Patent ID: 7458894

Claim:
A method for enabling spectators to follow play in an online game or other online event without requiring a spectator device to execute the online game or other online event, comprising the steps of: (a) creating a spectator process that responds to a changing state of the electronic game or other online event, said spectator process continuously updating a plurality of spectator models, wherein each spectator model is updated to track the changing state of the electronic game or other online event, and wherein the plurality of spectator models correspond to a plurality of different types of spectator devices that are being used by spectators to follow the action in the online game or other event; (b) using the spectator models for the plurality of different types of spectator devices, generating a different data stream customized for use by each different type of spectator device, wherein each customized data stream may be displayed by the corresponding spectator device without requiring the spectator device to execute the online game or other online event; (c) adding metadata to one or more of the plurality of data streams, the metadata providing executable code that enables a spectator to interact in a portion of the electronic game or other online event, as if the spectator were playing in the electronic game or other online event, but without affecting participants of the online game or other online event; and (d) transmitting each of the plurality of data streams to the spectator devices, enabling the spectators using the different types of spectator devices to follow the play of the electronic game by receiving a stream customized for the spectator's specific type of spectator device without requiring the spectator device to execute the online game or other online event.