HK1090588A - Text entry within a video game - Google Patents

Description

Text entry in electronic games

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of text entry in electronic devices, and more particularly to a mechanism that is entertaining, efficient, and intuitive to a user for entering information in a limited user input device, such as an electronic game controller.

Background

The rapid popularity of the internet has transformed many previously independent actions into public ones, where interactions between individuals are increasingly important. One such example is a multiplayer video game in which multiple players of the video game play a synchronized video game and compete against each other in a unified video game environment. For example, many first-person shooter games have been transformed from single games, in which players virtually shoot computer-generated character targets, to multi-player games, in which the targets represent other players, i.e., the character targets are not computer-controlled but are controlled by other players.

The proliferation of multiplayer games has led to a corresponding increase in the desire to communicate with other players. However, user input devices for playing electronic games, game controllers, are typically single-purpose devices that are limited to a relatively small number of buttons and 2 or 3 dimensional directional controls or directional controls having another dimension. Thus, typical game controllers do not provide a convenient mechanism to enter textual information to send to other players.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with the present invention, a user edits a message within a video game paradigm by hitting targets in the video game environment that are associated with message component candidates such as letters, words, and phrases. Each message component candidate has a relative likelihood of selection that is predicted based on the user's general and specific language usage and based on the context of any portion of the message that has been composed. The message component candidates that are more likely to be selected by the user are associated with goals that are more easily achieved in the video game environment or other goals. For example, the video game environment may be a virtual three-dimensional space environment through which a virtual rocket travels, with virtual weapons of the rocket firing at targets moving through the space, where the targets are associated with respective message component candidates. Hitting a target with a virtual weapon will cause the associated message component to be included in the message being edited.

The more likely message component candidates are associated with the more frequently user-approached targets. For example, the letters "t" and "e" are used quite frequently in the English language and, therefore, are more frequently associated with objects floating through the virtual three-dimensional space of the video game environment, particularly those portions of the video game environment that are visible to the user. Less common letters, such as "q" and "z," are still associated with objects moving through the video game space, but less frequently.

Features of the video game target that determine its user's proximity include: (i) a location of the target, and (ii) an amount of time the target remains in the location accessible to the user. In the exemplary case of a rocket traveling through space, the more commonly used message components are more often associated with the target of the "sweet spot" moving through the viewable portion of the video game space, which is usually located slightly to the right, from the user's perspective, slightly above and in the middle. Furthermore, the more commonly used message components are more often associated with objects moving through the viewable portion of the video game space at a slower speed relative to the rocket, so that these objects may be more easily hit by a virtual weapon of the rocket.

When a user hits a target with a simulated weapon or manipulates a virtual rocket to collide with a virtual target in the video game space, the associated message component is thus selected by the user and included in the message edited by the user. This enables a user to generate information and enjoy information writing using only a limited input device that is commonly used with video games.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a dedicated game-playing computer connected to a television, game controller and the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a dedicated game playing computer according to the present invention, showing a computer configuration for information editing.

Fig. 3 is a logic flow diagram of an information editing technique implemented by the computer of fig. 1 and 2 in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a screen window for message editing within a gaming environment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a screen view of message editing within another gaming environment according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

In accordance with the present invention, targets such as targets 408 and 410 (FIG. 4) and 508 (FIG. 5) of the video game are associated with message components selected by a user through conventional video game playing techniques to compose a message. The message components associated with the video game object are generated based on a likelihood that each respective message component will be selected as determined by predictive analysis of the message being composed, such as message 404 (fig. 4) or message 504 (fig. 5).

Consider a screen window 402 (fig. 4) of a sentence making of information 404 in accordance with the present invention. The video game sequence includes a rocket 406 that is manipulated by a user using conventional video game playing techniques, as will be described more fully below. The targets of the video game text entry mechanism of fig. 4 include letters 408, each of which is a candidate to be appended to message 404, and words 410, each of which is also a candidate for automatic word-grouping in message 404. The user selects letters 408 or words 410 for inclusion in message 404, either by causing the rocket to fly over these letters and words or by causing simulated weapons of rocket 406 to shoot these letters and words.

