Guest Pass System for Video Game Social Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of video games often cannot play new games with friends due to access restrictions, leading to solo or stranger gameplay until friends also purchase the game, as access is not freely available.
Innovation Solution
A system generates and distributes guest passes for temporary access to video games, allowing users to invite friends to play relevant games based on their gaming preferences and history, with weighted determinations for relevance and marketing considerations, and provides credits and recognition for frequent inviters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If video games require purchase for access, then game developers can earn revenue, but players cannot play with friends until everyone purchases the game
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments full game access into two distinct modes: full purchase access and limited guest pass access. The guest pass represents a segmented portion of the full access rights, allowing friends to play specific games for limited periods without requiring complete purchase, thus enabling social play while maintaining revenue models.
Solution Approach 2:
The guest pass system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the paid game access model and free social play. It mediates by providing a middle-ground solution where friends can temporarily access games through invitation, bridging the gap between purchasing requirements and social interaction needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If video games are made freely accessible, then social interaction is enhanced, but game developers lose revenue opportunity
Solution Approach 1:
The guest pass implements periodic action by providing time-limited access to friends. Instead of permanent free access, the system offers temporary access windows (e.g., 24-hour passes, weekly passes) that allow social interaction while maintaining the value proposition of full purchase for ongoing access, thus protecting revenue while enabling periodic social play.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by providing friends with partial access rights through guest passes rather than full purchase rights. This allows sufficient access for social interaction purposes while retaining full access control and revenue potential for the primary purchaser and platform.
3Reliability
If players must purchase games individually, then game access is controlled, but players play alone or with strangers until friends also purchase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring guest pass rights for purchasers. When a player purchases a game, the system automatically enables them to issue guest passes to friends for that game, preparing the social interaction framework in advance without requiring additional purchases from friends, thus maintaining access control while expanding partner selection.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for determining and providing one or more guest passes for temporary access to one or more video games to a first player that was previously granted membership to a platform that offers access to playing these video games. One or more different determinations are made on information related to the first player and/or available video games to generate one or more guest passes for a video game that is at least somewhat relevant to the first player. In at least one embodiment, one or more of the different determinations can be intrinsically and/or extrinsically weighted to further refine the generation of a guest pass for a video games that is at least somewhat relevant to the first player, and thereby more likely to be offered by the first player to a second player. Also, the platform enables the determining and generating of the one or more guest passes to the one or more video games for the first player.