User-specific advertising in virtual space

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the presenting system and method provide a system and method for presenting user-specific advertising material in response to digital triggers in a digital environment. The presenting method includes presenting a virtual environment to a user, where the user exists in the virtual environment as an avatar capable of activating one or more digital triggers. A landmark is embedded in the virtual environment. The landmark is communicatively connected to a server and capable of presenting user-specific advertising material upon activation of one or more digital triggers. Upon activation of a digital trigger by the user within the virtual environment, at least one advertising material is displayed via the landmark in response to the digital trigger, such that the advertising material is viewable by the user upon activation of the digital trigger.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to advertising, and more particularly, to systems and methods for providing dynamic advertising within a virtual environment. [Background technology]

[0002] Any reference to prior art methods, devices, or documents should not be construed as constituting any evidence or admission that they form or form part of the common general knowledge.

[0003] Activities involving virtual environments such as video games are becoming more commonplace, even over other forms of media such as print media, movies, radio, and video. Thus, there is a constantly growing disconnect between the number of people advertising companies want to target and the number of people advertisers can effectively target using traditional methods. Many individuals are watching less broadcast television (previously a great medium for targeting young people with disposable income) in favor of media streaming such as Netflix®, while at the same time newspaper circulation is rapidly declining (previously a useful medium for targeting relatively affluent older people). Furthermore, more of the general public is looking for ways to avoid being targeted by advertisements, which also impacts industries that depend on advertising revenue to exist and generate profits.

[0004] For example, one attractive advertising target group that is growing in age and income demographics is computer gamers. Not only is the target group growing in number, but the amount of time spent gaming each day is also increasing, and these hours are often replacing time spent on traditional media devices such as television. Furthermore, as older gamers with disposable income spend more time gaming, advertisers are left with fewer options to target key demographics, and gamers are becoming more sensitive to intrusive and blatant game advertising that affects their gameplay progression.

[0005] For computer game developers and publishers, they are currently faced with the challenge of monetizing their computer games without compromising the gaming experience and turning off customers. In the early days of computer gaming, individual games were purchased by users for use on their own devices in their own homes, and game developers could count on a revenue stream based on the sale of the game and the necessary devices. However, there is now a shift to game development and distribution based on a SaaS business model, which means that more games are free to use, and developers and publishers are monetizing games through other means, which sometimes border on gambling (such as fighting over game currency). Many of these means are met with rejection from the gaming community, with a proliferation of players who are infuriated by game developers' demands for payment for game progression and strategic content within the game.

[0006] In addition to this, the ability of new, young and / or independent game developers to create games is nearly impossible without monetization rights to support their growth and development. This leads to a monopoly by larger game development companies that have the resources to develop games, which also limits the number of games available. New forms of revenue, such as simple and fair in-game advertising systems, allow independent developers to create passive revenue streams, allowing them to build the games they want and increase the number of games available.

[0007] It would be both practically and commercially attractive to provide a means for game developers to create computer games that have built-in functionality for displaying advertising material during game play, functionality that could enable the generation of advertisements for the game developer / publisher as the game is being played, whether or not the game is played for free.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate the above-noted shortcomings of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative. DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Thus, in a first aspect of the present invention, a system and method are provided for presenting user-specific advertising material in a digital environment. The digital environment may include a virtual environment, including but not limited to a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, a computer game, a simulated environment, and the like. In some embodiments, the user-specific advertising material is presented to a user, such as a player in a game, in response to a digital trigger, which includes embedding an object in the virtual environment, including a display screen containing the advertising material. A non-limiting example of a digital trigger may include geolocation. The digital trigger may be generated by the system. For example, a digital trigger generated by the system may include a pre-set time for presenting an advertisement. In some embodiments, the digital trigger may be based on input from a user. For example, a trigger based on user input may include when a user presses a key on a keypad during a game or when a user turns left in a computer game, at which time advertising material is presented. In some embodiments, a user may exist in the virtual environment as an avatar capable of activating the digital trigger, and the advertising material may be presented to the user when the digital trigger is activated. The object is communicatively connected to a server. In some embodiments, a user's avatar may be a character in a computer game or virtual environment.

[0010] In some embodiments, the objects may include, but are not limited to, images, views, sounds (music), and motions such as still images, video, or audio advertisements. A virtual environment may be any environment that is created by a computer or other medium and in which a user has a presence within the environment, such as an augmented reality environment. A virtual environment may include a digital environment. In general, a virtual environment may be any environment that can be experienced by a user, such as a virtual environment that is part of the environment (e.g., in an AR environment) or an avatar that represents the user (e.g., in a VR environment or a computer game). A virtual environment may exist as a two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D), or stereoscopic 3D environment. In general, a 2D virtual environment is substantially flat from the user's perspective (i.e., the user sees a cross-section of the 2D virtual environment), while a 3D virtual environment appears to have depth when viewed from the user's perspective, allowing the user to view the virtual environment in a range of perspectives. In one embodiment, the virtual environment may be a simulated environment.

[0011] A virtual environment may be virtual reality or augmented reality. Virtual reality means any artificial, computer-generated, simulated or reconstructed environment or situation (either extracted from the real world or imaginary) designed to enhance the user's sense of being present in the situation through immersion, where human presence is simulated in the visual environment and the virtual reality replaces the user's field of view. Augmented reality means an artificial, computer-generated superimposition of computer-generated images (virtual images) onto the user's real-world view, thereby adding to the user's field of view.

[0012] ]It will be understood that the virtual environment as seen by the user may be interpreted / perceived by the user as being 2D and / or 3D, although the user will generally view the virtual environment through a two-dimensional medium (i.e., some form of screen).

[0013] Virtual environments may be created for purposes of business, education, guidance, health, entertainment, athletics, performing arts, or combinations thereof. Although the virtual environment is viewed by a user on a digital medium or device, it will be understood that the virtual environment may be animated (fully or partially), contain graphics, computer generated imagery (CGI), or be based on real-world (i.e., filmed) footage or photographs. Examples of virtual environments that may be used in the methods of the present invention include, for example, virtual home tours, travel / walking / driving directions, virtual educational training instruction, and computer games. The virtual environment may be an imaginary environment created by graphics / animation / CGI, a real-world environment reconstructed using graphics / animation / CGI (and possibly supplemented with real-world footage), a substantially real-world environment, or a real-world environment supplemented by graphics / animation / CGI.

