Cascading points system

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to maintain player scores within a gaming platform implemented as an advisory services network. Within the context of a serious game designed around a complex business problem of an organization, players can review and navigate a plurality of narrative scenes with associated evidence, extract items of evidence, participate in discussions, provide solution concepts, develop prototypes, and other related actions. A player can receive points for performing actions. In addition, the player can receive points for actions of disparate players when the actions of the disparate players are influenced by or reference actions of the player.

1 . A method facilitated by at least one processor of a computing system, comprising:
 identifying a first action taken by a first player of a network game;   awarding the first player a first number of points for the first action;   identifying a second action taken by a second player of the network game, wherein the second action is based upon the first action taken by the first player; and   awarding the first player a second number of points for the second action taken by the second player.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising awarding the second player a third number of points for the second action taken by the second player. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the second number of points is a percentage, less than a whole, of the third number of points. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a notification that a sponsor of the network game accepts a solution developed within the network game;   awarding a third player, who developed the solution, a fourth number of points; and   awarding a set of players bonus points, wherein the set of players generated ideas directly referenced by the solution.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 identifying a second set of players whose ideas are referenced by the set of players; and   conferring additional points to players of the second set of players.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising recursively identifying reference sets of players and awarding additional points to the reference sets of players recursively identified until progenitor ideas are reached. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 creating a first object in response to the first action taken by the first player;   generating a second object in response to the second action taken by the second player; and   linking the first object to the second object, wherein linking includes associating the first object and the second object in a directional manner such that the second object references the first object.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein creating the first object and generating the second object comprises constructing the first object and the second object based upon respective action information obtained from the first player and the second player. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 detecting when a new object, created in response to a player action, links to the first object; and   rewarding the first player with bonus points for the player action associated with the new object.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising, in response to the notification:
 analyzing a set of linked objects to generate a directed graph of linked actions that spans from the solution to initial actions, wherein objects of the set of linked objects are associated with players actions that lead to the solution; and   awarding bonus points to players corresponding to action of the directed graph of linked actions, wherein awarding bonus points includes granting an amount of bonus points awarded to a particular player according to a function of graph distance from the solution to a particular action corresponding to the particular player.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating a graph comprising artifacts and interactions, wherein artifacts are objects created from player actions and interactions are artifacts that reference other artifacts;   performing graph analysis techniques on the graph to identify an inconsistency that indicates an attempt to artificially inflate a points total; and   adjusting points of players corresponding to the inconsistency.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 obtaining feedback from a third player regarding an artifact resulting from an third action of a fourth player;   associating the feedback obtained with the artifact; and   adjusting points awarded to the fourth player for the third action based at least in part upon the feedback obtained.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein adjusting points awarded to the fourth player comprises:
 identifying the feedback as one of positive or negative feedback;   adding points to a score of the fourth player when the feedback is identified as positive; and   deducting points from the score of the fourth player when the feedback is identified as negative.   
     
     
         14 . A game client of a network gaming platform, comprising:
 a display interface module configured to generate a user interface and to obtain action input from a player;   an action generation module configured to generate action information based upon the action input; and   a game engine interface module configured to communicate with a game engine of the network gaming platform,   wherein the game engine interface module is further configured to transmit the action information to the game engine and to receive a notification regarding a number of points rewarded to the player for performing an action specified by the action information.   
     
     
         15 . The game client of  claim 14 , wherein the display interface module is further configured to obtain navigation input from the player and the game engine interface module is configured to transmit the navigation input to the game engine as an object request. 
     
     
         16 . The game client of  claim 15 , wherein the game engine interface module is further configured to receive an object in response to the object request and the display interface module is further configured to display a representation of the object on the user interface. 
     
     
         17 . The game client of  claim 16 , wherein the action information generated by the action generation module includes a reference to the object to indicate that the object influenced the player to take the action specified in the action information. 
     
     
         18 . The game client of  claim 14 , wherein the game engine interface module is further configured to receive a second notification that indicates an amount of points rewarded to the player for actions of other players taken based upon the action, of the player, specified in the action information. 
     
     
         19 . A gaming platform of an advisory services network, comprising:
 a game engine associated with an instance of a game and configured to manage execution of the game, wherein the game involves a variety of players who attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found based on evidence input to the game; and   a plurality of data storage locations, comprising:
 an object data store configured to retain a collection of artifacts created to represent actions taken by players of the game; and 
 a score data store configured to retain respective scores of the players of the game; and 
   wherein the game engine further includes:
 a point allocation module configured to give a player points for actions directly taken as well as for actions taken by disparate players based upon the actions taken directly by the player; and 
 a cascade module configured to reward points to players of the game who contributed to a final solution accepted by a sponsor of the game. 
   
     
     
         20 . The gaming platform of  claim 19 , wherein the game engine further comprises:
 an object generation module configured to generate an artifact from a player action and to store the artifact generated in the object data store;   an object association module configured to link a first artifact to a second artifact in the object data store when a first action corresponding to the first artifact influences a second action corresponding to the second artifact; and   an integrity check module configured to identify attempts by players to artificially inflate scores.