To help the user make the sentence of information 404 fairly efficient, the targets representing more likely choices for the user are placed so that they are easier to select. Screen window 402 includes a "sweet spot" area 412, i.e., an area that is generally more centered in the user's focus and thus more accessible to the user. The most likely candidate component for the continuation information 404 is made to appear within the region 412. In this example, region 412 is a region slightly above and to the right of the center of screen window 402.

In the illustrative example shown in FIG. 4, information 404 begins with "Hel …". Possible candidates for the next letter include "l", "i", and "p", according to predictive analysis as described more fully below. In addition, predictive analysis has determined that the user presumably wants to determine the word "Hello". Thus, the target 408 representing the letters "l", "i", and "p" and the target 410 representing the word "Hello" are presented to the user in area 412 for selection.

It is also possible that the user wants to append unlikely candidates to the information 404. Thus, unlikely candidates are also presented to the user periodically, but less frequently than more likely candidates. For the text input to be interesting, the position, trajectory and time of occurrence of the objects 408 and 410 are random as desired by the video game player. However, the more likely candidates are weighted such that their locations are more likely to be within region 412 and they appear more frequently, sweeping rocket 406 slower. It is also possible that a highly likely candidate component appears outside of region 412 and sweeps very quickly with respect to other targets. However, this is less likely to occur due to the likelihood weighting given to possible candidates, as possible candidates will appear more often, frequently within region 412 and sweep slowly. Conversely, unlikely candidates are also weighted such that they appear less frequently, appear further outside of region 412, and skim more rapidly.

Thus, for competing users, the trivial task of typing messages will become a wild, virtual flight through the meteor belt of letters and words in which the user composes messages by flying through the letters and words or by exploding the letters and words with the virtual weapons of rocket 406.

FIG. 5 illustrates a similar text entry mechanism implemented in a different video game paradigm, namely the now ubiquitous first-person shooter video game paradigm. Information 504 is similar to information 404 (fig. 4), and target 508 (fig. 5) is a virtual soldier to be shot by a user with gun 506. Each goal 508 is associated with a letter 510 or a word 512. In the first-person shooter paradigm, the target 508 does not move quickly through the screen window 502. Thus, to expedite composing the information 504, the letters 510 and words 512 associated with each goal 508 are periodically changed. The variations of the candidate components that are random and weighted according to the likelihood of selection by the user include (i) the frequency associated with the goal 508, (ii) the duration associated with the goal 508, and (iii) the virtual proximity to the user of the goal 508 with which the candidate components are associated. Thus, candidates that are more likely to be selected by the user will be associated more frequently with objectives 508 that are closer to the user and for longer durations. From the user's perspective, unlikely letters and words will appear less frequently, more briefly, and far from the target 508. The user attaches the selected letter 510 or word 512 by hitting the target 508 where the selected letter or word appears.

Other video game paradigms may also be used to associate message component candidates with game objectives. For example, a car racing game may have items on the road that a user may select informational components associated with by driving through and/or over the items. For example, the items may be trash items lying on the street or simple pictorial representations of the message component candidates themselves. Another example includes a rink or snowboard video game paradigm where targets may be rails, steps, jumps, ramps, etc., that are bypassed by skating or snowboarding, each target being associated with a respective candidate message component. Of course, it is not feasible to fully list all game paradigms with which message component candidates can be feasibly associated for message composition in accordance with the present invention. It should be appreciated that the particular game paradigm in which message writing is incorporated, as described herein, is not particularly important to the message writing mechanisms described herein.

In the illustrative embodiment, screen windows 402 and 502 are generated on television 104 (FIG. 1) by video game device 102. The video game device 102 is responsive to signals generated by a user by physically manipulating the game controller 106. The electronic gaming apparatus 102 is also capable of communicating with other electronic gaming apparatuses and other computers and/or electronic devices over a wide area network 108, which in this illustrative embodiment is the internet.

