Server And Method For Facilitating A Video Game Exchange

Abstract

A game exchange server for facilitating the exchange of electronic video games interacts with a gaming device to permit a game user to buy and load a video game onto the gaming device, to play the game on the gaming device, and to return the “used” game for credits that may be used to purchase a new or used game. The game exchange server may validate that a video game stored on a gaming device is authorized for play by confirming a game key associated with the video game when provided to the gaming device. Exchange of one game for another may be accomplished by the game exchange server deleting a game key associated with the exchanged game from a digital rights management datastore on the game exchange server.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A video game exchange server, comprising:
 a network interface;   a memory comprising a user data datastore and a digital rights management datastore; and   a processor coupled to the network interface and the memory, and configured with executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
 providing a first video game to a gaming device of a user, the first video game including a first game key that is uniquely associated with the instance of the first video game provided to the gaming device; 
 storing the first game key in the digital rights management datastore so that the first game key is associated with the user; 
 receiving from the gaming device via the network interface a communication requesting confirmation that a downloaded game key for the first video game is the first game key associated with the first video game; 
 communicating a confirmation to the gaming device via the network interface in response to determining, based on information stored in the digital rights management datastore, that the downloaded game key is the first game key associated with the first video game; 
 receiving from the user a proffer for an exchange of the first video game for a second video game; 
 determining whether a game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore; 
 refusing the proffered exchange in response to determining that the game key present in the proffered video game is not associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore; and 
 permitting the proffered exchange in response to determining that the game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore by performing operations comprising:
 providing the second video game to the gaming device, the second video game including a second game key that is uniquely associated with the instance of the second video game provided to the gaming device; 
 storing the second game key in the digital rights management datastore; and 
 deleting the first game key from the digital rights management datastore. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The video game exchange server of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with executable instructions to perform operations further comprising generating the unique first game key associated with the first video game when the first video game is provided to the gaming device and generating the unique second game key associated with the second video game when the second video game is provided to the gaming device. 
     
     
         3 . The video game exchange server of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
 determining whether a game key is present in the proffered video game, wherein determining whether a game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore is performed in response to determining that a game key is present in the proffered video game; and   refusing the proffered exchange in response to determining that a game key is not present in the proffered video game.   
     
     
         4 . A video game exchange server of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with executable instructions to perform operations such that:
 providing the first video game to the gaming device of the user comprises downloading the first video game to the gaming device; and   providing the second video game to the gaming device of the user comprises downloading the second video game to the gaming device.   
     
     
         5 . The video game exchange server of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with executable instructions to perform operations comprising assigning a value to the first video game proffered for exchange. 
     
     
         6 . The video game exchange server of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured with executable instructions to perform operations such that assigning a value to the video game proffered for exchange comprises determining a value of the video game proffered for exchange using at least one of an agreements with a game publisher, a date of the proffer relative to a date the game proffered for exchange was release, a measure of complexity of the video game proffered for exchange, a measure of popularity of the video game proffered for exchange, a number of copies of the video game proffered for exchange in circulation, a number of other copies of the video game proffered for exchange available for exchange, an amount of time required to sell a last copy of the video game proffered for exchange, a price of a last copy of the video game proffered for exchange to be sold, and a number of requests for the video game proffered for exchange. 
     
     
         7 . A method of controlling digital rights management of video games executing on game players so as to enable exchange of video games, the method comprising:
 providing a first video game from a video game exchange server to a gaming device of a user, the first video game including a first game key that is uniquely associated with the instance of the first video game provided to the gaming device;   storing the first game key in a digital rights management datastore of the video game exchange server so that the first game key is associated with the user;   receiving in the video game exchange server from the gaming device a communication requesting confirmation that a downloaded game key for the first video game is the first game key associated with the first video game;   communicating a confirmation from the video game exchange server to the gaming device in response to determining, based on information stored in the digital rights management datastore, that the downloaded game key is the first game key associated with the first video game;   receiving by the video game exchange server a proffer from the user for an exchange of the first video game for a second video game;   determining, by the video game exchange server, whether a game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore;   refusing the proffered exchange by the video game exchange server in response to determining that the game key present in the proffered video game is not associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore; and   permitting the proffered exchange by the video game exchange server in response to determining that the game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore by performing operations comprising:
 providing the second video game from the video game exchange server to the gaming device, the second video game including a second game key that is uniquely associated with the instance of the second video game provided to the gaming device; 
 storing the second game key in the digital rights management datastore in the video game exchange server; and 
 deleting the first game key from the digital rights management datastore in the video game exchange server. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising generating the unique first game key associated with the first video game by the video game exchange server when the first video game is provided to the gaming device and generating the unique second game key associated with the second video game the video game exchange server when the second video game is provided to the gaming device. 
     
     
         9 . The video game exchange server of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 determining, by the video game exchange server, whether a game key is present in the proffered video game, wherein determining whether a game key present in the proffered video game is associated with the user in the digital rights management datastore is performed in response to determining that a game key is present in the proffered video game; and   refusing the proffered exchange by the video game exchange server in response to determining that a game key is not present in the proffered video game.   
     
     
         10 . A method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 providing the first video game to the gaming device of the user comprises downloading the first video game from the video game exchange server to the gaming device; and   providing the second video game to the gaming device of the user comprises downloading the second video game from the video game exchange server to the gaming device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising assigning, by the video game exchange server, a value to the first video game proffered for exchange. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein assigning a value to the video game proffered for exchange comprises the video game exchange server determining a value of the video game proffered for exchange using at least one of an agreements with a game publisher, a date of the proffer relative to a date the video game proffered for exchange was release, a measure of complexity of the video game proffered for exchange, a measure of popularity of the video game proffered for exchange, a number of copies of the video game proffered for exchange in circulation, a number of other copies of the video game proffered for exchange available for exchange, an amount of time required to sell a last copy of the video game proffered for exchange, a price of a last copy of the video game proffered for exchange to be sold, and a number of requests for the video game proffered for exchange.