[0014] A user is the subject of advertising material visualized in the virtual environment, where the user is manifested as an avatar. In some embodiments, the user's avatar may be a character in a computer game or virtual environment. The advertising material is user-specific, meaning that the advertising material viewable by any particular user is personalized according to one or more factors, such as, but not limited to, location, age, gender, purchase history, browsing history, choice of virtual environment or avatar (if applicable), additional information voluntarily provided by the user, and / or a combination thereof.

[0015] An avatar is merely intended to be an object or entity (i.e., a "person") in a virtual environment that appears in the virtual environment and / or participates in the virtual environment on behalf of the user and can activate digital triggers. In some embodiments, the user's avatar may be a character in a computer game or virtual environment. The avatar may assume any number of roles or positions in the virtual environment and may have different appearances at any time as long as the user has some perspective in the virtual environment. The user's experience through the avatar may be one in which the user can see any view, and the view the user gets may depend on whether the virtual environment is a 2D or 3D environment.

[0016] Generally, the view available to a user in a 2D virtual environment is fixed, where the user has a third-person view of the virtual environment, such that the user can see a cross-section of the virtual environment (i.e., a side view or a top-down view). The view available in a 3D virtual environment can vary considerably, and includes, but is not limited to, a first-person view, a third-person view, an aerial (top-down) view, a content-dependent view, and / or combinations thereof.

[0017] A user may effectively assume the role of an avatar (real or fictional, or even themselves) in a virtual environment. For example, in an augmented reality virtual environment, the user may be effectively an avatar viewing the virtual environment from a personal perspective, and may be extended in the virtual environment as part of the virtual environment.

[0018] An avatar may be an inanimate object in a virtual environment, where the avatar is an attachment to the virtual environment to allow a user to view or experience the virtual environment in a particular perspective. For example, an avatar may be an object in the virtual environment or a real or virtual camera that moves relative to the object, thereby providing a third-person view of the 2D or 3D virtual environment. In some embodiments, an avatar may be a character selected by a user to be part of the virtual environment.

[0019] The user may have a first-person perspective of the virtual environment, which is similar to a user viewing an image captured by a virtual or real front-facing camera attached to an avatar in a 3D virtual environment (i.e., the avatar is the virtual camera's real thing). Alternatively, the user may be provided with a third-person perspective of the 3D virtual environment, where the user typically sees a front-side, rear-side, or side-side view of the avatar in the virtual environment. The user may also view the avatar in a top-down view in a 2D or 3D virtual environment, or in a side view in a 2D virtual view.

[0020] As can be seen from the above examples, and for purposes of the present invention, an avatar may be considered similar to an object or creature in a virtual environment, and / or a virtual or real camera filming a user's avatar in the virtual environment, and / or filming a virtual or real camera while attached to the user's avatar in the virtual environment. It will be understood that by directing the movement of the avatar in the virtual environment, the user can direct the movement of a virtual or real camera, and vice versa.

[0021] For example, in an embodiment of the invention where the virtual environment is an animated model of a known tourist attraction, the avatar may be effectively the user and the user's view may be a first-person view, where the user is essentially viewing footage taken from a virtual camera at or near the person's head (simulating an eye-level position). In another example where the virtual environment is based on a real-world driving route, the avatar may be a car and the user's view may be a top-down view of the car moving along the route, where the user is essentially viewing footage taken by a virtual drone camera following the car. In a further example where the virtual environment is within a computer game, the avatar may be a character within a 2D or 3D computer game and the user's view may be a first-person view, where the user is essentially viewing footage taken from a virtual camera at or near the head of the player or character within the computer game.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the virtual environment is within a computer game, which is a game played using a computer where a user interacts with on-screen objects for entertainment and / or competition. The user is the player of the game, and the user's avatar is the character in the game whose movements and activities are directed by the user. The virtual environment of the computer game may be a 2D or 3D environment.

[0023] In embodiments of the invention where the virtual environment is a computer game, the user's avatar may be a character or participant or object in the game (which may be a car, bike, gun, robot, etc.), and the avatar may also be a virtual game "camera" controlled by the user (i.e., the user sees a view captured by the game camera as opposed to a view seen by the "eyes" of the game character), or the like. In 2D games, the game camera generally has a fixed view, and the user can view the virtual environment in one plane of the XY axis, with left-right and up-down and combinations of movement. In 3D games, the user can use arbitrary camera movements in the X, Y and Z axes to view the virtual environment, and position the camera to view the virtual environment from all sides.

[0024] Computer games may be browser games, where the computer games are played over the World Wide Web using a web browser, and they are often free and do not require a user account (i.e. providing user details) to play.

[0025] The computer game may be a personal computer (PC) game, which may be one that can be played without the World Wide Web (although online play is also possible), requires software and hardware to facilitate gameplay, such as graphics, sound cards and / or processors, and is played using a personal computer. Other gaming devices that may be used to play computer games in the methods of the present disclosure include mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and control devices manufactured by companies such as PlayStation, Nintendo, and XBOX. Generally, games that rely on PCs and control devices require a user account for the user to play the game. Non-limiting examples of user accounts include Xbox Live, Steam, PSN, Epic Games, UPlay, and Origin.

[0026] It will be understood that various types of computer game devices may be web-based, but whether or not the computer game is played over the World Wide Web, a computer game device (game device) for use with the methods of the present disclosure will generally require a communications network that allows at least a connection to a game server for the particular computer game being played by the user, which game server will generally include a collection of databases that store information related to the playing of the game. In an embodiment of the present invention, the virtual environment is a PC device-based 3D computer game, connected to the game server over the Internet, and the user must have a user account to participate.

[0027] Objects are typically embedded in the virtual environment as it is constructed. It will be understood that the object comprises a collection of code for performing various processes / tasks / roles within the virtual environment and for communicating / connecting with components outside the virtual environment as required for the method of the present disclosure to function. For all intents and purposes, once embedded, the object will continue to exist in the virtual environment, but will only be seen by the user when the avatar is in a position that allows the portion of the virtual environment in which the object exists to be seen. In an embodiment of the present invention, the object is visible in the virtual environment in which it exists, provided that the object is within the field of view of the user, but the user will only be able to see the display objects and / or advertising materials when the avatar activates a digital trigger. In other embodiments, the object may be present or presented or displayed in the portion of the virtual environment viewed by the user, but not seen, as the object is only seen and heard by the user along with the display objects and advertising materials when the avatar activates a digital trigger. Advertising materials may include images, music, video, and the like.

