Patent ID: 8376834

Claim:
A computer implemented method for assigning a role to each user in a plurality of users in an online multiplayer game implemented by a processing device, the game organized into a plurality of sessions and having a plurality of gameplay roles including at least an elevated gameplay role, the plurality of gameplay roles comprising different gameplay incentives, comprising: receiving a selection of the gameplay role from two or more users of the plurality of users to participate in a session of the game; and for the session: selecting a plurality of metrics for use in determination of a gameplay role for the two or more users over a time period, computing a ranking score for each of the two or more users based on the plurality of metrics over the time period by assigning a function to each selected metric, ranking the two or more users based on the ranking scores, and assigning a role to each of the two or more users in the multiplayer game based on the ranking, including assigning at least one of the two or more users from whom a selection was received to the elevated gameplay role.