Tracking and processing historical data of non-fungible token-based digital assets

Abstract

A method and system for tracking game assets used in a video game includes generating a non-fungible token for a game asset used in the video game. Use of the game asset in the video game is monitored during game play to identify eligible events that occur in the video game in which the game asset is used. The NFT is updated with metadata associated with the eligible events. The metadata is used to build a legacy of the game asset and track the use of the digital asset in the video game.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to tracking and processing historical usage of digital assets in video games using non-fungible tokens. [Background technology]

[0002] Video games and other interactive applications have become increasingly popular and mainstream. With the growing popularity of interactive applications such as video games and other virtual / augmented reality / mixed interactive applications, tracking digital assets used in interactive applications can provide a wealth of useful information. Typically, in video games, a digital asset is associated with a player when the player acquires the digital asset either through their ranking or level in the video game, through their skill in overcoming challenges, or by purchasing the digital asset, trading the digital asset for another digital asset or probability, or trading for another level. When a first player who owns the digital asset is defeated or killed by a second player in the video game, or when the digital asset is acquired, the digital asset association is updated to remove the first player as the owner and include the second player as the new owner. Consequently, the digital asset's usage history resumes when the second player begins using the digital asset in the video game.

[0003] Additionally, a player who owns a digital asset may not be able to use that digital asset in other video games that the player owns or plays.

[0004] It is against this background that the embodiments of the present disclosure have been made. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for generating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for digital assets and for using NFTs to track the use of the digital assets within interactive applications, such as video games. NFTs are created using blockchain technology. By definition, an NFT is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger (i.e., a blockchain) that certifies that the digital asset is unique and not exchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent any asset, such as photos, videos, audio, paintings, collectibles, and game assets. Because each NFT represents a different underlying asset, the NFT has a different value that is unique for each asset. Metadata associated with the NFT provides details for generating a unique identification code for the asset to distinguish it from another asset. When an NFT for an asset is created (minted or "minted") using blockchain technology, the blockchain generates a block that concatenates a set of cryptographic hashes to define the unique identification code. When an asset is spent, the blockchain generates a new data block by concatenating another set of cryptographic hashes related to the asset's use with a previously generated identifying code, and concatenates the new data block with the previous data block to create a chain of uniquely identifiable data blocks. This unique identifying code can be used to track and verify ownership of the asset. Using blockchain technology to "tokenize" an asset allows it to be bought, sold, or exchanged without fear of potential fraud or misrepresentation. Because the blockchain enables NFTs to be tracked, the assets associated with the NFT can be tracked and verified efficiently and reliably.

[0006] The concept of NFTs can be extended in the context of video games, where blockchain technology can be used to generate NFTs for digital assets used in gameplay and to track the use of the digital assets within the video game. The digital asset can be a game object, such as a weapon or another game asset, that a player uses to advance in the game or overcome challenges, or to defeat, capture, or kill virtual characters representing the game or other players in the game. In addition to overcoming game challenges, game assets can also be used by players to improve their ranking in the game. Metadata associated with a player's gameplay using a game asset is used to generate the NFT and includes sufficient details of the use of the digital asset. The details of the use of the digital asset can include who currently owns the digital asset, who used the digital asset before the current owner, how the digital asset was used in the video game, where the digital asset was used within the video game, and the results of using the digital asset.

[0007] In some implementations, an NFT for a digital asset may be associated with a player of a video game. When a player uses a digital asset in a video game, temporal and spatial attributes of the portion of the game space of the video game where the digital asset was used are determined and used to track the digital asset. The temporal and spatial attributes may be related to events occurring within the game space. The spatial attributes may correspond to Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z coordinates), and the temporal attributes may correspond to a timestamp associated with gameplay of the portion of the game. These coordinates and timestamps are used to identify metadata associated with events occurring in the portion of the game to generate an NFT for the digital asset used by the player at the event. The generated NFT includes metadata that can be used to determine a usage history, including the identity of the digital asset used by the player at the event, the participants in the event, the outcome of the event, etc. An NFT created for a game asset (i.e., a minted NFT) may be associated with a significant event, the digital asset used at the significant event, and / or the player who owned and used the digital asset during the significant event.

[0008] As the digital asset continues to be used in additional significant events occurring within the video game, metadata associated with the additional significant events is used to regenerate an NFT for the digital asset. The regenerated NFT for the digital asset keeps a record of all significant events in which the digital asset was used, thereby creating a legacy for the digital asset. The legacy can be used by players to strategize their gameplay of the video game. The use of the digital asset in significant events can be used to increase the value of the digital asset, which can be used, for example, during an exchange or sale of the digital asset. In another example, the usage history can provide insight into other players' gameplay in which the digital asset was used by other players to overcome challenges in the video game. When the digital asset is traded or sold to a second player, the NFT is regenerated to record the change in ownership of the digital asset to the second player using metadata associated with the transaction. The legacy of the digital asset identifies the current owner of the digital asset and highlights the significant events associated with the digital asset, regardless of which player was using the digital asset during the significant events.

[0009] Highlighting of significant events may provide video clips along a timeline of corresponding significant events that occurred in the video game in which the digital asset was used. In addition to identifying significant events, details included in the NFT of a digital asset (e.g., a game asset or game object) may be used to identify other digital assets associated with the corresponding NFT that are in the player's vicinity within the game scene of the video game with which the player is currently interacting, and to present the locations of other players' NFTs in a map format. As part of tracking digital assets, the system identifies other digital assets in the player's vicinity using spatial and temporal attributes associated with the player's location within the game scene and included in the NFT details of different digital assets. The NFT information provided in the map may be used by players to strategize their gameplay.

[0010] The usage history of various game assets maintained using NFTs can provide valuable information to players, allowing them to plan their moves in a video game. The usage history can be used to determine which digital assets were used to overcome particular challenges or virtual characters or players, which players owned and used digital assets to overcome particular challenges or virtual characters, how the digital assets were used as a result of using the digital assets in a video game, etc. The usage history can be used by players to strategize their gameplay in a video game, such as which digital assets to collect, which digital assets to trade or acquire, which digital assets to use to overcome particular challenges in different situations, the value of a digital asset based on its use in different situations (e.g., different game scenes or game levels within a video game), which players to interact with to acquire or use digital assets, and the nature and type of the interaction (e.g., cooperative or competitive interaction). Digital assets associated with an interactive application may be game objects or game assets, such as game weapons useful in overcoming challenges and / or defeating enemies (e.g., monsters, virtual characters in the game, virtual characters related to other players, etc.), or may be collectible items, such as photographs, videos, pictures, etc., or other game objects, such as golden keys or golden tickets that can be used by a particular player to unlock other game item(s) or game levels, etc., based on their previous use or value in the video game, or during particular events, etc. Digital assets may be obtained through purchase or exchange, or by defeating another player or virtual character. The other player or virtual character may be someone who owns the digital asset within the video game, or may be so important that defeating the other player or virtual character allows a player to be rewarded with the digital asset.Digital assets can be used by players to (a) advance in a video game, making gameplay more interesting and improving user engagement, (b) improve their ranking in the game (e.g., increasing a player's game points or game value by using a particular type of weapon or a particular number of different types of weapons, etc.), or (c) improve their bargaining power in the video game.

[0011] In one embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method includes generating a non-fungible token (NFT) for a digital asset to be used in a video game selected by a player for gameplay. Use of the digital asset in the video game is monitored during gameplay to identify eligible events occurring in the video in which the digital asset is used. The NFT for the digital asset is regenerated using metadata included in the NFT and metadata associated with the eligible events. The regenerated NFT is used to build a legacy for the digital asset, which can be used to track use of the digital asset within the video game.

[0012] In one embodiment, the NFT is updated with metadata of a qualifying event each time the qualifying event occurs in the video game.

[0013] In one embodiment, the metadata of the digital asset is identified using temporal and spatial attributes associated with the game space of the video game in which the digital asset is used by the player.

[0014] In one embodiment, the NFT of the digital asset is associated with the player who uses the digital asset during the occurrence of a qualifying event.