The video game device 102 is a single-use computer that plays video games in the form of computer programs. In another embodiment, video game device 102 may generally be any device that may be used to send information and play video games, such as a general purpose computer executing a video game program or a mobile computing device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a mobile phone with video game playing capabilities. In these various embodiments, television 104 may be replaced with a display built into or associated with video game device 102.

Video game device 102 has the same architecture as most computers currently available, as shown in detail in FIG. 2. Video game device 102 includes one or more microprocessors 202, each of which retrieves data and/or instructions from memory 204 and executes the retrieved instructions in a conventional manner. Memory 204 may generally include any type of computer-readable memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), and permanent storage media such as magnetic and/or optical disks. Electronic games are typically published in the form of removable storage media such as optical disks or memory cartridges, and memory 204 includes any device capable of accessing such removable storage media, as well as any such removable storage media itself.

Microprocessor 202 and memory 204 are interconnected by an interconnection element 206, which in the illustrative embodiment is a bus. The interconnection element 206 is also connected to one or more user input devices 208, one or more output devices 210 (fig. 2), and network access circuitry 212. For example, input device 208 includes game controller 106 (FIG. 1). Output device 210 includes television 104 (fig. 1). The network access circuit 212 may generally be any network connection such as a modem or any type of ethernet network adapter.

Memory 204 includes a message composer 220, a message transfer agent 222, a game engine 224, a prediction engine 226, and a prediction database 228. In the illustrative embodiment, each of message composer 220, message delivery agent 222, game engine 224, and prediction engine 226 is all or part of one or more computer processes executed by processor 202 from memory 204. Prediction database 228 is a collection of organized data that is accessible by prediction engine 226.

Message composer 220 provides an interface through which a user of video game device 102 can compose messages for delivery to another user over the internet 108. The messaging proxy 222 implements a messaging protocol by which the composed messages are delivered to other users. Examples of messaging protocols include the known Short Message Service (SMS), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol (POP), internet information access protocol (IMAP), and various instant messaging protocols currently available.

Game engine 224 provides an electronic game user interface framework in which message composer 220 can interact with a user to compose messages in an electronic game environment. In the exemplary environment of screen window 402 (FIG. 4), game engine 224 handles the movement of rocket 406, letters 408, and words 410 through a simulated three-dimensional space environment. Game engine 224 controls such simulated movement in accordance with signals received from game controller 106 in response to physical manipulation by a user. In addition, game engine 224 controls the simulation of weapon firing of rocket 406 based on these signals received from game controller 106. Game engine 224 also simulates the dramatic explosion of letters 408 and words 410 upon successful selection of these letters and words by hitting them with a simulated weapon or flying rocket 406 through them.

In the exemplary environment of screen window 502 (FIG. 5), game engine 224 causes and simulates movement of an object 508 in the form of a humanoid soldier wearing futuristic body armor. Game engine 224 also processes the three-dimensional transmissions and observes changes based on signals received from game controller 106, such as turning left or right and moving forward or backward. When a letter 510 or word 512 is selected by the user, such as by hitting the associated target 508. Upon successful hit of the target 508 by the user, game engine 224 causes simulation of a particularly painfully-enduring death of the hit target, preferably with substantial bleeding and wound clotting, and in some embodiments, simulation of naturally-occurring humanoid burning.

Prediction engine 226 (fig. 2) analyzes any previously determined letters and/or words of the message being composed to predict candidate components of letters and/or words that will be subsequently appended by the user to the message. In the exemplary context of screen window 402 (FIG. 4), information 404 includes the text "Hel," and prediction engine 226 has selected the possible candidate components as "l," i, "and" p "and has determined that the word intended by the user is likely" Hello. Similarly, in The exemplary context of screen window 502 (fig. 5), information 504 includes The text "The boardmenting ha" and prediction engine 226 has selected The possible candidate components as letters "d" and "s" and has determined that The word intended by The user is likely to be "has".

