Collaborative electronic game play employing player classification and aggregation

Abstract

A method and system tracks, analyzes or sorts behaviors of user or players across a network to draw correlations from, or characterizations of, those user or players and identifies similarly characterized or mutually complementary user or players. For example, the method automatically obtains player data regarding interactions by each of multiple players with a multiplayer electronic game via each player's corresponding data processing device connected via the network. The method can then sort, classify or suggest additional activities, games, groups, or other different activities or actions for the players.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for characterizing users of networked computer games, the method comprising:
 identifying one or more characteristics of a first user of a first networked computer game;   automatically identifying, with computer hardware comprising one or more processors, one or more actions performed by the first user, wherein the first user employs a data processing device in communication with the networked computer game via a public computer network;   determining a first criterion based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the first user and the one or more actions performed by the first user;   associating the first criterion with the first user;   identifying one or more characteristics of one or more second users of the first networked computer game;   automatically identifying, with computer hardware comprising one or more processors, one or more actions performed by the one or more second users, wherein the one or more second users employ one or more data processing devices in communication with the networked computer game via the public computer network;   determining one or more second criterion based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the one or more second users and the one or more actions performed by the one or more second users;   associating the one or more second criterion with the one or more second users;   analyzing the first criterion and the one or more second criterion to determine one or more relationships between the first criterion and the one or more second criterion; and   providing, based at least in part on the one or more relationships between the first criterion and the one or more second criterion, the first user with an option related to a networked computer game.