GAME DOSSIER FOR AN ADVISORY SERVICES NETWORK

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to maintain and operate a player-generated dossier within a gaming platform implemented as an advisory services network. Within the context of a serious game designed around a complex business problem of an organization, players can navigate a plurality of narrative scenes associated with pieces of evidence. A player, leveraging individuality, can select specific pieces of evidence to be included in a dossier. Further mechanisms are provided to enable the user to remove items from the dossier, add portions of evidence to the dossier, publish the dossier to other players of the serious game, and arrange items in the dossier according to a variety of ordering schemes.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The subject disclosure relates to an in-game dossier for a game, e.g., within an advisory services network, which summarizes a perspective of a player with regard to an apparent problem and/or supports a solution for the apparent problem developed by the player.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In enterprise business, the importance of information technology (IT) is ever increasing. Large enterprise organizations rely more and more on robust technology products and related services to support their businesses. Over the past several decades, a large consulting services industry has developed to support and service these large enterprise organizations. Typically, consulting organizations apply one model in executing consulting services. This model involves top-performing, senior level consultants developing customer service partnerships with large enterprise organizations. The senior level consultants leverage a large number of junior consultants to design IT solutions. This model, however, is not easily scalable, it is labor intensive and thus expensive, and does not guarantee quality results. In addition, consulting organizations attempt to leverage previous solutions, developed for other customers, as a means for raising profit margins. This approach leads to non-differentiated solutions which partially address core problems of the enterprises.

[0003] Enterprise organizations seek the assistance of consultants to identify, analyze, and solve complex business problems. Complex business problems, as the name suggests, can be extremely complex, and result from various factors. For instance, complex business problems can arise from a series of business changes, rapid growth of businesses, technology changes, and/or technological limitations.

[0004] Enterprise organizations, who understand their businesses to a greater extent than consulting firms, desire a collaborative approach in which the enterprise organizations and consulting firms work closely to develop creative business solutions for complex problems. Accordingly, it can be beneficial to leverage business knowledge, held by the enterprise organizations, to immerse a team of consultants into the problems faced by the enterprise organizations in order to develop effective solutions.

[0005] One possible immersion mechanism is "serious" games. Serious games can encompass many forms and subject matters and teach players information relating to education, health, science, law and government, computers, and/or a multitude of other subjects. Typically, computer games are designed for entertainment purposes. However, with serious games, the goal is to train and educate players through a planned curriculum and set of objectives. Players can learn new material in a fun, educational environment. Conventional serious games, while challenging, are not aimed at real-life business problems nor provide clear problems statements and solutions which can be implemented by enterprise organizations. Rather, conventional serious games are designed to look at societal weaknesses and/or extreme world disaster scenarios in the world and in the future without regard to the existence of workable solutions.

[0006] Another challenge with consulting services and immersion mechanisms arises due to the sheer complexity of problems faced by enterprise organizations. For example, complex problems can involve vast amounts of data which can require research and analysis by a wide array of experts to comprehend the complex situations presented by the complex problems and any possible implications. Enterprise organizations can spend countless hours building data portfolios containing details which summarize the what, why, when, where, who, and how of a complex business problem. After data compilation, experts read, parse, review, and absorb all the information in order to develop a reasonable problem statement.

[0007] Reviewing volumes of data takes time and money due to people researching and creating systematic approaches to reduce the volumes of data into a reasonable problem concept. Housing the volumes of data within a serious game can reduce an amount of data flow between experts as the information is retained within a single environment. However, the experts continue to expend significant and time consuming effort to reduce the volumes of data into a problem statement.

[0008] The above-described deficiencies of conventional consulting solutions are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems and techniques, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with conventional systems and techniques, and corresponding benefits of the various non-limiting embodiments described herein may become further apparent upon review of the following description.

