US20070265092A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20070265092A1
Application number: US11/409,173
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert Betteridge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-21
Filing date: 2006-04-21
Publication date: 2007-11-15
Also published as: WO2008108778A1

Abstract

In various embodiments, wagering systems, processes and computer-readable media are provided. The wager system may include a server configured for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network; at least one database operatively associated with the server, the database being configured for storing information related to the wager; and, a challenge system operatively associated with the server, the challenge system being configured to permit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match. In certain embodiments, the server may be configured to enable wagered video game play through a directly operatively associated game server or a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network to facilitate challenge-based and/or exchange-based wagering.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to processing wagers in association with networked or online video game play.

BACKGROUND

The technological landscape for online multiplayer video gaming is rapidly evolving into exciting new areas. Online video game play through multiplayer gaming networks and game servers provides an entertaining experience by offering players the opportunity to compete with live opponents on different networked gaming devices. There are presently many multiplayer gaming networks and game servers available that allow players to compete in video games against each other, and at least some of these electronic environments have the capability to permit interaction among players on a global scale.

In view of this emerging technological landscape, what are needed are more effective ways to further enhance the excitement and entertainment value of the online video gaming experience, especially with regard to video games played in multiplayer electronic environments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The utility of the embodiments of the invention will be readily appreciated and understood from consideration of the following description of the embodiments of the invention when viewed in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 includes a system architecture diagram illustrating various exemplary aspects of a wagering system configured in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2A includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects of wagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2B includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects of wagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2C includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects of wagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2D includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects of wagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and,

FIGS. 3 through 65 illustrate examples of screen displays that may be provided in accordance with various wagering system, process, and computer-readable media embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION

As applied herein, a “wager” or “wagering” involves players staking something of value (e.g., money, tokens, or points) for an opportunity to win something of value (e.g., a prize) subject to the outcome of an event (e.g., a video game contest between players), wherein the outcome of the event is predominantly determined by the skill of the players involved in the event and not a chance occurrence. In comparison, a “bet” or “gambling” involves staking something of value (e.g., money, tokens, or points) for a chance to win something of value (e.g., a prize) subject predominantly to the outcome of an event (e.g., a lottery drawing) which is predominantly a chance occurrence.

“Exchange-based wagering” refers to the process by which players of similar preferences, who may or may not know each other and want to wager on a particular form of game play, are matched as opponents by an online wagering system, according to various wagering, skill level, ratings criteria and/or other criteria. By way of comparison, “challenge-based wagering” refers to the process by which a challenger player challenges an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with a video game match.

A “multiplayer gaming network” or “gaming network” includes any networked medium that enables players to engage in a video game or any other electronic gaming activity between/among the players. One example of a third-party “multiplayer gaming network” suitable for use with various embodiments of the present invention is the “Xbox Live” gaming network operatively associated with the “Xbox” gaming system (Microsoft Corporation). Another example is a multiplayer gaming network that is operatively associated with a wagering system, in order to enable users to engage in wagered competition.

A “video game” includes any electronically executed game that can be played over a multiplayer gaming network, game server, or other electronic gaming environment in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. Examples of video games include, without limitation, wireline console-based games, such as those played on the “Xbox” gaming system; wireless console-based games, such as those played on the “PSP” gaming system (Sony Corporation); personal computer (“PC”) games; wireless telephone-based games; and, a variety of other types of electronic games.

A “game console” includes any device or apparatus that can be configured for playing one or more video games on a multiplayer gaming network. Examples of “game consoles” may include, without limitation, video gaming system consoles, computer systems, personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless telephones, or any other device that can be configured for use as a game console in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention described herein. In another example, cable controllers configured for access to cable network media may include interactive features, so that users can employ cable boxes as game consoles, for example, to practice various aspects of the invention described herein.

The term “communication media” includes any medium capable of receiving data communications in accordance with various embodiments of the invention such as, without limitation, network connections (e.g., an intranet, extranet, or the Internet), wireless data networks, wire line data networks, satellite networks, or cable network connections.

The term “web site” may refer to any set of at least one page generated by at least one server in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention, such as, pages accessed through a computer system, as well as data screens that can be manipulated to produce designated functions related to a multiplayer gaming network accessed through a game console, such as, for example, an introductory data screen that a player would see after accessing the “Xbox Live” network through his or her “Xbox” gaming system.

The term “web server” may include any server utilized to generate at least one web site, while the term “game server” may include any server that enables game play on at least one multiplayer gaming network or other electronic environment.

Unless otherwise noted or readily evident from the context as applied herein, the term “player” refers to players participating on a multiplayer gaming network or other electronic environment who may also be “users” of a wagering system provided in accordance with the present invention. The terms “player” and “user” sometimes may be used interchangeably herein.

With reference toFIGS. 1 through 2D, general aspects of an exemplary wagering system architecture and wagering processes that may be provided in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. In various embodiments, awagering system102 includes aserver102A configured to receive and process wagers that can be placed and settled in association with networked video game play. Theserver102A may include a web server and/or game server, for example, and may be operatively associated with one ormore wager databases102B or other like storage media configured for storing a variety of wagering related information. Theserver102A may host one ormore web sites102C including various pages or screen displays that facilitate collection, analysis and processing of wagering information and/or other data communicated to/from thewagering system102. For example, information may be communicated to thewagering system102 from

various players

112,114,116 using

multiple game consoles

106,108,110 (respectively), to play video games on amultiplayer gaming network104. In various embodiments, the

players

112,114,116 may also be users with respect to accessing and using various features of thewagering system102.

In general, thewagering system102 functions to allow the

players

112,114,116 to select from among a diverse set of video games that can be played for wagers; to permit the

players

112,114,116 to store wagers; to accept the wager of an opponent with whom they would like to compete; to remove or modify unaccepted wagers; as well as to perform various other functions. In certain embodiments, thewagering system102 may be configured to enable video game play between/among the

players

112,114,116 through amultiplayer gaming network104 operatively associated with thewagering system102. In other embodiments, however, thewagering system102 may not enable video game play between/among the

players

112,114,116. For instance, the software that permits communication and interaction between/among the

game consoles

106,108,110 during video game play can be executed by amultiplayer gaming network104 operated by a third-party. In certain embodiments, thewagering system102 may thus be configured to operate independently of themultiplayer gaming network104; and, the

game consoles

106,108,110 may interact with each other on a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 to conduct video game play. In certain embodiments, thewagering system102 may be configured to enable wagered game play for certain video games on an operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104, in addition to facilitating wagering on game play executed on at least one third-partymultiplayer gaming network104. Thedotted line118 is intended to represent an association, with or without a direct connection or communication, between the operative functions of thewagering system102 and themultiplayer gaming network104, depending on whether themultiplayer gaming network104 is or is not directly operatively associated with thewagering system102.

As described hereinafter in more detail, thewagering system102 provides a variety of functions: to permit

players

112,114,116 to register and maintainwager accounts102D; to store details of

player

112,114,116 profiles; to store payment information; to allow

players

112,114,116 who wish to wager in a variety of video games to locate one another for competition on a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104; to confirm outcomes of video game matches with aconfirmation system102E; to apply ratings to users with aratings system102F that reflect their conduct with respect to thewagering system102 and interactions with competitors; to transfer an amount indicative of the wager at the conclusion of video game matches, for example; to store outcomes of played video games, including acompetency structure102G that tracks and maintains the skill levels of

players

112,114,116 with respect to various video games; to settle disputes between

players

112,114,116 associated with wager outcomes by employing adispute settlement system102H; to allow

players

112,114,116 to wager with specific

other players

112,114,116 using achallenge system1021; to permit

players

112,114,116 to create and maintain a member profile that is accessible by

other players

112,114,116, using amember profile system102J; to allow

players

112,114,116 to wager with

other players

112,114,116 who are ready to engage in wagered competition, using achallenge room system102K; to enable wagered competition on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104 or directly operatively associatedgame server126, through the application of a networkedgame wagering system102L, for example; and/or other functions.

As shown inFIG. 1, one ormore communication media120 may be provided to enable communications between one or more of the

game consoles

106,108,110 and thewagering system102. Also one ormore access devices122 may be employed by the

players

112,114,116 or other users to communicate with thewagering system102, for example, through one or more of thecommunication media120. Examples ofaccess devices122 include, without limitation, computer systems, personal data assistants (PDA's), telephones (of wireless or wire line variety), and/or any other access device suitable for accessing the functions of thewagering system102.

