Context-based gaming experience modification systems and methods

Abstract

The integration of exercise and gaming is a growing trend, as evidenced by the popularity of interactive and virtual reality games that encourage physical activity. Existing systems often confine the user to a specific location or type of exercise equipment or user device and fail to extend the interactive experience to other environments in a cohesive manner. Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a gaming environment in which a user can experience different aspects of the environment based on the context via which the user is accessing the environment. The system may, for example, uniquely adapts game play to the context of the user's activity level and environment to enhance engagement and promote physical health without distracting from the primary activity or creating unsafe conditions for the user. Other embodiments may provide integration with physical exercise hardware to substantially eliminate spoofing and other cheating that plague some mobile games.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 providing, by computing hardware, a virtual gaming environment having a set of features accessible via the virtual gaming environment;   identifying, by the computing hardware, a user computing device accessing the virtual gaming environment;   determining, by the computing hardware, a user context for a user of the user computing device;   modifying, based on a type of the user computing device and the user context, the set of features to exclude at least a first portion of the set of features from the set of features accessible via the virtual gaming environment;   generating, by the computing hardware, a customized user interface for accessing the virtual gaming environment, the customized user interface being defined by the modified set of features; and   providing, by the computing hardware, the customized user interface for display on the user computing device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein modifying the set of features further comprises:
 modifying, based on a type of the user computing device and the user context, a type of interaction with the virtual gaming environment available to the user that is associated with at least one feature of the set of features.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the type of the user computing device comprises at least one of:
 a mobile computing device;   a connected exercise device; or   a non-mobile computing device.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the type of the user computing device comprises the connected exercise device, and the method further comprising:
 accessing, by the computing hardware, sensor data from a sensor of the connected exercise device;   using, by the computing hardware, the sensor data to confirm a presence of the user on the connected exercise device; and   responsive to confirming the presence of the user on the connected exercise device, providing access to the customized user interface for accessing the virtual gaming environment to the user via the connected exercise device.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 responsive to failing to confirm the presence of the user on the connected exercise device, modifying the set of features to exclude at least a second portion of the set of features from the set of features accessible via the virtual gaming environment.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the computing hardware, inputs via the connected exercise device;   monitoring, by the computing hardware via the sensor data, a continuous current presence of the user during the inputs; and   responsive to failing to confirm the present of the user during any one of the inputs, restricting, by the computing hardware, the connected exercise device from providing user input.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user context defines at least one of:
 a current location of the user;   a rate of movement of the user;   a relative location of the user with respect to one or more potential hazards;   a population density associated with the current location of the user; or   a location type associated with the current location of the user.   
     
     
         8 . A method comprising:
 providing, by computing hardware, a gaming environment for access on a user device;   modifying, by the computing hardware, the gaming environment between at least two modes based on a type of the user device;   determining, by the computing hardware, user context data for a user of the user device; and   modifying, by the computing hardware, at least one of the gaming environment or a current mode of the at least two modes based on the user context.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the gaming environment comprises a set of game mechanics;   the at least two modes comprise a first mode and a second mode;   the first mode provides access to a first portion of the set of game mechanics; and   the second mode provides access to a second portion of the set of game mechanics.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the user context comprises a type of the user device; and   the type of the user device comprises at least one of a mobile computing device or a connected exercise device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 determining the user context comprises receiving sensor data from the user device and using the sensor data to confirm a physical presence of the user at the user device.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein modifying, by the computing hardware, at least one of the gaming environment or the current mode of the at least two modes based on the user context comprises restricting at least a portion of the game mechanics in response to failing to confirm the physical presence of the user at the user device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein restricting at least a portion of the game mechanics in response to failing to confirm the physical presence of the user at the user device comprises restricting at least one of an ability to access one or more rewards within the gaming environment, a feature within the gaming environment, or an ability to accumulate points within the gaming environment. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the user context defines at least one of:
 a current location of the user;   a rate of movement of the user;   a relative location of the user with respect to one or more potential hazards;   a population density associated with the current location of the user; or   a location type associated with the current location of the user.   
     
     
         15 . A gaming experience modification system comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions;   a physical exercise hardware device configured to interact directly with gameplay mechanics in a virtual gaming environment; and   processing hardware communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium and the physical exercise hardware device, wherein the processing hardware is configured to execute the instructions and thereby perform operations comprising:
 providing the virtual gaming environment; 
 receiving sensor data from the physical exercise hardware device; 
 using the sensor data to substantially continuously authenticate a physical presence of a user; 
 in response to failing to authenticate the physical present of the user, modifying, the gameplay mechanics to exclude at least a first portion of the gameplay mechanics; 
 generating a customized user interface for accessing the virtual gaming environment, the customized user interface being defined by the modified gameplay mechanics; and 
 providing the customized user interface for display on a user computing device. 
   
     
     
         16 . The gaming experience modification system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the user computing device is a mobile computing device;   the gaming experience modification system comprises the mobile computing device; and   the customized user interface is configured to provide access, via the mobile computing device, to the to the virtual gaming environment with the modified gameplay mechanics.   
     
     
         17 . The gaming experience modification of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, form the mobile computing device, a user context for the user; and   modifying, based on the user context, the modified gameplay mechanics exclude at least a second portion of the gameplay mechanics.   
     
     
         18 . The gaming experience modification system of  claim 17 , wherein the user context defines at least one of:
 a current location of the user;   a rate of movement of the user;   a relative location of the user with respect to one or more potential hazards;   a population density associated with the current location of the user; or   a location type associated with the current location of the user.   
     
     
         19 . The gaming experience modification system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the physical exercise hardware device comprises at least one imaging device;   the sensor data comprises imaging data received from the at least one imaging device; and   using the sensor data to substantially continuously authenticate the physical presence of the user comprises using the imaging data to authenticate a biometric signature of the user.   
     
     
         20 . The gaming experience modification system of  claim 19 , the operations further comprising using authentication of the biometric signature of the user to ensure that user interactions with the gameplay mechanics are authentic to substantially prevent spoofing and false interactions.