[0028] The virtual environment may include one or more landmarks. The landmarks may be anything in the virtual environment that can assist in the display of advertising material. The landmarks may be viewed as 2D or 3D objects in either a 2D or 3D virtual environment. The landmarks in the virtual environment may be native objects that have no or limited impact on the virtual environment, such as tiles, prisms, or any 2D or 3D shapes with flat surfaces for displaying advertising material (such as billboard / poster-like objects). In these embodiments, the landmarks are effectively canvases for presenting advertising material, which may be suspended in the virtual environment or attached to something in the virtual environment. In these embodiments, the landmarks are generally not visible to the user until a digital trigger is activated and the advertising material becomes visible. For example, the landmarks may be flat tiles in a computer game for presenting only advertising material, which is only visible when a digital trigger is activated. The presented advertising material may be images, music, video, or a combination thereof, with or without a sound component.

[0029] The landmark has a surface or feature that can be used to present advertising material when a digital trigger is activated. As non-limiting examples, the landmark may be a portion of a road, building, door, planet, combatant, body of water, creature, animal, or obstacle in a virtual environment that can display advertising material and also serves the purpose and function of the object. In these embodiments, the landmark will generally be presented or visible to the user if it is within the field of view of the virtual environment the user is viewing, but advertising material will only be presented or displayed when a digital trigger is activated. For example, the landmark may be a portion of a road that the user's avatar is traversing, the entire length of the road is visible, but advertising material on the road is only visible when the avatar reaches the portion of the road that constitutes the landmark. In some embodiments, advertising material may be presented without a digital trigger. The digital trigger may be system generated or based on user input.

[0030] In some embodiments, the virtual environment may include a computer game and the objectives may be embedded in the gameplay or may be a primary component of the game footage, for example, the objectives may be objects that an avatar is searching for or enemies that the avatar is attempting to defeat, and successful discovery of the objective or defeat of the enemy may activate a digital trigger such that advertising material is presented or displayed to the user.

[0031] In some embodiments, the virtual environment may exist within a computer game, and the objectives will be incorporated into the computer game while the game is being built by the game engine. "Game Engine" means the architecture used by game developers to build (and run) computer games. Non-limiting examples of game engines include commercially available engines such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Gamemaker, Gadot, AppGameKit, CryEngine, Amazon Fumberyard, RPG Maker, LibGDX, Urho3D, and / or other proprietary / home-made game engines used by game development studios and individual game developers.

[0032] In some embodiments, the virtual environment is within a computer game, and the objectives are embedded as the game is being built through plugins (packaged collections of code designed to perform a set of tasks) that can be selected by the game builder. Generally, a plugin is a selectable feature / resource / component that is added to the game (somewhere within the game) that not only generates the objective in the virtual environment, but also provides the required functionality of the objective. In some embodiments, the plugin is a software development kit (SDK).

[0033] The functionality of the object includes the ability of the object to communicate with one or more servers, which may be game servers (if the virtual environment is a computer game) and / or external servers. The servers include one or more databases that store information related to actions in the virtual environment (e.g., game play), user information, and advertising material, each of the servers being connected to the virtual environment via a communications network.

[0034] User information may be any information collected or obtained from a user with the user's assistance or knowledge, or through legal means of obtaining information from a user participating in a virtual environment. User information may be extracted from an IP address, which may include the user's location coordinates. User information may be extracted from a user account or subscription / purchase agreement, and may include age, gender, marital status, email address, ethnicity, product preferences, etc. User-specific advertising materials may thus be categorized according to any of the available user information. "Specific" means that the advertising materials are deemed appropriate or welcome to the particular user, or "type," of user, to which they are targeted. As non-limiting examples, some advertising materials may be targeted to female, 20-30 year old, Southern Hemisphere residents, or some advertising materials may be targeted to female, married, users with a history of online travel purchases, or some advertising materials may be targeted to male, 20-50 year old, users with UK email addresses, or some advertising materials may be targeted to users 40-65 year old, from Russia, and single, etc.

[0035] The functionality of the landmark includes the ability for the landmark to determine whether the user's avatar activates a digital trigger. The digital trigger may be activated by any means, but is generally related to the proximity of the avatar to the landmark in the virtual environment. Specifically, the trigger is activated by the avatar entering an activation area around the landmark. Depending on what the avatar is and / or the view of the virtual environment the user is looking at, "entering" the activation area may mean different things. For example, in some embodiments, the user has a third-person view of the virtual environment, the avatar is a person or vehicle exploring the virtual environment, and the digital trigger is generally activated when the vehicle or person enters the activation area. However, in other embodiments where the user has a first-person view of the virtual environment, the avatar is a virtual or real camera providing a view of the virtual environment, and this camera must be considered to have entered the activation area. The activation area may be a 2D plane in a 2D virtual environment, or a 3D space in a 2D or 3D virtual environment. The avatar and / or camera do not have to be facing (ie, looking at) or engaging with a target for advertising material to be presented or displayed.

[0036] In some embodiments, the virtual environment is in a VR environment, an AR environment, a digital environment, and a computer game. The activation area function is due to collider software associated with an object in the virtual environment, which function forms part of a plug-in used to embed the object in the virtual environment. A collider (also called a trigger collider) refers to an invisible element that defines an area to indicate the shape or boundary of an object, which constitutes a collision with the object when the avatar enters the area. In general, a collider is a trigger collider in that the collider does not behave as a solid object, but rather allows the avatar to pass through space. For the purposes of describing this disclosure, a "collision" refers to the activation of a digital trigger to display advertising material on a target object. In some embodiments, both the target object and the boundary of the activation area are invisible prior to activation. A collider may be a basic type of collider, such as a box collider, a sphere collider, a capsule collider, or a 2D square collider or a 2D circle collider, and / or a combination thereof (i.e., a compound collider). Display of the advertising material is activated by the avatar entering (ie, having a collision with) the activation area.

[0037] In some embodiments, for geolocation triggers and AR environments, colliders behave similarly to how colliders behave in computer games, being triggered by location information and able to trigger targets via virtual or AR means.

[0038] The functionality of the objectives also includes the ability for the objectives to measure user (avatar or, if appropriate, real or virtual camera) engagement with the advertising material in order to monetize the provision of advertising material within the virtual environment. In this case, advertisers may be charged an amount proportional to the user's engagement with the advertising material for displaying advertising material within the virtual environment. "Engagement" means any detectable acknowledgment by a user to the advertising material, and means not only a reaction to the advertising material, such as by clicking or other user control input, but also an actual, recognized or assumed response. Furthermore, user engagement includes one or more responses via user control inputs. Metrics that can be used to quantify engagement include, but are not limited to, time spent in an activation area, time spent viewing / facing the advertising material, proximity to the advertising material, reaction to the advertising material or objectives with the advertising material, percentage of the advertising material viewed by the user, number of activations of digital triggers, and / or number of views of the advertising material. User engagement may be measured from activation of a digital trigger to the time when no more advertising material is displayed. Alternatively, user engagement may be measured at specific points during the presentation or display of the advertising material, or for a set period of time during the presentation or display of the advertising material. The metrics may be collated by any suitable means to score engagement with the advertising material or provide a monetary value that can be charged to the advertiser provider.