Prior to entering into wagered video game play, the

players

112,114,116 may be required to register as users with thewagering system102 in a variety of ways. For example, avisitor home page352 may include: aregistration link354 to direct new users to one or

more registration pages

502,602 to register atstep202; and aconventional login area356 wherein existing or registered members can enter usemame and password information to accesswager account102D information maintained by thewagering system102 atstep206. Otherwise, visitors or members who have not yet logged-in may be prompted to register or log into theiraccounts102D, if they attempt to engage in wagering activity within one ormore web sites102C of thewagering system102. The users may be presented with aprompt404 as shown in thescreen display402 ofFIG. 4 that permits entry of login information (e.g., username and password information) to access thewagering system102, and/or permits unregistered users to access the

registration pages

502,602. In this manner, it can be seen that visitors, as well as members who have not yet logged in, can be permitted to view substantially the same wagering activity on theweb site102C as members who had logged into theiraccounts102D. Thesystem102 can be configured, however, to not permit wagering activity by visitors or unregistered users until registration and login procedures are completed.

To register atstep202 and gain access to thewagering system102, new users may be presented with the

registration pages

502,602. On theregistration page502, new users may enter various name andcontact information504, as well as the third-party gaming networks506 on which they compete and/or thenetwork identifications508 that the user employs when playing video games on at least one third-partymultiplayer gaming network104. New users may also enter desiredusemame510 andpassword512 information to permitaccount102D access on thewagering system102. On theregistration page602, a user may enter information to be displayed on a member profile, through the application of themember profile system102J, which may be a computer system or software module that tracks, stores, and/or presents member profile information. For example,

players

112,114,116 may input data regarding which video game titles they own to be included as part of their member profiles. Data collected on the

registration pages

502,602 may be stored in thewager database102B.

In association with registration, new users may be directed to a “deposit options”page702, as illustrated by the screen display ofFIG. 7, to select or edit deposit options atstep204. The “deposit options”page702 permits the user to select a payment method for establishing awager account102D with thewagering system102. Users may be able to deposit funds in a service account or thewager account102D using a credit card, bank transfer, or through a variety of payment processors124 (examples of which are included in the payment method section704) that provide payment processing services to thewagering system102. Thepayment processors124 can facilitate the transfer of funds to/from thewager account102D of the user, for example. To load credit into awager account102D, a user may transfer money into thewagering system102 by using one or more accounts managed for the user by thepayment processor124, and/ or by using a credit card or bank transfer. Once established, thewager account102D may be employed by thewagering system102 to credit or debit wager amounts for the user to settle wagers made in association with video game play (i.e., wins or losses) on themultiplayer gaming network104, for example.

Once a registered account is accessed by a previously registered user or a new user atstep206, amember home page802 as seen in the screen display ofFIG. 8 may be displayed by thewagering system102. Themember home page802, like thevisitor home page352, may includeslinks804 to the most popular wager pages,links806 to “featured wager pages” that the service may want to highlight,links808 to various pages that display player rankings based on competition for a wager in a particular game and/or overall competition on thewagering system102, as well as “Wager Center”links810 to various networked video games that a user can play either for free and/or for a wager on amultiplayer gaming network104 operatively associated with thewagering system102.

Various screen displays presented by theweb sites102C, such as themember home page802, may include atoolbar812 of links positioned horizontally across the screen display as shown. The links in thetoolbar812 may include a “home page”link812A to access themember home page802, a “terms and conditions”link812B to display terms and conditions of using thewagering system102, and/or an “instructions”link812C to access written instructions or a visual demonstration, for example, explaining how the service operates. Various screen displays presented by theweb site102C may also include atoolbar814 of links positioned vertically across the screen display, as shown on themember home page802, for example. Thetoolbar814 may be separated into distinct sections for a variety of third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104 on which users may compete for wagers using thewagering system102. Within these sections on thetoolbar814, there may be different links for disparate types of video games that can be played on the given multiplayer gaming network104 (e.g., “Fighting,” “Racing,” “RPG,” “Shooter,” “Sports,” etc.). For instance, there could be a link devoted to “Xbox Live” (Microsoft Corporation) “Sports” games or “Sony Online” (Sony Corporation) “Fighting” games. In addition, thetoolbar814 may be configured to display only those links tomultiplayer gaming networks104 and types of video games that are compatible for play with the

particular game console

106,108,110 of the user (e.g., links for “Sony Online” games only).

Each game type link may allow users to access a pull-down menu904 ofsub-links906 related to video game titles of that game type, as shown inscreen display902 ofFIG. 9, for example. In certain embodiments, a video game title link may allow a user to access another pull-down menu1004 of sub-links1006 related to the video game, as depicted inscreen display1002 ofFIG. 10. In various embodiments, the sub-links1006 may allow a user to access wager pages for different network game-playing modes for the game, a challenge room page for the game, a tournament-scheduling page for the game, as well as a page displayinguser rankings1102 related to wagering on the game, as shown in the screen display ofFIG. 11, for example.

Referring again toFIG. 8, various screen displays presented by thewagering system102 may also include a vertically positionedtoolbar816 of links as shown, for example, on themember home page802. The links on thetoolbar816 may allow users to access functions and processes relevant to the management of thewager account102D. For example, an “account statement”link816A may allow access to an “account statement”page1202 that displayswager account102D statements and allows users to modify contact/password information, as well as to register with thewagering system102 for other third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104, for example, on which they can compete. An example of an “account statement”page1202 is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 12. In addition, a “confirm outcome”link816B may allow users to access a function or page on which they can confirm the outcome of wagers, which were entered into using thewagering system102 and competed for on a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104. An example of a “confirm outcome”page1302 is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 13. A “deposit money”link816C provides navigation to the “deposit options”page702 to permit users to add credit to wageraccounts102D. A “withdraw money”link816D can direct users to a function or page that facilitates withdrawal of available credit or the amount of the credit balance in thewager account102D not otherwise needed to cover any outstanding wager, for which a user still needs to confirm the outcome, in addition to the largest stored wager, as well as the sum of all sent and/or accepted challenges or counter-challenges. An example of a “withdrawal options”page1402 is illustrated in the screen display ofFIG. 14. A “player profile”link816E may direct users to a function or page that summarizes a user's skill levels competing in games and/or game modes for a wager; records win/loss records for each game and/or game modes for a wager; records profit and/or loss information associated with playing games and/or game modes for a wager; and/or, allows users to update their member profiles through application of themember profile system102J. An example of a “player profile”page1502 is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 15. In addition, a “challenge mailbox”link816F may direct users to a function or page that depicts wager challenges or counter-challenges that have been received and/or sent by a user from/to

other players

112,114,116. An example of a “challenge mailbox”page1602 is depicted inFIG. 16.

Also, on thetoolbar816, users may be presented with a “Stored Wagers”section816G that displays a list of outstanding, stored wagers for the user on thedatabase102B of thewagering system102. For each wager, a button or other function can be provided that allows for the removal of the wagers from thedatabase102B, if desired. It can be appreciated that the number of wagers in the “Stored Wagers”section816G varies depending on the number of wagers stored by the user. If a user does not have any wagers stored, then a “None” indication may be presented in the “Stored Wagers”section816G.

Atstep208, a user may access a wager page to select a video game for which the user wants to review, store or accept a wager. Selecting the “head-to-head” football link on the pull-down menu1004, for example, directs a user to theexemplary wager page1702 shown in the screen display ofFIG. 17. In general, thewager page1702 may be substantially representative of the characteristics of all wager pages that may be provided for different video games in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown, thewager page1702 includes a list ofwagers1704 that the

players

112,114,116 have stored on thewagering system102 for a particular video game. Thelist1704 may include theusemame1706,user rating1708, and/or theskill level1710 of each

player

112,114,116 who stored a wager, as well as a suggestedcompetition time1712 and awager amount1714. On thewager page1702, the user may accept a particular stored wager with the intent of playing the video game for thewager amount1714. In addition, thewager page1702 may include a “store wager”option1716 that allows users to add wagers to the list ofwagers1704 by inputting wager amounts1714. In various embodiments, thewagering system102 may refuse to accept wager amounts less than a predetermined minimum level or greater than a predetermined maximum level. Once the “store wager”option1716 is selected, a “wager form”1802, an example of which is depicted in the screen display ofFIG. 18, may be presented to the user with awager amount field1804 that permits entry of thewager amount1714. If the user attempts to store awager amount1714 greater than the credit amount available in the user'swagering system102

wager account

102D, anotification1904, an example of which is shown inscreen display1902 ofFIG. 19, may be presented to the user.

In addition, thewager page1702 may be configured to permit users to sort the list of storedwagers1704 according touser rating1708,skill level1710, suggestedcompetition time1712, and/orwager amount1714, for example. In various modes of operation, the list of storedwagers1704 may be ordered so that the wager with the most imminent suggestedcompetition time1712 is listed first on thelist1704.