[0015] In one embodiment, digital assets associated with a player and NFTs associated with the digital assets are portable by the player to other video games. The portability of NFTs and digital assets is enabled using an application programming interface.

[0016] In one embodiment, regenerating an NFT for a digital asset includes synchronizing metadata of the regenerated NFT for the digital asset in a video game with other video games in which the digital asset is used.

[0017] In one embodiment, the metadata includes information related to at least a timeline within the video game corresponding to a particular portion of the game space associated with a qualified event in which the digital asset is used, a player identity of a player using the digital asset, a participant identity of a participant in the qualified event, a game identity of the video game, a level identity of a game level associated with the particular portion, and an event identity and details of the qualified event in the video game. The particular portion of the game space is identified using temporal and spatial attributes associated with the game space of the video game. Participants include other players or virtual characters of the video game.

[0018] In one embodiment, a qualifying event is an event that meets a predetermined threshold, defined based on statistics collected during gameplay of the video game.

[0019] In one embodiment, the predetermined threshold is throttled up or down or adjusted to match legacy goals defined for digital assets used in the video game.

[0020] In one embodiment, the predetermined threshold of events is defined by the game developer, or player, or game host, or game content sponsor of the video game.

[0021] In one embodiment, NFTs are maintained for digital assets used in a video game and are regenerated using metadata from multiple gameplay sessions of the video game.

[0022] In one embodiment, monitoring use of the digital asset includes providing a player with a first option to generate an NFT for a digital asset used by the player during a qualified event when an NFT is not available for the digital asset, the first option being provided in response to an event in the video game meeting a predetermined threshold to become a qualified event.

[0023] In one embodiment, regenerating the NFT includes providing a second option to import an NFT for the digital asset from a second video game. Selecting the second option retrieves metadata included in the NFT for the digital asset from the second video game in which the digital asset was previously used. The metadata for the digital asset retrieved from the second video game and the metadata of the qualifying event within the video game are used to regenerate the NFT for the digital asset.

[0024] In one embodiment, a gameplay timeline is provided that identifies multiple eligible events that occurred during gameplay of a video game in which a digital asset was used. The multiple eligible events include identified eligible events of the video game. Each of the multiple eligible events is provided as a thumbnail on the timeline. The timeline provides a visual representation of the legacy of use of the digital asset identified from metadata included in the NFT. The thumbnails provide access to video recordings of portions of gameplay of the video game in which the eligible events occurred.

[0025] In one embodiment, a gameplay timeline is provided that identifies a plurality of eligible events, including identified eligible events, that occurred during gameplay in which a plurality of digital assets were used, each eligible event being represented on the timeline as a thumbnail, the thumbnail providing access to a video recording of a portion of gameplay of the video game in which at least one of the plurality of digital assets was used.

[0026] In another embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method includes receiving input from a player of a video game selected for gameplay. The input is used to update a game state of the video game and provide gameplay data for rendering on the player's client device. The gameplay data identifies a game space in which the player is currently located within the video game. One or more digital assets available within the game space in which the player is located are identified. Each digital asset is associated with a corresponding non-fungible token (NFT) and identified from metadata included in the corresponding NFT. Details related to the one or more digital assets available within the player's game space are presented to the player to assist the player in making strategic decisions regarding gameplay of the video game. The details are provided using metadata included in the corresponding NFTs of the one or more digital assets.

[0027] In one embodiment, the one or more digital assets are presented on a map representing a game space in which a player is located within a video game, and the one or more digital assets are presented using a visual indicator to allow a player to track the one or more digital assets.

[0028] In one embodiment, one or more digital assets are associated with one or more other players, and visual indicators are provided on one or more virtual characters representing the one or more other players to enable tracking of the one or more digital assets of the one or more other players within the game space of the video game.

[0029] In one embodiment, the visual indicators include one of a pin, a balloon, an arrow, or a marker located at the location in the game space where each one of the digital assets is located, and the visual indicators are color-coded according to the type associated with each digital asset.

[0030] In one embodiment, the video game is a multiplayer game played between a player and other players. When a player acquires a digital asset owned by a second player, an NFT associated with the second player is automatically transferred from the second player to the player. The automatic transfer includes regenerating the NFT for the digital asset with information related to the player and information related to the acquisition of the digital asset from the second player. The digital asset is acquired by one of defeating or killing a virtual character representing the second player, purchasing the digital asset from the second player, or trading for the digital asset.

[0031] Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the disclosure.

[0032] The present disclosure may be best understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a system that generates NFTs for digital assets used in video games and executes a digital asset tracking engine for tracking the digital assets using the NFTs, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 illustrates some of the sub-modules of the gameplay data analyzer of the digital asset tracking engine of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 2 illustrates some of the sub-modules of the NFT update engine of the digital asset tracking engine of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 shows a table identifying uses of game assets in video games obtained from metadata maintained within the digital asset's NFT, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 shows a table identifying the use of multiple game assets in a video game obtained from metadata maintained in the NFTs of the respective digital assets according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a timeline of eligible events that occurred in a video game during gameplay in which a game asset associated with an NFT was used, and video clips of the eligible events, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a map of a game space of a video game that identifies NFTs available in the vicinity of a player located within the game space, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a flow operation of a method used to generate an NFT for a digital asset and track usage of the digital asset using the NFT, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a cloud gaming site in which a cloud server is used to generate NFTs for digital assets used in video games and track the use of the digital assets, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] In the following detailed description, several specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process steps have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the present disclosure.

[0035] Blockchain technology is gaining popularity because it provides a way to have secure digital transactions between two parties without the need for a third party. Blockchain technology maintains an automated digital ledger that records each and every digital transaction, and each digital transaction results in the creation of a separate block that is added to the chain of blocks that make up the transaction. Blockchains that represent various transactions for digital assets are represented using non-fungible tokens (NFTs). NFTs for digital assets can be used to verify the digital asset by verifying its authenticity, past history, and ownership. Blockchains for digital assets are stored on multiple servers and used to authenticate the digital asset by ensuring that data contained on the blockchain on one server is the same as blockchain data contained on multiple servers.

[0036] The concept of NFTs using blockchain technology is extended to video games by maintaining a usage record of each game asset used in the video game. Using the blockchain concept, each use of a game asset is added as a separate block to a blockchain maintained or created for the game asset. As more game assets are used in the video game, more blocks are added to the blockchain. The NFT for the game asset provides sufficient details that can be used not only to verify the authenticity of the game asset but also to obtain past usage history and past / current ownership of the game asset (also referred to as a "digital asset" in the context of the video game), details of the game space in which the game asset was used, etc. The NFT maintained for the game asset used in the video game is associated with the player who currently owns the game asset in the video game, and when the game asset is acquired by a new player, the acquisition by the new player is automatically recorded in the NFT by updating ownership of the game asset to the new player. In some embodiments, only some of the game assets used in the video game may be associated with an NFT based on their use in a qualified event that occurred in the video game. In other embodiments, each game asset used in a video game initially has an NFT associated with it, and based on its use in qualified events, the game asset's NFT may be updated.

[0037] The game asset usage history recorded in the NFT provides details of various qualified game events (i.e., game events that meet a predetermined threshold, such as, for example, killing a monster in a minimum amount of time, killing a monster on the first try, killing both monsters on a particular level for the first time, etc.) in which the game asset was used by either the player or other players who currently or previously owned the game asset during current or previous gameplay sessions, the identity of the player who used the game asset in each qualified game event, the type of activity (e.g., killing a monster, escaping a dungeon, killing a virtual character, etc.) performed using the game asset, and / or the action(s) performed using the game asset (e.g., the various types and number of moves performed, etc.).

[0038] In some embodiments, a history of game asset use in qualified game events may be presented to a player(s) on a timeline that identifies the qualified game events in which the game asset was used. The timeline may also include links to video clips of portions of the video game recording that correspond to the qualified game events in which the game asset was used. When selected, the video clips render portions of the video recording of gameplay of the video game played by the player in which the qualified game event occurred and in which the game asset was used.