[0039] The disclosed system may be configured to facilitate collection of user information, for example from user accounts, game servers and / or IP addresses, and transfer of the user information to a server connected to the target via a communications network that stores the user information in one or more databases and processes the user details to select appropriate advertising material for the user (i.e., user specific advertising material). The system may facilitate transfer of user specific advertising material for display in the virtual environment, whereby the advertising material is stored in one or more databases on a server to which the target is connected via a communications network. Additionally, the system may facilitate collection of engagement information for presented advertising material and transfer of the engagement information to one or more databases on a server to which the target is connected via a communications network.

[0040] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for presenting user-specific advertising material in a virtual environment. The method includes presenting, by a presentation module, the virtual environment to a user. In some embodiments, the user is present in the virtual environment as an avatar capable of activating one or more digital triggers. The method also includes embedding, by an advertising module, a landmark in the virtual environment, the landmark communicatively connected to a server, such that the landmark is capable of presenting the user-specific advertising material. In some embodiments, the user-specific advertising material is presented upon activation of one or more digital triggers. The digital triggers may be system-activated or may be activated based on input from a user. Non-limiting examples of digital triggers may include geolocation. The method further includes determining, by the advertising module, the presence or absence of a digital trigger in the virtual environment. The method further includes presenting, by the presentation module, at least one advertising material via an object based on the digital trigger, the advertising material being seen or heard by a user when the digital trigger is activated.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method further includes presenting, by the presentation module, at least one advertising material via the object in response to the digital trigger.

[0042] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes enabling, by the presentation module, a user activation of one or more digital triggers, which may be activated when the avatar is within an activation area for the object, where both the object and the advertising materials are displayed or presented only when the digital trigger is activated, and further, where the object and the advertising materials are rendered live at run time, are completely native, and do not degrade the user experience, and where the digital triggers include system generated triggers and user input based triggers.

[0043] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the digital trigger is activated when the avatar is within an activation area for a target, which may include at least one of an image, music, and video.

[0044] In some embodiments, both the objectives and the advertising materials are presented or displayed only upon activation of a digital trigger, while in alternative embodiments, the objectives and / or advertising materials may be presented without activation of one or more digital triggers.

[0045] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the objectives and advertising materials are rendered live at run time and are completely native, ensuring no degradation of the user experience.

[0046] In some embodiments, the advertising material may include at least one of music, video, and images. A user may be able to view the advertising material, or may listen to the advertising material.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes quantifying, by a user engagement module, user engagement with the objective, where the quantification includes quantifying an engagement of the user's avatar with the objective. The engagement or user engagement may include one or more responses of the user to the advertising material via user control inputs.

[0048] The method further comprises: · Creating landmarks and loading advertising materials, including still images, videos, music, etc. Loading of single / multiple images from an external database (so there is no need to store files locally on the system) It may include.

[0049] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the quantification of user engagement is based on at least one of the following: The period during which the avatar remains within the activation area of ​​said object The position of the avatar relative to the landmark while the avatar remains within the landmark's activation area · Reaction time to a target for the period the avatar remains within the target's activation area

[0050] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes charging, by a payment module, a fee from an advertiser of the advertising material, the fee being proportional to the quantity and quality of user engagement with the object within the validation area.

[0051] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the virtual environment is present in a computer game, and further, the user's avatar is a character within the computer game, and the computer game is a 3D computer game played in a personal view.

[0052] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes tracking and recording, by the advertising module, one or more responses of the user to at least one of the displayed objectives and the displayed advertising material.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the validation region is created by a collider embedded in a landmark within a virtual environment, the virtual environment including at least one of a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, a computer game, and a digital environment.

[0054] In some embodiments, for geo-located triggers and AR environments, colliders behave similarly to how colliders behave in geo-located triggered computer games and can trigger objects through virtual or AR techniques.

[0055] In some embodiments, the trigger may be geolocation rather than simply location within the game.

[0056] In some embodiments, the landmark may be a place (i.e., a store or theater) where special technology is used at a network location that can enable location-based augmented reality triggers for each individual / user.

[0057] Non-limiting examples of augmented reality environments may include: For entertainment, where a user / viewer is sitting in a particular cinema watching a movie, and objects in the movie are directly associated with individual viewers in the audience when they wear the AR glasses to watch the movie, personalizing the viewer's experience. In a retail store, an example of an AR environment could include any shopper wearing AR glasses entering a retail store and seeing unique pricing on items in the store based on geolocation. In a real football stadium, the AR environment may include in-stadium advertising material relevant to each user being displayed or presented to each user when they are wearing the AR glasses.

[0058] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes an upload module enabling a user to upload personal content for appearance in the computer game, and a presentation module displaying the user's personal content as part of the computer game.

[0059] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the user specific advertising material is determined based on user information extracted from at least one of the user's IP address and user information extracted from the user's computer game user account.

[0060] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for presenting user-specific advertising material in a virtual environment. The system includes a presentation module configured to present the virtual environment to a user, the user being present within the virtual environment as an avatar. In one embodiment, the presentation module enables the user to trigger one or more digital triggers. The system further includes an advertising module configured to embed a landmark in the virtual environment, the landmark communicatively coupled to a server, whereby the landmark is enabled for presenting the user-specific advertising material upon activation of one or more digital triggers, determining a presence or absence of a digital trigger within the virtual environment, the presentation module responsive to the digital trigger presenting at least one advertising material via the landmark, the advertising material being visible or audible to a user upon activation of the digital trigger.

[0061] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a digital trigger is activated when the avatar is within the activation area of ​​the landmark, and both the landmark and advertising material are displayed only upon activation of the digital trigger, and further, the landmark and advertising material are rendered live at run time, are completely native, and do not degrade the user experience. In some embodiments, the digital trigger may include system generated triggers and user input based triggers. A non-limiting example of a system generated or system defined trigger may include a defined time for presenting advertising material. A non-limiting example of a user input based trigger may include a user pressing a button, or a user's geolocation in the virtual environment.