In various embodiments, a credit balance816H of thewager account102D of a user can be displayed on thetoolbar816, for example, of various pages of thewagering system102. In addition, users may be permitted to view a breakdown of gross transactions that have impacted thecredit balance816H by navigating to the “account statement”page1202, using the associatedlink816A on thetoolbar816, for example. As shown, the “account statement”page1202 can be configured to display transactions including total amounts deposited to thewagering system102, total amounts withdrawn, total fees taken from winning wagers, and/or total amounts won and/or lost by the user.

In operation of thewagering system102, if a

player

112,114,116 cannot find a compatible wager stored on thewagering system102 to accept atstep254, the

player

112,114,116 can store a wager atstep256, and/or log into a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 at the suggested competition time. Users may also be permitted to store multiple wagers on thewagering system102 for a particular video game or multiple video games to promote an increased probability that a competitor will be available to play for one of the multiple wagers. With respect to multiple wagers, thewagering system102 can be configured to verify that the

player

112,114,116 has enough available credit in thewager account102D to cover the largest of the multiple stored wagers. A

player

112,114,116 who stores a wager may be automatically notified atstep258 by e-mail, instant messenger, text message, or another communication method, if another

player

112,114,116 has accepted their wager and may be given their competitor'smultiplayer gaming network104 identification, among other information. It can be seen that

players

112,114,116 who had previously stored wagers on thewagering system102 can await notification of wager acceptance while working on a computer system or other access device122 (wireless telephone, PDA, notebook, etc.), in addition to the

gaming console

106,108,110.

If the user stores a wager substantially compatible with a wager previously stored by another

player

112,114,116, and if thewagering system102 determines through the application of itscompetency structure102G that the skill levels associated with the

players

112,114,116 who stored the wagers, as well as the suggested competition times, are compatible, then the

players

112,114,116 associated with the wagers may be directed to compete in networked match play atstep260. Thewagering system102 may be configured to define compatible wager amounts as substantially the same amounts or within a certain acceptable range of deviation between the amounts. Thecompetency structure102G of thewagering system102 may be configured to not permit

players

112,114,116 of comparatively higher skill levels to accept wagers from

players

112,114,116 at comparatively lower skill levels, but the converse may be permitted (i.e., lower

skill level players

112,114,116 can be permitted to accept wagers stored by comparatively higher

skill level players

112,114,116). Also, thecompetency structure102G of thewagering system102 may be configured to not permit a

player

112,114,116 having a first skill level to play against a

player

112,114,116 at a second skill level, wherein the absolute magnitude or percentage difference between the first and second skill levels exceeds a predetermined maximum level.

If thewagering system102 matches compatible wagers, or if a user accepts a stored wager on thewager page1702, for example, then the user can be presented with aconfirmation page2002, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 20. Theconfirmation page2002 prompts the user to accept or decline the video game wager subject to the terms and conditions displayed on theconfirmation page2002. On the other hand, if a user stores a wager, then the user can be presented with theconfirmation page2102, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 21. These

confirmation pages

2002,2102 may display one or more reference numbers attributed to stored or accepted wagers by thewagering system102.

If a user accepts another user's stored wager, then that particular stored wager can be removed from thewager page1702 by thewagering system102. If a user had multiple stored wagers on thewager page1702, or onmultiple wager pages1702, and the user enters into competition for one of the wagers, then all of the wagers can be removed from thatwager page1702, and/or all of the wager pages1702.

To accept a wager atstep254, users may be required to have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D to cover the wager amount, and to have challenged another user of a compatible skill level. If a user attempts to accept a wager without meeting these criteria, among possibly others, then thewagering system102 may present the user with anotification2204 shown in thescreen display2202 ofFIG. 22, for example, for attempting to compete with another

player

112,114,116 having an incompatible skill level; anotification2304 shown inscreen display2302 ofFIG. 23, for example, for attempting to compete with another

player

112,114,116 and having too low of a user rating; and/or, anotification2404 shown in thescreen display2402 ofFIG. 24, for example, for attempting to accept a wager of an amount greater than the available credit of thewager account102D. In this event, thewagering system102 may be configured to automatically direct the user as to how to transfer additional funds into thewager account102D.

If users have met the necessary criteria and have stored a wager, then they may receive a prompt2504 shown in thescreen display2502 ofFIG. 25, for example, notifying them to prepare their

game console

106,108,110 and await a challenger to compete in the designated video game on the third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 at the suggested competition time. If the users have met the necessary criteria and have accepted a stored wager, then they may receive a prompt2604 as shown onscreen display2602 ofFIG. 26, advising them to prepare their

game console

106,108,110 for game play, in the designated networked video game at the suggested game time, and telling them the network identification of their competitor, so that they can locate them on the third-party gaming network104 for game play. After the user who accepted the wager locates the user who stored it on the third-party multiplayervideo game network104, they may compete for the wager atstep260, in the same manner as if they were engaging in non-wagered competition on the third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 independently of the operation of thewagering system102.

Atstep262, using theconfirmation system102E, the competitors may confirm the outcome of their wager in various embodiments of theconfirmation system102E. For example, the users may confirm the outcome through a link in an email sent by thewagering system102 to both competitors after one of them accepted the stored wager of the other. This link may take them to the “confirm outcome”page1302 as is seen in the screen display ofFIG. 13 associated with theirwager account102D. Thispage1302 may display information regarding any

wagers

1304,1306 that they may have stored, which another user had accepted, or they may have accepted themselves, in addition to any wager challenges that they may have sent and another

player

112,114,116 accepted or wager challenges that they may have received and accepted. Furthermore, thepage1302 may allow them to confirm the outcome of the wager or

wagers

1304,1306 through associated buttons and/or other functions (e.g. “won,” “lost,” or “did not play”). In general, users may confirm the outcome of a wager in a variety of ways. For example, in certain embodiments, users may confirm wager outcomes by using a wireless telephone, or anotherwireless access device122, to communicate a text message to theconfirmation system102E, or by using another mobile interactive feature.

Atstep264, if both

players

112,114,116 confirm the same outcome of their wager, such as by using theconfirmation system102E, then thewagering system102 may award a prize to the winning

player

112,114,116 atstep266 by transferring a credit equivalent to the funds staked in the wager from thewager account102D of the losing

player

112,114,116 to thewager account102D of the winning

player

112,114,116. In various embodiments, the wager amount may be reduced by a transaction fee charged by thewagering system102. In this manner, no funds need to be transferred directly between users of thewagering system102; instead, theserver102A can be configured to update balances of the wager accounts102D to reflect the results of wagers won or lost by the

players

112,114,116.

Atstep264, if neither

player

112,114,116 confirms the outcome, if only one

player

112,114,116 confirms the outcome, or if the

players

112,114,116 confirm different outcomes, then no prize may be transferred between wager accounts102D. In this event, atstep270, thedispute settlement system102H may be invoked to help to determine or settle the outcome of the video game wager. If one or both of the

players

112,114,116 did not confirm the outcome, then the

non-confirming player

112,114,116, or

players

112,114,116, may be sent another email, reminding them to confirm the wager outcome and of the possible consequential adjustment to their user ratings if they do not confirm.

Otherwise, if the two

players

112,114,116 confirm different outcomes atstep264, then the

players

112,114,116 may receive each other's email addresses, for example, from thedispute settlement system102H atstep270, in order to jointly resolve the discrepancy in reported outcomes. Also, the

players

112,114,116 may be notified by thewagering system102 of possible consequential adjustment to their user ratings, if they do not confirm matching outcomes. Through a link in this email communication, for example, the

players

112,114,116 may be provided with a chance to re-confirm the outcome of the wager.

If the dispute can be satisfactorily resolved atstep272, then the credit transfer ofstep266 can occur. If the dispute cannot be resolved atstep272, however, one or both

players

112,114,116 may have their user ratings adjusted by theratings system102F, atstep268, as follows. If, after invoking thedispute settlement system102H, neither

player

112,114,116 confirms the outcome, then both

players

112,114,116 user ratings may be adjusted by theratings system102F. If only one

player

112,114,116 confirms the outcome, then only the other player's112,114,116 user rating may be adjusted by theratings system102F. In certain embodiments, if the

players

112,114,116 do not confirm the same outcome, then both

players

112,114,116 user ratings may be adjusted by theratings system102F.

