the most practical and preferred implementations, it should be understood that such detail is for this purpose only, and that the technology is not limited to the disclosed implementations, but on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it should be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any implementation can be combined with one or more features of any other implementation.

Claims

1. 1. A system configured to correlate user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of said user behavior patterns, comprising: an electronic storage device configured to store information associated with an individual user, the user information including user information, the user information including assignment of the individual user to an individual one of different user cohorts, the different cohorts being associated with different psychological profiles, a given psychological profile being defined by a plurality of psychological parameter values, the user being assigned to the different cohorts based on the psychological parameter values ​​of the individual user determined based on descriptive information provided by the user, the user information including user information of a first user including assignment of the first user to a first cohort based on a first psychological profile of the first user determined based on descriptive information previously provided by the first user, the psychological profile of the user assigned to the first cohort exhibiting a strong expression of a first psychological parameter; One or more processors configured with machine-readable instructions, obtaining execution information characterizing a performance of a user behavior pattern by the individual users in the online game, the individual execution of the user behavior pattern including a first execution of a first pattern by the first user and other users assigned to the first cohort; determining a correlation between respective ones of the executions of the user behavior patterns and respective ones of the psychological parameters based on commonalities in the obtained user behavior patterns, the assignment of the users to the cohorts, and the psychological profiles of the users within the respective cohorts, such that a first correlation is determined between the first execution of the first pattern and the first psychological parameter based on relatively frequent execution of the first execution by the users assigned to the first cohort and the psychological profiles of the users assigned to the first cohort showing a strong expression of the first psychological parameter; and one or more processors configured to: adapt an online game for the individual user based on the determined correlation, such that a first adaptation of the online game is made for the users of the first cohort that includes the first user.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first adaptation includes one or more of: recommendations, suggestions, adjusted difficulty settings, game content made available, omission of game content, communication means, communications, offers to sell one or more virtual items made available, adjustment of offers to sell one or more virtual items, matching a user to a particular situation, detecting harmful users, and / or adjusted presentation of a user interface.

3. The one or more processors:

2. The system of claim 1, further configured to assign individual non-listed users to individual cohorts based on their performance of user behavior patterns and the determined correlation, the non-listed users having not provided listed information and therefore not having a psychological profile defined by psychological parameter values, the non-listed users including a second user, the second user being assigned to the first cohort based on a second performance of a second pattern by the second user and the first correlation.

4. The one or more processors: In assigning each of the unlisted users to each of the cohorts, and acquiring the execution information characterizing an execution of a user behavior pattern by a second user, such that upon assignment of the second user to the first cohort, the second execution is acquired; The system of claim 3 , wherein the determination of the correlation is based on a performance of the obtained user behavior patterns by the individual unlisted users, the performance including the second performance.

5. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user behavior patterns include actions performed by the user, the user behavior patterns including individual actions, sets of actions, ordered sets of actions, and / or more of the individual actions, the sets of actions, and the ordered sets of actions.

6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the actions include one or more of: buying, selling, trading, selection of a user interface element, time spent on a particular user interface, time of the online game session, immersion in virtual content, the user's communication with a particular user, completion of a task by the user, incompletion of a task by the user, failure of a task by the user, frequent interaction of the user with content, and / or formation of an alliance by the user.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first psychological profile is included in the user information of the first user.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the description information includes a set of answers to questions regarding psychological attributes, and the description information previously provided by the first user is included in the user information of the first user.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relatively frequent performance of the first execution by the users assigned to the first cohort is performed more frequently than other user behavior patterns.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the other user behavior patterns include a second pattern performed by the users assigned to the first cohort.

11. 1. A method for correlating user behavior patterns in an online game with psychological user attributes indicative of said user behavior patterns, comprising: storing, in an electronic storage device, information associated with an individual user, including user information, the user information including assignment of the individual user to an individual one of different user cohorts, the different cohorts being associated with different psychological profiles, a given psychological profile being defined by a plurality of psychological parameter values, the user being assigned to the different cohorts based on the psychological parameter values ​​of the individual user determined based on descriptive information provided by the user, the user information including user information of a first user including assignment of the first user to a first cohort based on a first psychological profile of the first user determined based on descriptive information previously provided by the first user, the psychological profile of the user assigned to the first cohort exhibiting a strong expression of a first psychological parameter; obtaining execution information characterizing a performance of a user behavior pattern by the individual users in the online game, the individual execution of the user behavior pattern including a first execution of a first pattern by the first user and other users assigned to the first cohort; The obtained user behavior patterns, the assignment of the user to the cohort, and determining a correlation between respective ones of the executions of the user behavioral pattern and respective ones of the psychological parameters based on commonalities in the psychological profiles of the users within the respective cohorts, such that a first correlation is determined between the first execution of the first pattern and the first psychological parameter based on relatively frequent execution of the first execution by the users assigned to the first cohort and the psychological profiles of the users assigned to the first cohort showing a strong expression of the first psychological parameter; and adapting the online game for the individual user based on the determined correlation, such that a first adaptation of the online game is made for the users of the first cohort that includes the first user.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning individual non-listed users to individual cohorts based on their performance of user behavior patterns and the determined correlation, the non-listed users having not provided listed information and therefore not having a psychological profile defined by psychological parameter values, the non-listed users including a second user, the second user being assigned to the first cohort based on a second performance of a second pattern by the second user and the first correlation.

13. and acquiring, upon assignment of the respective non-listed user to the respective cohort, the performance information characterizing a performance of a user behavior pattern by the respective non-listed user, such that, upon assignment of the second user to the first cohort, the second performance is acquired; The method of claim 12 , wherein the determination of the correlation is based on a performance of the obtained user behavior patterns by the individual unlisted users, the performance including the second performance.

14. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user behavior pattern includes actions performed by the user, the user behavior pattern including individual actions, a set of actions, an ordered set of actions, and / or more of the individual actions, the set of actions, and the ordered set of actions.

15. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the relatively frequent execution of the first pattern by the users assigned to the first cohort is performed more frequently than a second pattern executed by the users assigned to the first cohort.

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