Patent ID: 7464272

Claim:
A method for enabling players in a multiplayer game to communicate with each other in a peer-to-peer network connection, in which communications of the peer-to-peer network connection bypass a game server hosting the multiplayer game, and so as to reduce a workload of the game server hosting the multiplayer game, the method comprising: a game server hosting a multiplayer game session; requiring each person requesting to play in the multiplayer game session to first enroll in a game service operated by the game server; authenticating each player attempting to play in the multiplayer game by determining if each corresponding player is enrolled in the game service and by checking credentials of each corresponding player attempting to play in the multiplayer game to verify that each corresponding player is authenticated by the game server, so that only persons who have enrolled in the game service and that have approved credentials are allowed to access the multiplayer game session as a player, wherein having approved credentials resulting from an enrollment process further comprises each player having agreed to a community policy to refrain from engaging in sexually explicit communications; providing a first player that is authenticated with the game server and that has accessed the multiplayer game session a list identifying at least one other player that is both authenticated and that is currently accessing the multiplayer game session and that is enabled to communicate with the first player in a peer-to-peer network connection initiated by the first player, wherein the list of at least one other player includes the other players that are authorized and have agreed to abide by the community policy; receiving a request from the first player selecting a second player from the list which lists said at least one other player that is both authenticated with the game server and that is currently accessing the multiplayer game session, wherein the request from the first player is a request from the first player for communication information corresponding to the second player and that is required to establish the peer-to-peer connection between the first player and the second player and that includes at least an IP address of the second player; in response to the request, transmitting the communication information comprising at least the IP address corresponding to the second player from the game server to the first player, wherein the first player, upon receiving the communication information, initiates the peer-to-peer communication with the second player by using the received communication information, the peer-to-peer communication comprising a voice communication; and in response to receiving a notification from the first player indicating that the second player communicated to the first player a communication that violates the community policy, removing the second player from the list such that the second player is prohibited from playing multiplayer games hosted on the game server.