Game Mediation Component for Multiplayer Session Coordination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic games lack software infrastructure to enhance multiplayer gameplay experiences, such as quick session coordination, communication, and sharing memorable moments, forcing users to rely on cumbersome external mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A game mediation component that provides additional functionality for group gameplay, including communication, saving, and sharing, which can be a separate application or a software library integrated within the game, responding to environmental and in-game events to modify the user interface and manage gameplay sessions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a game mediation component is integrated into electronic games to provide additional functionality for multiplayer gameplay, then the functionality and user experience are improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidcomplexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The game mediation component is nested within the electronic game application structure, allowing additional multiplayer functionality to be integrated without requiring a completely separate system. The component can be embedded as a library or module within the game's codebase, providing communication, session coordination, and sharing capabilities while maintaining a unified application architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The game mediation component is divided into separate functional modules that can be independently implemented and integrated. These modules handle specific tasks such as player communication, session management, and media sharing, allowing the system to provide comprehensive functionality while keeping individual components manageable and reducing overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If an overlay user interface is displayed superimposed over game visuals to enable communication and interaction, then user interaction capability is improved, but the screen space available for game visuals is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interaction capabilityVSAvoidscreen space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The overlay user interface is implemented as a semi-transparent layer that allows partial visibility of game visuals beneath it. This enables users to interact with communication and session management features while still observing the game state, providing necessary interaction capability without completely blocking the game display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The user interface elements are positioned in a layered overlay dimension above the main game visual field. This spatial arrangement allows interaction controls to coexist with game visuals by utilizing the Z-depth dimension, enabling users to access communication features without entirely obscuring the game screen space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Area of stationary object

If the overlay user interface is dynamically adjusted to show only relevant components, then screen space efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreen space efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The overlay user interface dynamically adjusts its composition and visibility based on the current game state and user context. Components are shown or hidden according to relevance, allowing the interface to optimize screen space usage while adapting to different gameplay situations. This dynamic behavior is managed through event-driven updates that respond to game events and user interactions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11465056B2Game mediation component for enriching multiplayer gaming sessions
Publication Date: 2022.10.11 BUNCH LIVE INC
  • US11465056B2 patent drawing
  • US11465056B2 patent drawing
  • US11465056B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Users play electronic games on their client devices, such as smartphones, laptop computers, game consoles, or the like. A game mediation component supplements the electronic games by providing additional functionality for group gameplay, such as communication among the players participating in the gameplay group, emphasizing key moments in the gameplay, saving and sharing of portions of the group gameplay, etc. Events related to gameplay, such as environmental events or in-game events, cause the game mediation component to take an action to supplement the gameplay, such as modifying an overlay user interface to provide additional gameplay data while efficiently using screen real estate, sending messages to other players in the group gameplay, and saving and sharing portions of gameplay session.