Managing game metrics and authorizations
Various metrics as may be deployed in an active, passive, or hybrid validation architecture are disclosed. A computing device configured to monitor network game activity may identify an inconsistency between user game data and a particular game metric governing a particular aspect of the network gaming environment. Upon identification of an inconsistency between game data and a game metric, which may indicative of illicit game play, a validation process (e.g., active, passive, and/or hybrid) may be implemented to further confirm the existence of illicit game. Alternatively, an action to maintain integrity of the gaming community may be executed without further confirmation whereby a purportedly illicit game device may be ejected from the network.
1. A method for monitoring a gaming network, the method comprising:
evaluating a plurality of computing devices associated with the gaming network to identify one or more of the computing devices having idle processing resources;
assigning the one or more identified computing devices monitoring responsibility over one or more client devices participating within a network game session;
monitoring current network traffic associated with the gaming network; and
modifying performance of the monitoring responsibility by the assigned one or more computing devices based on the current network traffic, wherein the performance of the monitoring responsibility is delayed when the current network traffic is identified as high.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring responsibility includes monitoring for illicit behaviors by the one or more client devices participating within the network game session.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring responsibility includes passive validation of game data generated by the one or more client devices participating within the network game session.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring responsibility includes active validation of one or more responses to queries transmitted to the one or more client devices participating within the network game session.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the monitoring responsibility further includes transmitting the queries to the one or more client devices based on a pre-determined schedule.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the queries are customized to the one or more client devices.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the queries are customized to a detected activity by the one or more client devices.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein modifying performance of the monitoring responsibility includes adjusting a response time for receiving the one or more responses.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring responsibility includes applying a set of rules that define game metrics for allowed and prohibited behaviors within the network game.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring responsibility includes monitoring for one or more device signatures indicative of prohibited devices.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more assigned computing devices include client devices that are not participating in the network game session.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising downloading instructions for performing the monitoring responsibility to each of the one or more assigned computing devices.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the downloaded instructions include a rules library associated with a game title being played in the network game session.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the downloaded instructions includes permissions information specific to the one or more of the client devices participating in the network game session.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reassigning the monitoring responsibility to a different one of the computing devices based on an updated evaluation identifying that the different computing device has idle processing resources.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving monitoring data from the one or more assigned computing devices, and determining whether the one or more client devices are allowed to continue participating in the network game session.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the monitoring responsibility includes assigning different types of monitoring responsibility to different assigned computing devices.
18. A system for monitoring a client device in a gaming network, the system comprising:
a plurality of computing devices associated with the gaming network, the computing devices including one or more client devices participating in a network game session; and
a server that includes instructions stored in memory, the instructions being executed by a processor to:
evaluate the plurality of computing devices associated with the gaming network to identify one or more of the computing devices having idle processing resources,
assign the one or more identified computing devices monitoring responsibility over the one or more client devices participating within the network game session,
wherein the one or more assigned computing devices monitor current network traffic associated with the gaming network and modify performance of the monitoring responsibility based on the current network traffic, wherein the performance of the monitoring responsibility is delayed when the current network traffic is identified as high.
19. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for monitoring a gaming network, the method comprising:
evaluating a plurality of computing devices associated with the gaming network to identify one or more of the computing devices having idle processing resources;
assigning the one or more identified computing devices monitoring responsibility over one or more client devices participating within a network game session;
monitoring current network traffic associated with the gaming network; and
modifying performance of the monitoring responsibility by the one or more assigned computing devices based on the current network traffic, wherein the performance of the monitoring responsibility is delayed when the current network traffic is identified as high.