SUMMARY

[0009] A simplified summary is provided herein to help enable a basic or general understanding of various aspects of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments that follow in the more detailed description and the accompanying drawings. This summary is not intended, however, as an extensive or exhaustive overview. Instead, the sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts related to some exemplary non-limiting embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description of the various embodiments that follow.

[0010] In various, non-limiting embodiments, an advisory services network is provided that enables enterprise organizations to identify complex business problems from apparent business problems, immerse a diverse group of people in the businesses of the enterprise organizations, and promote collaboration to develop viable solutions to the complex business problems. An enterprise organization can supply a collection of data to enable members of the diverse group of people to immerse themselves into the problem space, participate in creative discussions, and brainstorm potential solutions. The advisory services network can include a gaming platform on which instances of serious games can be developed and deployed. Serious games deployed on the gaming platform guide players (e.g., members of the diverse group of people sourced by the advisory services network) through a thought-provoking environment in which the players uncover idiosyncrasies and complexities of the business of an enterprise organization. Through the serious games on the gaming platform, players are immersed in the problem space of the enterprise organization. The players are encouraged to identify real problems of the enterprise organization, for which solutions are currently unknown, and develop potential solutions to those real problems. The gaming platform further enables sharing of ideas among players, discussions among players, and other player interactions to facilitate compounding of perspectives and solutions among a diverse group.

[0011] In yet another embodiment, a dossier is provided as a game element within the environment supported by the gaming platform. The dossier, in one aspect, operates as a personal collection of data items (e.g., evidence) built by players of the game. For instance, a player can review evidence related to a complex problem and select specific items which the player believes best represents the complex problem. The dossier enables the player build a case on the complex problem by adding evidence to the dossier, removing evidence from the dossier, organizing evidence in the dossier, tagging evidence in the dossier, annotating evidence in the dossier. The dossier can be shared with other players and/or experts also participating in the game.

[0012] These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Various non-limiting embodiments are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting advisory services network for sourcing a group to develop solutions to complex problems;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for developing solutions to complex business problems via crowd sourcing;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of an advisory services network implemented as a gaming platform;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for a gaming environment which immerses players in a business of an enterprise organization facing a complex business problem;

[0018] FIG. 5 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface of a gaming environment of an advisory services network;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of advisory services network hosting a game instance;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for incorporating data items into a game dossier;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an exemplary non-limiting embodiment for incorporating a particular portion of a data item into a game dossier;

[0022] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for removing data items from a game dossier;

[0023] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of item management within a dossier;

[0024] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for tagging an item stored in a game dossier;

[0025] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of incorporating annotations to metadata associated with an item stored in a game dossier;

[0026] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for ordering items in a game dossier according to an ordering criterion;

[0027] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for modifying an order of items in a game dossiers in accordance with an ordering instruction;

[0028] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of ordering items in a game dossier;

[0029] FIG. 16 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a variety of ordering schemes in accordance with one or more embodiments;

[0030] FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for initiating discussions among a plurality of players regarding a game dossier;

[0031] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting act of sharing a game dossier to a plurality of players to facilitate discussion or dissemination;

[0032] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting act of publishing a game dossier to a discussion forum to facilitate review by a plurality of players;

[0033] FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for presenting a collection of game dossiers to an enterprise entity related to a game environment;

[0034] FIG. 21 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of several user interfaces of a dossier viewer;

[0035] FIG. 22 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface of a game dossier within a gaming environment;

[0036] FIG. 23 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface of a game dossier within a gaming environment;

[0037] FIG. 24 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface of a game dossier within a gaming environment;

[0038] FIG. 25 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface for managing groups employed to tag items stored in a game dossier;

[0039] FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary dossier module of a serious game in accordance with one or more embodiments;

[0040] FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting advisory services network system in accordance with one or more embodiments;

[0041] FIG. 28 is a block diagram representing exemplary non-limiting networked environments in which various embodiments described herein can be implemented; and

[0042] FIG. 29 is a block diagram representing an exemplary non-limiting computing system or operating environment in which one or more aspects of various embodiments described herein can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

General Overview

[0043] As discussed in the background, conventional consulting services employ a non-scalable and expensive business model that often produces non-differentiated solutions to enterprise organizations facing complex problems. In addition, a large volume of information is typically associated with the complex problems, which requires a significant effort to absorb and understand. Accordingly, conventional consulting services cannot cost effectively immerse themselves in the business of enterprise organizations in order to provide high quality, viable solutions to complex problems.

