Patent ID: 8615471

Claim:
A method of playing a computerized game, the method comprising: receiving, via one or more processors, image or video captured with a camera, wherein the image or video represents a physical object, wherein the physical object comprises character attribute information repeatedly steganographically encoded therein, wherein the information is carried by the physical object through alterations to data representing at least some features carried by the physical object, and wherein the received image or video comprises a multi-bit representation of the character attribute information repeatedly steganographically encoded therein; decoding, via the one or more processors, the multi-bit representation of the character attribute information repeatedly steganographically encoded within the received image or video; interrogating, via the one or more processors, a database or storage location with at least some of the decoded information to obtain at least one character attribute associated with the decoded character attribute information; modifying, via the one or more processors, the at least one character attribute of a game character based upon the character attribute information; affecting, via the one or more processors, play of the computerized game based upon the modified at least one character attribute; decoding, via the one or more processors, the representation of the character attribute information steganographically encoded within a second image or video; interrogating, via the one or more processors, the database or storage location with at least some of the decoded information to obtain the at least one character attribute associated with the decoded character attribute information; modifying, via the one or more processors, the at least one character attribute of a game character a second time based upon the character attribute information and a number of times the physical object has been presented during a game session; and affecting, via the one or more processors, play of the computerized game based upon the second modified at least one character attribute.