Multi-player game system

#Video game are a popular entertainment activity that players can engage in through the use of a dedicated video game console or a personal computer. Game consoles and personal computers can be used to receive input from an attached game pad, keyboard, joystick or other game controller, process video game software, and display video game images on a connected television or monitor. Video game consoles and personal computers also can be used for multi-player games. Multi-player games typically require each player to use different game controllers attached to the same game console or computer. Multi-player game systems can also be implemented using game consoles or computers that send data to each other over a network or modem connection. In these multi-player systems, each of the multiple players are required to have compatible local video game consoles and/or home computer, and local copies of particular game software to play games with each other. Multi-player video games may, however, be more conveniently provided to players by a system in which the players do not require local game consoles, home computers, or other specialized devices.

#In general, in one aspect, the invention features a multi-player video game server. The video game server includes a player interface, a video interface, and a game engine. The player interface couples the game server to a network and can receive game control data over the network from multiple players. Each player has a game control device used to input game control data. The video interface couples the game server to a video transmission network and transmits game display video over the video transmission network. The game engine is coupled to the player interface and the video interface and includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores multi-player video game instructions that configure the processor to process game control data and render the game display video that is then provided to the video interface for transmission over a video network.

#In general, in another aspect, the invention features a multi-player video gaming method. The method includes receiving a number of player input data connections at a game server. Each of the game control data stream includes player input data from a different player of a multi-player video game. An output display image is generated at the game server by executing video game instructions to process the player input data connections from the multiple players as inputs to the same multi-player game. The output display image is then transmitted over a channel of a video transmission network.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video game system.

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a game control data interface.

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a video network interface.

#FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for multi-player video games. The system lets players take part in multi-player video games using gaming equipment 111-113 that includes a game controller 117-119 and a television or other video display terminal 114-116. The controllers 111-113 and display terminals 114-116 are coupled, respectively, over a data network 150 and a video transmission 140 network to a video game server 130. The video game server processes data from the controllers (“player input data”) and generates video game images that are viewed by the players.

#To communicate player input data to the server 130, data connections are established through network 150 between the controllers 117-119 and the game server 130. The way in which the data connections are established will depend on the type of controller 117-119, network 150, and server 130 technology implemented in the system 100.

#In a telephone handset controlled system, the controllers 117-119 can include telephone handsets that transmit touch-tone signals (i.e., dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals) through a voice phone network 150 to a telephone network interface 132 at the game server. Players can control a game from a telephone handset by entering digits on the telephone's keypad. In some implementations, the game server also may send synthesized voice or other sounds back to the players by means of their telephone handsets. For example, interface 132 may include voice synthesis circuitry to communicate operating instructions to players. Other types of controllers (e.g., joysticks, game pads, keyboards, and mice) also can be constructed with analog telephone interface circuitry enabling them to send DTMF signals over a phone network. For example, referring to FIG. 4, a joystick, keyboard, mouse and/or other controller 410 can be coupled to analog telephone interface circuitry 400. The analog telephone interface circuitry 400 can include circuitry 401 to map controller 410 inputs onto one or more telephone keypad symbols (0-9, *, and #), circuitry 402 to generate DTMF tones, and circuitry 403 providing an electrical interface to an analog telephone network 150. Thus, different inputs from a controller 410 can activate DTMF tone generation circuitry 402 in much the say way as telephone keypad buttons close switches to activate DTMF tone generation circuitry. Implementations also can use controllers 117-119 that communicate by sending binary data over network 150. In a digital controller implementation, circuitry 401-403 can be replaced by interface 401 to the controller(s) 410, a microcontroller or other programmable processor 402 and a modem or other network interface 403. For example, a game controller may send digital data to the game server 130 using a modem 403 to communicate through a telephone network 150. Interface 403 also can be a digital subscriber line interface to connect to a packet-based network such as the Internet or another digital connections (e.g., Ethernet, token ring, IEEE 802.11). Circuitry 400 and controller(s) 410 can be implemented using a personal computer with a connected input device and network connection.