An output processing unit 112 generates image data of a game being played by a user. A ring buffer 118 records the image data generated by the output processing unit 112. A file generation unit 124 generates a map file which is used to reproduce the image data recorded on the ring buffer 118 in the order in which the image data has been recorded on the ring buffer 118, and then records the map file on a file recording unit 126.

An interaction scene starting method includes displaying a play interface of a target video, the target video corresponding to a recorded play of a game; identifying a first interaction progress point of a virtual interaction scene of the game in the target video; obtaining scene interaction data corresponding to the first interaction progress point from a scene interaction server; and displaying a scene interaction image according to the scene interaction data and enabling playing the game from the first interaction progress point.

A ring buffer 136 records a game video provided by a running game software 110 together with time information. When an unlock condition of a trophy that is a virtual award is satisfied, a trophy processing section 124 gives a trophy to a user playing a game. A video acquiring section 140 reads, from the ring buffer 136, the video including the game image that is at a time when the unlock condition becomes satisfied, and records the video in a second recording section 160. A video processing section 152 carries out an editing process on the video recorded in the second recording section 160.

User action data characterizing action by a player in a game environment executing at a user client is received at a server. The game environment is created by the user client separate from the server. Data characterizing a selected viewing position is received. The selected viewing position is different than a player viewing position. The selected viewing position characterizes a viewing location within the game environment. A recreated game environment is generated from the user action data at the server. A video stream of the recreated game environment is generated. The video stream includes video from a perspective of the selected viewing position. The video stream is transmitted to a viewing client. Related apparatus, systems, articles, and techniques are also described.

User action data characterizing action by a player in a game environment executing at a user client is received at a server. The game environment is created by the user client separate from the server. Data characterizing a selected viewing position is received. The selected viewing position is different than a player viewing position. The selected viewing position characterizes a viewing location within the game environment. A recreated game environment is generated from the user action data at the server. A video stream of the recreated game environment is generated. The video stream includes video from a perspective of the selected viewing position. The video stream is transmitted to a viewing client. Related apparatus, systems, articles, and techniques are also described.

Techniques for improving a user video game experience are described. In an example, a computer system accesses videos showing separate completions of an activity by a plurality of video game players. From a definition of the activity, it is determined that the activity is a parent of sub-activities. Links to video portions of the videos are generated, wherein each video portion corresponds to a sub-activity. A score is generated for each video portion based on a relevance of each video portion to a user. The links are presented in a user interface to the user based on the score for each video portion, wherein upon selection of a first link, the user interface displays a first video to the user starting at a first video portion showing a completion of a sub-activity by a video game player.

Techniques for improving a user video game experience are described. In an example, a computer system accesses videos showing separate completions of an activity by a plurality of video game players. From a definition of the activity, it is determined that the activity is a parent of sub-activities. Links to video portions of the videos are generated, wherein each video portion corresponds to a sub-activity. A score is generated for each video portion based on a relevance of each video portion to a user. The links are presented in a user interface to the user based on the score for each video portion, wherein upon selection of a first link, the user interface displays a first video to the user starting at a first video portion showing a completion of a sub-activity by a video game player.

A recorded experience in a virtual worlds system may be played back by one or more servers instantiating a new instance of a scene using one or more processors of the one or more servers and playing back the recorded experience in the new instance by modeling objects of a recorded initial scene state of the recorded experience in the new instance and updating the recorded initial scene state based on subsequent recorded changes over a time period, a recorded experience file includes the recorded initial scene state and the subsequent recorded changes and is stored in one or more memories of the one or more servers. One or more client devices are in communication with the one or more servers to participate in the new instance.

A recorded experience in a virtual worlds system may be played back by one or more servers instantiating a new instance of a scene using one or more processors of the one or more servers and playing back the recorded experience in the new instance by modeling objects of a recorded initial scene state of the recorded experience in the new instance and updating the recorded initial scene state based on subsequent recorded changes over a time period, a recorded experience file includes the recorded initial scene state and the subsequent recorded changes and is stored in one or more memories of the one or more servers. One or more client devices are in communication with the one or more servers to participate in the new instance.

Methods and systems for presenting an image of a user interacting with a video game includes providing images of a virtual reality (VR) scene of the video game for rendering on a display screen of a head mounted display (HMD). The images of the VR scene are generated as part of game play of the video game. An input provided at a user interface on the HMD received during game play is used to initiate a signal to pause the video game and to generate an activation signal to activate an image capturing device. The activation signal causes the image capturing device to capture an image of the user interacting in a physical space. The image of the user captured by the image capturing device during game play is associated with a portion of the video game that corresponds with a time when the image of the user was captured. The association causes the image of the user to be transmitted to the HMD for rendering on the display screen of the HMD.