Cross-Platform Social Game Account Bridging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current social online games restrict users from participating together if they log in from different social networking platforms, requiring separate accounts for each platform and limiting cross-platform interaction.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows users to log into the same online game account from multiple social network platforms, using a server configuration with modules for user accounts, authentication, social network information, and notifications to enable cross-platform participation by managing user accounts, authenticating users, aggregating social network information, and generating notifications across platforms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the social game is provided separately to each different social networking platform, then the integration with each platform is optimized, but users cannot participate in the same game instance from different platforms and must maintain separate accounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal account system where a single user account can access the online game through multiple social networking platforms. The account module stores user information and associates it with multiple platform-specific authentication credentials, allowing the same account to be used across Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms without requiring separate game accounts for each platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary account module that acts as a bridge between different social networking platforms and the game server. This module manages the mapping between platform-specific user identifiers and the universal game account, enabling seamless cross-platform access while maintaining platform-specific integration features.
2Reliability
If separate user accounts are required for each social networking platform, then platform-specific features can be maintained, but user accessibility and convenience are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The account module is designed to handle multiple functions: it stores user profile information, manages multiple platform authentication credentials, and maintains the mapping between different platform user identifiers and the universal game account. This single module replaces the need for separate account management systems for each platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the account management functionality for multiple platforms into a single unified system. Instead of maintaining separate account databases and authentication systems for each social networking platform, the invention combines them into one account module that handles all platform-specific credentials and user information centrally.
3Adaptability or versatility
If users log in from different social networking platforms, then platform diversity is supported, but users cannot play together in the same game instance
Solution Approach 1:
The account module serves as an intermediary that translates platform-specific user identifiers into a universal game account identifier. When a user logs in from any social networking platform, the account module resolves the platform-specific ID to the universal account ID, ensuring that the same user is consistently identified across all platforms and can participate in the same game instance.
Data Source
AI summary
Participation in an online game through a plurality of different social network platforms may be facilitated. This may include enabling an individual user to log in to the online game, which may take place in a virtual space, through a plurality of different social network platforms, thereby extending the accessibility of the online game with respect to the individual user. The online game may be provided to users through different social network platforms such that a first user accessing the online game through a first social network platform may access a common instance of the online game (and/or the virtual space) with a second user accessing the online game through a second social network platform.