[0062] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the system further includes a user engagement module configured to quantify user engagement with the objectives, the user engagement module quantifying the engagement of the user's avatar with the objectives, the objectives may include at least one of an image, music, and video.

[0063] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the user engagement module quantifies user engagement based on at least one of the following: The period during which the avatar remains within the activation area of ​​said object The position of the avatar relative to the landmark while the avatar remains within the landmark's activation area · Reaction time to a target for the period the avatar remains within the target's activation area

[0064] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the system further includes a payment module configured to charge a fee to an advertiser of the advertising material, the fee being proportional to the amount and quality of user engagement with the object within the activation area. In some embodiments, the engagement may comprise a response by the user via a control input. In some embodiments, the advertising material includes at least one of music, video, and images.

[0065] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the virtual environment is present in a computer game, and further, the user's avatar is a character within the computer game, and the computer game is a 3D computer game played in a personal view.

[0066] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the advertising module is further configured to track one or more responses of users to at least one of the displayed objectives and the displayed advertising material.

[0067] In some embodiments, the validation region is created by a collider embedded in a landmark within a virtual environment, the virtual environment including at least one of a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, a computer game, and a digital environment.

[0068] In some embodiments, the advertising module is further configured to create targets and load advertising materials including still images. The advertising module may load an image / images from an external database (so no files need to be stored locally on the system).

[0069] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the system further includes an upload module configured for a user to upload personal content for appearance in the computer game, and a presentation module displays the user's personal content as part of the computer game.

[0070] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the user specific advertising material is determined based on user information extracted from at least one of the user's IP address and user information extracted from the user's computer game user account. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0071] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the present invention can be discerned from the following detailed description, which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and should not be construed as any limitation on the scope of the foregoing summary of the invention.

[0072] Particular embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0073] FIG. 1 shows a development flowchart of a computer game used in the method of the present disclosure (A) and a game used in the method of the present disclosure (B).

[0074] FIG. 2 shows the field of view of a computer game where (A) the digital triggers are not activated and (B) the digital triggers are activated.

[0075] FIG. 3 shows captures of user engagement data (A) relating to size and proximity of advertising materials, and (B) relating to distortion of advertising materials.

[0076] FIG. 4 shows a capture of user engagement data regarding the percentage of advertising material that is viewable by users.

[0077] FIG. 5 shows a capture of user engagement data regarding obstructions of advertising material as viewed by users.

[0078] FIG. 6 shows a capture of user engagement data regarding the change in the proportion of advertising material seen by users.

[0079] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the components and communication connections of the method of the present disclosure.

[0080] FIG. 8 illustrates the use of pixel sampling by the system of the present disclosure to identify the size of advertisements being shown to a user or player in a virtual environment.

[0081] With reference to Figure 1, it is apparent that the method of the present disclosure may be utilized to display user-specific advertising material within a virtual environment within a computer game, where the user is an avatar that is a player within the game. As shown in Figure 1(A), the objects are plug-ins that a game developer may select when building a game using a game engine such as, for example, Unreal Engine or Unity. The objects become part of the virtual environment of the final computer game, and may be registered to participate in the method of the present disclosure (i.e., the objects are registered and have the necessary functionality enabled to communicate with one or more servers) before the game is completed and released for sale or use.

[0082] This method involves creating a means for game developers to generate advertising revenue streams that are effectively built into the computer game (i.e., inherent to the product that is the computer game), so that revenue is not dependent on sales of the game, and regardless of whether users of the game purchase the game or pay a fee to use the game, but rather is dependent on use of the game.

[0083] FIG. 1(B) shows the basic process steps of the disclosed method after a computer game is constructed with embedded targets capable of presenting user-specific advertising material. In the illustrated embodiment, the targets are not visible in the virtual environment, and the digital trigger for presenting advertising material is the user's avatar entering an activation area in the virtual environment. Upon activation, user information is collected and sent to a server for evaluation, and an appropriate advertisement is selected from the server. The advertising material is instantly transmitted from the server to the computer game and displayed, where "displayed" means that the targets are visible as a canvas for advertising material to be viewed by the user as long as the user's avatar is in the activation area. Instantly, user engagement information with the advertising material is collected, sent back to the server, quantified, and presented to the owner of the advertising material, enabling the determination of the amount of advertising revenue to be paid to the game developer (or game publisher).

[0084] Figure 2 illustrates the process of Figure 1(B) in a virtual environment 1 that is a computer game. While the images shown are an overview of the virtual environment as seen by a game developer, the embodiment described in the following figures is based on a user avatar who is a character in a game 30 played in first person perspective, with the user essentially viewing footage taken from a virtual camera at or near the avatar's head (simulating eye level) or just behind the avatar (the "in-game camera" 31).

[0085] FIG. 2(A) shows a schematic (i) of the virtual environment 1 and the game field of view (ii) where the object is a tile for advertising material 10, with a spherical 3D activation area 20 surrounding the tile, and the avatar 30 is not within the activation area and therefore cannot see the tile in the game by the in-game camera 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the tile 10 is essentially a 2D billboard / poster / canvas object, and the advertising material 11 is projected onto the tile. In FIG. 2(B), the avatar 30 enters the activation area 20 and the tile 10 becomes visible to display the advertising material 11, as seen by the in-game camera 31 view. Although the activation area is shown in FIG. 2, the boundaries of the area are generally not visible in the virtual environment of a computer game. When the avatar leaves the activation area, the tile 10 and advertising material 11 are no longer visible to the user.

[0086] 3-6 show how user engagement with the objectives may be quantified. There are various approaches to capture user engagement metrics, which may relate to a definition of the quality of view a user has of the advertising material, may correlate to the amount of advertising revenue owed to the computer game developer, or may simply be informative. In an ideal case, the user would see the advertising material as intended (i.e., full view, frontal view, unobstructed), but this is not guaranteed in embodiments of the present invention where the advertising material is displayed in a 3D environment and the view of the material is determined by the movement of the avatar and the view of the in-game camera (i.e., even if the avatar is moving forward, the in-game camera can see different angles). Thus, deviations from a perfect user view of the advertising material may be correlated to advertising revenue, and the functionality to detect such deviations will be included in the plugin of the tiles inserted into the game during development. It will be appreciated that the more information about user engagement that can be captured via the objectives embedded in the game, the more accurately advertisers can be charged for advertising material displayed within the computer game.

