Shared social asset in game

1. A method for playing an online game, the method comprising:

defining a game board for each of a plurality of users participating in the online game, wherein each user participating in the online game owns a respective instance of the game board;

receiving a first request from a first user to place a game asset in a first game board of the first user, the game asset being a shareable asset in association with one or more users, wherein the game asset is associated with a task to be performed in the online game;

placing a first instance of the game asset in the first game board, wherein the first user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the first instance of the game asset in the first game board;

receiving a second request from a second user to place the game asset in a second game board of the second user in response to an invitation to partner in completing the task, wherein the second user is discoverable through invocation of an application programming interface (API) to access a social network server, the social network server returning information on who are friends of the first user in a social network, wherein one or more friends of the first user are invited to partner in completing the task;

placing a second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein the second user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein interactions of the first user and the second user with respective instances of the game asset cause cumulative progress towards completion of the task; and

proportionally evolving the first and second instances of the game asset in parallel in relation to the cumulative progress towards completion of the task.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

depicting the first game asset as a graphical image in the first game board that has a dynamically changing size that is related to a weight, wherein the weight is based on the cumulative progress made towards completion of the task.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proportionally evolving further comprises:

receiving input defining an interaction with the first instance of the game asset at a back end server supporting a plurality of game boards for the plurality of users participating in the online game;

determining a plurality of instances of the game asset that is shared by accessing a database storing relational information of the plurality of instances, wherein the plurality of instances of the game asset is placed into a plurality of game boards;

determining first progress related to the input made in association with the cumulative progress;

updating a state of the first instance of the game asset based on the updated cumulative progress; and

propagating the state of the first instance of the game asset to each of the plurality of instances of the game asset.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proportionally evolving further comprises:

receiving a first interaction of the first user or second user with a respective instance of the game asset, the first interaction resulting in first progress towards completing the task; and

evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a first intermediate state in proportion to the first progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the first intermediate state.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving a second interaction of the other user with its respective instance of the game asset, the second interaction resulting in second progress towards completing the task, wherein the second progress shows further completion of the task than the first progress; and

evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a second intermediate state in proportion to the second progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the second intermediate state.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user and the second user can interact with the game asset in their respective game boards independently from each other, wherein the second user can interact with the second instance of the game asset without visiting the first game board.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting that one of the first user or the second user receives a first transactional reward for interacting with their respective instance of the game asset based on a current progress towards completion of the task; and

giving a second transactional reward to the other user based on the first transactional reward.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first and second transactional rewards are identical.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first transactional reward is based on contributions of the corresponding user towards completion of the task in association with the current progress, and wherein the second transactional reward is based on contributions of the other user in association with the current progress.

10. A computer program embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, when executed by one or more processors, for playing an online game, the computer program comprising:

program instructions for defining a game board for each of a plurality of users participating in the online game, wherein each user participating in the online game owns a respective instance of the game board;

program instructions for receiving a first request from a first user to place a game asset in a first game board of the first user, the game asset being a shareable asset in association with one or more users, wherein the game asset is associated with a task to be performed in the online game;

program instructions for placing a first instance of the game asset in the first game board, wherein the first user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the first instance of the game asset in the first game board;

program instructions for receiving a second request from a second user to place the game asset in a second game board of the second user in response to an invitation to partner in completing the task, wherein the second user is discoverable through invocation of an application programming interface (API) to access a social network server, the social network server returning information on who are friends of the first user in a social network, wherein one or more friends of the first user are invited to partner in completing the task;

program instructions for placing a second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein the second user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein interactions of the first user and the second user with respective instances of the game asset cause cumulative progress towards completion of the task; and

program instructions for proportionally evolving the first and second instances of the game asset in parallel in relation to the cumulative progress towards completion of the task.

11. The computer program of claim 10 , further comprising:

program instructions for depicting the first game asset as a graphical image in the first game board that has a dynamically changing size that is related to a weight, wherein the weight is based on the cumulative progress made towards completion of the task.

12. The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the program instructions for proportionally evolving further comprises:

program instructions for receiving input defining an interaction with the first instance of the game asset at a back end server supporting a plurality of game boards for the plurality of users participating in the online game;

program instructions for determining a plurality of instances of the game asset that is shared by accessing a database storing relational information of the plurality of instances, wherein the plurality of instances of the game asset is placed into a plurality of game boards;

program instructions for determining first progress related to the input made in association with the cumulative progress;

program instructions for updating a state of the first instance of the game asset based on the updated cumulative progress; and

program instructions for propagating the state of the first instance of the game asset to each of the plurality of instances of the game asset.

13. The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the program instructions for proportionally evolving further comprises:

program instructions for receiving a first interaction of the first user or second user with a respective instance of the game asset, the first interaction resulting in first progress towards completing the task; and

program instructions for evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a first intermediate state in proportion to the first progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the first intermediate state.

14. The computer program of claim 13 , further comprising:

program instructions for receiving a second interaction of the other user with its respective instance of the game asset, the second interaction resulting in second progress towards completing the task, wherein the second progress shows further completion of the task than the first progress; and

program instructions for evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a second intermediate state in proportion to the second progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the second intermediate state.

15. The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the first user and the second user can interact with the game asset in their respective game boards independently from each other, wherein the second user can interact with the second instance of the game asset without visiting the first game board.

16. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor and having stored therein instructions that, if executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method for playing an online game comprising:

defining a game board for each of a plurality of users participating in the online game, wherein each user participating in the online game owns a respective instance of the game board;

receiving a first request from a first user to place a game asset in a first game board of the first user, the game asset being a shareable asset in association with one or more users, wherein the game asset is associated with a task to be performed in the online game;

placing a first instance of the game asset in the first game board, wherein the first user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the first instance of the game asset in the first game board;

receiving a second request from a second user to place the game asset in a second game board of the second user in response to an invitation to partner in completing the task, wherein the second user is discoverable through invocation of an application programming interface (API) to access a social network server, the social network server returning information on who are friends of the first user in a social network, wherein one or more friends of the first user are invited to partner in completing the task;

placing a second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein the second user makes progress towards completing the task by interacting with the second instance of the game asset in the second game board, wherein interactions of the first user and the second user with respective instances of the game asset cause cumulative progress towards completion of the task; and

proportionally evolving the first and second instances of the game asset in parallel in relation to the cumulative progress towards completion of the task.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises:

depicting the first game asset as a graphical image in the first game board that has a dynamically changing size that is related to a weight, wherein the weight is based on the cumulative progress made towards completion of the task.

18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input defining an interaction with the first instance of the game asset at a back end server supporting a plurality of game boards for the plurality of users participating in the online game;

determining a plurality of instances of the game asset that is shared by accessing a database storing relational information of the plurality of instances, wherein the plurality of instances of the game asset is placed into a plurality of game boards;

determining first progress related to the input made in association with the cumulative progress;

updating a state of the first instance of the game asset based on the updated cumulative progress; and

propagating the state of the first instance of the game asset to each of the plurality of instances of the game asset.

19. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the proportionally evolving in the method further comprises:

receiving a first interaction of the first user or second user with a respective instance of the game asset, the first interaction resulting in first progress towards completing the task; and

evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a first intermediate state in proportion to the first progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the first intermediate state.

20. The computer system of claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second interaction of the other user with its respective instance of the game asset, the second interaction resulting in second progress towards completing the task, wherein the second progress shows further completion of the task than the first progress; and

evolving in parallel the first and second instances of the game asset to a second intermediate state in proportion to the second progress, wherein the first and second instances of the game asset displayable in the first and second game boards are reflective of the second intermediate state.