[0044] In various, non-limiting embodiments, an advisory services network is provided that enables enterprise organizations to identify complex business problems from apparent business problems, immerse a diverse group of people in the businesses of the enterprise organizations, and promote collaboration to develop viable solutions to the complex business problems. An enterprise organization can supply case studies of real-life scenarios, data, ethnographic interviews to convey multiple views of problematic areas, etc., to enable members of the diverse group of people to immerse themselves into the problem space, participate in creative discussions, and brainstorm potential solutions. In addition to immersion, the advisory services network can improve solution building processes through identification of subject matter experts. The subject matter experts, drawn from the diverse group of players interacting in the advisory services network, can collaborate, co-innovate, and problem solve in a virtual team environment fostered by the advisory services network.

[0045] According to a further embodiment, the advisory services network can include a gaming platform on which instances of serious games can be developed and deployed. Serious games deployed on the gaming platform guide players (e.g., members of the diverse group of people sourced by the advisory services network) through a thought-provoking environment in which the players uncover idiosyncrasies and complexities of the business of an enterprise organization. Through the serious games on the gaming platform, players are immersed in the problem space of the enterprise organization. The players are encouraged to identify real problems of the enterprise organization and develop potential solutions to those real problems. The gaming platform further enables sharing of ideas among players, discussions among players, and other player interactions to facilitate compounding of perspectives and solutions among a diverse group.

[0046] In yet another embodiment, a dossier is provided as a game element within the environment supported by the gaming platform. The dossier, in one aspect, operates as a personal collection of data items (e.g., evidence) built by players of the game. For instance, a player can review evidence related to a complex problem and select specific items which the player believes best represents the complex problem. The dossier enables the player build a case on the complex problem by adding evidence to the dossier, removing evidence from the dossier, organizing evidence in the dossier, tagging evidence in the dossier, annotating evidence in the dossier. The dossier can be shared with other players and/or experts also participating in the game.

[0047] In one embodiment, a dossier subsystem of a network gaming platform is described herein that includes an item management module configured to add a first data item of a plurality of data items to a digital dossier associated with a player of the network gaming platform, to add portion of a second data item of the plurality of data items to the digital dossier, or to remove a first dossier item previously included in the digital dossier. In an example, the plurality of data items relate to evidence with a game, hosted on the network gaming platform, in which a variety of players of the game attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found. In another example, the item management module can be further configured to receive reduction parameters from the player and extract a portion of the second data item based upon the reduction parameters. The reduction parameters can, in an aspect, specify a region of interest of the second data item and include boundary information of the region with respect to an entirety of the second data item.

[0048] According to further embodiments, the dossier subsystem can include an annotation module configured to acquire supplemental information and incorporate the supplemental information in metadata associated with a dossier item in the digital dossier. In an example, the supplemental information can originate from a player. However, in another example, the supplemental information can be generated from a learning module configured to employ machine learning techniques to derive the supplemental information. In another embodiment, the dossier subsystem includes an ordering module configured to maintain an ordering of a plurality of dossier items in the digital dossier. The ordering module can be further configured to obtain at least one ordering criterion that specifies an order condition relative to a set of values respectively associated with the plurality of dossier items and to order the plurality of dossier items in accordance with the at least one ordering criterion. In addition, the ordering module can be configured to receive an ordering instruction that indicates a placement of an item in the ordering of the plurality of dossier items and to modify the ordering to reflect the placement of the item specified in the ordering instructions.