Predictive database 228 is used by predictive engine 226 to determine and evaluate the relative likelihoods of potential candidate groups of desired letters and words. In one embodiment, the predictive engine 226 uses the predictive database 228 to evaluate the relative likelihood of potential candidate groups of intended letters and words in the manner described in co-owned and pending U.S. patent application 10/360,537 entitled "text entry mechanism for keypads" filed on 14.1.2003, commonly owned by Roland e.williams and Robert B.O' Dell, the description components of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The manner in which message composer 220 implements user-controlled message composition is illustrated by logic flow diagram 300 (fig. 3). Looping steps 302 and 320 define a loop in which each word of the information that the user wants to enter is processed according to steps 304-318. In each iteration of the loop of steps 302-320, the particular word of the information being processed is sometimes referred to as a subject word.

Looping steps 304 and 316 define a loop in which each portion of the subject word is processed according to steps 306-314. In each iteration of the loop of steps 304-316, the particular portion being processed is sometimes referred to as a subject portion. The portion may be any portion of the information entered by the user including, for example, letters, groups of letters, syllables, words for automatically completing the subject word, and phrases for automatically completing the subject word and automatically including additional subsequent words.

At step 306, message composer 220 (FIG. 2) requests prediction engine 226 to provide candidate message components having corresponding relative likelihoods of being selected by the user. In response, prediction engine 226 determines possible message component candidates in the manner described above and ranks the message component candidates in descending order of likelihood of selection by the user. In another embodiment, the prediction engine 226 can also provide a quantified likelihood of user selection. In the first iteration of the loop of steps 302-320, the information being edited has no previously entered characters or words. In subsequent iterations, prediction engine 226 predicts candidate information components using previously entered characters and/or words of the information being edited based on the context of the partially formed information.

Message composer 220 provides message component candidates and associated relative likelihoods of user selection to game engine 224. In step 308 (FIG. 3), game engine 224 (FIG. 2) generates an objective, such as objective 508, with which a message component may be associated. The targets are generated from an electronic gaming environment, which is sometimes referred to as a theme electronic gaming environment. In the illustrative example of screen window 502 (FIG. 5), target 508 is a prospective soldier in a first-person shooter video game environment.

At step 310 (FIG. 3), game engine 224 (FIG. 2) configures the objectives according to the respective likelihoods of selection for the respective related information components. As described above, the objectives 508 have associated characteristics such as their location within the screen window 502 and the duration of time that a particular information component is associated with each objective 508. Game engine 224 selects message component candidates and selects other characteristics, such as which goal 508 and associated duration, based on the respective likelihood of selection. For example, more likely candidates are associated with more recent targets 508 more often and for a longer duration than less likely candidates.

In step 312 (FIG. 3), game engine 224 (FIG. 2) receives a user-generated input signal by which the user selects a particular associated target. Game engine 224 determines the selection of the target using conventional video game technology. For example, in the context of screen window 402 (FIG. 4), game engine 224 controls virtual flight of rocket 406 through a virtual three-dimensional space and controls virtual trajectories of virtual weapons in accordance with user physical manipulation of a user input device, such as game controller 106. Game engine 224 (fig. 2) also compares the virtual trajectory to the virtual positions of letters 408 and words 410 to determine whether the letter or word was hit by a virtual weapon. Since the entire environment is virtual and controlled by the game engine 224, the game engine 224 is able to determine whether a particular target was successfully selected by the user.

In the context of screen window 502 (fig. 5), game engine 224 also controls the entire virtual environment, including virtual gun 506 and the virtual soldiers as objectives 508 and their relative orientation, and as such, can readily determine whether a virtual bullet hits a virtual soldier in a lethal manner to determine whether the user has selected a particular objective 508. In some embodiments, only any of the objectives 508 are wounded to both select that objective 508 and freeze the association of the word 512 or character 510 so that the user can again select the associated message component. Thus, the user may enter "www" by wounding the object associated with the letter "w" twice before killing the relevant object. Simulating the removal of a limb based on merely wounding any one of the objectives 508 may be particularly interesting for game engine 224, but this also inhibits emphasizing words or ideas by copying the same character in large numbers, which is prevalent in currently used text management systems. For example, a user may edit information such as "You are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky! To elongate and emphasize the word "so". In a preferred embodiment, each goal 508 should be sufficiently preserved after being wounded so that the user can edit such an elongated word by repeatedly wounding the goal without killing the goal.

