Video game streaming for spectating

A system for cataloging video gameplay, comprising:

• a video gameplay cataloger comprising one or more computing devices, said computing devices being in communication with each other via a computer network whenever there is a plurality of computing devices, and a computer program having a plurality of sub-programs executable by the one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices being directed by the sub-programs of the computer program to,
• receive video gameplay information that was captured and recorded as a player was playing a video game, said gameplay information comprising just video gameplay data that introduced non-determinism during the video gameplay, said gameplay information having been related to selected timing information in the video game during the capture and recording of said gameplay information,
• index said gameplay information using prescribed elements of said gameplay information,
• store the indexed gameplay information in a catalog of video gameplay recordings,
• analyze the indexed gameplay information to calculate one or more gameplay performance metrics that are not already tracked by the video game, and
• further index said gameplay information using said calculated gameplay performance metrics.

A system for providing video gameplay assistance over a computer network, comprising:

• a video gameplay assister comprising a computing device used by a first player, said first player computing device comprising a display screen and a video game executable by said first player computing device, the video game comprising a game engine, said first player computing device further comprising a computer program having a plurality of sub-programs also executable by said first player computing device, said first player computing device being directed by the sub-programs of the computer program to,
• capture and record video gameplay information as the first player is playing the video game, said gameplay information comprising just video gameplay data that introduces non-determinism during the video gameplay,
• receive a request from the first player for video gameplay assistance as they are playing a specific level in the video game,
• transmit said request along with the video gameplay information that was captured and recorded up until said request was received over the network to a gameplay assistance service,
• receive other recorded video gameplay information over the network from the gameplay assistance service, the other recorded video gameplay information being associated with a video gameplay session in which a second player successfully completed said specific level and made gameplay moves similar to those made by the first player up until said request was received from the first player, the other recorded video gameplay information comprising each of the high-level game commands that was input to the game engine as the second player was playing the video game,
• replay, starting at said specific level, the other recorded video gameplay information to the video game at the timing in which the other recorded video gameplay information was originally recorded, said replay comprising replaying said high-level game commands to the game engine, said replay generating a playback of said video gameplay session starting at said specific level, and
• display said playback on the display screen.