[0049] In yet another embodiment, the dossier subsystem includes a publishing module configured to create a discussion thread related to the digital dossier and to expose the discussion thread to a plurality of players of the gaming platform. The dossier subsystem can also include a dossier viewer module configured to generate a user interface for displaying a plurality of digital dossiers of the gaming platform.

[0050] According to further embodiments, a method is described herein that includes storing a plurality of data items in a digital dossier employable in a game in which a variety of players of the game attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found, receiving a command from a player of the game, and managing the digital dossier in accordance with the command. In an example, the command can be an item add command and the method can include obtaining a new data item from a collection of data outside the digital dossier and including at least one of a copy of the new data item or a reference to the new data item in the digital dossier. In another example, the command is an item removal command and the method includes removing an existing data item from the digital dossier in response to the item removal command. In yet another example, the command is a publish command and the method can include creating a discussion thread about the digital dossier and exposing the digital dossier to a plurality of players of the game via the discussion thread. According to a further example, the command is an ordering command and the method includes arranging the plurality of data items of the digital dossier based upon at least one of an ordering criterion or an ordering instruction included in the ordering command.

[0051] In an additional embodiment, a gaming platform of an advisory services network is described herein that includes a game engine, associated with an instance of a game, and configured to manage execution of the game, wherein the game involves a variety of players whom attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found. The gaming platform also includes a plurality of data storage locations such as an evidence data store configured to retain a collection of data related to a complex business problem faced by a sponsor of the game, wherein the collection of data is received from the sponsor, a game information store configured to store scene information regarding a plurality of scenes of the game and narrative information for the plurality of scenes, a dossier store configured to retain digital dossiers generated by players of the game, and a discussion store configured to retain discussion threads. Further, the game engine can include a dossier module configured to manage and maintain the digital dossiers in the dossier store. According to an example, the dossier module is further to, in response to player input, at least one of add items from the collection of data to a digital dossier, remove items from the digital dossier, reorder items in the digital dossier, or publish the digital dossier to a discussion thread.

[0052] Herein, an overview of some of the embodiments for a dossier in an advisory services network gaming platform has been presented above. As a roadmap for what follows next, an overview of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments and features of an advisory services network and/or an advisory services network gaming platform are described in more detail. Then, various exemplary, non-limiting embodiments and features for dossiers in the gaming platform are described. Finally, some non-limiting implementations and examples are given for additional illustration, followed by representative network and computing environments in which such embodiments and/or features can be implemented.

Overview of an Advisory Services Network and Gaming Platform

[0053] As mentioned above, in various embodiments, an advisory services network enables consulting services to be rendered to enterprise organizations facing complex problems. The advisory service network, unlike conventional consulting business models, does not rely on a handful of senior consultants maintaining customer relationships while junior consultants handle problem solving. The advisory services network provides immersion mechanisms through utilization of ethnography, capitalizes on a crowd sourcing to a diverse group and engages identified experts in a talent marketplace to develop quality solutions to enterprise organizations.

[0054] The advisory services network implements several primary aspects. First, the advisory services network facilitates transforming the problem. Transforming the problem includes methodology to immerse experts in real-life case studies to identify with complex problems faced by enterprise organizations. For instance, transforming the problem can involve the use of ethnography (e.g., real-life interviews and observations) to obtain perspective on a culture, problems, and experiences of an enterprise organization. In addition, transforming the problem can involve various immersion tactics to place the consultants within the advisory services network in the place of the enterprise organization, e.g., walk in their shoes. Further, transforming the problem can include querying a crowd to expose uncover a core problem or identify other problems. The advisory services network can also facilitate crowd sourcing a solution, including methodology to utilize a large diverse group of individuals to solve complex problems. Finally, the advisory services network can implement a talent marketplace with methodology to leverage solution concepts and transform solution concepts into collaborative solutions.