[0039] The historical usage information provided by the NFT for a game asset can be used to assign a value to the game asset. As the game asset is used in more qualified events, the NFT associated with the game asset can be regenerated to include metadata related to the previous usage history and qualified events, and the value assigned to the game asset can be incremented. The value of the game asset obtained from the NFT based on the usage history can be used by a player to make strategic decisions, including whether to own the game asset, which game asset to own, how to acquire the game asset, and, once acquired, when, where, and how to use the game asset during game play. For example, a player may decide to own or acquire a game asset to enhance their arsenal in a video game. In another example, a player may decide to acquire game assets as a collection because of the game asset's unique history recorded in the NFT. As a result of collecting game assets, a player may have an improved ranking in a video game.

[0040] In some embodiments, game assets with associated NFTs available in a vicinity of a player in a game scene of a video game may be identified and presented to the player to assist the player in making strategic decisions about which game assets to acquire during game play. In some embodiments, game assets with NFTs available in a game scene of a video game in which a player is present may be presented on a map representing the game scene. In some embodiments, game assets may be presented on the map using a visual indicator. Note that there may be other game assets in a vicinity of a player in a game scene of a video game that do not have NFTs associated with them because these game assets were not used during a qualifying event to generate NFTs. In one embodiment, only game assets with associated NFTs may be presented on the map for the player to make strategic decisions. Game assets rendered on the map in a vicinity of a player may be acquired either by purchasing or trading during game play or by providing game input. When game input is provided by a player, other players or virtual characters currently owning or possessing the game assets may be defeated. In one embodiment, a brief usage history or prior use of each game asset identified on the map may also be provided to the player. In one embodiment, a brief usage history or prior use of a game asset may be presented to the player when the player hovers their mouse over each game asset rendered on the map. In other embodiments, the map of the game scene may be used to present both game assets with associated NFTs and game assets without associated NFTs. In such cases, the map may identify game assets with NFTs (i.e., game assets involved in a qualifying event) using visual indicators to allow players to easily identify game assets with NFTs. In some implementations, game assets with NFTs may belong to other players of the video game.In such an implementation, a visual indicator may be provided to the virtual character of the player(s) who owns the NFT game asset(s).

[0041] When a game asset is used in an event defined as a qualified event, an NFT may be created (i.e., minted or minted) for the game asset. Because creating an NFT and / or updating an NFT to blockchain technology takes time and resources, it is more efficient and useful if an NFT is recorded for the use of the game asset in a qualified event (i.e., a significant event) rather than for each and every event that occurs in the video game. In one embodiment, the use of a digital asset in each and every event that occurs in the video game may be recorded in gameplay data, but the use of the digital asset in a qualified event may be recorded using an NFT. An event becomes a significant or qualified event when the event meets a predetermined condition or threshold. For example, an event of defeating a specific monster in a record time of level 7 may be defined as a qualified event. In this example, the predetermined threshold for the record time may be defined as 15 seconds. There may be other levels where a player may have defeated the monster or other monsters within 15 seconds. However, because no other player has reached level 7 and defeated a particular monster in the record time for this level, defeating a particular monster at level 7 in under 15 seconds (e.g., in 12 seconds) may be a significant event, and the player may have used a particular game asset to achieve this goal.

[0042] In another example, a first player may defeat a particular monster within the record time at level 7 (i.e., within 12 seconds), and the NFT generated or regenerated for the game assets used by the first player to defeat the monster will record this event using the metadata of this event. If the player or a second player uses the same game assets to defeat the same monster at level 7 within 8 seconds, the time taken to defeat the monster will achieve a new record, and this event in which the player or a second player defeats the particular monster within 8 seconds will also be registered as a qualifying event. In another example, a qualifying event may be defined as defeating a monster on the first attempt at level 10. As in the example above, no player may (a) reach level 10, (b) defeat a monster at level 10, and (c) defeat a monster on the first attempt. In yet another example, a qualifying event may be defined as a first player defeating a second player at a particular ranking level. In this example, the first player may be a novice player, and the second player may be an expert player (e.g., the player with the highest ranking). In this case, it may be determined that the novice player has never defeated an experienced (i.e., expert) player. Events may be defined as qualifying events based on statistics associated with the events and the context of gameplay, and predetermined thresholds may be defined according to the frequency of occurrence of such events based on the statistics. In some implementations, the predetermined thresholds may be defined by a game developer or game provider, or by a game sponsor or the player themselves, to make gameplay of the video game more interesting and engaging.

[0043] The historical information recorded for different game assets (i.e., details included in NFTs) is used to identify other game assets with NFTs present within each game scene of the video game during gameplay. The other game assets with NFTs may be owned by other players (represented by virtual avatars or virtual characters), associated with one or more virtual characters included in the game scenes of the video game, distributed within the game scenes, or introduced into the game scenes for capture during gameplay. Other NFTs may be identified using the player's temporal and spatial attributes, the temporal and spatial attributes of other players who own specific game assets of the game assets associated with the NFTs, and the temporal and spatial attributes of specific other game assets of the game assets associated with the NFTs within each game scene. Various game assets with NFTs in the player's vicinity may be presented in the game scenes using visual indicators so that the player can see available NFTs. In some implementations, based on the context of gameplay and events currently occurring or scheduled to occur in the game scenes, specific game assets of the game assets previously used for events may be identified and visual indicators may be provided for those game assets. For example, a sword or stick may be relevant to overcoming a challenge at an event within a game scene, and the sword and / or stick identified in the game scene may be highlighted by providing a visual indicator to enable a player to focus on acquiring those game assets that are relevant to overcoming the challenge in the game scene rather than other game assets that have NFTs but may not be relevant or useful for overcoming the challenge. Identification of game assets in a game scene, such as those that are relevant in the context of a challenge within the game scene, may be performed using machine learning.Information related to other NFTs can be used by a player to create a gameplay strategy to acquire appropriate game assets to achieve a specific goal of overcoming a challenge in a game scene. When an event occurring in the current game scene qualifies as a significant event based on the player meeting or exceeding a predetermined threshold defined for the event (e.g., passing a particular battle in record time or achieving the highest possible score in a particular battle), the metadata included in the game NFT used to achieve the significant event and the metadata associated with the significant event in the current game scene are used to regenerate an NFT for the game asset. The regenerated NFT for the game asset records the use of the game asset in the current game scene.

[0044] A specific game asset may be owned by a first player, and a second player may acquire the specific game asset by defeating the first player, by trading the second player's other game assets for the game asset, or by purchasing the game asset from the first player. When ownership of a specific game asset used during a qualifying event changes, the NFT is regenerated to record the change in ownership. Upon acquiring the specific game asset, the second player may use the specific game asset to achieve an event within the current game scene or exceed a goal set by the first player, thereby qualifying the event as a significant event. In such a case, the regenerated NFT for the specific game asset records that the second player has overcome the challenge of the event, thereby qualifying the event as a significant event. The regenerated NFT provides a usage history of the specific game asset used to overcome the challenge in the significant event achieved in the current game scene by the second player. In one embodiment, a significant event achieved in a current game scene by a first player using game assets may be overcoming a challenge at the current game level within 12 seconds, while the predetermined threshold time for qualifying an event as a significant event was set at 15 seconds or less. In this exemplary implementation, a subsequent significant event in the current game scene may be defined as completing a challenge in the current game scene that exceeds the first player's achievement (i.e., overcoming the challenge in less than 12 seconds, even if the predetermined threshold time was set at 15 seconds). If a second player exceeds the time limit and overcomes a challenge in the current game scene within 10 seconds (i.e., less than the 12 seconds achieved by the first player), the event of overcoming the challenge may be declared a significant event, and an NFT may be regenerated to capture the use of game assets in achieving the subsequent significant event. In an alternative implementation, a subsequent significant event in the current game scene may continue to be when another player overcomes a challenge within the predetermined threshold value of 15 seconds.Machine learning can be used to determine when a player achieves a significant event within the current game scene based on the gameplay context and based on the gameplay statistics of the player(s).