[0087] In an embodiment of the invention, information captured during gameplay regarding user engagement may include perceptions of when the user is looking at the advertising material (this is not limited to perceptions of the user looking at the advertising material on a screen, but can also include perceptions of when the avatar / in-game camera is pointing towards the advertising material), the amount of time the user continues to view the advertising material, how far the avatar is from the advertising material, what angle the user is viewing the advertising material at, how large the advertising material is on the screen the user is viewing, and / or whether the user is directly reacting to the advertising material within the virtual environment. In a preferred embodiment of the invention where the virtual environment is a computer game and the avatar must enter an activation area of ​​a tile in order for the advertising material to be displayed, user engagement is measured from the start of the display until the avatar leaves the activation area and the advertising material is no longer displayed. Measurement continues after leaving the activation area.

[0088] FIG. 3(A) shows a full screen view (i) and a full screen view (ii) of a schematic view of a virtual environment 1, where the target is a tile 10 for presenting advertising material 11, and a digital trigger is activated. The view is a first-person view from an in-game camera, and represents what the user will see on the screen. In the illustrated illustration, the tile with advertising material occupies an upper limit of 5% of the user's viewing screen when activated, but the view ratio can be between 1% and 100% of the screen. In other embodiments of the invention, the view ratio can be, for example, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 30%, about 45%, about 50%, about 75%, about 90%, or about 99%. It can be seen that in FIG. 3(A), as the user's avatar approaches a tile with advertising material 10, 11, the view ratio increases, and vice versa. This can be correlated to an increase / decrease in advertising revenue.

[0089] FIG. 3(B) shows a full screen view (i) and a full screen view (ii) of the virtual environment 1 with the target being a tile 10 for presenting advertising material 11 and with the digital trigger activated. The views are from the in-game camera and represent what the user will see on the screen. Since the computer virtual environment is a 3D environment, the view of the tiles with the advertising material 10, 11 embedded in the game may be distorted depending on the avatar's position and the view of the in-game camera. In FIG. 3(B) the angle c between the vertical axis of the user's view (line a) and the vertical axis of the 2D projection of the advertising material 11 on the tile 10 (line b) is shown. The user can instruct the avatar to move around the tiles with advertising material 10, 11 (but within the activation area) without distorting the view of the advertising material, which can correlate to increased advertising revenue.

[0090] FIG. 4 shows the full screen of the game view (iii) and schematics (i) and (ii) of the virtual environment 1, where the target is a tile 10 for presenting advertising material 11, a digital trigger is activated, and an avatar is approaching the tile. The computer virtual environment is a 3D environment, the avatar activates the digital trigger to present advertising material from various angles, and once activated, may move around the tile presenting advertising material, and the view of the tile with the advertising material 10, 11 embedded in the game may be cropped depending on the avatar's position and the in-game camera view. The views shown represent what the user would see on the screen from the in-game camera. FIG. 4(i) shows the full tile with advertising material 10, 11 and the space it would occupy if the avatar moved further away from the tile in the virtual environment 1. As can be seen from FIG. 4(ii) and (iii), based on the in-game camera view, a portion 12 of the advertising material is visible to the user looking at the screen, but a portion 13 of the advertising material is not. The user can instruct the avatar to move within the virtual environment, which results in advertising material being viewed in its entirety if the avatar remains within the activation area, which can correlate to increased advertising revenue.

[0091] With reference to FIG. 5, a user's view of a tile for presenting advertising material may be blocked or obscured by components 40 of the virtual environment 1 that are part of the computer game. In an embodiment of the invention, ray-casts (or lines-traces) may be projected from an in-game camera onto the tile presenting the advertising material to determine what the user can and cannot see on their screen, making it possible to detect if the view of the advertising material is obstructed; this functionality will be included in the tile plugin built into the game during development. FIG. 5(i) shows the avatar 30 as seen by the user on a first-person view (based on the in-game camera behind the avatar) screen, which encroaches on the activation area for the tile presenting advertising material 10, 11, but there are other game components not linked to the tile in the virtual game environment that are blocking the view of the advertising material 10, 11. In particular (as shown in FIG. 5(ii)) an area 41 of an obstacle 40 (from the game view outside the in-game camera as may be captured during game development) blocks a portion 13 of the advertising material, so that only portion 12 is visible on the screen to the user. The user can instruct the avatar to move around obstacles 40 within the virtual environment, which can result in advertising material being viewed in its entirety if the avatar remains in the activation area, which can correlate to increased advertising revenue.

[0092] Figure 6 shows a full screen game view (i) and a full screen schematic view (ii) of a virtual environment 1, where the target is a tile 10 for presenting advertising material 11, and a digital trigger has been activated. Figure 6 shows that the user's view of the tile presenting the advertising material can be oblique (Figure 6(iii)), and the change in proportion to the intended view of the advertising material (Figure 6(i)), and it is possible to calculate how the advertising material 10, 11 appears to the user from the avatar's own view in the virtual environment 1 (Figures 6(ii), (iii)).

[0093] FIG. 7 shows a high level architectural diagram of the components of an embodiment of the method of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the backend consists of servers, databases and containers, and the reporting dashboard provides metrics for advertisers, publishers (i.e., game developers) and any associated advertising agencies, preferably via apps. As can be seen from the diagram, when a user activates a digital trigger, an advertising material request (AdRequest) is made based on the user information (stored in the database), and advertising material specific to the user is selected from the advertiser database and displayed to the user (according to the information stored in the publisher database). User engagement data (Admetrics) is then sent to the database for analysis and manipulation, followed by reporting in the dashboard. The advertiser database would contain details of the advertiser, advertising material and type (i.e., image or video), advertising surface dimension ratio and image resolution information, and / or advertiser approval (i.e., age rating) for the type of game suitable for the advertising material. The publisher database would contain, for example, all details about the game in which the tile is embedded, the type of content allowed in the game, and the type of content excluded from the game.

[0094] In some embodiments, advertising material may be shown in the virtual environment to a user, for example, in response to a digital trigger. The disclosed system is configured to identify the amount of advertising material to be shown to a user (i.e., a player of a computer game in a virtual environment). In some embodiments, the system may use pixel sampling as shown in FIG. 8 to ascertain how much advertising is shown to the player. In pixel sampling, the system captures each frame of the rendered game and compares it to the number of pixels of advertising (i.e., advertising material) potentially present on the screen. There may be a predefined limit, such as 16, on the number of pixels of advertising that can be shown in the virtual environment (e.g., a computer game being played on the screen of a user's computer). For each advertisement on the screen, the disclosed system may invert the camera view, flatten the displaced advertisement for the screen, and compare it to the original advertisement at 64×64 resolution. The comparison may include de-lighting to make what is transposed on the screen more similar to the original advertisement provided by the server, and classifying the hue, saturation, and brightness of each pixel as 0 (ad visible) or 1 (ad blocked). If any of the HSV components are blocked, the pixel is considered blocked. The monochrome image is scaled down to one gray pixel to get the average visibility of the advertisement for that frame.