Users of thewagering system102 may have user ratings displayed next to their stored wagers, based on the aforementioned rating factors. For instance, new users could start with an initial, predetermined percentage user rating that can be adjusted in accordance with subsequent actions of the users in view of the rating factors. While users may have multiple skill levels for different video games and game modes, the users may be provided with a single user rating, which may be impacted by the manner in which they utilize thewagering system102 with respect to wagered video game play. Over time, it can be seen that theuser ratings system102F can become a self-regulating device to penalize users who do not accurately, or who never, confirm the outcome of their wagers. It can be seen that the time a

player

112,114,116 with a lower user rating may wait for a video game opponent to select his or her wager generally would be greater than the time that a

player

112,114,116 with a higher user rating would have to wait. Moreover, a user may not be allowed to accept wagers of

other players

112,114,116 wagers, if that user's rating falls below a specified threshold level. The application of theuser rating system102F thus reduces the possibility that a user can misuse or ignore theconfirmation system102E.

Following the credit transfer atstep266, thewagering system102 may be configured to process the outcome of the concluded match, atstep274, to alter acompetency structure102G maintained by thewagering system102 for the

players

112,114,116. Thecompetency structure102G may be created and configured as follows. Each user of thewagering system102 can be given skill levels in a particular video game based on a combination of factors, including, for example, the amount of money won or lost, as well as a win-loss record or other score achieved, by playing the video game against other users for wagers. For example, users might be given a skill level between one and ten, one representing an extremely poor player and ten representing an exceptional player. In this example, the skill level in a given video game would increase, if a win-loss record or a wagered amount won by the user improved, according to established algorithms. The users may access their skill levels, as well as win-loss records or other scores achieved on the “player profile”page1502 by clicking on the “player profile”link816E on thevertical toolbar816 included on each member page. If a user has not yet played a particular video game for a wager, then an initial, mid-range skill level may be given to the user, for example. Thewagering system102 may be configured to not set the initial skill level to the lowest possible skill level, because the user might be relatively experienced playing the video game but has not yet played the game for a wager using thewagering system102. Based on the function of thecompetency structure102G, thewagering system102 can be configured to permit

players

112,114,116 of lower skill levels to challenge

other players

112,114,116 with substantially the same or better skill levels, but the converse may or may not be permitted by thewagering system102.

Embodiments of the invention may also include a myriad of manifestations of team game play (e.g. “cooperative”), from two-on-two competitions to games where

multiple players

112,114,116 compete on the same team against a similar number of opponents on an opposing team. Additional links may be added to the pull-down menu1004, for example, for different modes of team play anddistinct wager pages1702 may be created for each type of network game-playing mode. For instance, there could be separate links todifferent wager pages1702 for one-on-one competitions, as compared to two-on-two competitions. For each team game playing mode, a similar mode of operation to what has been described previously herein would permit wagering on match play. To permit

multiple players

112,114,116 to compete together for a wager, for example, one

player

112,114,116 may access the page of theweb site102C that displays the list of stored wagers for the game and network game-playing mode that his or her team wishes to play. An example of awager page2702 for team game play is illustrated in the screen display ofFIG. 27. If the user decides to accept or store a wager, his or her teammates' third-party gaming network104 identities and/or usemames can be entered into thewagering system102, through a “team wager form”page2802, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 28. Information of the team member who stored a wager may be listed on thewager page2702 for team game play, or

player

112,114,116 information for all team members may be listed.

Each teammate may need to confirm storage or acceptance of the team wager, such as by indicating confirmation on aweb site102C, for example, or by accessing a link in an email communicated by thewagering system102. If all team members indicate their willingness to compete for the wager, then those users who accept the wager will receive the opposing team members' network identifications. Team video game play may then commence when the teams locate one another on the third-partymultiplayer gaming network104. After the competition concludes, each member of either team or a single representative player elected by each team, may confirm the outcome of the wager, substantially in accordance with the process described above. The wager, possibly deducted by a transaction fee, may then be distributed evenly from each member of the losing team's wager accounts102D to each member of the winning team's wager accounts102D.

In various embodiments, thecompetency structure102G may be altered to raise or lower the skill level of each of the

players

112,114,116 on either team, with respect to the video game and/or the network game-playing mode. For this reason, in certain embodiments, a user could have multiple skill levels in the same game for disparate game modes. Although one

player

112,114,116 may accept or store a wager, all members of the team may be required to be registered users of thewagering system102 and have sufficient available credit in their respective wager accounts102D to cover a pro rata portion of the total team wager to allow the wager to be stored or accepted pursuant to team play.

In various embodiments, a member profile may be created for each user as a part of registration, and then updated using, for example, an “update profile”link1504 on the “player profile”page1502, through an application of themember profile system102J.Member profile pages2902 may be accessed, for example, through a “player profile” function1718 onwager pages1702, which allows users to search for member profiles by usemame, user rating, and/or skill level in a game. An example of amember profile page2902 is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 29. Various types of information may be stored and accessible to all users on member profile pages2902. For example, information stored through theregistration page602, regarding a user's gaming preferences, as well as those games and/or third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104 in which a user competes, may be stored in thewager database102B using themember profile system102J. Moreover,certain wager account102D data may be visible on thispage2902, such as a user's skill levels. It can be seen that the information displayed within the profile may facilitate wagering between

players

112,114,116 by allowing them to determine those games on which a possible competitor likes to wager and how competent they are playing them.

In various embodiments of the invention, eachmember profile page2902 may include a “challenge” button orfunction2904 that allows challengers to access at step280 a “challenge form”3004, an example of which is shown in thescreen display3002 ofFIG. 30, through which a challenger may challenge the user associated with the profile to compete in a game for a particular wager in association with operation of thechallenge system1021. Atstep281, the challenger may configure one or more features of the challenge, such as those shown inbox282, for example. By clicking on the “select game” button orfunction3006, for example, challengers may access a pull-down menu comprising those video games that the

opponent player

112,114,116 has engaged in wagered competition in previously. Likewise, by clicking on the “select network” button orfunction3008, challengers may access third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104 in which an opponent has previously competed in the selected video game. If there is only one third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 in which an opponent has competed in the selected video game, then thatgaming network104 may automatically appear in this field. By clicking on the “game time” button orfunction3010, a user may be able to suggest a time for the wagered competition to the

opponent player

112,114,116. In certain embodiments, challengers may offer an

opponent player

112,114,116 favorable odds or unfavorable odds on a wager (e.g., a user may challenge another member to compete for a $ 10 wager with 2-1 odds, in which case the challenger would receive $5, if he or she won, but pay $ 10, if he or she lost). In this manner, user/challengers can be permitted by thewagering system102 to challenge player/opponents to mutually compatible competitions.

In order to send a challenge atstep283, the challenger may need to click on the “send” button orfunction3012 on the “challenge form”3004 and then agree to the terms and conditions on aconfirmation page3102. If

players

112,114,116 indicate their agreement on theconfirmation page3102, then anotification3204, an example of which is seen inscreen display3202 ofFIG. 32, may be displayed which states the manner by which the challenger may be informed that the challenge has been accepted. In certain embodiments of thewagering system102, users may be able to challenge

players

112,114,116 who have lower skill levels. Thewagering system102 may be configured to require that, in order for a challenge to be sent, the challenger needs to have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D. Received challenges may be accessible to

opponent players

112,114,116 on the “challenge mailbox”page1602, which displays

links

1604,1606 to access received challenges and/or

links

1608,1610,1612 to access sent challenges. For example, thepage1602 may adopt a layout common to electronic mail mailboxes (e.g., with an “Inbox” for received challenges, and an “Outbox” for sent challenges).

Atstep284, by clicking on a

link

1604,1606 to a received challenge,

opponent players

112,114,116 may access a “received challenge form”3304 that may display, for example, an “accept” button orfunction3306, a “decline” button orfunction3308, and/ or, a “counter” button orfunction3310, through which they may “accept” (atstep285A), “decline” (atstep285B), or “counter-challenge” (atstep285C, e.g., suggest to the challenger that they compete for a different wager), the received challenge. An example of the “received challenge form”3304 is shown in thescreen display3302 ofFIG. 33.

In order to compete for a received challenge, the opponent may click on the “accept” button orfunction3306 on the “received challenge form”3304 atstep285A, and then indicate acceptance of the terms and conditions of the wager on aconfirmation page3402, an example of which is illustrated inFIG. 34. If the opponent indicates acceptance on theconfirmation page3402, then the opponent may receive anotification3504, an example of which is seen inscreen display3502 ofFIG. 35, stating the procedures by which competition for the challenge wager is to be conducted. If the opponent accepts the received challenge atstep285A and agrees to the associated terms and conditions, then the competitors may engage in wagered competition atstep286 using the above-described process as if the opponent had accepted the challenger's stored wager. Thewagering system102 may be configured to permit an opponent to accept a received challenge only if there is sufficient available credit in thewager account102D of the opponent.

On the other hand, if the

opponent player

112,114,116 clicks on the “decline” button orfunction3308 atstep285B, then the received challenge may be deleted from the opponent's “Inbox” of received challenges, as well as from the challenger's “Outbox” of sent challenges.