[0055] In a specific, non-limiting embodiment, the advisory services network can be implemented as a gaming platform to coordinate transforming the problem, crowd sourcing problem solving, and engaging experienced talent to develop real world solutions. A serious game, e.g., a game with a primary objective to be fun and educational, can be developed on the gaming platform. The game can be based around one or more complex problems plaguing an enterprise organization. In particular, the developed game can include a back story, a plurality of narratives, and evidence (e.g., videos, graphics, documents, data, etc.).

[0056] The game immerses players (e.g., members of a diverse source group of the advisory services network) into the problem space of the enterprise organization. The game challenges players to identify real problems from apparent problems and develop possible solution to the real problems. The game encourages players to share ideas with other players who can provide fresh perspectives and additional input based upon their own, individual findings. As the game pushes more and more players to offer viewpoints and solutions concepts, the game provides mechanisms to enable players to interact, exchange ideas, and discuss ideas. In this manner, the players can modify their own ideas based upon the viewpoints of other players, collaborate together on solutions, and otherwise uncover high quality and robust solutions via perspective compounding.

[0057] With respect to one or more non-limiting aspects of the advisory services network as described above, FIG. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for sourcing a group to develop solutions to complex problems. As shown in FIG. 1, an advisory services network 100 can receive an initial problem statement 102. In an example, an enterprise organization, a business, a governmental organization, or other similar entity experiencing a complex problem can supply initial problem statement 102, which attempts to portray the complex problem. Advisory services network 100 draws upon sourced group 110 to generate and develop one or more solutions 104, which potentially solve the complex problem of the organization supplying initial problem statement 102.

[0058] Sourced group 110 can include diverse group of experts, consultants, and other people. Diversity with sourced group 110 can exist in a variety of ways. For instance, members of sourced group 110 can exhibit diversity in terms of geography, culture, ethnicity, age, education, career, skills, background, experience, etc. Source group 110 can be built to achieve, intentionally, diversity in one or more characteristics. It is also to be appreciated that, as source group 110 grows in size, diversity in a variety of aspects inevitably occurs.

[0059] FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for developing solutions to complex business problems via crowd sourcing. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 can be utilized by advisory service network 100 of FIG. 1 to leverage sourced crowd 110 to develop solutions 104 based upon initial problem statement 102. At 200, an initial problem statement is obtained from an organization. The initial problem statement can convey an apparent problem faced by the organization. According to a non-limiting example, the apparent problem can be related to dataflow and information sharing limitations, capturing and transmitting real-time data, securing the right resources and equipment, brainstorming future innovations, etc.

[0060] At 210, the initial problem statement is transformed to generate multiple perspectives, sub-problems, and/or alternative problems. The problem can be transformed by a diverse group of participants in the advisory services network through direct observations, ethnographic interviews, support documents, etc., which capture various viewpoints of the initial problem statement from employees and associates of the organization. As will be discussed in more detail below, participants in the advisory services network can build dossiers to provide multiple perspectives or views of the problems faced by the organization, to articulate root problems of the organization, and/or to present focused opportunities for the organization in the future. During this phase, the participants immerse themselves in the problem space, review qualitative and quantitative data, and provide a wide variety of insights and perspectives as a result.

[0061] At 220, the transformed problem is crowd sourced to a diverse group. Crowd sourcing is a model that leverages collective insights and experience of the diverse group to produce quality results. At 230, the diverse group is engaged to develop solutions. In a specific, non-limiting example, a rewards-based model can be employed to entice members of the diverse group to participate and develop solution concepts. At 240, solution concepts are built and implemented. For example, in the previous phases, subject matter experts can be identified in the diverse group. Virtual teams can be constructed around these subject matter experts. The virtual teams can collaborate to translate solution concepts, submitted by the diverse group sourced by the advisory service network, into solution designs and architectures. The organization can select one or more solution designs and architectures for implementation and deployment. At 250, implemented solutions are provided to the organization for deployment.

