Method and apparatus for evaluation of skill level progression and matching of participants in a multi-media interactive environment

A method for quantifying and using a progression of a player's skill with respect to an interactive computer game simulation, comprising:

• continually quantifying a first player's skill during one or more events of a game type;
• analyzing a plurality of quantifications of the first player's skill to determine the first player's skill progression rate of increase or decrease over time;
• and
• determining by a drop in the skill progression rate of increase that the first player is constrained by equipment, the equipment comprising any of an input device and characteristics of a game object model.

A method for quantifying and using a progression of a player's skill with respect to an interactive computer game simulation, comprising:

• continually quantifying a first player's skill during one or more events of a game type;
• analyzing a plurality of quantifications of the first player's skill to determine the player's skill progression rate of increase or decrease over time;
• and
• determining by abnormal variations in the skill level of a player that the player appears to be sandbagging.

An apparatus for quantifying and using a progression of a player's skill with respect to an interactive computer game simulation, comprising:

• a processor continually quantifying a player's skill during one or more events of a game type;
• based on a plurality of quantifications of the player's skill, said processor predicting a skill level of the player for a next event;
• and
• said processor matching a player with other players of similar skill for the next event, based at least in part on the predicted skill level.

An apparatus for quantifying and using a progression of a player's skill with respect to an interactive computer game simulation, comprising:

• a processor continually quantifying a first player's skill during one or more events of a game type;
• said processor analyzing a plurality of quantifications of the first player's skill to determine the first player's skill progression rate of increase or decrease over time;
• and
• said processor determining by a drop in the skill progression rate of increase that the first player is constrained by equipment, the equipment comprising any of an input device and characteristics of a game object model.

An apparatus for quantifying and using a progression of a player's skill with respect to an interactive computer game simulation, comprising:

• a processor continually quantifying a first player's skill during one or more events of a game type;
• said processor analyzing a plurality of quantifications of the first player's skill to determine the player's skill progression rate of increase or decrease over time;
• and
• said processor determining by abnormal variations in the skill level of a player that the player appears to be sandbagging.