[0045] With a general understanding of the present invention, specific embodiments will now be described with reference to the various figures.

[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computing system in which, in one embodiment, an instance of a digital asset tracking engine executes to create an NFT for a digital asset, such as a game asset in a video game. The game asset's NFT is used to track the game asset within the video game in which the game asset is used. The computing system may be a cloud system, and the instance of the digital asset tracking engine may execute on a cloud server 100 within the cloud system. The cloud server 100 may be the same server on which the game execution engine 102 executes or may be communicatively connected to the server (100) executing the game execution engine. The game execution engine launches an instance of the video game selected for gameplay. The video game may be a multiplayer video game with multiple players accessing the same instance of the video game executing on the cloud server 100, or different instances of the video game executing on multiple game consoles within the cloud server 100, or different instances of the video game executing on multiple cloud servers 100 within the cloud system. The multiple players may access the different instances simultaneously from different geolocations. When multiple instances of the video game are running and being accessed, game input provided by the players is used to update the game state of the video game, and the game state is synchronized across all instances of the video game so that each player is presented with the current game state of the video game.

[0047] The game execution engine generates gameplay data that is provided as input to the digital asset tracking engine 101 and also stored in the gameplay data data store 150. The gameplay data identifies various events occurring in the game scene during gameplay based on input received from one or more players of the video game. The input may be provided by one or more players using game assets owned by the players. The gameplay data and input provided by the one or more players is made available to the gameplay data analyzer 104 of the digital asset tracking engine 101.

[0048] The gameplay data analyzer 104 analyzes gameplay data to identify various events occurring during gameplay of the video game and statistics associated with the various events. In one embodiment, the gameplay data analyzer 104 may engage the drama engine 104a and use statistical data related to the events to determine whether a particular event is a significant event (i.e., a qualifying event) that qualifies for generating or regenerating an NFT. For example, there may be an instance where a player reaches a higher level in record time, or scores the highest score at a particular level, or defeats a monster in record time, or a rookie player scores the highest score in a single quarter, etc. The drama engine 104a is configured to identify each event occurring in a game scene and, based on the event statistics, qualifies the event occurring in gameplay as a qualifying event. An event can be a qualifying event multiple times. For example, a game event in which a player reaches a higher level in record time is defined as a qualifying event. If a first player uses game assets and achieves a higher level in a record time using the game assets, then the first player is deemed to have achieved the event goal of reaching the higher level in a record time—i.e., a qualifying event. An event is defined as a qualifying event based on gameplay statistics determined from an analysis of gameplay data and predefined thresholds defined for various events within the video game. A qualifying event is associated with the game assets used to achieve the goal of successfully completing the qualifying event's challenge. Now, if a second player achieves the same higher level using the same game assets as the first player but beats the record time achieved by the first player, then the event in which the second player achieves the higher level using the same game assets now becomes a subsequent qualifying event.

[0049] To determine gameplay statistics and define events as qualifying events, the drama engine 104a of the gameplay data analyzer 104 analyzes the gameplay data and inputs from players to identify temporal and spatial attributes associated with the gameplay data and inputs. The temporal and spatial attributes of the gameplay data correlate to the temporal and spatial attributes associated with the inputs provided by the players. The spatial attributes of the gameplay data are used to identify the current game scene, the location within the current game scene of the video game where a particular player is located, and the events occurring in the current game scene. The temporal attributes from a particular player's input correlate to the temporal characteristics of events occurring at the time the particular player's input is received, and together with the spatial attributes, relevant data is identified, such as the identity of the particular player providing the input, the game asset used by the particular player to provide input to the event, the type(s) of input provided, the number of inputs provided (multiple strikes vs. single strikes), and the result of the input. The inputs from the players are used to determine the outcome (i.e., the game state) of the video game.

[0050] The temporal and spatial attributes of the gameplay data and related data obtained using the player's input are provided as input to the NFT update engine 106 within the digital asset tracking engine 101. The NFT update engine 106 determines whether an event is a qualifying event for which an NFT should be generated, and such determination is made based on statistics obtained from the gameplay data. An event, such as killing a monster, may have already occurred multiple times within an earlier game scene of a video game. However, based on gameplay statistics, it may be determined that the monster was killed for the first time at a particular level, within a shortest period of time, or on the first attempt. In such cases, the monster-killing event qualifies as a qualifying event. Once the event is determined to be a qualifying event, the NFT update engine 106 then determines whether an NFT has already been created for the game asset used in the event in the video game. If an NFT is not available for the game asset, the NFT creation engine 106a within the NFT update engine 106 is then engaged to generate (i.e., mint) an NFT for the game asset used by the player during the event. Metadata related to the event is used to create the NFT. Newly minted NFTs for game assets are associated with eligible events and players to build a legacy for use with the game assets within the video game. Newly minted NFTs for game assets are stored in data store 140 of NFT data.

[0051] On the other hand, if an NFT already exists for a game asset and an event occurring in a game scene in which a player is using the game asset is determined to be a qualifying event, then the NFT for the game asset is regenerated to include details from the qualifying event the player achieved in the current game scene. In this case, the NFT update engine 106 engages the NFT retrieval engine 106b to first retrieve metadata included in the game asset's NFT from the NFT data store 140, and then uses blockchain technology to regenerate the NFT for the game asset using the metadata retrieved from the NFT data store 140 and the metadata of the qualifying event achieved in the current game scene. The regenerated NFT captures the legacy of the game asset's use and is stored in the NFT data store 140.

[0052] Created (i.e., generated) and / or regenerated NFTs are synchronized across all servers where the game asset's NFT data is stored. The NFT synchronization engine 106c of the NFT update engine 106 is used to perform the synchronization of game asset NFTs. NFT data for game assets may be synchronized at an individual video game level or collectively across all video games. In one embodiment, game assets are portable (i.e., transferable) from one video game to another, and the NFT synchronization engine 106c may synchronize NFT data associated with the game asset across all video games in which the game asset may be used. In one embodiment, different video games may be implemented on different gaming platforms. In such an embodiment, metadata for inclusion in the generation or reproduction of an NFT for a game asset in one video game is standardized and includes only required data that can be used to uniquely identify the legacy of the game asset's use across all gaming platforms. Synchronization of required metadata across other video games running on different gaming platforms may be performed using an appropriate application programming interface (API).

[0053] In addition to generating NFT data for game assets, statistical data identified by the drama engine 104a from analyzing gameplay data can be used to identify various game assets with NFTs within a game scene in which a player is present. The NFT identification engine 108 of the digital asset tracking engine 101 can be used to identify various game assets with NFTs within a game scene and provide visual indicators for the game assets themselves or for virtual characters that own the game assets. A player may also use information related to the game assets identified within a game scene to make strategic decisions regarding game play. For example, the game assets identified within a game scene may identify two different game assets with NFTs that were used to achieve different important events in a video game. A player may use usage history details included in the NFT data of game assets in the player's vicinity to determine whether they need to acquire one or more game assets to assist the player with a challenge, identify which game assets to acquire, which other players to interact with to acquire the identified game assets, which game assets to use to overcome specific challenges within different game scenes, which game assets to acquire to improve their overall game ranking, etc.

[0054] In one embodiment, various NFT-related game assets within a game scene may be presented to a player on a map representing the game scene. The map with the NFT-related game assets may be dynamically generated for the player based on statistics of the player's current gameplay. For example, the player may be playing in a way that makes an event likely to qualify as a qualifying event, and the probability of the qualifying event occurring may be determined based on statistics collected during the current gameplay. In one embodiment, the analysis of gameplay data to identify gameplay statistics and determine the qualifying event may be performed using a machine learning algorithm. Based on the likelihood of the qualifying event occurring, the digital asset tracking engine 101 may examine the game assets the player currently owns in the video game and the game asset(s) the player likely needs to acquire to complete a challenge that would qualify the event as a significant event. The digital asset tracking engine may engage the map generation engine 112 to dynamically generate a map of a game scene to help a player decide which one of the game assets to acquire and identify within the game scene the locations of game assets that have NFTs that the player needs to acquire in order to strategize game play to acquire the game assets. The map may not only identify the location of the game asset (i.e., the virtual character that owns the game asset or location(s) within the game scene), but may also provide attributes of the game asset with the identified NFT, such as which player currently owns the game asset, which game scene and which significant event the game asset was used in, and which player used the game asset to overcome a challenge that qualified the event as a significant event. The game asset attributes are obtained from game asset metadata included in the game asset's NFT data. The game asset attributes may be provided as an informational message within a pop-up window rendered within a portion of the game scene or within a specific portion of a display screen defined by the player, allowing the player to view the game asset's legacy and make more informed decisions.

