Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Michael Anthony Willette

Ethan Zane Evans

Michael Martin George

Michael Anthony Frazzini

Patrick Gilmore

David Hendrik Verfaillie

Collin Charles Davis

Hok Peng Leung

Francis Xavier Surjo-Subagio

Christopher Paul Dury

Richard Bantegui

Michael Donges

Zane Lyon

A game spectating system that leverages game metadata to allow spectators to join or 'step into' games being broadcast. Broadcast content may include user interface elements via which spectators can order, purchase, or otherwise obtain demo or full versions of games. Game client software and game data may be obtained and downloaded to the spectator's devices via the spectating system interfaces and broadcast streams. Spectators can order, purchase, or otherwise obtain characters, avatars, and gear for participation in particular games. Using the spectating UI to obtain the game client software, game data, characters, and gear via the broadcast streams, the spectators may join live game sessions of online games, start new game sessions, and/or replay previously recorded game sessions.

Joining games from a spectating system

Methods and apparatus for presenting highlights from broadcasts in spectating environments. A highlight service determines highlight events in the broadcasts, and extracts highlight segments from the broadcasts according to the determined events. Highlight reels may be created from the highlight segments according to highlight selection criteria (genre, game title, broadcaster, time period, etc.) and/or spectator preferences. The highlight service may provide a highlight user interface (UI) via which spectators may selectively view the highlights and highlight reels. The highlight service may generate highlight reels targeted to particular spectators or groups of spectators according to spectators' specified or otherwise determined preferences, demographics, viewing history, and so on.

Highlight presentation interface in a game spectating system

A game spectating system that provides interfaces and methods for providing game content to viewers. The spectating system obtains game metadata from game systems for games being broadcast by the spectating system according to the API, and generates broadcast content based at least in part on the game metadata. The broadcast content includes user interface (UI) elements for obtaining virtual or physical objects corresponding to the game content. The broadcast content is provided to spectator devices with the broadcasts. The spectating system receives indications of spectators' interactions with the broadcast content from the spectator devices including interactions requesting the virtual or physical objects, and facilitates provisioning or delivery of the objects to respective spectator devices or spectators.

Game content interface in a spectating system

A spectating system that leverages game metadata and/or broadcast metadata to provide rewards to or otherwise acknowledge participants in broadcasts. The system may analyze the metadata to detect events or other information about broadcasts, and may recognize and/or reward participants based at least in part on the analysis. Spectators may be rewarded for participating in broadcasts, or in particular events in broadcasts. Broadcasters may be rewarded for in-game achievements or for achieving levels of audience participation or support. Participants may select or vote on other participants to receive rewards. Rewards may, for example, include acknowledgement of participants via the user interface, virtual items such as in-game virtual gear, physical items such as game-related merchandise, and granting of benefits or privileges by the spectating system and/or game system such as special content for a broadcaster's channel.

Participant rewards in a spectating system

Methods and apparatus for determining highlights from broadcasts in spectating environments. A highlight service obtains highlight data for broadcasts including game- and participant-specified events, audio input, and text chat, analyzes the highlight data to determine notable events (highlights) in the broadcasts, and extracts highlight segments from the broadcasts according to the determined events. Highlight reels may be created from the highlight segments according to one or more highlight selection criteria and/or spectator preferences. The highlight service may provide access to the highlights and highlight reels via a highlight user interface (UI). The spectators may selectively view the highlights or highlight reels via the highlight UI.

Determining highlights in a game spectating system

A spectating system that generates game inputs based on spectator inputs and interactions, and provides the game inputs to game systems according to an application programming interface (API). The spectating system may allow spectators to interact with and affect a game being broadcast via inputs to and interactions with user interface (UI) elements presented on the spectating UI. Spectators may affect or influence the game, objects within the game universe, events within the game, or the players in the game via the UI elements on the spectating UI. The spectators may become involved in the games being broadcast by influencing game play via the spectating inputs. Game play for the players may be enhanced by providing interesting variations in game play based on the spectating inputs.

Spectator interactions with games in a specatating system

Features are described to use data from game play to construct social networks of users. For example determining that a user played a game with a certain player, a certain number of times, can indicate compatibility between the user and the player. The compatibility may suggest the potential for a social network connection between the user and the player. Social network connections could be within the particular game platform, or the connection may be outside the game such as via other social networking platforms. In addition, a type of connection via the service may be identified. For example, some services allow users to follow or friend other users, where each type of connection is associated with different data security features.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Forest, CA, United States of America

Michael Anthony Willette