If the opponent clicks on the “counter” button orfunction3310 atstep285C, then a “counter-challenge form”3604, an example of which can be seen inscreen display3602 ofFIG. 36, may be displayed atstep287. On the “counter-challenge form”3604, the opponent may revise or configure various features or aspects of the originally configured challenge atstep288, including features listed inbox282. For instance, the opponent may change the wager amount, the game to be played, the third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 in which competition may take place, and/or the suggested competition time of the original challenge, among other features. Again, users may only be able to indicate that they wish to compete in games and on third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104, in which the

players

112,114,116 that they are counter-challenging have engaged in wagered competition. This counter-challenge may then be sent atstep289 to appear in the original challenger's “Inbox” or by another means of communication to be accessed by the challenger atstep290. Thewagering system102 may be configured to permit opponents to send counter-challenges only if there is sufficient available credit in thewager account102D of the opponent.

In certain embodiments, it can be seen that challenges and counter-challenges may be exchanged repeatedly or iteratively until a challenge configuration suitable to both challenger and opponent can be achieved. Atstep291, the

players

112,114,116 involved in the challenge wager may confirm the outcome of their match in one of the ways previously described herein.

Challenges may be deleted from “challenge mailbox”pages1602 in the following cases, in addition to the aforementioned case of when a received challenge is declined atstep285B. The challenger may cancel a sent challenge by clicking on its

link

1608,1610,1612, in order to access the relevant “sent challenge form”3704 and then clicking on, for example, a “cancel challenge” button orfunction3706. An example of a “sent challenge form”3704 is shown inscreen display3702 ofFIG. 37. If a challenger cancels a challenge, it may be deleted from both the “Outbox” of the challenger, as well as the “Inbox” of the opponent. In certain embodiments, an unaccepted challenge may be automatically be deleted by thewagering system102 from the challenge mailboxes, following a certain period of non-acceptance (e.g., after a number of hours or days).

In various embodiments, the challenge system102I can be utilized to permit spontaneous challenging between/among

players

112,114,116 who have indicated readiness to engage in wagered competition in a particular networked video game, using thechallenge room system102K. To engage in this form of wagering, a challenger may click on a “Challenge Room” link in the pull-down menu1004 of sub-links1006 for a game, for example, which then directs the challenger to the relatedchallenge room page3802, an example of which may be seen inFIG. 38. In order to access achallenge room page3802,

players

112,114,116 may need to indicate that they are already logged into a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 and are prepared to compete in a designated game by accepting anentrance prompt3904, an example of which can be seen in thescreen display3902 ofFIG. 39. If the

player

112,114,116 accepts this prompt3904, then the usemame, user rating, and skill level for the game for the

player

112,114,116 can be listed in a column displaying information related to all of the

players

112,114,116 currently in thechallenge room page3802. Users in the challenge room may challenge one another to compete for wagers by clicking on a “challenge” button orfunction3804 alongside a competitor's information. If a user clicks on a “challenge” button orfunction3804, then a “challenge room form”4004 will appear, through which the challenger may challenge the associated opponent to wagered competition. The “challenge room form”4004 may allow a challenger to input a proposedwager amount4006, for example. A challenger may also be able to challenge an opponent to compete for a wager with associated odds, so as to make a challenge more appealing to the prospective opponent.

In order to send a challenge, users may need to click on a “send” button orfunction4008 and then indicate their acceptance of the terms and conditions on aconfirmation page4102, an example of which can be seen in the screen display ofFIG. 41. If the

players

112,114,116 indicate their agreement, then they may see anotification4204 explaining the process by which they will know if their challenge has been accepted and how they should compete. An example of thenotification4204 is illustrated in thescreen display4202 ofFIG. 42. In order to send a challenge in thechallenge room3802, a user may need to have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D. Similar to the challenge-based features of thewagering system102 described above for various embodiments, challengers may be able to challenge opponents who have comparatively lower skill levels in the game.

In various embodiments, opponents may be presented with a “challenge room notification”4304 after a challenge is sent, an example of which may be seen in thescreen display4302 ofFIG. 43. The opponent may then utilize an “accept” button orfunction4306, a “decline” button orfunction4308, or a “counter” button orfunction4310 on the “challenge room notification”4304 to accept, decline, or counter-challenge, respectively, the received challenge. In order to accept a challenge in thechallenge room3802, a

player

112,114,116 may need to click on the “accept” button orfunction4306, and then agree to the terms and conditions on aconfirmation page4402, an example of which is seen in the screen display ofFIG. 44. If an opponent indicates his or her agreement on theconfirmation page4402, then the opponent may receive anotification4504, explaining the procedure by the competition is to be conducted. An example of thenotification4504 is shown in thescreen display4502 ofFIG. 45. In contrast, if a challenged

player

112,114,116 clicks on the “decline” button orfunction4308, then the prospective wager may be canceled and the challenger may be notified that the challenge was declined. If an opponent clicks on the “counter” button orfunction4310, then the opponent may see a form similar to the “challenge room form”4004 that permits the opponent to configure a counter-challenge to send back to the original challenger.

In various embodiments of the invention, there may be certain restrictions placed on usage of thechallenge room system102K by the

players

112,114,116. For example, challengers and/or challenged players may be limited to sending and/or accepting one challenge at a time. Once users accept a challenge, their usemame and associated information may be differentiated from the information of those users who are available to wager, so that the

players

112,114,116 know whom they can challenge in thechallenge room3802. In certain embodiments, the information of users who have accepted challenges may appear in italics in a distinct section on thechallenge room page3802. Challenges made in the challenge room may expire, so that an opponent can no longer accept the challenge if the opponent does not respond within a certain time period, or if the challenger enters into a wager with or accepts a challenge from another user. If a user leaves achallenge room page3802, by accessing another web page, then that user's associated information may be removed from thechallenge room page3802. In certain embodiments, a

player

112,114,116 may only be able to enter achallenge room page3802 if a user rating is above a designated threshold level; and may only be able to send or accept challenges if they have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D. In certain embodiments, only members (e.g., not visitors) may be able to enter thechallenge room page3802.

In certain embodiments, competitors may be able to engage in simultaneous wagered competitions without leaving achallenge room page3802. For example, after thewagering system102 processes an accepted challenge, the challenger may be presented with an “opponent notification”4604 informing the challenger that the wager was accepted and providing the network identification of the opponent in the challenge. An example of an “opponent notification”4604 is shown in thescreen display4602 ofFIG. 46. In certain embodiments, thenotification4604 may also allow direct confirmation of wager outcomes. Moreover, after thewagering system102 processes an accepted challenge, the opponent may be able to confirm the wager outcome directly through an “instant confirmation notification”4704, an example of which is shown in thescreen display4702 ofFIG. 47. If the competitors confirm the same outcome through the

notifications

4604,4704, then they may automatically become available to send and receive further challenges in thechallenge room3802. If the competitors do not confirm the same outcome, however, then they may be automatically directed to themember home page802, or to another part of thewagering system102, to attempt to resolve the outcome of the video game match.

With respect to challenges sent through member profiles to challenge mailboxes and challenges sent in challenge rooms, after a challenge has been accepted, thewagering system102 may deal with it in substantially the same functional manner as if it were an accepted stored wager. For example, theconfirmation system102E and thedispute settlement system102H may be applied to ascertain challenge wager outcomes. One difference between the exchange-based (e.g., storing/accepting wagers) and challenged-based (e.g., sending/accepting challenges) wagering processes with respect to the confirmation/dispute settlement process is that

players

112,114,116 in thechallenge room page3802 have the opportunity to confirm wager outcomes in a more immediate, direct manner within theroom3802, in addition to other means of confirmation described above. Moreover, theratings system102F and thecompetency structure102G may be updated in certain embodiments subsequent to competition and/or confirmation (e.g., ratings and skill levels may be altered), in substantially the same manner as if an accepted challenge were an accepted stored wager.

In various embodiments, with reference toFIG. 2D, thewagering system102 may be utilized in conjunction with the operation of a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104, or directly operatively associatedgame server126, in order to enable wagered competition, through the application of the networked videogame wagering system102L. For example, to access wagered competition on a directly operatively associatedgaming network104,

players

112,114,116 may click on a video game title link in the “Wager Center”section810 of themember home page802. Having done so, the

players

112,114,116 may access or enter a networked gamewagering room page4802 for the video game atstep302. An example of a networked gamewagering room page4802 is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 48. Thewagering system102 may be configured such that only members may be able to access a networkedgame wagering page4802.

