Systems and methods for location based games and employment of the same on location enabled devices
A location-based game system is provided. Such a system may take the form of any device (e.g., a wireless telephone) that includes a locating device (e.g., a GPS system). One such location-based game may operate such that the actual, physical location of a user on a physical playfield corresponds to the location of a virtual character on a virtual playfield. Such location based games are referred to herein as actuality games. In one multiplayer actuality embodiment, two game devices may communicate location, and other, information to a remote database such that the two user's may interact on different physical playfields, but play on the same virtual playfield. A number of wireless communications protocols, self-configuration, and auto-download software applications are also provided to optimize integration with, for example, a wireless telephone.
1. A system comprising:
a head-mounted display, wherein said display is transparent;
a second head-mounted display; and
a video game system for playing a location-based video game, wherein first control signals are received from said head-mounted display by said video game system and video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display, wherein said head-mounted display is able to move past and around said video game indicia on a first physical playfield while displaying said video game indicia, a location associated with said second head-mounted display is obtained from a second physical playfield, said second physical playfield is remote from said first physical playfield, said location from said second physical playfield is associated to a first playfield location on said first physical playfield, and a virtual character is displayed on said head-mounted display at said first playfield location representative of said second head-mounted display on said second playfield location; and
a controller for providing second control signals to said video game system.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said head-mounted display includes a locating device.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller includes a locating device.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game system includes a locating device.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said head-mounted display includes a movement measurement device.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game system includes a movement measurement device.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller includes a movement measurement device.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a user-provided control signal for said video game is received via a stationary computer.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game includes a location boundary.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game system receives a request for a multiplayer game.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein said head-mounted display is located on a first physical playfield and said video game is operable to utilize control signals from a head-mounted display located on a second physical playfield.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual wall.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual ghost.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller includes a button.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of buttons.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein said display is a flexible display.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game comprises a plurality of computer-controlled virtual characters.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video game system includes an ON/OFF switch.
20. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller includes a trigger.
21. The system of claim 1 , wherein users of said video game are able to talk to one another while playing said video game.
22. A system comprising:
a head-mounted display having a first movement measurement device and a first directional device, wherein said display is non-transparent;
a video game system for receiving media having a video game, wherein said video game system plays said video game, wherein said first control signals are received from said head-mounted display by said video game system, and video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display, and
a controller having a second movement measurement device and a second directional device for providing second control signals, wherein said second movement measurement device is operable to measure a second movement of said controller, said second directional device is operable to measure a controller direction of said controller, said second control signals are operable to e provided wirelessly to said video game system, and said controller includes a manual control.
23. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
24. The system of claim 22 , wherein a user-provided control signal for said video game is received via a stationary computer.
25. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game includes a location boundary.
26. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game system receives a request for a multiplayer game.
27. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game is operable to utilize second control signals from said second head-mounted display located on said second physical playfield.
28. The system of claim 22 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual wall.
29. The system of claim 22 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual ghost.
30. The system of claim 22 , wherein said controller includes a button.
31. The system of claim 22 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of buttons.
32. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game is points-based.
33. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game comprises a plurality of computer-controlled virtual characters.
34. The system of claim 22 , wherein said video game system includes an ON/OFF switch.
35. The system of claim 22 , wherein said controller includes a trigger.
36. The system of claim 22 , wherein users of said video game are able to talk to one another while playing said video game.
37. A system comprising:
a head-mounted display, wherein said display is transparent and said head-mounted display includes a locating device that receives positioning signals and utilizes said positioning signals to provide first control signals;
a video game system for playing a video game, wherein said first control signals are received and video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display, wherein said video game system is portable, the movement of said video game system provides second control signals to said video game, a game reference direction is operable to be manually provided to provide a direction of gameplay of said video game, and said game reference direction is operable to be changed after the initiation of said video game; and
a controller for providing third control signals to said video game system.
38. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
39. The system of claim 37 , wherein a user provides a control signal for said video game via manual inputs into a stationary computer.
40. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game includes a location boundary.
41. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game system receives a request for a multiplayer game.
42. The system of claim 37 , wherein said head-mounted display is located on a first physical playfield and said video game is operable to utilize control signals from a head-mounted display located on a second physical playfield.
43. The system of claim 37 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual wall.
44. The system of claim 37 , wherein said virtual indicia includes a virtual ghost.
45. The system of claim 37 , wherein said controller includes a button.
46. The system of claim 37 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of buttons.
47. The system of claim 37 , wherein said display is flexible.
48. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game comprises a plurality of computer-controlled virtual characters.
49. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game system includes an ON/OFF switch.
50. The system of claim 37 , wherein said controller includes a trigger.
51. The system of claim 37 , wherein said video game provides user-voice communications during play of said video game.
52. A system comprising:
a head-mounted display, wherein said display is transparent and said head-mounted display includes a locating device that receives positioning signals and utilizes said positioning signals to provide first control signals;
a video game system for playing a video game, wherein said first control signals are received from said head-mounted display by said video game system, video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display, and said first control signals control, at least in part, a user-controlled video game character that is displayed on said display in a third-person perspective,
the movement of said video game system provides second control signals to said video game, a game reference direction is operable to be manually provided to provide a direction of gameplay of said video game, and said game reference direction is operable to be changed after the initiation of said video game; and
a controller for providing third control signals to said video game system.
53. The system of claim 52 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
54. The system of claim 52 , wherein a user provides a control signal for said video game via manual inputs into a stationary computer.
55. The system of claim 52 , wherein said head-mounted display is located on a first physical playfield and said video game is operable to utilize control signals from a head-mounted display located on a second physical playfield.
56. The system of claim 52 , wherein said controller includes a button.
57. The system of claim 52 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of buttons.
58. The system of claim 52 , wherein said controller includes a trigger.
59. The system of claim 52 , wherein users of said video game are able to talk to one another while playing said video game.
60. A system comprising:
a ground-based local positioning device that emits a ground-based local positioning signals while being located on the ground;
a head-mounted display, wherein said display is transparent;
a video game system for playing a video game, wherein first control signals for said video game are provided by a positioning device that receives and utilizes said local positioning signals to provide said first control signals, a directional device determines a direction of said head mounted display to provide second control signals, and video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display based on said first control signals and second control signals; and
a controller for providing controller control signals to said video game system.
61. The system of claim 60 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
62. The system of claim 60 , wherein a user provides a control signal for said video game via manual inputs into a stationary computer.
63. The system of claim 60 , wherein said head-mounted display is located on a first physical playfield and said video game is operable to utilize control signals from a head-mounted display located on a second physical playfield.
64. The system of claim 60 , wherein said controller includes a button.
65. A system comprising:
a head-mounted display, wherein said display is transparent;
a second head-mounted display;
a video game system for playing a location-based video game, wherein first control signals are received from said head-mounted display by said video game system, video game indicia, associated to said video game, are provided to and displayed on said head-mounted display, said head-mounted display is able to move past and around said video game indicia on a first physical playfield while display said video game indicia, a location associated with said second head-mounted display is obtained from a second physical playfield that is remote from said first physical playfield, said location from said second physical playfield is associated to a first playfield location on said first physical playfield, and a virtual character is displayed on said head-mounted display at said first playfield location representative of said second head-mounted display on said second playfield location.
66. The system of claim 65 , wherein said video game was wirelessly downloaded to said video game system.
67. The system of claim 65 , wherein a user provides a control signal for said video game via manual inputs into a stationary computer.
68. The system of claim 65 , wherein said video game is operable to utilize additional control signals from said second head-mounted display.
69. The system of claim 65 , further comprising a controller that includes a button.