[0095] In some embodiments, the disclosed system may enable a developer of a virtual environment, such as a computer game, to select a style of advertisement or advertising material appropriate for the virtual environment or computer game. The broad strokes of the limited top-level filters may provide sufficient scope to account for most of the developer's use cases. In some embodiments, the system may use meta tags to match the game style to the advertising material for the virtual environment or game.

[0096] The styles of creative materials, individual elements within the creative, can be mixed, although the overall look and feel of the ad must fit the defined classification. Non-limiting examples of classifications of creative materials can include logo and / or text, abstract, stylized, and realistic. Logo and / or text can include creative materials that contain only text and / or logos and a plain background, other possible classifications are basic / simple / pure / realistic. Abstract can include creative materials that contain elements that are primarily composed of shapes, forms, colors, and lines to create a composition that can exist somewhat independently of visual references in the world. Stylized can include creative materials that contain image elements that are highly stylized or exaggerated to the point that they do not exist in reality. Realistic can include creative materials that contain photographic elements or images that are not considered stylized.

[0097] Further, in some embodiments, the system (or the advertising module of the system) is configured to identify players (i.e., users) across computer games, platforms, and engines without the current approach of using browser cookies. The system may assign a unique identifier to the player (or user) and identify the player across various computer games or virtual environments based thereon. The system may use a combination of information to identify a unique device. For example, the system may use the IP address recorded by the server from the initial request. The IP address may then be enriched with other data the system has about this IP, such as previous sessions, actions, and location. On desktop platforms, the system may know or capture a hash of the system hardware class. For mobile devices, the system may know the Android or iOS hardware ID, as well as the device advertising ID.

[0098] Additionally, the disclosed system is configured to allow each ad space in the virtual environment to request a unique ad for presentation. This means that if there are five ad spaces in the virtual environment, these five ad spaces can accommodate or display five different ads or ad materials. Additionally, the system is configured to present ad materials from an ad type that matches the background and game style of the virtual environment, so that the ad materials are not rendered inoperative. This means that the ad materials displayed may be based on the background and style of the virtual environment. In some embodiments, to ensure that the player's experience (i.e., the gameplay experience) is not affected by a large number of unique ads on the screen, the system may allow for sharing of ads in the ad spaces. This means that the system may allow for the existence of multiple ad spaces displaying the same ad on the screen (or on the user's computer display), and the remote transmission data of the ads may be aggregated and the player's experience remains unaffected. This may also allow the system to accommodate sports games with multiple banner ads. The system may be configured to "link" multiple ad spaces together, thereby displaying the same ad in all "linked" ad spaces. This aids in the execution process and allows developers to easily mimic real world situations such as advertisements on the side of a soccer stadium. The system may allow developers (or users) to create secondary or synchronized ad spaces that inherit the functionality of the primary ad space. This allows for the display of the same advertisement in a group of ad spaces, for example, a banner advertisement repeated around the outside of a sports stadium. The system may download advertisement textures at run time and run on material (such as advertisement material) that is shared among all synchronized ad spaces. Additionally, the system of the present disclosure is configured to collect data, such as, but not limited to, remote transmission data, from each of the ad spaces separately and transmit it to a server for aggregation.A server may be in communication with the system.

[0099] The advertising materials may be from one or more advertisers. The system may track and record user(s) using the advertising materials of the advertiser(s) and generate one or more metrics, such as impressions. The system may share these metrics with the advertiser and allow the advertiser to tie the metrics to current methods that it may have with a third party, such as, but not limited to, Google Campaign Manager, for further tracking or market research, etc. In some embodiments, the system may allow the advertiser to integrate their gaming ads with Google Campaign Manager to implement methods to show and verify impressions.

[0100] For example, an advertiser can use the system to generate impression tag URL(s), and the advertiser can use the system or an interface of the system to configure an ad campaign with the impression tag URL. When a user or gamer plays a game connected to the system of the present disclosure, the system can deliver advertising material, including one or more advertisements, to the user / gamer, and remote information is sent from the gamer to the system. The system can process the remote information and can use any suitable technique, such as, but not limited to, an impression quality algorithm to determine if an impression has occurred. When an impression has occurred, the system can validate the impression tag URL, which can then send the information to the advertiser or a third party tracking system (such as Google Campaign Manager).

[0101] The disclosed system and method are configured to display advertising material, including advertisements, in a game being played by a user and track the user's response to the advertisements without affecting the user's play functionality (i.e., fps, responsiveness, latency, lag, etc.) and experience. The system is configured to determine and / or analyze one or more variables and unknown relationships between the variables related to the display or tracking of the advertisements. Examples of variables include: Activation - activation method (single, multiple or all) and location · Shape and dimensions of the activation radius ·Visual tracking - amount, time Vision tracking - quality (angle, visibility) Load caused by one or more variables · Effectiveness of distribution to players around the world The system may also be capable of being used by multiple users simultaneously without performance degradation, for example, the system may be capable of being used by one million users or players or more (greater than one million) users, players or devices without performance degradation.

[0102] The disclosed system is further configured to create objects and load still images (or advertising materials) based on the exact location of the player. The player is a user or a user's avatar in a virtual environment or computer game. The system is further configured to load images, such as still images, from a database external to the system. In some embodiments, the system may load video (with or without audio) during gameplay, i.e., the virtual environment. In some embodiments, the system may display video in the virtual environment, display photos in the virtual environment (or game engine), and display 3D objects within the game engine. The system is configured to load objects of variable quality, such as, but not limited to, 720p, 1080p, 4k, etc. The system is configured to determine how the advertising objects can be loaded without disrupting (the gameplay) when the player is near a defined advertising space. The system is further configured to ensure that advertising objects are enabled when the player is near the advertising space but not within its visible area (e.g., around a corner). Furthermore, the system may be: Enhanced activation radius to allow for changes in shape Activate ads when the player is far away Enhanced effective radius to allow for changes in dimensions Activating many ad spaces at once, such as during a court / field game (i.e. soccer or basketball) Enhanced activation radius to allow placement away from ad space Enhanced activation radius to allow for installation in multiple ad spaces

[0103] In accordance with the statute, the invention has been described in language that is more or less specific to structural or method features. The term "comprises" and variations thereof, such as the progressive form of "comprising" and the past tense of "comprised," are used throughout in an inclusive sense and do not exclude additional features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown or described hereinabove, and that these means comprise only preferred forms for carrying out the invention. The invention is therefore claimed in any form or modification within the reasonable scope that the appended claims may be appropriately interpreted by one skilled in the art.

