Method and system for increased realism in video games

Abstract

A system and method for updating parameters of a video game is provided. As events occur in the real world that may influence a game attribute, a parameter is recorded on a server. A video game player may connect to the server and download the parameter. The parameter is stored by the video game and changes an attribute of the video game. Thus, for example, the new performance characteristics of the rising star may be recorded on the server as improved performance parameters. When these parameters are downloaded by the video game player, the video game incorporates the star-like qualities of the rising star.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A game medium including one or more read only memory (ROM) and/or random access memory (RAM) configured to provide a sport video game in conjunction with a video game machine, the game medium configured to cause the video game machine to perform a method comprising:
 accessing stored video game data, the stored video game data including:
 sport video game rules; 
 sport video game stadium or field parameters including sport video game stadium or field visual image data visually depicting one or more real-life stadium or field in the sport video game; and 
 sport video game character data including:
 one or more sport video game character performance parameter of one or more sport video game character, the sport video game character performance parameter of the one or more video game character representing one or more real-life professional sport athlete's real-life performance attribute in the sport video game; and 
 sport video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character representing one or more real-life appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game; 
 
   receiving sport video game character control input from the user to control the one or more sport video game character while the sport video game is played by the user;   receiving updated sport video game character visual image data from a server computer over a network including the Internet, the updated sport video game character's visual image data being associated with one or more real-life change to a real-life visual appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete;   updating the video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character representing the one or more real-life change in visual appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game; and   enabling the user to play the sport video game incorporating the updated video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character using the video game machine such that the real-life change in appearance of the real-life professional sport athlete is represented in the sport video game.   
     
     
         2 . The game medium of  claim 1 , wherein the received and updated video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character visually represents a real-life change in physical appearances of the corresponding one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game. 
     
     
         3 . The game medium of  claim 2 , wherein the received and updated video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character visually represents a real-life change in physical stature appearance of the corresponding one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game. 
     
     
         4 . The game medium of  claim 1 , wherein the received and updated video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character visually represents a real-life change in facial feature of the corresponding one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game. 
     
     
         5 . The game medium of  claim 1 , wherein the received and updated visual image data of the one or more sport video game character represents a real-life change in visual appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete's uniform in the sport video game. 
     
     
         6 . The game medium of  claim 1 , wherein the received and updated visual image data of the one or more sport video game character represents a real-life change in visual appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athletes' jersey in the sport video game. 
     
     
         7 . The game medium of  claim 1 , wherein the received and updated visual image data of the one or more sport video game character represents a real-life change in the corresponding one or more real-life professional athlete's player number in the sport video game. 
     
     
         8 . A video game machine providing the platform for a user to play the sport video game provided by the game medium of  claim 1 , the video game machine comprising:
 one or more video game machine processor;   one or more video game machine input including:
 the one or more video game machine input receiving updates to the sport video game from a server computer; and 
 one or more control input receiving control input from the user controlling one or more sport video game character incorporating the updated video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game character while playing the sport video game; 
   one or more video game machine display output displaying the sport video game in conjunction with a display device while the sport video game is played by the user; and   the game medium according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         9 . The video game machine according to  claim 8 , wherein the one or more video game machine processor includes:
 a central processing unit (CPU) and a coprocessor (CP), the CP including:
 a signal processing unit (SPU) performing at least polygon coordinate transformation and shading treatment; and 
 a display processing unit (DPU) performing rasterization of polygon data into at least one image to be displayed, 
   wherein the CP is connected with an audio signal generating circuit for outputting a sound signal to an audio output device, processed by the CPU, and an image signal generating circuit outputting an image signal to a display.   
     
     
         10 . One or more datum storage structure stored on the game medium of  claim 1 , the datum structures stored on the game medium of  claim 1  comprising:
 one or more sport video game rule datum field storing the data representing the sport video game rules; 
 one or more sport video game stadium or field datum field storing the data representing the sport video game stadium or field parameters including the sport video game stadium or field visual image data visually depicting one or more real-life stadium or field in the sport video game; and 
 one or more sport video game character datum fields storing the one or more sport video game character data, including:
 the one or more sport video game character performance parameters, the sport video game character performance parameters of one or more video game characters representing the one or more real-life professional sport athlete's performance attributes in the sport video game; 
 the sport video game character visual image data of the one or more sport video game characters representing the real-life appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game; and 
 the updated sport video game character visual image data received from the server computer over the network including the Internet. 
 
 
     
     
         11 . The one or more datum storage structure of  claim 10 , the one or more sport video game character datum fields further storing updated sport video game character performance parameters received from the server computer over the network including the Internet, wherein the one or more updated video game character performance parameter is based at least in part on one or more real-life performance statistic of the one or more real-life professional athlete performing in one or more real-life professional sporting event. 
     
