Patent ID: 7311608

Claim:
A method for enabling a user to load a game and to automatically join an online game with a friend selected from a friends list of the user, comprising the steps of: (a) initiating a gaming session by logging a user on to an online gaming service; (b) identifying an online game associated with the online gaming service to join that is currently being played by the friend, wherein the online game is different than an online game currently loaded for play by the user; (c) causing data identifying the online game currently being played by the friend to be stored in a local non-volatile storage; (d) prompting the user to load the online game currently being played by the friend; (e) restarting the gaming session of the user with a newly loaded online game in response to user input; and (f) automatically comparing the online game being played by the friend, as indicated by the data stored in the local non-volatile storage, with the newly loaded online game, and automatically joining the online game being played by the friend by bypassing at least some login requirements and without requiring any logon or password when it is determined: (i) the newly loaded online game is actually the same as the online game currently being played by the friend; (ii) the current online game being played by the friend has an opening for the user to join; and (iii) the online game of the friend has not yet concluded.