[0104] Throughout this specification and the claims (if any), unless the context otherwise requires, the terms "substantially" or "about" are to be understood as not limiting the values ​​of the ranges defined by these terms. Any embodiment of the present invention is merely illustrative and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention, and therefore, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0105] [Figure 1] 1 shows a development flowchart for a computer game used in the method of the present disclosure (A) and a game used in the method of the present disclosure (B). [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B show the field of view of a computer game with (A) no digital triggers activated and (B) digital triggers activated. [Diagram 3] 13A-B are captures of user engagement data relating to size and proximity of advertising material and (B) distortion of advertising material. [Figure 4]13 shows a capture of user engagement data regarding the percentage of advertising material that is viewable by users. [Diagram 5] 13 illustrates a capture of user engagement data regarding obstruction of advertising material as viewed by a user. [Figure 6] 13 shows a capture of user engagement data regarding changes in the proportion of advertising material as viewed by users. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of components and communication connections of the method of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Pixel sampling by the system of the present disclosure is used to identify and illustrate the size of advertisements being shown to a user or player in the virtual environment.

Claims

1. providing landmarks to be embedded in a virtual environment in which the user exists as an avatar; the objective comprises a collection of codes enabling operation of a process, task or role within the virtual environment and communication with an external server connected to the virtual environment via a communications network, the objective operable to present user-specific advertising imagery when one or more digital triggers are activated by the user's avatar within the virtual environment; The external server is operable to store, in an external database, at least one user information and one or more user-specific advertising images that can be presented to the user via the landmark; determining whether the landmark activates a digital trigger by the user's avatar in the virtual environment; In response to activation of the digital trigger, the external server selects a user-specific advertising image from one or more of the user-specific advertising images stored in the external database based on at least one of the user information stored in the external database, and instantly transmits the selected user-specific advertising image for display in the virtual environment via the landmark; collecting user engagement information in real time in response to displaying an advertising image identifying the selected user via the landmark in the virtual environment; said collecting user engagement information comprises a pixel sampling step; the pixel sampling step includes capturing each displayed frame in the field of view of the user in the virtual environment that includes an advertising image specific to the user, and comparing the captured user-specific advertising image captured in the displayed frame to the original user-specific advertising image stored in the external database; The comparison includes removing lighting from the transition on the screen and classifying the hue, saturation, and brightness of each pixel of the transition on the screen of the user-specific advertising image with reference to the original hue, saturation, and brightness of the user-specific advertising image stored in the external database, respectively. A method for quantifying user engagement in virtual environments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more digital triggers are activated when the user's avatar is within an activation area around the object in the virtual environment, and include system-generated triggers and triggers based on user input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the immediate collection of user engagement information includes determining at least one of the duration that the user's avatar remains in an activation area of ​​the target, the position of the avatar relative to the target while the avatar remains in the activation area of ​​the target, and the reaction time to the target while the avatar remains in the activation area of ​​the target.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual environment exists in a computer game and the user's avatar is a self-viewing character within the computer game.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising tracking and recording one or more responses of the user's avatar to at least one of the landmarks and the displayed advertising image specific to the user.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the validation region is created by a collider embedded in the target, and the virtual environment comprises at least one of a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, a computer game, and a digital environment.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising uploading a user's personal content and displaying the personal content as part of the computer game.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one piece of user information includes a user's IP address.

9. The virtual environment in which the user exists as an avatar can be embedded with a landmark, the objective comprises a collection of codes enabling operation of a process, task or role within a virtual environment and communication with an external server connected to the virtual environment via a communications network, the objective operable to present user-specific advertising imagery when one or more digital triggers are activated by the user's avatar within the virtual environment; The external server is operable to store, in an external database, at least one piece of user information and one or more user-specific advertising images to be presented to the user via the landmark; Operate to determine whether a digital trigger is activated by the user's avatar in the virtual environment via the landmark; operative to, in response to activation of the digital trigger, direct the external server to select a user-specific advertising image from one or more of the user-specific advertising images stored in the external database based on the user information stored in the external database, and further direct the external server to immediately transmit the selected user-specific advertising image for display via the landmark in the virtual environment; operative to collect user engagement information in real time in response to displaying an advertising image identifying the selected user via the landmark in the virtual environment; said collecting user engagement information comprises a pixel sampling step; the pixel sampling step includes capturing each displayed frame in the field of view of the user in the virtual environment that includes an advertising image specific to the user, and comparing the captured user-specific advertising image captured in the displayed frame to a source of the advertising image specific to the user stored in the external database; The comparison includes removing lighting from the on-screen transition and classifying the hue, saturation, and brightness of each pixel of the on-screen transition of the user-specific advertising image with reference to the original hue, saturation, and brightness of the user-specific advertising image stored in the external database, respectively. A system for quantifying user engagement in virtual environments.

10. The system described in claim 9, wherein the one or more digital triggers are activated when the avatar is within an activation area around the target object in the virtual environment, and include system-generated triggers and triggers based on user input.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the immediate collection of user engagement information further includes determining at least one of the duration that the user's avatar remains in an activation area of ​​the target, the position of the avatar relative to the target while the avatar remains in the activation area of ​​the target, and a reaction time to the target while the avatar remains in the activation area of ​​the target.

12. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual environment exists in a computer game, and the user's avatar is a self-viewing character within the computer game.

13. The system of claim 12, further operable to track and record one or more responses of the user's avatar to at least one of the landmarks and displayed advertising images specific to the user.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the validation region is created by a collider embedded in the target, and the virtual environment comprises at least one of a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, a computer game, and a digital environment.

15. The system of claim 12, capable of uploading a user's personal content to the external server and instructing the external server to make the personal content displayable as part of a computer game.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one piece of user information includes a user's IP address.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific advertising image includes creative.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes at least one of the following: user location coordinates, user age, user gender, user marital status, user email address, user ethnicity, and user product preferences.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertising image that identifies the user includes a creative.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein the user information includes at least one of the following: the user's location coordinates, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's marital status, the user's email address, the user's ethnicity, and the user's product preferences.

Images