[0055] In another embodiment, instead of or in addition to a map, attributes of game assets used during significant events may also be presented to the player in a timeline to provide a quick view of eligible events in which the game assets were used. In this embodiment, the timeline identifies eligible or significant events achieved using only the game assets. In one embodiment, a timeline may be generated for each game asset with some legacy used in the video game or alternatively in another video game. In another embodiment, a timeline generated for a video game may include significant events for multiple game assets used by different players in the video game. The timeline association engine 110 of the digital asset tracking engine 101 is responsible for generating a timeline that identifies eligible or significant events that occurred during gameplay of the video game. In one embodiment, the timeline may be generated for a current gameplay session of the video game and may include eligible events that occurred during gameplay in which the game assets were used. As gameplay continues, additional eligible events may occur in which the game assets were used, and the timeline may be dynamically updated to include the additional eligible events. In other embodiments, the timeline may include eligible events from previous gameplay sessions of the video game. In addition to identifying eligible events that occurred in the video game, the timeline may also include video clips of recordings of portions of gameplay of the video game when eligible game events occurred. The video clips may provide the player with information about how the game assets were used, by whom, and for which game events.

[0056] In one embodiment, the video clips may be provided as thumbnails on a timeline. A thumbnail generation engine 110a within the timeline association engine 110 may be used to generate thumbnails for the video clips identified by the NFT identification engine 108. The thumbnails provide interactive links to access the respective video clips of game play. It should be noted that presenting the eligible events in which game assets are used on a timeline with thumbnails of the video clips is one format employed for presenting the eligible events, and other formats may be employed.

[0057] FIG. 2 illustrates some of the submodules of the drama engine 104a within the gameplay data analyzer 104 that are used to analyze gameplay data and identify statistics that qualify an event as a significant event (also referred to throughout as a “qualifying event”) in which a particular game asset for which NFT data must be recorded was used. The drama engine 104a is configured to record gameplay statistics in the context of a video game and qualify an event as a significant event. An event may not, in itself, be a trophy worth tracking or meaningful in isolation (i.e., a qualifying event or a significant event). However, based on the gameplay context and statistics collected during gameplay, an event may become significant during gameplay. For example, a player reaching a higher level may not, in isolation, be worthy of a trophy or meaningful. However, if a player is able to reach a higher level in record time, then such player achievement is considered a significant event. Statistics collected during gameplay are used to determine when an event becomes, or qualifies as, a significant event. In another example, a player defeating a monster at a particular level may not, in isolation, be meaningful. However, if a player defeats a monster at a particular level in record time, then the event of defeating a monster at a particular level becomes a significant event. The conditions for qualifying an event as a significant event can be defined for the video game, and predetermined thresholds can be set for different conditions based on the context of the video game and statistics collected during gameplay.

[0058] The drama engine 104a includes at least a game scene identification engine 104b, a digital asset identification engine 104c, an event qualification engine 104d, and an NFT identification engine 104e. The above-mentioned submodules are provided by way of example only, and fewer or additional submodules may be envisioned within the drama engine 104a. In one embodiment, the drama engine 104a uses gameplay data to identify a game scene within the video game in which a player is currently located using the game scene identification engine 104b. The game scene identification engine 104b analyzes gameplay data retrieved from the gameplay data data store 150 to identify temporal and spatial attributes associated with the gameplay data. The temporal and spatial attributes are used to identify the game scene in which the player is located. When multiple players are involved in a gameplay session of the video game, the game scene identification engine 104b uses the temporal and spatial attributes to identify each player's location within the game scene. All players may be in a single game scene or in different game scenes at once.

[0059] In addition to identifying a player's game scene, the drama engine 104a, in one embodiment, may be used to identify game assets (i.e., digital assets) used in performing a challenge that qualify the challenge as a significant event. Game assets may be swords, hammers, bows, discs, etc., possessed by a player and used to defeat an enemy or overcome a challenge in a game scene. Game assets may have special powers or be used in special ways to provide a desired result—i.e., defeating an enemy or overcoming a challenge. A digital asset identification engine 104c within the drama engine 104a is used to identify game assets by correlating inputs provided by the player with temporal and spatial attributes of the gameplay data, which may identify the type of game asset used to provide the input, the number of attempts the player made to use the game asset to achieve a desired result, the outcome of each attempt, etc.

[0060] The event qualification engine 104d of the drama engine 104a uses statistical data identified from the analysis of gameplay data and player inputs to identify events that occur in the video game and determine whether the identified events qualify as significant events (i.e., qualifying events) that require the generation of NFTs. The event qualification engine 104d may determine whether an event qualifies and becomes a significant event by referencing the conditions defined for each event and the corresponding event-specific predetermined threshold 104d-1. Each event that occurs in the video game may have a distinct threshold set within the video game based on the context, level, and / or game scene. For example, capturing a monster may have a specific threshold that may be different from the threshold defined for defeating a player, which may be different from the threshold defined for destroying an enemy base, etc. In some examples, the same event may have different thresholds defined in different game scenes. Based on the statistical data collected from the gameplay data, the event qualification engine 104d may or may not identify an event as a qualifying event. If the event is a qualifying event, then the event is flagged as such and this information is included along with the statistical and other relevant data provided as input to the NFT update engine 106.

[0061] In one embodiment, the event-specific throttling engine 104d-2 may be used by the event qualification engine 104d to throttle the predetermined threshold used to qualify an event as a significant event. Throttling may be dynamic for a particular event and may be based on statistical data collected from gameplay of a video game. For example, an event such as capturing a monster at level 8 of a video game in a record time may have a threshold that defines the record time as 10 seconds or less. A first player may be able to capture a monster at level 8 in 10 seconds, a second player playing the same level of the video game after the first player may be able to capture the same monster in 9 seconds, and players 3 through 5 playing the same level of the video game after the first and second players may each capture the same monster in 7 seconds. Based on the number of players (i.e., players 1 through 5) and the frequency with which players successfully capture a level 8 monster below the predetermined threshold, the event's predetermined threshold may be dynamically throttled to make the threshold more stringent (e.g., throttled to 8 seconds or less). On the other hand, if the number of players capable of capturing a monster at level 8 is two or less, then the threshold may be more lenient (e.g., throttled to 15 seconds). In this example, the event-specific throttling engine 104d-2 may be used to perform dynamic throttling of predetermined thresholds that can be used to examine statistical data for a particular event and determine the event as an eligible event for generating NFTs for game assets.

[0062] In one embodiment, the drama engine 104a may determine whether an NFT exists for a game asset identified by the digital asset identification engine 104c. Temporal and spatial attributes obtained from analyzing the gameplay data may be used to determine the event and the game asset used in the event. The NFT identification engine 104e may be used to query the data store 140 of NFT data to determine whether an NFT exists for the identified game asset. If an NFT exists for the game asset, then the metadata included in the NFT data for the game asset is retrieved and provided to the NFT update engine 106 along with statistical data and other relevant data from the gameplay data analyzer 104.

