Location-Based Game Shared Virtual Experience Lobby
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Location-based games that use real-world geography often fail to create a sense of social interaction among players, as the virtual world can act as a barrier, making players seem remote or unreal, even when they are in close proximity in the real world.
Innovation Solution
A method for providing shared virtual experiences in a location-based game that involves receiving player input to participate in a shared event, assigning players to a lobby, and providing a game data update based on the outcome, allowing players to interact with each other in a virtual world that parallels the real world, encouraging collaboration and social interaction by tying virtual experiences to real-world actions and locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If players interact primarily with the virtual world in a location-based game, then the virtual world can act as a barrier making players seem remote or unreal, but this reduces social interaction and makes the gaming experience feel individual rather than social
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces real-world location and physical presence as an intermediary between players. By requiring players to be physically present at specific real-world locations to access virtual elements, the system mediates the interaction between virtual and real worlds, forcing social engagement through physical proximity rather than allowing purely virtual interaction that creates distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional location-based game model by making the real world the primary interface and the virtual world secondary. Instead of players navigating a virtual world that happens to have real-world references, players navigate the real world to access virtual elements, flipping the hierarchy so that physical presence enables virtual interaction rather than virtual presence enabling physical coordination.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a parallel virtual world is created that parallels the real world geography, then players can interact with virtual elements by navigating the real world, but this may reduce direct player-to-player engagement as focus shifts to virtual objectives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges virtual and real-world objectives by designing game mechanics where virtual goals require physical coordination between players. Shared virtual experiences are tied to real-world locations, requiring players to physically gather and collaborate, thus combining virtual gameplay with real-world social interaction rather than keeping them separate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making specific real-world locations have special significance for social interaction. Certain geographic areas are designated as hubs or gathering points where shared virtual experiences occur, creating localized zones of enhanced social engagement within the broader game world, rather than distributing all interaction opportunities uniformly.
Data Source
AI summary
A shared virtual experience is provided to players of a location-based game. The virtual location of a player in the game is based on the real world location of the player's client device. If a player's location in the game is within an interaction distance of a virtual element, in indication that a shared virtual experience is available may be provided. Player input is received requesting participation in the shared virtual experience and the player is added to a lobby including a specified start time. At the specified time, the shared virtual experience begins and includes interaction with other players who were in the lobby. An update to game data is sent based on an outcome of the shared virtual experience.