Patent ID: 8024467

Claim:
A method in a peer-to-peer gaming network computing environment for providing a game hosting service by a game server computing device adapted to communicate with a member game server of a peer group, the game hosting service provided to one or more game client computing devices, comprising the steps of: joining the game server computing device to the peer group, wherein the peer group represents a homogeneous grouping of member game servers that each host a particular game title; designating the joined game server computing device as one of the member game servers, wherein each member game server of the peer group being another game server computing device previously joined thereto; notifying one or more of the member game servers of the peer group that the joined game server computing device is available to operate as part of the game hosting service; accepting a search request for the game hosting service, communicated from the one or more game client computing devices, at one of the member game servers that is located topologically proximate thereto, wherein the one or more game client computing devices represent instances of the particular game title embodied on one or more computing devices outside the peer group, and wherein the one or more game client computing devices are configured to employ a protocol of the peer group to identify the topologically-proximate member game server of the member game servers; and the topologically-proximate member game server passing the search request to a first node of the member game servers that, in turn, intercommunicates the search request to a second node of the member game servers of the peer group, wherein the search request conveys search criteria and a return address, and wherein, when the joined game server computing device represents the second node that hosts a session of the game hosting service that satisfies the search criteria, the joined game server computing device responding directly to the one or more game client computing devices that communicated the search request via the return address conveyed thereby.