Computer-implemented methods for hosting online video games are provided. One method includes generating a plurality of video frames. The method includes initiating a sending of each one of the plurality of video frames to a client. Each of the video frames that is sent is compressed. The method includes stopping the compression and sending of video frames when one of the plurality of video frames is taking longer than a frame time to compress and send. A frame time is defined as one over a frame rate, and wherein stopping the compression of video frames includes ignoring said video frames by an encoder. The method includes continuing to compress and send audio data to the client when one or more of said plurality of video frames are not sent to the client.

Systems and methods to effectuate challenges between unique digital articles, the challenges being evaluated based on particular real-world information, are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may execute instances of a game; manage player accounts associated with the players, including a first and a second player account associated with a first and a second player; present a first user interface to a first player that enables the first player to define an objective for a challenge between a first and a second unique digital article, define one or more stakes for this challenge, and invite the second player to partake in this challenge, record executable code on a permanent registry to evaluate the challenge, based on real-world information; and responsive to the first or second unique digital article winning the challenge, distribute the one or more stakes to the first or second player, respectively.

Processing of actions within a shared augmented reality experience is split between an edge node of a communications network (e.g., a cell tower) and a server. As a result, computation of the current state may be sharded naturally based on real-world location, with state updates generally provided by the edge node and the server providing conflict resolution based on a master state (e.g., where actions connected to different edge nodes potentially interfere with each other). In this way, latency may be reduced as game actions are communicated between clients connected to the same edge node using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol without routing the actions via the game server.

A method by which a streaming interactive video user session is handed off from one streaming interactive video server to another without noticeable disruption to the video stream or the user interactivity.

A method for managing a game session of a multiplayer game is provided. A request to start a game session of the multiplayer game is received from a first party. The first party is associated with a first category of players of the multiplayer game, and the number of players within the first category is determined. If the number of players within the first category is below a threshold number, an invite is sent to at least a second party associated with the first category. Upon receiving a request to join a game session of the multiplayer game from the at least a second party, a game session of the multiplayer game is started by accepting the request from the first party, and the at least a second party is added to the game session of the multiplayer game.

A gaming system, comprising a site server configured to provide game instances to local gaming devices in communication with the site server, a monitor for displaying video information related to the game instances, a central server configured to provide information about the availability of a game to players using local gaming devices in proximity of the site server, provide information about the availability of the game to one of the mobile telephones over the wide-area wireless network, receive, from the one or more mobile telephones, an indication of a selected game offered by the central server, and relay game instances between the site server and the one or more mobile telephones as the selected game is being played by players using the local gaming devices and players using the one or more mobile telephones via the wide-area wireless network.

The present disclosure provides a virtual object grouping method and device, a storage medium, and an electronic device. The method includes: in response to a grouping instruction, an operation state for grouping the at least one virtual object in a predetermined display area is activated; in response to a first selection instruction, at least one target virtual object to be grouped is selected from the at least one virtual object; in response to a second selection instruction, a target group is selected from at least one pre-created group; and the at least one target virtual object to be grouped is grouped into the target group. By means of embodiments of the present disclosure, the problems of small player operation space and low game operability in the related art are solved.

A method for gaming including receiving game states of game plays of players playing a gaming application. The method includes tracking game play progression for each of the game plays based on game states, wherein game play progression is defined by a corresponding set of relationship characteristics. A first game play of a first player is associated with a first set of relationship characteristics. The method includes identifying for the first player players having corresponding game plays that include one or more relationship characteristics from the first set of relationship characteristics. The method includes surfacing the identified players for display to the first player. Each surfaced players have a corresponding game play progression that is related to the first game play progression. Each surfaced players is associated with a corresponding communication warning indicator that provides relative game play progression between game plays the corresponding surfaced player and the first player.

Disclosed are new and innovative methods and systems for coordinating a game having a plurality of players. One of the methods comprises: enabling each of the plurality of players to create a team of champions; and creating a one or more real-time battles between a plurality of human players.

A method includes detecting a first group seeking members, detecting one or more users seeking to join a group, retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group, and retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users. The group parameters may include group characteristic data and group requirements. For each user of the one or more users, the group parameters corresponding to the first group are compared against the user parameters corresponding to the user. A score is determined for each of the one or more users based on the comparing. One or more selected users of the one or more users is recommended to the first group at least in part based on the score. One or more computer programs may be adapted to execute the above steps, and a processor may be configured to perform the above steps.