Aspects of this disclosure relate to rewarding users of an electronic game for real-world physical activity. Further aspects relate to altering virtual items based upon physical activity. An electronic game may comprise or otherwise relate to an online world (such as a “Virtual World”). Users may be represented through customized graphical representations, such as avatars. An account of a user (or entity) may be associated a “virtual region.” A threshold level of real-world physical activity may result in obtaining a reward that may be associated with a virtual item. A reward may be configured to result in: (1) altering visual appearance of a virtual item within a virtual region; (2) altering a virtual characteristic of a virtual item, such that the first user may engage in at least one additional virtual activity using that virtual item; and/or (3) acquiring a new virtual item for a virtual region.

A simulation system includes a processor including hardware. The processor performs: a virtual space setting process of setting a virtual space in which a plurality of objects are arranged; a virtual camera control process of controlling a virtual camera corresponding to a point-of-view of a user wearing a head mounted display; and a display process of generating an image as viewed from the virtual camera in the virtual space as a display image on the head mounted display. In the virtual space setting process, the processor arranges at least one information display object in a line-of-sight direction of the user, and in the display process, when it is determined that a given change condition is satisfied by a change in the point-of-view of the user, the processor performs a change process of a display mode of the information display object.

A swipe input mechanism for a computer-implemented game presented on a touchscreen allows for user-selection of different menu options by swipe gestures in different directions via a swipe menu dedicated to receiving such swipe input. In a third person shooter game or a first-person shooter game user-selection of different character abilities are enabled via the swipe menu. The swipe menu is a floating user interface element that auto-adjusts its on-screen position to register with the position of user touch.

A plurality of characters with which outer appearance images and game parameters are respectively associated, even several characters having the same outer appearance images are individually managed, and a game is executed using the plurality of characters possessed by a user. For a specific character designated by the user among specific characters for which a change allowing condition for the outer appearance image is satisfied, the outer appearance image is changed to a first image set in advance in association with the specific character or a second image that has become selectable by the change allowing condition being satisfied, on the basis of a user's instruction. Further, the game parameters of all the specific characters for which the change allowing condition is satisfied are changed.

User interactions with information handling systems can be improved by providing real-time feedback to the user during use of an application on the information handling system. Lighting effects may be defined for application events and those lighting effects executed to provide the user with visual feedback that notifies the user of the application events. In one example involving a computer game, a user playing a computer game on an information handling system may be playing a character with an associate health bar. The amount of health in the health bar may increase or decrease during gameplay, and a lighting effect may be used as feedback to indicate to the user the application events corresponding to the increase or decrease of the character's health.

Described herein are techniques for providing an in-game virtual boundary. First data is received that is indicative of a user position while the user is playing a video game. It is determined whether the user position is within a warning zone, wherein the warning zone comprises an area between a soft boundary indicative of a safe area for the user and a safe boundary indicative of one or more real-world objects around the user. Based on a relationship between the user position and the safe boundary, a visual indication of a plurality of visual indications of the in-game virtual boundary is determined to provide to the user. Second data indicative of the visual indication is transmitted to a display being viewed by the user while playing the video game.

This application relates to a system and method for performing a constellation game using virtual reality. In one aspect, the constellation game is played using a wearable input device in a state that a user is mounted with a head mounted display (HMD). The system and method may be configured so that when a user is provided with a celestial image according to a user gaze direction to select a constellation after starting the game, an image of dots on an outline of the selected constellation is provided. When the dots are connected to each other, a constellation image and illustration and storytelling information corresponding to the constellation are provided.

Systems and methods for using reduced hops to generate an augmented virtual reality scene in a head mounted display. The head mounted display is used for game play via a game cloud system. The head mounted display includes a communications circuit for sending real-world media associated with a game program via a network. The real-world media is processed by the game cloud system and streamed directly from the communications circuit to the game cloud system. The head mounted display further includes a game processing circuit coupled to the communications circuit. The game processing circuit is used for decoding computer-generated interactive media received from the game cloud system via the network. The game processing circuit drives a portion of interactivity associated with the game program by superimposing the computer-generated interactive media on the real-world media. The computer-generated interactive media is generated based on the real-world media.

A method for gaming assistance. Information relating to game plays of player for a gaming application is received at a back-end server. A current game context of a first game play of a first player is determined from the information. Historical expert game contexts of expert game plays of experts that have played the gaming application are determined from the information. An assistance query related to the first game play is received. The current game context of the first player is compared to the historical expert game contexts to determine at least one expert having a corresponding historical expert game context that matches the first game context. A first expert is assigned to the first player for obtaining assistance. A communication session is generated between a device of the first expert and a device of the first player to enable the first expert to render assistance to the first player.

A swipe input mechanism for a computer-implemented game presented on a touchscreen allows for user-selection of different menu options by swipe gestures in different directions via a swipe menu dedicated to receiving such swipe input. In a third person shooter game or a first-person shooter game user-selection of different character abilities are enabled via the swipe menu. The swipe menu is a floating user interface element that auto-adjusts its on-screen position to register with the position of user touch.