Challenge-Based Matchmaking for Competitive Video Games
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional matchmaking systems in competitive video games are prone to manipulation and do not effectively match skilled players, especially in large tournaments, leading to issues like the 'group of death' and inefficiencies in ad-hoc matchmaking.
Innovation Solution
A challenge-based matchmaking system that allows players to submit, revise, and withdraw challenges, dynamically ranking them based on performance and monetary value, ensuring that the most skilled players are matched in a controlled and fair manner, with allocated rewards for winners and a structured competition format.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If rating-based matchmaking systems are used to match players based on skill ratings, then players with proportionate skills can be matched together, but the system becomes susceptible to manipulation through intentional losses, win-trading, or account creation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a challenge-based intermediary system where players must issue and accept challenges to compete, rather than simply queueing based on ratings. This challenge mechanism acts as a mediator that verifies player intent and skill demonstration in real-time, making manipulation through pre-arranged outcomes more difficult while maintaining accurate skill-based matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts matchmaking based on active challenges and real-time player behavior rather than relying on static ratings. Players' skill levels are continuously validated through challenge acceptance and completion, allowing the system to adapt to manipulation attempts by observing actual play patterns and challenge outcomes rather than relying on potentially compromised rating data.
2Stability of the object's composition
If seed-based matchmaking is used to create tournament brackets with pre-arranged player distribution, then highly-skilled players can be distributed across brackets to avoid early elimination, but the system creates artificial constructs where skilled players may never be matched together and is not conducive to ad-hoc matchmaking
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces static seed-based bracket assignments with dynamic challenge-based matchmaking that continuously adapts to player availability and skill demonstrations. Players are matched through real-time challenge issuance and acceptance, allowing the system to maintain competitive balance through skill-based pairing while simultaneously supporting ad-hoc participation without requiring pre-arranged bracket structures.
Solution Approach 2:
Players actively participate in the matchmaking process by issuing and accepting challenges themselves, rather than being passively assigned to brackets by a seeding system. This self-service approach allows players to control their own matchmaking while the system maintains competitive integrity through skill-based challenge matching, eliminating the need for artificial seed distributions.
3Productivity
If conventional matchmaking systems are used to facilitate online competition, then players can queue for matches based on availability or ratings, but the systems fail to ensure that matched players have proportionate skills or provide fair competition in large tournaments
Solution Approach 1:
The challenge system serves as an intermediary mechanism that bridges efficiency and precision by requiring players to actively issue and accept challenges. This process maintains high matchmaking throughput while ensuring skill-proportionate matching, as players must demonstrate their skill level through challenge participation rather than relying solely on queue-based or rating-based assignments.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to systems, methods, and computer-readable instructions for managing a challenge-based matchmaking session comprising a plurality of sequential video game matches between two or more players pursuant to rules set by a host. Players participating in the session may submit challenges (e.g., performance ratings, monetary value, etc.), and the players are sorted into a ranked queue based on their respective challenges. The ranked queue is preferably re-sorted in response to challenge submissions, revisions, or withdrawals. For each match of the matchmaking session, at least two players are selected from the ranked queue and a match is initialized between the players. At the end of each match, one player is designated as a winner and the other designated as a loser, and portions of the challenge received from each losing player is allocated for distribution (e.g., transfer, deposit, etc.) to an account corresponding to each winning player.