Video games including real-life attributes and/or fantasy team settings

Abstract

A video gaming system and related network interfaces with an online fantasy sports game. The video game play is enhanced using various features of a fantasy sports game. Similarly, the fantasy sports game can be enhanced using various features of the video game play. In one aspect of the invention the video game system acquires a team roster of the fantasy sport game and the team roster is used to define the sports video game team. The sports video game also acquires sports video game parameters that are associated with real-life attributes of video game team members that are associated with the real-life team members. The video game play changes frequently over a sports season due to the changing video game parameters and fantasy sports settings being used to define video game play.

1 . A video game program product in the form of instructions recorded on a storage medium, comprising:
 sports video game instructions, sports video game character performance parameters, and image data configured to provide a sports video game in conjunction with a video game machine;   instructions configured to enable the video gaming machine to download a video game character appearance parameter that is associated with a real-life athlete appearance attribute; and   instructions configured to update the sports video game using the video game character appearance parameter associated with the real-life athlete appearance attribute such that the updated video game character's appearance is modified to more closely resemble the real-life appearance of the real-life athlete that the updated video game character is intended to represent in the sports video game.   
     
     
         2 . A video game program product according to  claim 1 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to an age-related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         3 . A video game program product according to  claim 1 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to an injury-related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         4 . A video game program product according to  claim 3 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to a bruise-related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         5 . A video game program product according to  claim 1 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to a facial related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         6 . A video game program product according to  claim 5 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to a loss of teeth-related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         7 . A video game program product according to  claim 1 , wherein the real-life athlete appearance attribute is related to a change in haircut-related change in appearance of the real-life athlete to which the video game character appearance parameter modifies the appearance of the video game to more closely represent in the sport video game. 
     
     
         8 . A video game program product according to  claim 1 , wherein the sports video game competition occurs over a network including the Internet. 
     
     
         9 . A video game program product in the form of instructions on a storage medium, comprising:
 sports video game instructions, sports video game character performance parameters, and image data configured to provide a sports video game in conjunction with a video game machine;   instructions configured to enable the video gaming machine to download a video game fan or coach appearance parameter that is associated with a real-life fan or coach appearance attribute; and   instructions configured to update the sports video game using the video game fan or coach appearance parameter associated with the real-life fan or coach appearance attribute such that the updated video game fan or coach's appearance is modified to more closely resemble the real-life appearance of the real-life fan or coach that the updated video game fan or coach is intended to represent in the sports video game.   
     
     
         10 . A video game program product according to  claim 9 , wherein the real-life fan is part of the Cleveland Dog Pound or Raider Nation. 
     
     
         11 . A video game program product in the form of instructions on a storage medium, comprising:
 sports video game instructions, sports video game character performance parameters, and image data configured to provide a sports video game in conjunction with a video game machine;   instructions configured to enable the video gaming machine to download video game character athletic move or action sports video game instructions that are associated with a specific real-life athlete's real-life athletic move or action; and   instructions configured to update the sports video game using the video game character athletic move or action sports video game instructions associated with the specific real-life athlete's athletic move or action such that the updated video game character's athletic move or action is modified, or added, to more closely simulate the real-life athletic moves or actions of the real-life athlete that the updated video game character is intended to represent in the sports video game.   
     
     
         12 . A video game program product according to  claim 11 , wherein a real-life success rate data parameter is downloaded and associated with the video game character's athletic move or action such that a video game success rate of the particular video game move or action more closely represents the real-life success rate of the particular move or action in the video game. 
     
     
         13 . A video game program product according to  claim 12 , further comprising downloading an updated real-life success rate data parameter and associating the updated real-life success rate data parameter with the video game character's athletic move or action such that the video game success rate of the particular move or action more closely represents the real-life success rate of the particular move or action in the video game as the real-life success rate of the particular move or action varies over time.