Placement of virtual elements in a virtual world associated with a location-based parallel reality game

A computer-based system for implementing a parallel reality game, the computer-based system comprising:

• a game server operable to host a parallel reality game associated with a virtual world, the game server including a computer-readable medium, a processor, and a network interface, wherein the virtual world has a geography that parallels at least a portion of the geography of the real world such that a player can navigate the virtual world by moving to different geographic locations in the real world, the parallel reality game including interactions with virtual elements in the virtual world;
• and
• a game database, communicatively coupled to the game server, configured to store locations of the virtual elements in the virtual world and interactions with virtual elements by players of the parallel reality game,
• wherein the game server is configured to:
• receive data indicating geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during a first time period, the mobile devices associated with a plurality of players of the parallel reality game;
• identify, based on the data indicating the geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during the first time period, a first area in the real world as a low traffic area during the first time period;
• responsive to the first area being the low traffic area during the first time period, determine to not place a virtual element at a location in the virtual world corresponding to the first area during the first time period;
• determine, based on the data indicating the geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during the first time period, a location for the virtual element in the virtual world;
• update the game database to include the virtual element at the determined location;
• and
• transmit, to mobile devices associated with one or more of the plurality of players, information for displaying the virtual element at the determined location in the virtual world.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising:

• instructions for sending, from a mobile device associated with a player, location data indicating a geographic location of the mobile device to a server, wherein the server hosts a parallel reality game associated with a virtual world, the virtual world having a geography that parallels at least a portion of the geography of the real world such that the player can navigate the virtual world by moving to different geographic locations in the real world, wherein the parallel reality game includes interactions with virtual elements in the virtual world stored in a game database;
• and
• instructions for receiving, by the mobile device, information from the game database for displaying a virtual element at a location in the virtual world that corresponds to the geographic location of the mobile device, wherein the location in the virtual world was determined by the server by:
• receiving data indicating geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during a first time period, the mobile devices associated with a plurality of players of the parallel reality game;
• identifying, based on the data indicating the geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during the first time period, a first area in the real world as a low traffic area during the first time period;
• responsive to the first area being the low traffic area during the first time period, determining to not place the virtual element at a location in the virtual world corresponding to the first area during the first time period;
• determine, based on the data indicating the geographic locations of mobile devices in the real world during the first time period, a location for the virtual element in the virtual world;
• update the game database to include the virtual element at the determined location;
• and
• transmit, to mobile devices associated with one or more of the plurality of players, information for displaying the virtual element at the determined location in the virtual world.