The networked gamewagering room page4802 may be functionally similar to the aforementionedchallenge room page3802 in many respects. For example, when the

players

112,114,116 enter the networked gamewagering room page4802, their usemames, user ratings, and skill levels competing in the game can be depicted in asection4804 devoted to

information regarding players

112,114,116 available for wagered competition. If a

player

112,114,116 leaves theroom4802 by accessing another web page, then that player's112,114,116 information may be removed from the networked gamewagering room page4802. Te networked gamewagering room page4802 may allow both exchange-based and challenge-based wagering, instead of just challenge-based wagering, and all wagered competition may occur on anetwork104 orgame server126 that is directly operatively associated with thewagering system102 through application of the videogame wagering system102L, as opposed to a third-party gaming network104, for example.

For example, after clicking on a video game title link in the “Wager Center”section810, anentrance notification4904 may be displayed prompting the users to store a wager atstep304A for which they wish to compete and/or indicate whether or not they want to compete for free. An example of anentrance notification4904 is shown in thescreen display4902 ofFIG. 49. If a user stores a wager through theentrance notification4904, then they may be presented with aconfirmation page5002 that displays terms and conditions to which they must agree in order to enter the networked gamewagering room page4802 and store the wager. An example of aconfirmation page5002 is shown inFIG. 50. If users indicate agreement on theconfirmation page5002, then the stored wagers may be listed with other personal or profile information of the users. If a

player

112,114,116 exits theroom4802, such as by accessing another web page, the stored wager or wagers may be canceled and removed from thepage4802. The

players

112,114,116 may need to have sufficient available credit in theirwager accounts102D in order to store a wager on thepage4802.

An “accept” button orfunction4806 and/or a “challenge” button orfunction4808 may be included within theroom4802 for each

player

112,114,116. If a user clicks on an “accept” button orfunction4806 atstep304B and agrees to the terms and conditions on a confirmation page5102 (an example which can be seen inFIG. 51), then thewagering system102 may process the accepted wager, so long as certain conditions are met. As in the aforementioned case of accepting a stored wager, users may only be able to accept those wagers of users who have the same and/or a better skill level competing in the game, while the converse may not be permissible (e.g., users accepting wagers stored by users who have lower skill levels). A user may also not be able to accept a particular wager, if the rating is below a specified threshold level, and/or if the user does not have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D.

If a user clicks on the “challenge” button orfunction4808 atstep304C, then a similar process may occur, as if the user had challenged a

player

112,114,116 in thechallenge room page3802. In this case, a “networked game challenge form”5204 may be displayed that allows the user to input awager5206 for which they would like to compete for against the challenged

player

112,114,116, as well as amessage5208 for their intended opponent. An example of a “networked game challenge form”5204 can be seen in thescreen display5202 ofFIG. 52. In order to send a challenge, the user may click on a “send” button orfunction5210, for example, and then indicate their agreement to the terms and conditions on aconfirmation page5302, an example of which is shown inFIG. 53. As in the case of other challenge-based wagering features of thewagering system102 described herein, users may be able to challenge any

other player

112,114,116 without consideration of the challenged player's112,114,116 skill level in the particular game. In certain embodiments, a user may only be able to send a challenge, if there is sufficient available credit in thewager account102D of the user. Moreover, in various embodiments, a challenger may be able to challenge an opponent to compete for a wager with associated odds, so as to make a challenge more appealing to the prospective opponent.

After a challenge has been sent, the opponent player or

players

112,114,116 may see a “challenge notification”5404 appear automatically on their screens, an example of which is shown in thescreen display5402 ofFIG. 54. Atstep304D, the opponent may then utilize an “accept” button orfunction5406, a “decline” button orfunction5408, or a “counter” button orfunction5410 on the “challenge notification”5404 to accept, decline, or counter, respectively, the received challenge. If the opponent clicks on the “accept” button orfunction5406, for example, then aconfirmation page5502 may be presented that displays terms and conditions of accepting the challenge. An example of theconfirmation page5502 is shown inFIG. 55. If the opponent indicates acceptance on theconfirmation page5502, then thewagering system102 may process the accepted challenge and enable the challenger and opponent to engage in video game competition atstep306. If the opponent clicks on the “decline” button orfunction5408, for example, then the prospective wager may be canceled and the challenger may be notified that the challenge was declined. Atstep304E, if an opponent clicks on the “counter” button orfunction5410, for example, then the opponent may be presented with a form similar to the “networked game challenge form”5204, except that the challenge may be automatically directed back to the original challenger. In certain embodiments, a challenge may expire, so that the opponent can no longer accept the challenge if the opponent does not respond in a designated time period, and/or if the challenger enters into wagered competition with another opponent.

After accepting a stored wager or challenge, competitors may be directly linked on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104, or directly operatively associatedgame server126, so that they can engage in wagered competition through thewagering system102. Following networked competition, the wager outcome can be confirmed atstep308, using a similar process or processes similar to what has been described previously hereinabove, such as through voluntary confirmation of the

players

112,114,116, and/or through automatic verification by an outcome confirmation system, for example. For example, the competitors may see an “instant confirmation notification”6004 on their screen, through which they can confirm the outcome, in addition to through the other aforementioned manners to confirm. An example of an “instant confirmation notification”6004 is shown in thescreen display6002 ofFIG. 60. Thedispute settlement system102H may then be utilized in conjunction with theratings system102F. In certain embodiments, prior to or in association with awarding a prize atstep312, thecompetency structure102G may be altered atstep310 as described above to promote fairness in networked game wagering room pages4802.

In certain embodiments, wager outcomes may be verified automatically through the application of an outcome monitoring system operatively associated with theconfirmation system102E, for example. The outcome monitoring system may be provided as an alternative to competitors verifying their own wager outcomes and may be configured such that wagers can be immediately transferred to the winning competitor or competitors. The outcome monitoring system may be configured to function in a variety of ways. For example, certain networked video game software may be coded in a manner that allows network operators to collect and analyze data regarding competitions (e.g., which competitor won a match). For such video games, the outcome monitoring system can interact directly with the game software, so as to automatically verify wager outcomes.

Even if the game software is not coded to facilitate the collection and analysis of data regarding game play, however, wager outcomes still may be determined automatically by the outcome monitoring system. For instance, thewagering system102 may be configured with a conventional screen capture software, such as the software employed by “Poker Tracker” (PJI, Inc.), or a functionally equivalent software, which can ascertain elements of ongoing game play by analyzing screenshots of the video output of video games. The screen capture software can recognize designated alphanumeric characters, if the software knows what data to look for and where to look on the screen to obtain the data. The screen capture software allows for the verification of winners or losers by screening the video output generated by video game play for a set of alphanumeric patterns or other information that denotes which player won a video game match. The screen capture software can be configured to recognize a set of alphanumeric characters, for example, or other data that appear in a designated screen location within the video game in each match. The screen capture software may also be configured to associate a player's112,114,116 network identification, for example, with the particular individual or team which played in the video game match.

Examples of screen displays that permit thewagering system102 to associate a network username with a competitive identity in a game are depicted inFIGS. 56 and 57. After associating a

player

112,114,116 with a competing identity in the video game, the screen capture software may verify the winner by analyzing standard screens that show final outcomes. For example, as shown inFIG. 58, after a “Fight Night:Round 2” match concludes, a screen can be presented that states which character in the game won the competition. In another example, as shown inFIG. 59, in “NCAA Football 2005”, a screen depicting a final score board demonstrates who won the match.

In various embodiments, competitors may be able to engage in simultaneous wagered competitions without having to re-enter the networked gamewagering room page4802. For example, if competitors confirm the same outcome in an “instant confirmation notification”6004 (as shown in thesample screen display6002 ofFIG. 60), or if an automated outcome verification system is employed, then a “re-match notification”6104 may be displayed that offers the opportunity to engage in wagered and/or free competition again prior to becoming available to

other players

112,114,116 in the room for competition. An example of a “re-match notification”6104 is shown inscreen display6102 ofFIG. 61. For instance, if one of the users clicks on the “re-match” challenge button orfunction6106, then that user may have the opportunity to challenge his or her previous opponent to compete for another wager. If both competitors click on the “exit match” button orfunction6108, or a competitor declines a re-match challenge, then both competitors may receive anotherentrance notification4904 that prompts them to store another wager, so as to become available for wagering with other users on the networked gamewagering room page4802.

In certain embodiments, a

challenger player

112,114,116 may also challenge an

opponent player

112,114,116 to a challenge wager associated with a video game match to be played on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104 or a directly operatively associatedgame server126, through a “challenge form”3004 accessed on the opponent player'sprofile page2902 and sent to the Inbox of the opponent player's challenge mailbox. In this case, the challenger may select a video game on the “challenge form”3004 for which game play occurs on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104 and/or a directly operatively associatedgame server126, by using thegame selection function3006. The challenger may also specify a competition time at which the opponent player should be ready to compete, so that play can automatically begin on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104 or a directly operatively associatedgame server126 at that time, if the challenge wager is accepted. In various embodiments, the outcome of video game play may be confirmed, thecompetency structure102G may be altered, and/or theratings system102F may be updated in various ways as described herein.

