Socially-based dynamic rewards in multiuser online games

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a hardware system, cause the hardware system to perform operations comprising:

• accessing a first game account of a player of a game, the game being a computer-implemented multiplayer game, in which multiple players each have a respective set of in-game assets, each in-game asset being a virtual object usable during gameplay to overcome one or more associated in-game obstacles for advancing within the game;
• analysing in-game assets associated with the first game account;
• accessing social network information associated with the player, wherein the social network information identifies one or more friends in a social network of the player;
• retrieving game account information of the one or more friends in the social network of the player, wherein the game account information comprises in-game asset information that indicates, for each of the one or more friends, a respective set of in-game assets for the game;
• accessing game state information for a game instance of the game associated with the player, the game state information including:
• a specific in-game obstacle to be overcome by the player in the game instance;
• and
• an asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle, the asset requirement identifying a plurality of in-game assets which are together required for overcoming the specific in-game obstacle;
• identifying, with respect to a particular in-game asset forming part of the asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle, that the in-game asset information for the one or more friends indicates that the particular in-game asset is present in the respective set of in-game assets of at least one of the one or more friends;
• based at least in part on the in-game asset information of the one or more friends and based at least in part on the asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle identified by the game state information, generating, for the player, an in-game asset using a pseudo-random function that is structured to generate in-game assets that exclude any particular in-game asset identified as being included in the in-game asset information of the one or more friends;
• and
• displaying the in-game asset in a game user interface for the game instance, making the in-game asset available to the player.

A system comprising:

• a social network server to maintain social network information associated with a player of a game, the social network information identifying one or more friends in a social network of the player;
• and
• a multiuser game server coupled to the social network server, the multiuser game server being configured to implement the game over a distributed computer network, the game being a computer-implemented multiplayer game, in which multiple players each have a respective set of in-game assets, each in-game asset being a virtual object usable during gameplay to overcome one or more associated in-game obstacles for advancing within the game, the multi-user game server comprising at least one processor and a memory having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that configure the at least one processor to perform automated operations comprising:
• accessing a first game account of the player for the game;
• analysing in-game assets associated with the first game account;
• accessing the social network information associated with the player;
• retrieving game account information of the one or more friends in the social network of the player, wherein the game account information comprises in-game asset information that indicates, for each of the one or more friends, a respective set of in-game assets for the game;
• accessing game state information for a game instance of the game associated with the player, the game state information including:
• a specific in-game obstacle to be overcome by the player in the game instance;
• and
• an asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle, the asset requirement identifying a plurality of in-game assets which are together required for overcoming the specific in-game obstacle;
• identifying, with respect to a particular in-game asset forming part of the asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle, that the in-game asset information for the one or more friends indicates that the particular in-game asset is present in the respective set of in-game assets of at least one of the one or more friends;
• based at least in part on the in-game asset information of the one or more friends and based at least in part on the asset requirement for the specific in-game obstacle identified by the game state information, generating, for the player, an in-game asset using a pseudo-random function that is structured to generate in-game assets that exclude any particular in-game asset identified 4987 as forming part of the asset requirement and identified as being included in the in-game asset information of the one or more friends;
• and
• displaying the in-game asset in a game user interface for the game instance, making the in-game asset available to the player.