[0062] Turning to FIG. 3, a block diagram is shown illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for a gaming environment which immerses players in problems faced by an organization. As shown in FIG. 3, a gaming platform 300, implementing the advisory services network, on which a serious game can be designed, implemented, and deployed. The serious game, as mentioned above in the Overview, can provide an entertaining and thought provoking environment in which at least a portion of the process described with respect to FIG. 2 can occur. For instance, the serious game can be designed to facilitate solving real-world complex business problems and challenges faced by an organization, such as enterprise entity 302. The serious game of gaming platform 300 is configured to immerse a set of players 304 into the business of enterprise entity 302, to engage and reward the set of players 304 for solution building, and to promote interaction, collaboration, and discussion among the set of players 304.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 3, gaming platform 300 obtains various inputs from enterprise entity 302 and/or the set of players 304. In addition, gaming platform 300 provides various outputs to enterprise entity 302 and the set of players 304. For instance, enterprise entity 302 can supply gaming platform 300 with an initial problem statement specifying an apparent problem and evidence such as videos, audio clips, documents, etc., which further detail the apparent problem. The gaming platform 300 employs the initial problem statement and evidence to establish a setting (e.g., introduction and narrative game content) of the serious game corresponding to the complex problems suffered by enterprise entity 302. The setting provides a story in which the evidence fits while also supporting the evidence.

[0064] The set of players 304, via the established setting, carry out the steps of the advisory services network process described in FIG. 2. For instance, the set of players 300 can provide input to the game in the form of problem perspectives (e.g., description of each player's view of the problems of enterprise entity 302), solution concepts, feedback on solution concepts of other players, interactions and discussions among players, implemented solutions, and the like. Through gaming platform 300, enterprise entity 302 is presented with the problem perspectives, solution concepts, and implemented solutions developed by the set of players 304. In return, the set of players 304 achieve rewards. It is to be appreciated that the inputs and outputs illustrated in FIG. 3 are several examples to facilitate understanding of the gaming platform 300 and are a non-exhaustive listing of the inputs and outputs which can expressed in the gaming platform 300.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for a gaming environment which immerses players in a business of an enterprise organization facing a complex business problem. The embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 is one example of a workflow followed by the set of players 304 of a serious game of gaming platform 300 from FIG. 3. At 400, a player enters a game scenario. At 410, a game narrative association with the game scenario is displayed to the player as an introduction. The narrative, according to an exemplary embodiment, can include a plurality of scenes each portraying a portion of a larger story specifying a complex problem. After reading through the game narrative, the player can begin interacting with the game. Accordingly, at 420, input is obtained from the player. The input provided by the player can take several forms or indicate one of several actions desired by the player. In one example, the input can be a selection of an item of evidence associated with a particular scene of the narrative. In response to this input, at 430, the selected item of evidence is displayed to the player. At 440, the selected item of evidence is added to a dossier associated with the player. The act of adding evidence to the dossier, as well as details of the dossier itself, is described later.

[0066] In another example, the input can be a solution or a solution concept developed by the player. At 450, the solution or solution concept, provided by the player, is obtained. At 460, the solution or solution concept is submitted for review and/or approval by, for example, an organization whose complex problem is modeled within the game. In yet another example, the input can be navigational input to transition the user to a discussion thread hosted within the game. At 470, in response to navigational input obtained from the player, the discussion thread can be retrieved and displayed. The player can read, respond, collaborate, or otherwise participate in the discussion thread. At 480, player input (e.g., posts, etc.) can be incorporated into the discussion thread.

