Assistive Game Chat Using Gaze Focus and Event Triggers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in efficiently communicating during video game play due to non-familiarity with the game environment or physical handicaps, limiting effective interaction using traditional peripherals.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that tracks a player's gaze focus and game events to suggest chat communication with another player, using graphical indicators and voice-to-text conversion, tailored to the game context and player interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional peripherals (game controller, mouse/keyboard) are used for communication, then basic input functionality is maintained, but communication efficiency and accessibility are limited for users with physical handicaps or unfamiliarity with the game environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical peripheral input devices with an optical-based gaze tracking system. Eye tracking technology detects the direction of the user's gaze through optical sensors and camera systems, converting eye movements into cursor control or text selection without requiring physical manipulation of controllers or keyboards. This substitution enables users with physical handicaps to communicate effectively in game environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that includes gaze tracking technology, natural language processing, and contextual analysis components. This intermediary layer translates the user's gaze direction and spoken words into meaningful chat communications, bridging the gap between the user's intent and the game environment's communication requirements without requiring direct manipulation of traditional input devices.
2Productivity
If gaze tracking and contextual analysis are implemented to provide chat suggestions, then communication efficiency and user experience are improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously tracking gaze direction and pre-processing contextual information from the game environment before chat communication is needed. The gaze tracking system maintains a record of the user's visual attention, and the contextual analysis pre-identifies relevant game events and player states, so that when communication is initiated, suggestions can be generated rapidly without intensive real-time computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by providing selective chat suggestions only in contexts where they are most beneficial - such as when the user's gaze is directed toward another player's character or during significant game events. The system analyzes multiple potential suggestions and presents only the most relevant ones, reducing computational overhead while maintaining high communication efficiency. The contextual analysis focuses on key game parameters rather than processing all possible game data.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for rendering assistive chat during play of a video game. An example method includes tracking a gaze of a first player interacting with a scene of an environment of the video game. The method includes identifying a gaze focus of the first player. The gaze focus is toward a character in the scene. The character is associated with a second player. The method includes processing state data of the environment to identify an event occurring in the environment of the video game. The method includes surfacing an indicator to the first player that is suggestive of participating in a chat communication with the second player. The surfacing is configured to be triggered responsive to the gaze focus being toward the character and the identified event.