System for developing, managing, acquiring and playing electronic board games

Abstract

A device, method, and system for developing, managing, acquiring and playing electronic board games. Game developers may illustratively access one or more electronic game board, game piece templates and/or other game development application software from a game server to design and develop electronic board games. Such electronic board games may then be acquired by game players in the form of full, limited and/or modifiable versions. A game service module of the game server makes a number of electronic board game related services available to game players for managing, playing and acquiring electronic board game collections and/or for enhancing or facilitating electronic board game playing.

1 . A user computing device to execute electronic board games, the user computing device comprising:
 a display screen orientable upwardly to support thereon at least one hardware game piece associated with at least one electronic board game,   a memory to store the at least one electronic board game, and   a processor to execute the electronic board game and to control the display screen to display an electronic version of a board surface of the electronic board game.   
     
     
         2 . The user computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen comprises a touch screen and the at least one hardware game piece comprises a plurality of different hardware game pieces, wherein each different hardware game piece defines a unique footprint, and
 wherein the processor is to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players of the at least one electronic board game.   
     
     
         3 . The user computing device of  claim 2 , wherein to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players comprises to (i) sense, via the touch screen, the unique footprint of each of the plurality of hardware game pieces and (ii) assign each sensed, unique footprint to a different one of the plurality of players. 
     
     
         4 . The user computing device of  claim 2 , wherein the processor is to track a position of each of the plurality of players relative to the electronic version of the board surface of the electronic board game. 
     
     
         5 . The user computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to track a position of each of the plurality of players comprises to (i) sense, via the touch screen, the unique footprints of each of the plurality of hardware game pieces and (ii) associate each of the sensed, unique footprints with the one of the plurality of players assigned thereto. 
     
     
         6 . The user computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one hardware game piece comprises a plurality of different hardware game pieces, wherein each different hardware game piece comprises a different communication device to produce a unique identification signal, and
 wherein the processor is to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players of the at least one electronic board game,   wherein to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players comprises to (i) sense a unique identification signal produced by each of the different communication devices and (ii) assign each sensed, unique identification signal to a different one of the plurality of players.   
     
     
         7 . One or more computer readable media containing instructions for managing and executing acquired electronic board games, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processors of a computing device having a display screen causes the one or more processors to:
 store at least one acquired electronic board game in a memory,   execute the electronic board game, and   control the display screen during execution of the electronic board game to display thereon an electronic version of a board surface of the electronic board game, wherein orienting the display screen upwardly provides a support surface for supporting at least one hardware game piece associated with the at least one electronic board game.   
     
     
         8 . The one or more computer readable media of  claim 7 , wherein the display screen comprises a touch screen and the at least one hardware game piece comprises a plurality of different hardware game pieces, wherein each different hardware game piece defines a unique footprint,
 and wherein execution of the instructions causes the one or more processors to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players of the at least one electronic board game.   
     
     
         9 . The one or more computer readable media of  claim 8 , wherein to associate each of the plurality of different hardware game pieces with a different one of a corresponding plurality of players comprises to (i) sense, via the touch screen, the unique footprint of each of the plurality of hardware game pieces and (ii) assign each sensed, unique footprint to a different one of the plurality of players. 
     
     
         10 . The one or more computer readable media of  claim 8 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the one or more processors to track a position of each of the plurality of players relative to the electronic version of the board surface of the electronic board game.