In step 314, game engine 224 (FIG. 2) reports to message composer 220 which message component has been selected by the user, and message composer 220 appends the selected message component to the message being composed. Thus, when the user reaches targets, such as by shooting, flying through, pressing against those targets, etc., the associated message components are combined within the subject message and the subject message is updated to the messages 404 and 504 displayed in the screen windows 402 and 502, respectively. If the selected message component is a single character, the character is appended to the subject word. If the selected message component is a word or phrase, the word or phrase is interpreted by message composer 220 to complete the subject word.

After step 314, processing transfers from step 316 to loop step 304, where steps 306 and 314 are repeated until the subject word is complete. The user is provided with a user interface mechanism by which the user can indicate that the subject word has been completed. One such mechanism that has been described is the selection of words, such as word 410, as the word-composing information component. Additionally, pressing a predetermined button on game controller 106 (FIG. 1) may indicate that a complete word has been entered. The user, through another user interface mechanism, may indicate that the completed word will include in the candidate message components non-alphanumeric characters from which the user may select, such non-alphanumeric characters may include punctuation, including a space character delimiting a complete sentence.

Upon the user indicating that the subject word is complete, processing transfers from loop step 304 to step 318 where message composer 220 appends the completed word or phrase to the subject message.

After step 318, processing transfers through step 320 to loop step 302, where the next word of information desired by the user is processed in the manner described above. The game engine 312 also provides a mechanism by which the user can indicate that the desired information has been completely determined and accurately represented, such as information 404 in screen window 402. Such a user interface mechanism may be, for example, a designated button on game controller 106 (FIG. 1).

When the user has indicated that the message is complete, processing transfers from loop step 302 to step 322 where message composer 220 passes the completed message to message delivery agent 222. The messaging agent 222 sends the information over the internet 108 to the recipient designated by the user. The recipient may be designated in any manner. The recipient may be implicitly determined as the sender of the information the user is replying to or may be a particular competitor to a game recently or currently played by the user. The user may also select from a list of known contacts that use the video game paradigm in the manner described above with respect to the information component.

At step 324, message composer 220 clears the message so that a new message can be subsequently determined.

The above description is illustrative only and not restrictive. Accordingly, the description is to be construed as illustrative only and the invention is to be defined solely by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (45)

1. A method of creating information from a user-generated signal, the method comprising:

determining two or more message component candidates; determining the relative likelihood of each candidate message component being selected by the user;

associating each of the message component candidates with a respective target in an interactive gaming environment, the interactive gaming environment simulating a three-dimensional gaming space;

receiving a signal generated by a user according to a game environment;

determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of a selected target within the interactive gaming environment; and

the message component candidates associated with the selected target are included in the message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message component candidates include message component candidates in the form of individual letters.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message component candidates include message component candidates in whole-word form.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the message component candidates include phrase-form message component candidates for a plurality of words.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein associating comprises:

each message component candidate is associated with a respective target according to its respective relative likelihood of selection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each target has a virtual position in the simulated game space that maps to a position in the display that is visible to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with the respective targets, the virtual locations of which are mapped to more accessible regions of the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the more accessible region includes a center of the display and does not include a border portion of the display.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the more accessible region includes more of the display to the right of center than to the left of center.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the more accessible region includes more of the upper central portion than the lower central portion.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the more accessible region is mapped from a virtual location within a predetermined proximity of the user's virtual location in the simulated game space.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with the respective targets.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are more frequently associated with the respective targets for longer durations.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents firing of a simulated weapon within the interactive game space has hit a selected target within the interactive game environment.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents a maneuver of the simulated vehicle within the interactive game space having caused a collision with a selected object within the interactive game environment.