In various embodiments of the invention, video game tournament play may be conducted for prizes through use of thewagering system102. In operation, thewagering system102 can schedule a combination of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and/or annual tournaments, for example, each of which may have successively larger prizes inversely related to the frequency with which it is held. Each of these tournaments may be limited to a fixed number of players. Prior to a tournament, thewagering system102 may create separate contests for an established number of

players

112,114,116, according to the order of their registration. For instance, in daily tournaments, the first sixty-four

players

112,114,116 to indicate their desire to participate might be in the first group, the second sixty-four

players

112,114,116 in another group, and so forth, until an entry cut off time before the tournament and when the final tournament grouping was filled. The size of tournaments may be crafted to strike the right balance between having enough participants to generate a large tournament prize with a relatively low buy-in, while not having so many rounds that

players

112,114,116 would lose interest in continued game play as the tournament progressed.

The weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tournaments may be held with more rounds than the daily tournaments to allow for a larger tournament prize without making the buy-in too excessively high. For example, thewagering system102 could allow 4,096 players to register for $250, in which an approximately $1 million tournament prize could be awarded. To motivate

players

112,114,116 to compete in multiple rounds without tiring or losing interest, thewagering system102 may establish set breaks, after a fixed number of rounds during larger tournaments to give players a chance to recuperate, as is done in poker tournaments, for example.

For conducting tournament play, thewagering system102 may employ the same or similar processes and platforms as those that have been previously described. Such tournaments may involve a

player

112,114,116 paying a fixed buy-in, however, as opposed to selecting a wager and would have successive rounds in which

players

112,114,116 are eliminated, as opposed to a single match. These structural differences between match play and tournament play may require certain modifications known to those skilled in the art to the processes and systems described above. Prior to the designated start time of a tournament, participants may be required to register. To register, participants may, for example, click on a “tournament” link on the pull downmenu1004 of sub-links related to a game, which may direct them to a tournament-scheduling page6202, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 62. On the tournament-scheduling page6202, users can accesstournament registration pages6302 for upcoming tournaments for the game, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 63. Ontournament registration pages6302, users may indicate their desire to participate in a tournament and confirm their agreement to the associated terms and conditions. Participants may only be able to register for a tournament, if they have sufficient available credit in thewager account102D to cover the tournament buy-in and/or if their user ratings are above a certain threshold level. In various embodiments, a

player

112,114,116 and potential tournament participant may only be allowed to register for tournaments which are compatible with the

game console

106,108,110 of the

player

112,114,116, respectively.

In operation, prior to the beginning of a tournament, participants may be required to enter a “tournament room”page6402, an example of which is shown in the screen display ofFIG. 64, or risk forfeiture of the buy-in. “Tournament room”pages6402 may be accessed through a “Tournament Room” link on the pull-down menu1004 of sub-links related to the game. A designated “tournament room”page6402 may be created for each tournament, and only the participants may be allowed to enter; otherwise, a single “tournament room”page6402 may be created for each game, so that tournament groups may compete at different times. After all of the participants have entered the room and/ or at the scheduled starting time, tournament game play may either take place on a third-partymultiplayer gaming network104 and/or at least one directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104, or a directly operatively associatedgame server126. Following game play, participants may confirm match outcomes directly on their screen through an “instant confirmation notification”6504, an example of which is seen inscreen display6502 ofFIG. 65. If competitors confirm the same outcome, then the winner may progress in the tournament, while if both competitors do not confirm within a certain time period, or if the competitors confirm different outcomes, then neither participant may progress in the tournament, and the competitors' user ratings may be negatively impacted as previously above. If a single user confirms his or her victory in the competitive round, but that player's112,114,116 opponent does not confirm, then solely that user may advance.

Based on the outcomes of wagered matches, thewagering system102 may then establish the next match between the winner and another

victorious player

112,114,116. Then the second round of the tournament would progress, and so forth into the remaining rounds until the final match of the tournament. In this manner,

players

112,114,116 would probably not have to wait long between successive rounds, since those participants who finished earlier than others could play each other. The tournament could be configured such that no two

players

112,114,116 would be allowed to compete who had played different numbers of matches, in order to assure that they were in the same round of the competition, unless an uneven number of participants remained due to a disqualification as a result of improper confirmation, in which case the last participant to proceed to a round may be credited automatically with a win in that round. This winnowing down of the playing field would continue until one winner remained, at which point thewagering system102 may recognize that the tournament has concluded and credit the pooled buy-ins to the credit balances of the wager accounts102D of the participants who had made it far enough into the tournament to warrant part of the prize, according to the payout structure of the tournament. As in the case of match play, thewagering system102 may subtract a transaction fee from the tournament prize prior to updating user credit balances. This transaction fee may be established prior to the tournament and may be either a fixed amount or calculated as a percentage of the tournament prize.

Furthermore, certain video games played on third-partymultiplayer gaming networks104, due to certain aspects of game play, may require that specialized wagering interfaces be built, in order to facilitate exchange-based and/or challenge-based wagering on associated competitions. For instance, when

players

112,114,116 compete on a “World of WarCraft” multiplayer gaming network104 (Blizzard Entertainment), in certain cases,

players

112,114,116 who play with one competitive party may not be permitted to compete with

players

112,114,116 who play with the same competitive party (e.g., players who compete with “the Horde” may not be able to compete against other players who compete with “the Horde,” depending upon the game server on which the network competition takes place). For this reason, to match users who wish to wager on game play on themultiplayer gaming network104, for example, thewagering system102 may be configured to only allow users to accept stored wagers or received challenges, if those users compete with a different competitive party than their prospective competitor. Similarly, players may have to specify the third-party game server on which they are competing for certain games that can be played on a large number of distinct game servers. In this case, different wager pages or challenge rooms, for example, can be provided with respect to distinct game servers.

Likewise, thewagering system102 may facilitate wagering on game play that does not involve head-to-head competition by altering the terms of the wager with respect to how it will be awarded. For instance, “Deathmatch” is a networked game-playing mode that is commonly integrated into first-person shooter video games. The goal of a “Deathmatch” game is to kill as many other players as possible until a certain condition or limit is reached, such as when the leading player has achieved a certain number of kills or a time limit. Once one of these conditions is met, the match is over, and the winner is whoever has accumulated the most kills. In order to facilitate wagering on a “Deathmatch,” thewagering system102 may confirm which of the competitors who placed wagers has the most kills. In this manner, thewagering system102 does not have to confirm which participant won the game played on the network (e.g., involving some players who may have wagered and some who did not), but confirms how those players who wagered on the match performed relative to each other. In certain embodiments, a similar process can facilitate wagering on network car races, for example, involving large numbers of participants through the determination of which of the competitors who had wagered had the faster time, as well as on many on other types of networked games.

In various embodiments, users of thewagering system102 may wager other items of value other than money. For instance, thewagering system102 could award each new member points and/or tokens upon registering, which may then be wagered instead of money. Such points and/or tokens can then be exchanged for prizes and/or discounts at an online store, for example, operatively associated with thewagering system102, or an online store operated by a third-party.

The examples presented herein are intended to illustrate potential and specific implementations of the present invention. It can be appreciated that the examples are intended primarily for purposes of illustration of the invention for those skilled in the art. No particular aspect or aspects of the examples are necessarily intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For instance, screen displays included herein are examples provided merely for convenience of disclosure for those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements. For example, certain operating system details and modules of network platforms are not described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, that these sorts of focused discussions would not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, and therefore, a more detailed description of such elements is not provided herein.

Any element expressed herein as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function including, for example, a combination of elements that performs that function. Furthermore the invention, as defined by such means-plus-function claims, resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the various recited means are combined and brought together in a manner as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, any means that can provide such functionalities may be considered equivalents to the means shown herein.

In general, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that some of the embodiments as described hereinabove may be implemented in many different embodiments of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software code or specialized control hardware used to implement some of the present embodiments is not limiting of the present invention. For example, the embodiments described hereinabove may be implemented in computer software using any suitable computer software language type such as, for example, C or C++ using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. Such software may be stored on any type of suitable computer-readable medium or media such as, for example, a magnetic or optical storage medium. Thus, the operation and behavior of the embodiments are described without specific reference to the actual software code or specialized hardware components. The absence of such specific references is feasible because it is clearly understood that artisans of ordinary skill would be able to design software and control hardware to implement the embodiments of the present invention based on the description herein with only a reasonable effort and without undue experimentation.

