Tournament management system

Abstract

A tournament management system is disclosed, including network distributed processing system including: a game world controller; an entertainment software controller connected to the game world controller by a network, the entertainment software controller constructed to provide an entertainment game outcome; and the game world constructed to: receive the entertainment game outcome and element utilization information; determine the wagering event; request and receive the wagering outcome; and a tournament manager coupled to the plurality of network distributed processing systems, constructed to: determine a set of tournament players; determine a set of individual prizes; receive updates associated with the set of tournament players; determine a player to win each of the individual prizes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tournament system, comprising:
 a network distributed processing system comprising:
 an entertainment system controller connected to a game world controller by a network, wherein the entertainment system controller is constructed to: execute an entertainment game; 
 generate a visual representation of the entertainment game; 
 provide an entertainment game outcome on the basis of a player's utilization of an entertainment game element during the player's play of the entertainment game; 
 generate entertainment game metrics; 
 receive from the game world controller via the network an instruction to provide an invitation to a tournament; 
 generate a visual representation of the invitation to the tournament; and 
 provide the tournament; 
 and 
 the game world controller connected to the entertainment system controller by the network and connected to the server by the communication link, wherein the game world controller is constructed to:
 receive from the entertainment system controller, the entertainment game outcome and information about the player's utilization of the entertainment game element; 
 receive from the entertainment system controller, the entertainment game metrics; 
 determine access to the tournament based on the player's utilization of the entertainment game element; 
 distribute the invitation to the tournament to the entertainment system controller; 
 receive from the entertainment system controller an acceptance of the invitation to the tournament; and 
 
   a tournament manager coupled to a plurality of network distributed processing systems, the tournament manager constructed to:
 determine a set of players associated with the plurality of network distributed processing systems, the set of players having accepted the invitation to the tournament; 
 determine a prize pool of the tournament that includes a set of individual prizes; 
 receive updates from each of the plurality of network distributed processing systems associated with the set of players participating in the tournament; 
 determine a distribution of the individual prizes to based on the updates; 
 distribute the individual prizes; and 
 update player records of each player of the set of players participating in the tournament based on participation in the tournament. 
   
     
     
         2 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the tournament manager is further constructed to receive from the entertainment system controller, via the game world controller, the entertainment game metrics;
 determine a set of entertainment game metrics to use to determine access to the tournament; and   distribute to the game world controller, the set of entertainment game metrics.   
     
     
         3 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the tournament manager is further constructed to:
 determine a prize pool of individual prizes for each class in the set of classes of players of the tournament; and   determine a winner of each individual prize in the prize pool in each class from the players in each class.   
     
     
         4 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the update includes session metrics. 
     
     
         5 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the update is recorded using a vector scheme. 
     
     
         6 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the tournament manager is further constructed to receive from an operator a set of entertainment game metrics to use to determine access to the tournament; and distribute to the game world controller, the set of entertainment game metrics. 
     
     
         7 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , wherein the entertainment system controller records the tournament. 
     
     
         8 . The tournament system of  claim 1 , further including a server connected to the game world controller via a communication link, wherein the server is constructed to determine an outcome of a wagering event; and the game world controller receives from the server the outcome of the wagering event. 
     
     
         9 . The tournament system of  claim 8 , wherein the outcome of the wagering event is distributed to the entertainment software controller via the game world controller, and the entertainment software controller generates a visual representation of the outcome of the wagering event. 
     
     
         10 . The tournament system of  claim 8 , wherein the outcome of the wagering event is distributed to the entertainment software controller via the game world controller, and the tournament is modified by the outcome of the wagering event. 
     
     
         11 . The tournament system of  claim 8 , wherein the outcome of the wagering event is distributed to the entertainment software controller via the game world controller, and the entertainment game is modified by the outcome of the wagering event.