Service-triggered game events

A method of managing game data of a video game, comprising:

• receiving, at a game service computing machine, game data of the video game as the video game is being executed on a remote user gaming machine;
• generating a game statistic based on the game data;
• if the game statistic meets reward criteria defined at the game service computing machine, awarding a reward to a user;
• and
• sending a reward notification message to subscribers having a subscription to the reward.

A method of receiving game data of a video game, at a companion computing machine, the method comprising:

• subscribing to a reward awarded by a game service computing machine;
• receiving a reward notification message from the game service computing machine in response to the game service computing machine awarding the reward to a user based on a game statistic meeting reward criteria defined at the game service computing machine, wherein the game statistic is generated by the game service computing machine based on game data of the video game that is received at the game service computing machine from a user gaming machine as the video game is being executed on the user gaming machine;
• and
• delivering the reward.