16. A computer readable medium usable with a computer, wherein the computer includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions configured to cause the computer to create information from a signal generated by a user by:

determining two or more message component candidates;

determining the relative likelihood of each candidate message component being selected by the user;

associating each of the message component candidates with a respective target in an interactive gaming environment, the interactive gaming environment simulating a three-dimensional gaming space;

receiving a signal generated by a user according to a game environment;

determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of a selected target within the interactive gaming environment; and

the message component candidates associated with the selected target are included in the message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the message component candidates include message component candidates in the form of individual letters.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the message component candidates include whole-word message component candidates.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the message component candidates include phrase-form message component candidates for a plurality of words.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein associating comprises:

each message component candidate is associated with a respective target according to its respective relative likelihood of selection.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein each target has a virtual position in the simulated game space that maps to a position in the display that is viewable by the user.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with the respective targets whose virtual locations are mapped to more accessible regions of the display.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the more accessible region includes a center of the display and does not include a border portion of the display.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the more accessible region includes more of the display to the right of center than to the left of center.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the more accessible region includes more of the upper central portion than the lower central portion.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the more accessible region is mapped from a virtual location within a predetermined proximity of the user's virtual location in the simulated game space.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the association of message components with respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with respective targets.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the association of message components with respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are more frequently associated with respective targets for longer durations.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents firing of a simulated weapon within the interactive game space has hit a selected target within the interactive game environment.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents a maneuver of the simulated vehicle within the interactive game space having caused a collision with a selected object within the interactive game environment.

31. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory operatively connected to the processor; and

an information input module that (i) executes in the processor from the memory; and (ii) when executed by a processor, causes a computer to create information from a user-generated signal by:

determining two or more message component candidates;

determining the relative likelihood of each candidate message component being selected by the user;

associating each message component candidate with a respective target in the interactive gaming environment

In conjunction, the interactive gaming environment simulates a three-dimensional gaming space;

receiving a signal generated by a user according to a game environment;

determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of a selected target within the interactive gaming environment; and

the message component candidates associated with the selected target are included in the message.

32. The computer system of claim 31 wherein the message component candidates include message component candidates in the form of individual letters.

33. The computer system of claim 31 wherein the message component candidates include whole-word message component candidates.

34. The computer system of claim 31 wherein the message component candidates include phrase-form message component candidates for a plurality of words.

35. The computer system of claim 31, wherein associating comprises:

each message component candidate is associated with a respective target according to its respective relative likelihood of selection.

36. The computer system of claim 35, wherein each target has a virtual position in the simulated game space that maps to a position in the display that is visible to the user.

37. The computer system of claim 36, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with the respective targets whose virtual locations are mapped to more accessible regions of the display.

38. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the more accessible region includes a center of the display and does not include a border portion of the display.

39. The computer system of claim 38, wherein the more accessible region includes more of the display to the right of center than to the left of center.

40. The computer system of claim 38, wherein the more accessible region includes more of the upper portion of the center than the lower portion of the center.

41. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the more accessible region is mapped from a virtual location within a predetermined proximity of a user's virtual location in the simulated game space.

42. The computer system of claim 35, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are associated more frequently with the respective targets.

43. The computer system of claim 35, wherein the association of the message components with the respective targets is weighted such that message component candidates having higher relative likelihoods of selection are more frequently associated with the respective targets for longer durations.

44. The computer system of claim 31, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents firing of a simulated weapon within the interactive game space has hit a selected target within the interactive game environment.

45. The computer system of claim 31, wherein determining that the signal represents a successful achievement of the selected goal within the interactive gaming environment comprises:

determining that the signal represents a maneuver of the simulated vehicle within the interactive game space having caused a collision with a selected object within the interactive game environment.