Microsoft online spectator patent approved

Previous attempts to make gaming into a spectator event have yielded mixed results, but it's an idea likely to keep coming back until someone gets it right. Microsoft is apparently next in line to take a crack at the problem, if a recently approved patent of the company's is any indication.

Last month the US Patent and Trademark Office approved Microsoft's application for patent 6,999,083, a new method of making online games into spectator events. The patent covers dozens of different functions for a possible system that would allow for an online game to have various spectators that could see information about the players, information about how many other spectators there are, control over virtual cameras within the game, or access to commentary on the game. The patent also makes reference to a portal by which players could find online events as they happen, as well as watch the same events after the fact, and references a "spectator experience" that could be created by editing out dull moments from events and creating instant replays or special effects.

While the filing (originally made in August of 2001) does not say exactly when or how Microsoft plans to release products making use of the patent, it does provide some reason as to why the company would be interested in making such products.

"The spectator experience can provide a rich form of graphical and audio entertainment that requires little initial commitment," it reads. "The spectator experience also is a great way to get gently introduce [sic] spectators into the often-complex games that are currently being played. With more engaging experience, more people may be willing to watch a new game."

The full text of the patent is available on the official US Patent and Trademark Office Web site.