Using information from user-video game interactions to target advertisements, such as advertisements to be served in video games for example

Abstract

Information about a person's interests and gaming behavior may be determined by monitoring their online gaming activities (and perhaps making inferences from such activities). Such information may be used to improve ad targeting. For example, such information may used to target ads to be rendered in a video game being played by the person.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising: 
 a) generating an ad request, wherein the ad request includes video game information;    b) transmitting the ad request to an ad server;    c) determining at least one ad responsive to the ad request using at least the video game information included in the ad request;    d) transmitting the at least one ad to a video game apparatus; and    e) rendering the at least one ad in a video game being played by the video game apparatus.    
   
   
       2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information included in the ad request includes video game state-based information.  
   
   
       3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information included in the ad request includes user interactions with the video game.  
   
   
       4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3  wherein the user interactions with the video game include at least one of (A) user video game character selections, (B) user video game character apparel selections, and (C) user video game character physical attribute selections.  
   
   
       5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3  wherein the user interactions with the video game include at least one of (A) user video game team selections, (B) user video game sports player selections, and (C) user video game stadium selections.  
   
   
       6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information included in the ad request includes video game apparatus location information.  
   
   
       7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information included in the ad request includes an identifier of a video game being played.  
   
   
       8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 tracking at least one of user selections and user game play; and    inferring user characteristics from the tracked at least one user selections and user game play, wherein the ad request includes at least some of the inferred user characteristics.    
   
   
       9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8  wherein the act of inferring user characteristics occurs on the video game apparatus.  
   
   
       10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8  wherein the act of inferring user characteristics occurs on a system remote from the video game system.  
   
   
       11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information is session information.  
   
   
       12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11  wherein the session information includes at least one of (A) start times, (B) stop times, and (C) pause times.  
   
   
       13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the act of determining at least one ad includes determining, from a plurality of ads including targeting information, at least one relevant ad using the targeting information and the video game information.  
   
   
       14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  wherein the targeting information includes a video game identifier.  
   
   
       15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  wherein the targeting information includes a video game type or genre.  
   
   
       16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  wherein the targeting information includes video game apparatus location information.  
   
   
       17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  wherein the targeting information includes at least one of time and date information.  
   
   
       18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  wherein the targeting information includes user information.  
   
   
       19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  includes the act of determining at least one ad further includes scoring each of the at least one relevant ad, and selecting the at least one ad from the ad least one relevant ad using the score.  
   
   
       20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 19  wherein each of the relevant ads has offer information, and wherein the act of scoring each of the at least one relevant ad uses the offer information.  
   
   
       21 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 20  wherein the offer information is an offer per ad impression in a video game.  
   
   
       22 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the act of transmitting the ad request to the ad server occurs after the video game system is turned on and responsive to the video game system being turned on.  
   
   
       23 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the act of transmitting the ad request is responsive to an ad spot becoming available imminently.  
   
   
       24 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the act of transmitting the ad request is responsive to an ad spot becoming available with more than a predetermined probability.  
   
   
       25 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information includes information for more than one video game.  
   
   
       26 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the video game information includes information, stored on a non-volatile readable and writeable memory means residing with a video game apparatus, for more than one video game.  
   
   
       27 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the ad server resides on the video game apparatus, and wherein the act of determining at least one ad responsive to the ad request using at least the video game information included in the ad request is performed on the video game apparatus resident ad server.  
   
   
       28 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein the at least one ad determined responsive to the ad request is selected from a group of ads provided on a computer-readable medium on which the video game is also stored.  
   
   
       29 . A computer-implemented method comprising: 
 a) tracking at least one of user selections and user play in the context of a video game;    b) inferring user characteristics from the tracked at least one user selections and user game play; and    c) determining ads relevant to the user using the inferred user characteristics.    
   
   
       30 . A computer-implemented method comprising: 
 a) generating an ad request, wherein the ad request includes video game information;    b) transmitting the ad request to an ad server;    c) receiving at least one ad that was determined using at least the video game information included in the ad request; and    d) rendering the at least one ad in a video game being played by the video game apparatus.    
   
   
       31 . A computer-implemented method comprising: 
 a) accepting an ad request, wherein the ad request includes video game information;    b) determining at least one ad responsive to the ad request using at least the video game information included in the ad request; and    c) transmitting the at least one ad to a video game apparatus for rendering in a video game being played by the video game apparatus.    
   
   
       32 . Apparatus comprising: 
 a) means for accepting an ad request, wherein the ad request includes video game information;    b) means for determining at least one ad responsive to the ad request using at least the video game information included in the ad request; and    c) means for transmitting the at least one ad to a video game apparatus for rendering in a video game being played by the video game apparatus.    
   
   
       33 . A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform acts of: 
 a) accepting an ad request, wherein the ad request includes video game information;    b) determining at least one ad responsive to the ad request using at least the video game information included in the ad request; and    c) transmitting the at least one ad to a video game apparatus for rendering in a video game being played by the video game apparatus.