Niantic, Inc.

James Dinkelacker

Phillip Craig Keslin

John V Hanke

Charles Spirakis

Mark A Aubin

Keith Patrick Golden

Alexander Vladimirov

Chris Hibbert

Yennie Solheim

William J Kilday

Keith Shoji Kiyohara

Lior Stern

Leor Stern

Computer-implemented methods and systems for locating virtual elements that can be used or collected by players of a parallel reality game having a virtual world that parallels at least a portion of the real world are provided. In particular, the location of virtual elements in the virtual world is determined based on data associated with one or more real world conditions. Virtual elements can be located in the virtual world at locations corresponding to locations in the real world that encourage safe and effective game play. Locating virtual elements in the virtual world based on data associated with real world conditions improves the link between the parallel virtual world and the real world, enhancing the illusion that the virtual world is another dimension of the real world that the player can interact with through the parallel reality game.

Placement of virtual elements in a virtual world associated with a location-based parallel reality game

Systems and methods for linking real world activity, such as real world commercial activity or real world data collection activity, with a location-based parallel reality game are provided. In particular, a game server hosting a parallel reality game can modify, update, or add to game data stored in a game database associated with the parallel reality game to include certain game features in the parallel reality game linked with real world activity in the real world. The game features can be linked with activities in the real world such that player actions associated with the game features in the virtual world can lead to or encourage activity in the real world, such as commercial activity and/or data collection activity in the real world.

Linking real world activities with a parallel reality game

Systems and methods for verifying player proximity within a location-based game are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for verifying player proximity may include receiving a request associated with verifying the proximity of a first player of the location-based game relative to a second player of the location-based game and transmitting a visual indicator to a first client of the first player, wherein the visual indicator is associated with a data record configured to expire within a predetermined time period. In addition, the method may include receiving a copy of the visual indicator from a second client of the second player and determining whether the copy of the visual indicator was received prior to the expiration of the data record.

Systems and methods for verifying player proximity within a location-based game

Computer-implemented methods and systems for mapping real world actions to a virtual world associated with a parallel reality game are provided. The virtual world has experiences that relate to real world actions. The method includes accessing a data source associated with one or more real world actions; and modifying game data associated with the parallel reality game to generate experiences in the virtual world based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more real world actions. Generating experiences in the virtual world based on data associated with real world actions improves the link between the parallel virtual world and the real world, enhancing illusion that the virtual world is another dimension of the real world that the player can interact with through the parallel reality game.

Mapping real world actions to a virtual world associated with a location-based game

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Lahaina, HI, United States of America

James Dinkelacker