     
         12 . A server computer for updating the sport video game provided by the game medium of  claim 1  in conjunction with the video game machine, the server computer comprising:
 one or more server computer processor; 
 one or more server computer input for receiving one or more updated sport video game character data; 
 one or more server computer output for transmitting the one or more updated video game character data to the video game machine over a network including the Internet; 
 one or more server computer RAM and/or ROM storage medium configured to cause the server computer to perform a method comprising:
 storing the one or more updated sport video game character data on the one or more server computer storage medium; 
 accessing the one or more updated sport video game character data stored on the one or more server computer storage medium, the one or more updated sport video game character data including:
 one or more updated sport video game character performance parameter, wherein the one or more updated video game character performance parameter is based at least in part on one or more real-life performance statistic of the one or more real-life professional athlete performing in one or more real-life professional sporting event; and 
 one or more updated sport video game character visual image data, wherein the one or more updated sport video game character visual image data is associated with one or more change in a real-life visual appearance of the one or more real-life professional sport athlete; 
 
 transmitting to the video game machine the updated sport video game character data to the video game machine over a network including the Internet, including:
 transmitting to the video game machine the one or more updated sport video game character performance parameter, wherein the one or more updated sport video game character performance parameter changes the manner in which the one or more video game character performs in the sport video game such that the one or more video game character more closely simulates more current real-life performance attribute of the one or more real-life athlete in the sport video game; and 
 transmitting to the video game machine the one or more updated sport video game character visual image data, such that the one or more sport video game character more closely visually resembles a more current appearance of the one or more real-life athlete in the sport video game. 
 
 
 
     
     
         13 . A game medium including one or more ROM and/or RAM configured to provide a sport video game in conjunction with a video game machine, the sport video game including one or more sport video game rules, sport video game characters, and sport video game stadiums or fields, the game medium being configured to cause the video game machine to perform a method comprising:
 accessing sport video game data stored by the game medium for playing the sport video game, the sport video game data including:
 sport video game rules; 
 one or more sport video game character represented by sport video game character data, the one or more sport video game character representing a corresponding one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game; 
 one or more sport video game stadium or field represented by one or more sport video game stadium or field data, the one or more sport video game stadium or field representing a corresponding real-life sport stadium or field in the sport video game; 
 one or more sport video game team represented by one or more sport video game team data, each sport video game team including a plurality of sport video game characters, the one or more sport video game team representing one or more real-life sport team in the sport video game; 
   receiving an updated sport video game team parameter from a data server via the network including the Internet, wherein the updated sport video game team parameter includes data that describes a real-life change of one or more real-life sport team attribute;   updating the one or more sport video game team data in the sport video game based on the updated sport video game team parameter received, such that the updated sport video game team more closely represents the changed real-life sport team attribute in the sport video game; and   enabling a user to control one or more video game character of the updated video game team in the sport video game using the video game machine.   
     
     
         14 . A game medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the update to the sport video game team data associated with the changed real-life sport team attribute includes a change in visual appearance of the sport video game team. 
     
     
         15 . A game medium according to  claim 14 , wherein the update to the sport video game team data associated with the changed real-life team attribute includes a change in visual appearance of a uniform or a jersey worn by the real-life sport team. 
     
     
         16 . A game medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the update to the sport video game team data associated with the changed real-life team attribute includes a change one or more real-life sport team competitive sport performance. 
     
     
         17 . A game medium according to  claim 16 , wherein a change in the sport video game team performance parameter of a video game team considers the real-life performance of the real-life sport team represented by the sport video game team in the sport video game. 
     
     
         18 . A game medium according to  claim 17 , wherein the change in the sport video game team performance parameter considers a real-life performance of the real-life sport team against a particular real-life opposing team. 
     
     
         19 . A game medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the update to the sport video game team data includes a change in a sport video game team coach parameter corresponding to a change in a real-life coach attribute of the real-life sport team. 
     
     
         20 . A game medium including one or more ROM and/or RAM configured to provide a sport video game in conjunction with a video game machine, the sport video game including one or more sport video game rules associated with real-life sport rules, sport video game characters representing real-life sport athletes, sport video game referee and/or announcer representing real-life referee and/or announcer, and sport video game stadiums or fields representing real-life stadiums or fields, the game medium being configured to cause the video game machine to perform a method comprising:
 accessing sport video game data stored by the game medium for playing the sport video game, the sport video game data including:
 one or more sport video game character defined by sport video game character data, the one or more sport video game character representing a corresponding one or more real-life professional sport athlete in the sport video game; 
 one or more sport video game stadium or field defined by one or more sport video game stadium or field data, the one or more sport video game stadium or field representing a corresponding real-life sport stadium or field in the sport video game; 
 one or more sport video game referee and/or announcer defined by one or more sport video game referee and/or announcer data, the one or more sport video game referee and/or announcer representing one or more real-life sport referee and/or announcer in the sport video game; 
   receiving an updated sport video game referee and/or announcer parameter from a computer server via a network including the Internet, wherein the updated sport video game referee and/or announcer parameter describes a real-life change of one or more real-life sport referee and/or announcer attribute;   updating the one or more sport video game referee and/or announcer data in the sport video game based on the updated sport video game referee and/or announcer parameter received, such that the updated sport video game referee and/or announcer more closely represents the changed real-life sport referee and/or announcer attribute in the sport video game; and   enabling a user to control one or more video game character of the updated video game in the sport video game using the video game machine.