[0063] FIG. 3 illustrates some of the submodules of the NFT update engine 106, which, in one embodiment, is used to generate or regenerate NFT data for a particular game asset used in a qualified event in a video game. The NFT update engine 106 receives input from the gameplay data analyzer 104 and either engages the NFT creation engine 116 to generate an NFT for a game asset used in a qualified event that just occurred in the video game, or uses the NFT retrieval engine 118 to retrieve metadata for an NFT already generated for a game asset and regenerate NFT data for the game asset used in a qualified event. When no NFT data is available for a game asset used in a qualified event, the NFT creation engine 116 generates an NFT data record for the game asset using blockchain technology. The NFT for the game asset is generated using gameplay metadata associated with the qualified event in which the game asset was used. The metadata included in the NFT provides sufficient details to identify and authenticate the game asset, creating a legacy for the game asset. The qualified event association engine 116a associates the generated NFT data with the qualified event. The NFT data of the game event is also associated with a player who participates in the game event and uses the game assets to provide input to complete a task. The player association engine 116b is used to identify players and associate the NFT data of the game assets with the players.

[0064] The NFT data generated for a game asset is associated with a video game using a video game association engine 116c. The video game includes game scenes in which the game asset was used to achieve a qualifying event. The game scene association engine 116d is used to associate the NFT data with a specific game scene in which a qualifying event occurred in which the game asset was used during gameplay. The NFT data generated for a game asset using blockchain technology includes details of the video game in which the game asset was recently used, the game scene in the video game in which the game asset was used, the qualifying event that occurred in the game scene, the game asset used to overcome the challenge of the qualifying event, and the player who provided input using the game asset. The newly generated NFT data for the game asset is provided as input to an NFT synchronization engine 120, enabling synchronization of the NFT data across multiple servers where gameplay data for the video game and NFT data for the game asset are stored.

[0065] If an NFT has already been generated for a game asset, the NFT retrieval engine 118 is used to query the NFT data store 140 and retrieve metadata included in the NFT of the game asset used during a qualified event in the video game. The retrieved metadata for the game asset and the qualified event metadata are used to regenerate the NFT for the game asset. The regenerated NFT is written as a new entry to the game asset's blockchain, and the new entry adds the qualified event metadata to existing metadata identifying previous usage (i.e., a legacy of usage). The metadata for the qualified event is obtained from statistical data and other information provided by the drama engine 104a. The regenerated NFT provides a complete usage history of the game asset, including details of not only the current usage of the game asset within the video game, but also previous usage. The previous usage of the game asset may be from only the current gameplay session or from previous gameplay sessions of the video game. Furthermore, the previous usage of the game asset maintained in the NFT may be player-specific, video game-specific, or game asset-specific. The player-specific details capture the usage history of the game asset when the game asset is owned by the player and used in a video game. The video game-specific details capture the usage history of the game asset when used in a video game identified in the NFT. The game asset-specific details capture the complete usage history of the game asset by multiple players in different video games and across multiple gameplay sessions of each of the different video games in which the game asset is used. When the previous usage identifies the game asset being used by another player and the current usage identifies the use of the game asset by the player, the update player association engine 118a can be used to update the player information and the current player's association to the game asset when the NFT for the game asset is regenerated.The update qualified event association engine 118b is used to update the qualified event information and the association of the game asset with the qualified event when regenerating an NFT to record the most recent use of the game asset in a qualified event. When the most recent use recorded in the metadata of the retrieved NFT for the game asset identifies a second video game and the current use of the game asset was within the video game (i.e., a first video game different from the second video game), the update video game association engine 118c is used to update the video game information and associate the game asset with the video game when regenerating an NFT to record the most recent use of the game asset. The metadata included in the regenerated NFT for the game asset is forwarded as input to the NFT synchronization engine 120.

[0066] The NFT synchronization engine 120 receives metadata from NFTs generated for game assets provided by the NFT creation engine 116 or regenerated for game assets provided by the NFT retrieval engine 118 and synchronizes the metadata of the generated or regenerated NFTs across all servers storing NFTs for the game assets. Synchronization of NFT data with other servers may be via an API call, and the NFT data may be transmitted to other servers over a network connection, such as the Internet 130, using a network protocol. Game assets may be used in other video games running on different platforms that use different data transmission protocols. Consequently, the metadata of the generated or regenerated NFTs, which capture the usage history, including the current use of the game assets, may be standardized using logic in the NFT synchronization engine 120 so that the metadata can be easily and appropriately interpreted on other platforms. The standardized metadata of the NFT is then transmitted through an appropriate API. The NFT data transmitted by the NFT synchronization engine 120 is updated to the NFT data store 140 maintained across the different servers 100a-100c. The updated NFT data provides sufficient information related to the game asset that can be used to verify the history and ownership of the game asset.

[0067] FIG. 4 illustrates, in one embodiment, a table of exemplary eligible events in which a game asset was used and an NFT for the game asset was generated or regenerated. The table identifies eligible events in which a single game asset (e.g., a sword) was used. Details provided in the metadata included with the NFT can be used to track the legacy of the single game asset's use. The table identifies details such as the identity of the video game, the game level, the game scene within the game level, the player who owned the game asset, the eligible event in which the game asset was used, and the participants in the eligible event. Of course, the details above are provided by way of example only and should not be considered comprehensive. Other details may also be included in the NFT data. In this embodiment, the game asset is shown as being used in a video game, and the legacy identifies different players who owned and used the game asset to overcome challenges within various eligible events occurring in different game scenes and at different game levels. In one embodiment, the legacy of game asset use may be based on one gameplay session of the video game. In another embodiment, the legacy of game asset use may be based on multiple gameplay sessions of the video game.

[0068] FIG. 5 illustrates a table generated from metadata included in NFTs for different game assets of different video games maintained in a data store of NFT data that, in one embodiment, identifies qualifying events in which challenges were successfully overcome using the different game assets. In this embodiment, some of the game assets used in video game 1 are also shown to be used in video game 2. This may be because certain game assets used in the first video game were successfully ported (i.e., transferred) to the second video game for use in overcoming challenges in the second video game. Porting of game assets to different video games may be possible when the different video games are set up to allow such porting of game assets. Video games set up to allow such porting may be running on one gaming platform (i.e., have their own gameplay protocols) or may be running on multiple gaming platforms. Enabling the porting of game assets between video games would make gameplay of such video games much more interesting, exciting, and personal for players, as they feel they are bringing their own arsenal from one video game to play in other video games. Porting may occur based on explicit instructions from the player. For example, the option may be provided to the player as part of gameplay session setup at the start of a gameplay session for video game 2, as part of gameplay session completion at the end of a gameplay session for video game 1, or at any other time. The game asset transfer will begin once the player selects the game assets to transfer, the source video game, and the destination video game. Game assets transferred from the first video game to the second video game based on the player's explicit command become available to the player immediately upon the player accessing the second video game or after the game assets have been successfully transferred.

[0069] In one embodiment, game assets that a player can choose to port from video game 1 may need to be owned by the player of video game 1 to enable such porting. In such an embodiment, the porting option may be provided along with a list of game assets currently owned by the player for the player to select from. In other embodiments, a player may be able to select any game asset available to the player within a video game to port (i.e., transfer) to another video game to enable gameplay using the game asset. In this embodiment, game assets that a player selects to port may need to be set up for porting, and the porting option may include a list of game assets that a player can select for porting. Figure 5 illustrates an example in which video games 1 and 2 are designed to enable game asset portability, and in response to respective player selections, a double-bladed lightsaber owned by player 1 is ported from video game 1 to video game 2 by player 1, and a magic sword owned by player 2 is ported from video game 1 to video game 2 by player 2. The transferred game assets become available to the respective players during gameplay of video game 2. Note that although the above example shows the transfer (i.e., porting) of game assets as being from video game 1 to video game 2, the transfer could occur in the other direction—i.e., from video game 2 to video game 1. As a result of transferring game assets to video game 2, the NFTs associated with those game assets are regenerated to reflect changes in the video games with which the respective game assets are associated (i.e., from video game 1 to video game 2). The metadata of the regenerated NFTs includes the identity of the player who initiated the transfer of each game asset, the identity of the video games from and to which the game assets were transferred, etc.In one embodiment, a first player may port game assets won or acquired in video game 1 to video game 2 and further transfer the game assets to a second player for use by the second player in video game 2. In another embodiment, a first player may port game assets won or acquired in video game 1 to a second player within video game 1. In both of the above embodiments, once the game assets are successfully ported to the second player in video game 2 or 1, the second player may be able to access and use the game assets for gameplay of the respective video games. Again, upon detecting a change in the video game and / or player to associate with the game assets, the NFT data for the game assets is regenerated to reflect the current ownership of the game assets and the video game in which the game assets are used.