Moreover, the processes associated with the present embodiments may be executed by programmable equipment, such as computers. Software that may cause programmable equipment to execute the processes may be stored in any storage device, such as, for example, a computer system (non-volatile) memory, an optical disk, magnetic tape, or magnetic disk. Furthermore, some of the processes may be programmed when the computer system is manufactured or via a computer-readable medium. Such a medium may include any of the forms listed above with respect to storage devices and may further include, for example, a carrier wave modulated, or otherwise manipulated, to convey instructions that may be read, demodulated/decoded and executed by a computer.

It can also be appreciated that certain process aspects described herein may be performed using instructions stored on a computer-readable medium or media that direct a computer system to perform process steps. A computer-readable medium may include, for example, memory devices such as diskettes, compact discs of both read-only and read/write varieties, optical disk drives, and hard disk drives. A computer-readable medium may also include memory storage that may be physical, virtual, permanent, temporary, semi-permanent and/or semi-temporary. A computer-readable medium may further involve one or more data signals transmitted on one or more carrier waves.

A “computer” or “computer system” through which a user may access thewagering system102 may be, for example, a wireless or wire line variety of a microcomputer, minicomputer, server, mainframe, laptop, personal data assistant (PDA), wireless e-mail device (e.g., “BlackBerry” trade-designated devices), cellular phone, cable box, pager, processor, fax machine, scanner, or any other programmable device configured to transmit and receive data over a network. Moreover, it can be seen that the game consoles106,108,110 themselves may take on the functionality of a “computer” or “computer system” with respect to allowing users to directly access and/ or manipulate online content. Specifically,

players

112,114,116 may be able to utilize thewagering system102 through their

consoles

106,108,110, respectively, using their consoles'106,108,110 input/ output controls, in a similar manner as if they were accessing thewagering system102 through a personal computer. Likewise, it can also be seen that cable or satellite boxes may take on the functionality of a “computer” or “computer system” with respect to allowing users to access and/ or manipulate online content. For example,

players

112,114,116 may be able to utilize thewagering system102 through their cable or satellite boxes, using buttons and/or other functions on a remote control to manipulate wagering features, in a similar manner as if they were accessing thewagering system102 through a personal computer. With respect to accessing thewagering system102 through

game consoles

106,108,110 and cable or satellite boxes, it can be seen that thewagering system102 may be customized for accessibility solely by one or both of these types of devices, so that its features could be more easily manipulated by, for example, a console controller and/ or a cable or satellite box remote control.

It can also be seen that a third-party network operator may utilize thiswagering system102 to offer wagering features built into itsmultiplayer gaming network104. Thewagering system102 may be adapted to permit

players

112,114,116 to wager and confirm outcomes directly though the game consoles106,108,110, respectively, by accessing wager features built into themultiplayer gaming network104 using the input/ output controls of their

game consoles

106,108,110. In this case, the process by which wagering may take place may be substantively similar to the aforementioned description of using thewagering system102 with respect to game play on a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network104.

Computer devices disclosed herein may include memory for storing certain software applications used in obtaining, processing and communicating data. It can be appreciated that such memory may be internal or external to the disclosed embodiments. The memory may also include any means for storing software, including a hard disk, an optical disk, floppy disk, ROM (read only memory), RAM (random access memory), PROM (programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), and other computer-readable media.

In various embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to perform a given function or functions. Except where such substitution would not be operative to practice embodiments of the present invention, such substitution is within the scope of the present invention. Any of the servers described herein, for example, may be replaced by a “server farm” or other grouping of networked servers that are located and configured for cooperative functions. It can be appreciated that a server farm may serve to distribute workload between/among individual components of the farm and may expedite computing processes by harnessing the collective and cooperative power of multiple servers. Such server farms may employ load-balancing software that accomplishes tasks such as, for example, tracking demand for processing power from different machines, prioritizing and scheduling tasks based on network demand, and/or providing backup contingency in the event of component failure or reduction in operability.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it should be apparent, however, that various modifications, alterations and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in the art with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are therefore intended to include all such modifications, alterations and adaptations without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wagering system comprising:

a server configured for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played by players on a multiplayer gaming network;

at least one database operatively associated with the server, the database being configured for storing information related to the video game wager; and,

a challenge system operatively associated with the server, the challenge system being configured to permit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match.

2. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a confirmation system configured to receive confirmation of the outcome of the video game match.

3. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site page operatively associated with the server to allow selection from among a set of video games that can be played for wagers.

4. The wagering system ofclaim 3, further comprising the set of video games being separated into multiple sections according to a factor selected from the group consisting of a multiplayer gaming network associated with the video game, a type of video game, and a gaming mode.

5. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site page operatively associated with the server to allow storage of a wager in association with at least one video game.

6. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site page operatively associated with the server to allow acceptance of a wager in association with at least one video game.

7. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one player profile stored on the database.

8. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the server being configured to transfer a wager amount based on the outcome of the video game match.

9. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a competency structure operatively associated with the server, the competency structure being configured for maintaining at least one skill level of at least one of the players.

10. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the database being configured to store multiple wagers for a particular video game or for multiple video games.

11. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the database being configured to permit removal of an unaccepted, stored wager.

12. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the server being configured to automatically communicate to the players that they should compete upon determining compatibility of stored wagers.

13. The wagering system ofclaim 12, wherein determining compatibility includes comparing skill levels associated with the players.

14. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a ratings system operatively associated with the server, the ratings system being configured to adjust a rating of at least one player.

15. The wagering system ofclaim 1, wherein the video game includes a video game that can be played by multiple players as a team.

16. The wagering system ofclaim 2, further comprising the confirmation system being configured to award a prize to the winning player upon receiving the same confirmation of the wager outcome from both players.

17. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a ratings system operatively associated with the server, the ratings system being configured for adjusting a rating of at least one of the players.

18. The wagering system ofclaim 17, further comprising the ratings system being configured to not allow a player to accept a wager if a rating of the player falls below a threshold level.

19. The wagering system ofclaim 2, further comprising a dispute settlement system operatively associated with the server, the dispute settlement system being configured for determining a wager outcome if the confirmation system receives a different confirmation of the wager outcome from each player.

20. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the challenge system being configured for permitting the challenger player to configure the challenge wager to be sent to the opponent player.

21. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the challenge system being configured for permitting the opponent player to select an action from the group consisting of accept, decline, and counter with respect to the challenge wager.

22. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a challenge room system for permitting challenger players to challenge opponent players in networked video game play.

23. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the server being configured to facilitate a video game tournament.

24. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the server being accessible through a game console.

25. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising the server being accessible through a cable network connection.

26. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site operatively associated with the server, the web site being accessible through a game console.

27. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site operatively associated with the server, the web site being accessible through a cable network connection.

28. A method for facilitating wagering on a video game, the method comprising:

processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played by players on a multiplayer gaming network;

storing information related to the video game wager; and,

permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match.

29. A computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a computer system to execute a method for facilitating wagering on a video game, the medium comprising:

instructions for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played by players on a multiplayer gaming network;

instructions for storing information related to the video game wager; and,

instructions for permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match.

30. A wagering system comprising:

a server configured for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network, wherein the server is configured to enable wagered video game play through at least one electronic environment selected from the group consisting of a directly operatively associated game server and a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network;

at least one of the following:

(i) a challenge system operatively associated with the server, the challenge system being configured to permit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match; or,

(ii) an exchange-based wagering system operatively associated with the server, the exchange-based wagering system being configured to match opponents to wager on a video game.

31. The wagering system ofclaim 30, further comprising a confirmation system configured to facilitate confirmation of the outcome of the video game match.

32. The wagering system ofclaim 30, further comprising an outcome monitoring system configured to automatically verify the outcome of the video game match.

33. The wagering system ofclaim 30, further comprising the server being configured to facilitate a video game tournament.

34. A method for facilitating wagering on a video game, the method comprising:

processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network, including enabling wagered video game play through at least one electronic environment selected from the group consisting of a directly operatively associated game server and a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network;

storing information related to the video game wager; and,

at least one of the following:

(i) permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match; or,

(ii) matching opponents to a wager on the video game match through an exchange-based wagering system.

35. A computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a computer system to facilitate wagering on a video game, the medium comprising:

instructions for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network, including instructions for enabling wagered video game play through at least one electronic environment selected from the group consisting of a directly operatively associated game server and a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network;

instructions for storing information related to the video game wager; and,

at least one of the following:

(i) instructions for permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match; or,

(ii) instructions for matching opponents to a wager on the video game match through an exchange-based wagering system.