Patent ID: 8444492
Filing Date: 2013-05-21
Classification: A63F

Abstract:
1. A gaming method, comprising the steps of: a. upon receiving a game initiation request from an initiating live participant, providing from one or more computing devices a computer generated multi-player game environment in which the initiating live participant can play a game by way of a user interface and invite at least one additional live participant to join the game, wherein the additional live participant is listed as a friend of the initiating live participant on a social networking site; b. in response to receiving an additional live participant invitation from the initiating live participant, requesting the additional live participant to join the game; c. following the additional live participant invitation, providing a wait period for receiving acceptance of the additional live participant to join the game prior to starting the game, wherein: i. if the acceptance from the additional live participant is received within the wait period, the acceptance being indicative of the friend being available online to play the game, then the initiating live participant and the additional live participant will be active live participants in the multi-player game environment; and ii. if the acceptance of the additional live participant is not received within the wait period, then a simulated additional participant based on prior game play data will be presented in the multi-player game environment with the initiating live participant such that the simulated additional participant appears to be a live participant from the initiating live participant's perspective due at least in part to an inter-game interaction between the initiating live participant and the simulated additional participant; and d. following the wait period ending, the multi-player game environment is adapted to enable the initiating live participant to intermix playing the game against the additional live participant as the active live participants with playing a simulated version of game play with the simulated additional participant indicative of the additional live participant who is not available online, wherein the simulated version of game play is based upon but adapted to be different from replay of the prior game play data, and is capable of causing a change in outcomes of said replay so as to enable the inter-game interaction attributed to the simulated additional participant to change dynamically with and be responsive to real-time game play by the initiating live participant, and wherein the replay of the prior game play data, when desynchronized, is configured with adjustments in order to simulate the change in outcomes so as to affect the real-time game play.