[0070] When the transferred game assets are used, for example, during a qualified event in video game 2, the NFT data for each game asset is regenerated to include metadata associated with the use of the respective game asset, thereby adding to the legacy of the respective game asset. The legacy of use (i.e., usage history) can be used to determine different video games, different game scenes, and different qualified game events in which the game asset can be used and / or used by different players, and the blockchain technology used in generating and / or regenerating the NFT data enables such tracking of game asset usage.

[0071] FIG. 6, in one embodiment, shows a sample timeline generated for a video game that identifies eligible events in which a game asset was used by one or more players during gameplay. A game asset may be owned by a single player or by multiple players through beating, trading for, purchasing, or defeating an enemy or virtual character or player who possessed the game asset during the course of gameplay. The timeline provides a quick view of eligible events in which the game asset was used. The timeline also provides video clips of portions of the gameplay recording capturing each eligible event in which the game asset was used. The video clips can be provided as links or as interactive clips, which can be designed to render portions of the gameplay recording of eligible events in response to interaction with the video clip from a player or other user (e.g., a spectator). In one embodiment, the interaction can be an explicit selection action or a hover or mouseover action. The timeline in FIG. 6 shows seven eligible events. In one embodiment, a timeline can be generated for a current gameplay session of a video game, and eligible events and video clips of eligible events can be identified and included in appropriate time slots in the timeline as and when the eligible events are completed. In this embodiment, the timeline can be generated on the fly and dynamically updated during the current gameplay session of the video game. In other embodiments, the timeline can include eligible events and video clips of eligible events in which the game asset was used during previous gameplay sessions. The details provided in the timeline in this embodiment can be to inform the player of all eligible events in which the game asset was used.

[0072] FIG. 7 illustrates, in one embodiment, a map of a game scene of a video game in which a player (e.g., player 1) is interactively playing. NFT data collected for various game assets during gameplay of the video game includes temporal and spatial attributes to identify different game assets with associated NFTs that are in the vicinity of player 1. Each game asset identified in the vicinity of player 1 may be associated with another player, a virtual character within the video game, or may be randomly located or available within the game scene of the video game. In one embodiment, the map may identify the locations of game assets owned by other players that may be relevant to the player for their current gameplay session. Relevant game assets may be identified based on the context of the game scene in which the player is located and on current statistics collected from gameplay of the video game. In the exemplary map shown in FIG. 7, two relevant game assets with NFTs are identified in the vicinity of player 1 and are shown to be associated with players 2 and 3, respectively, and the remaining game assets are identified as distributed throughout the game scene. Game assets with associated NFTs may be presented with a visual indicator to draw player 1's attention toward the game assets. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, related game assets owned by players 2 and 3 are highlighted to notify player 1 of the existence of two related game assets that player 1 may be able to use during gameplay. Player 1 may be able to use the location information of various game assets in the game scene to strategize his or her next move in gameplay.For example, Player 1 may determine whether he or she needs to acquire one or both of the related game assets to help him or her survive or overcome a challenge in the current level, which one of the two related game assets to acquire, the mode in which he or she acquires one or both of the related game assets (e.g., by defeating a second and / or third player, by trading or purchasing from a second / third player, etc.), whether he or she acquires the game assets as a collection, etc. NFTs provide sufficient historical and tracking data that can be used to provide information related to historical game events in which various game assets have been or were used to enable players to make informed decisions in gameplay regarding acquiring or trading for various game assets.

[0073] FIG. 8 illustrates various flow operations of a method for tracking the use of game assets in a video game, in one embodiment. The method begins at operation 810, in which a non-fungible token (NFT) is generated for a game asset used in the video game. The NFT is generated using blockchain technology. The generated NFT is transmitted over a network, such as the internet, to different servers and stored on the different servers. The use of the game asset in the video game is monitored to determine when the game asset is used in a qualified event, as shown in operation 820. The game asset may be used to overcome various challenges in the video game. When the game asset is used in a game event that qualifies the game event as a qualified event or a significant event, the NFT for the game asset is regenerated using metadata associated with the qualified event, as shown in operation 830. The regenerated NFT for the game asset includes the metadata that was included in the generated NFT and the metadata of the qualified event that has now occurred in the video game. The regenerated NFT preserves the legacy of the game asset's use in the video game, which players can use to make strategic decisions in gameplay.

[0074] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary system used to load game files for games available through a cloud gaming site. The system includes multiple client devices 900 communicatively connected to a cloud gaming site 904 via a network 902 (130 in FIG. 3), which may include a LAN, wired, wireless, cellular (e.g., 4G, 5G, etc.), or any other type of data network, including the Internet. When a request to access the cloud gaming site 904 is received from a client device 900, the cloud gaming site 904 accesses user account information 906 stored in a user data store 908 to identify the user associated with the client device through which the request is initiated. In some embodiments, the cloud gaming site may also validate the identified user to determine all games the user is authorized to view / play. Following user account identification / validation, the cloud gaming site accesses game title data 910 to identify game titles available on the game cloud site for the user account initiating the request. The game title data store 910 then interacts with the game database 912 to obtain the game titles of all games available to the cloud gaming site. As new games are introduced, the game database 912 is updated with the game code, and the game title data store 910 is provided with the game title information for the newly introduced game. The client device 900 from which the request is initiated may or may not be registered with the cloud gaming site when the request is initiated. If the user of the client device 900 initiating the request is not a registered user, the cloud gaming site may identify the user as a new user and select appropriate game titles for the new user (e.g., a default set of game titles). The identified game titles are returned to the client device 900 for presentation on the display screen 900-a.

[0075] A user interaction with one of the game titles rendered on the client device is detected, and a signal is sent to the cloud gaming site. The signal includes game title information where the user interaction was detected and where the user interaction was registered. In response to the signal received from the client device, the cloud gaming site proactively determines, from among multiple data centers (914-a through 914-d), a data center where the game is hosted and sends a signal to the identified data center 914 to load the game associated with the game title where the user interaction was detected. In some embodiments, multiple data centers 914 may host the game. In such embodiments, the cloud gaming site 904 may determine the geolocation of the client device that initiated the request, identify a data center 914 that is geographically close to the client device 900, and send a signal to the data center 914 to preload the game. The user's geolocation may be determined using a global positioning system (GPS) mechanism in the client device, the client's IP address, or the client's ping information, to name a few. Of course, the above-described methods for detecting a user's geolocation are exemplary, and other types of mechanisms or tools may be used to determine a user's geolocation. Identifying a data center close to the client device can minimize latency during user interaction with the game. In some embodiments, the identified data center may not have the bandwidth / capabilities / resources necessary to host the game or may be overworked. In these embodiments, the cloud gaming site may identify a second data center that is geographically closer to the client device. Loading a game includes loading the game code and running an instance of the game.

[0076] In response to receiving a signal from the cloud gaming site, the identified data center may select a server 916 from among multiple servers in the data center 914 and instantiate the game on the server. The server is selected based on available hardware / software capabilities and game requirements. The server may include multiple game consoles 918, and the server may determine which of the multiple game consoles to use to load the game. The game consoles may resemble standalone game consoles or may be rack-mounted or blade servers. A blade server, in turn, may include multiple server blades, each blade having the circuitry necessary to instantiate a single dedicated interactive application, such as a video game. Of course, the game consoles described above are exemplary and should not be considered limiting. Other types of game consoles, including game stations and the like, and other forms of blade servers may also be involved to host the identified game.

[0077] Once the game console is identified, general game-related code for the game is loaded onto the game console, and a signal identifying the game console instantiating the game is transmitted over the network through the cloud gaming site back to the client device, thereby making the loaded game available to the user.

