Online Shopping/Gaming

Abstract

Provided are new approaches for providing a product based game. A host may receive a user selection of one or more products. The player may also rank the products. The host manages interaction with the player to provide game play. According to an outcome of the game, the host selects one or both of a product and a promotional offer, including discounts and communicates one or both of these to the user. Graphical representations of the one or more products selected by the user may be used as interface elements in a game interface.

1 . A method for product-based gaming comprising:
 receiving, at a host server, from a user computing device associated with a user, a user selection of one or more selected products from a product selection;   determining, at the host server, an outcome of a game according to user interactions with a game interface presented the user computing device;   according to the outcome of the game, selecting, at the host server, a prize product from the product selection, the product being at least one of one of the one or more selected products and a product other than the one or more selected products; and   transmitting, by the host server, to the user computing device, a promotional message identifying the prize product and a promotional offer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the host server, a product selection to a user computing device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving the user interactions with the game interface at the host server; and   transmitting updates to the game interface to the user computing device from the host server.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising verifying, at the host server, payment of a game fee by the user;
 wherein the promotional message indicates a discount amount that is at least as great as the game fee.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 verifying, at the host server, payment of a lock fee by the user;   wherein the prize product is a product associated with the user according to a state of the game at a time of payment of the lock fee.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 verifying, at the host server, payment of an early fee by the user; and   determining, at the host server, an outcome of the game upon verifying payment of the early fee by the user prior to termination of the game according to a state of the game and rules of the game.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more selected products include at least two selected products, the method further comprising:
 receiving, at the host server, a user ranking of the at least two selected products;   wherein, selecting, at the host server, the prize product from the product selection, further comprises selecting the prize product according to the user ranking and the game outcome.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining, at the host server, the outcome of the game according to user interactions with the game interface presented on the user computing device further comprises determining, at the host server, the outcome of the game according to interactions of a plurality of users with game interfaces presented on a plurality of user computing devices. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein interactions of a user of the plurality of users with the game interfaces further comprise:
 associating a chosen product with the user, the chosen product selected by the user from a group of products including the one or more selected products of the user and one or more selected products selected by others of the plurality of users;   stealing products associated with other users of the plurality of users; and   exchanging products associated with the user with products associated with other users of the plurality of users.   
     
     
         10 . A method for product-based gaming comprising:
 receiving, at a host server, from a network interface, an instruction to initiate a merchandise game for a plurality of users;   receiving, at the host server, one or more selected products for each user; and   managing, at the host server, participation in the merchandise game, including, for each user of the plurality of users:
 receiving user inputs from the user; 
 updating a game state according to the user inputs; and 
 according to an outcome of the merchandise game, transmitting to the user a promotional message identifying a prize product and a promotion for the prize product, the prize product including one of the one or more selected products of the user a product other than the one or more selected products of the user. 
   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving, from an inviter network interface to a network profile of an inviter, an instruction to associate an invitation with a plurality of invitee network profiles;   wherein receiving, at the host server, an instruction to initiate a merchandise game for a plurality of users includes receiving, from a plurality of invitee network interfaces displaying network profile information of a plurality of invitees, acceptances of the invitation.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising, selecting the invitee network profiles from a plurality of network profiles linked to the network profile of the inviter. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the inviter network interface comprises a browser displaying an interface to the network profile of the inviter; and
 wherein the network profile is a social networking profile.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising, selecting the invitee network profiles from a plurality of contacts in a contact database. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the contact database stores a plurality of email addresses. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 transmitting, by the host server, a product selection to the inviter network interface and plurality of invitee network interfaces; and   receiving user selections of the one or more desired products of each user from the inviter network interface and plurality of invitee network interfaces.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising verifying, at the host server, payment of a game fee by the plurality of users
 wherein the promotional message includes a discount for the prize product, the discount having a value at least as great as the game fee.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more selected products of each user include at least two selected products, the method further comprising:
 receiving, at the host server, for each user of the plurality of users, a user ranking of the at least two selected products for the user; and   selecting the prize product for each user according to the user ranking and the outcome of the merchandise game.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein updating the game state according to the user inputs comprises, for each user:
 associating a product with the user upon selection of the product from a product pool by the user;   associating a product with the user upon stealing of the product from another user; and   associating a product with the user upon receiving the product from another user as a result of an exchange.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising, receiving messages from the plurality of users and posting the messages on a message board accessible by the plurality of users. 
     
     
         20 . A method for providing a product-based game comprising:
 providing, by a host server, a merchant interface to a product selection database;   receiving, at the host server, a plurality of product records from one or more merchants using the merchant interface;   storing the plurality of product records in the product selection database;   providing, by the host server, access to the product selection database to a plurality of players;   receiving, by the host server, at least one selected product identifier from a player, the selected product identifiers corresponding to product records stored in the product selection database;   providing a game interface to the player;   determining, by the server, an outcome of a game played using the game interface;   according to the outcome of the game, selecting a prize product identifier, by the host server, from the product selection database, the prize product identifier being one of the at least one selected product identifiers and a product identifier other than the at least one selected product identifiers; and   transmitting a promotional message including a promotional offer and the prize product identifier to the player.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 detecting, by the server, redemption of the promotional message;   verifying, by the server, payment of an affiliate fee due to redemption of the promotional message to an entity associated with the server.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the promotional offer is a discount amount, the method further comprising:
 verifying payment of a game fee by the player prior to transmitting the promotional message to the player;   wherein the discount amount is at least as great as the game fee.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 verifying, at the host server, payment of a lock fee by the player;   wherein selecting the prize product identifier, by the host server comprises selecting a product associated with the player according to game logic of the game interface at a time of payment of the lock fee.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the promotional message is a first promotional message, the method further comprising transmitting a second promotional message for additional products. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the promotional message includes a time limitation.