[0078] It should be understood that the various embodiments defined herein may be combined or assembled into specific embodiments that use various features disclosed herein. Thus, the examples provided are only some of the possible examples and are not intended to limit the various embodiments that are possible by combining various elements to define more embodiments. In some examples, some embodiments may include fewer elements without departing from the spirit of the disclosed or equivalent embodiments.

[0079] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced with a variety of computer system configurations, including handheld devices, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a wire-based or wireless network.

[0080] In some embodiments, communication may be facilitated using wireless technology. Such technology may include, for example, 5G wireless communication technology. 5G is the fifth generation of cellular network technology. 5G networks are digital cellular networks in which a provider's coverage area is divided into small geographic areas known as cells. Analog signals representing sound and video are digitized by the telephone, converted by an analog-to-digital converter, and transmitted as a bit stream. All 5G wireless devices within a cell communicate via radio waves with a local antenna array and low-power automatic transceiver (transmitter and receiver) within the cell over frequency channels assigned by the transceiver from a pool of frequencies reused by other cells. The local antennas are connected to the telephone network and the Internet by high-bandwidth optical fiber or wireless backhaul connections. As with other cellular networks, mobile devices moving from one cell to another are automatically transferred to the new cell. It should be understood that 5G networks are merely an example of a type of communication network, and that embodiments of the present disclosure may use previous generations of wireless or wired communication, as well as later generations of wired or wireless technologies that come after 5G.

[0081] In view of the above embodiments, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure may employ various computer-implemented operations involving data stored in computer systems. These operations are operations requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Any of the operations described herein that form part of the present disclosure are useful machine operations. The present disclosure also relates to devices or apparatus for performing these operations. Apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or the apparatus may be a general-purpose computer selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer. In particular, various general-purpose machines may be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein. Alternatively, it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required operations.

[0082] Although the method operations have been described in a particular order, it should be understood that other housekeeping operations may be performed between operations, or operations may be arranged to occur at slightly different times, or operations may be distributed within the system to allow processing operations to occur at various processing-related intervals, so long as the processing of telemetry and game state data to generate a modified game state is performed in the desired manner.

[0083] One or more embodiments may also be fabricated as computer-readable code on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium is any data storage device that can store data, which can then be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include hard drives, network-attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tape, and other optical and non-optical data storage devices. The computer-readable medium may include tangible computer-readable media distributed over network-connected computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

[0084] Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the present embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present embodiments should not be limited to the details set forth herein but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0085] It should be understood that the various embodiments defined herein may be combined or assembled into specific embodiments that use various features disclosed herein. Thus, the examples provided are only some of the possible examples and are not intended to limit the various embodiments that are possible by combining various elements to define more embodiments. In some instances, some embodiments may include fewer elements without departing from the spirit of the disclosed or equivalent implementations.

Claims

1. generating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of digital assets to be used in a video game selected by a player for gameplay; monitoring use of the digital asset in the video game during gameplay to identify eligible events occurring in the video game in which the digital asset is used; regenerating the NFT for the digital asset using metadata associated with the qualified event and metadata included in the NFT generated for the digital asset; the recreated NFT provides legacy details of the use of the digital asset; used to track use of the digital asset in the video game; the digital assets associated with the player and the NFTs associated with the digital assets are portable by the player to other video games, and the porting of the NFTs and the digital assets is enabled using an application programming interface; method.

2. the NFT is regenerated with the metadata of the qualified event each time the qualified event occurs in the video game. The method of claim 1.

3. the metadata of the digital asset is identified using temporal and spatial attributes associated with a game space of the video game in which the digital asset is used by the player; The method of claim 1.

4. the NFT of the digital asset is associated with the player using the digital asset during the occurrence of the qualifying event; The method of claim 1.

5. Further, recreating the NFT for the digital asset includes synchronizing the metadata of the regenerated NFT for the digital asset in the video game with other video games in which the digital asset is used. The method of claim 1.

6. the metadata includes at least information relating to a timeline within the video game corresponding to a particular portion of a game space associated with the qualified event in which the digital asset is used, a player identity of a player using the digital asset, a participant identity of a participant in the qualified event, a game identity of the video game, a level identity of a game level associated with the particular portion, and an event identity and details of the qualified event in the video game; the particular portion of the game space is identified using temporal and spatial attributes associated with the game space of the video game; the participants include other players or virtual characters of the video game; The method of claim 1.

7. the qualifying event is an event that meets a predetermined threshold defined based on statistics collected during the gameplay of the video game; The method of claim 1.

8. the predetermined threshold is throttled to match legacy goals defined for the digital assets used in the video game; The method of claim 7.

9. the predetermined threshold of the event is defined by a game developer, a player, a game host, or a game content sponsor of the video game; The method of claim 7.

10. the NFT is maintained for the digital asset used in the video game and is regenerated using metadata from multiple gameplay sessions of the video game; The method of claim 1.

11. monitoring the usage includes providing the player with a first option to generate the NFT for the digital asset used by the player during the qualified event when the NFT is not available for the digital asset, the first option being provided in response to an event in the video game meeting a predetermined threshold to become the qualified event; The method of claim 1.

12. and providing a second option to port the NFT for the digital asset from a second video game, wherein selecting the second option retrieves the metadata included in the NFT for the digital asset from the second video game in which the digital asset was previously used, and the metadata for the digital asset retrieved from the second video game and the metadata for the qualifying event in the video game are used to regenerate the NFT for the digital asset. The method of claim 1.

13. providing a timeline of the gameplay that identifies a plurality of eligible events that occurred during the gameplay of the video game in which the digital asset was used, the plurality of eligible events including the identified eligible event, each of the plurality of eligible events being provided as a thumbnail on the timeline, the timeline providing a visual representation of the legacy of the use of the digital asset identified from the metadata included in the NFT, and the thumbnail providing access to a video recording of a portion of the gameplay of the video game in the eligible event in which the digital asset was used. The method of claim 1.

14. providing a timeline of the gameplay identifying a plurality of eligible events, including the identified eligible event, that occurred during the gameplay in which a plurality of digital assets, including the digital asset, were used, each eligible event being represented on the timeline as a thumbnail, the thumbnail providing access to a video recording of a portion of the gameplay of the video game in which at least one of the plurality of digital assets was used. The method of claim 1.

15. receiving input from a player of a video game selected for gameplay, said input being used to update a game state of said video game and to provide gameplay data for rendering at said player's client device, said gameplay data identifying a game space in which said player is currently located within said video game; identifying one or more digital assets available within the game space in which the player is located, each digital asset of the one or more digital assets being associated with a corresponding non-fungible token (NFT) and identified from metadata included in the corresponding NFT; providing details relating to the one or more digital assets available within the game space of the player to assist the player in making strategic decisions regarding the gameplay of the video game; the details are provided using metadata included in the corresponding NFTs of the one or more digital assets; the digital assets associated with the player and the NFTs associated with the digital assets are portable by the player to other video games, and the porting of the NFTs and the digital assets is enabled using an application programming interface; method.

16. the one or more digital assets are presented on a map representing the game space in which the player is located within the video game, and the one or more digital assets are presented using a visual indicator to enable the player to track the one or more digital assets.

16. The method of claim 15.

17. the one or more digital assets are associated with one or more other players, and the visible indicators are provided on one or more virtual characters representing the one or more other players to enable tracking of the one or more digital assets of the one or more other players within the game space of the video game.

17. The method of claim 16.

18. the visible indicator comprises any one of a pin, a balloon, an arrow, or a marker provided at a location within the game space where each one of the digital assets is located, and the visible indicator is color-coded according to a type associated with each digital asset; 17. The method of claim 16.

19. the video game is a multiplayer game played between the player and other players; when the player acquires the digital asset owned by the second player, the NFT associated with the second player is automatically transferred from the second player to the player, the automatic transfer including recreating the NFT of the digital asset with information related to the player and information related to the acquisition of the digital asset from the second player; the digital asset is acquired by one of defeating a virtual character representing the second player, killing the virtual character representing the second player, or purchasing or trading the digital asset from the second player; 17. The method of claim 16.

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