[0067] While FIG. 4 depicts individual input handling paths, it is to be appreciated that such depiction is a simplification to provide a high level overview of potential actions, scenarios, and responses within a game instance of advisory services network gaming platform. For instance, while viewing an item of evidence at 430, the player can provide input for which a game response is to navigate to discussion thread, at 470, associated with or related to the item of evidence. Accordingly, the player is not limited to merely adding the item of evidence to the dossier as a multitude of actions can be taken upon viewing the item of evidence. In another example, submitting a solution, at 460, can start a discussion thread which is navigated to at 470. The game can continue to loop as shown in FIG. 4, wherein the player continues to navigate the narrative, provide input, participate in discussions, etc., until the player exits the game and/or a ending point within the game is reached.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary, non-limiting illustration of a user interface of a gaming environment of an advisory services network. The user interface can be deployed on a standalone application executing on an operating system of a computer or as web-based application executing on a web server and accessed via a web browser. As shown in FIG. 5, the user interface can include a wide array of sections presenting a variety of information. At 500, a logo or name of the system (e.g., "Advisory Services Network") can be displayed along with a name of specific game instance or narrative. In a specific, non-limiting example, the narrative name can be a name or identity of an organization whose complex problem is modeled by the game instance. In another example, the narrative name can be more descriptive and hint or suggest the complex problem of the organization.

[0069] At 502, an indication of time remaining in the game can be displayed. The organization with the complex problem can have a time limit by which it would desire a potential solution to be presented. Such time limit can translate into time duration of the game as shown at 502. At 504, a header portion with header information can be presented. In FIG. 5, header information, in a specific, non-limiting example, can include a greeting and a rank provided to the player in the game. At 506, the player's score can be shown. The score can be utilized to indicate a significance of a player's contribution in the game and/or to serve as a basis to distribute intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to the player.

[0070] At 508, various game support functions can be presented as a series of buttons. For instance, support functions, when selected, can open up modal displays with appropriate controls. As shown in FIG. 5, some exemplary support functions include a leaderboard function, a feedback function, and a help function. At 510, navigational breadcrumbs are depicted. The navigational breadcrumbs serve a dual purpose. Not only do the navigational breadcrumbs indicate a current scene viewed by the player, but the navigational breadcrumbs also depict the choices or path taken by the player to arrive at the current scene. At 512, a list of other players who have played through the current scene. As shown in FIG. 5, and in accordance with one exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, the list of players can be depicted as a series of thumbnail images of avatars or other identifiers associated with the players. This information can enable a player to research other choices, actions, or input from other players regarding the current scene and evidence.

[0071] In FIG. 5, numeral 514 indicates a main content portion of the user interface. Within the main content portion, a scene title (516) can be displayed along with any imagery related to the scene, shown as a primary image at 518 with alternative thumbnail images at 520. Further, a scene narrative, shown at 522, can be presented along with a scrollbar if the narrative extends beyond a viewable pane of the user interface.

[0072] At 524, a related evidence tab is displayed, which can be activated to display a list of evidence supporting the current scene. The tab label, as shown in FIG. 5, can provide an indication of a number of evidence items as well as an indication of a number of discussion threads related to the evidence items. At 526, a dossier tab is depicted which enables access to the player's dossier. The tab label of the dossier tab indicates a number of items included in the player's dossier as well as a number of discussions pertaining to the player's dossier. At 528, a series of navigational options are provided to the player. The navigational options present scenes to which the player can navigate to from the current scene.

[0073] Turning to FIG. 6, illustrated is a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of advisory services network 600 or gaming platform configured to host a plurality of serious game instances. As shown in FIG. 6, the advisory services network 600 hosts a set of game instances 604, where each game instance is a playable serious game. While FIG. 6 depicts the set of game instances 604 having three game instances, it is to be appreciated that FIG. 6 is an exemplary embodiment to illustrate one or more aspects of the advisory service network 600 and that the set of game instances 604 hosted by the advisory service network 600 can include up to N game instances, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one.

[0074] Advisory service network 600 can include a game instance management module 602 configured to administer the set of game instances 604. According to a specific, non-limiting example, the game instance management module 602 can instantiate new game instances. The game instance management module 602 can generate a new game instance from received information provided by a sponsor of the new game instance (e.g., an organization with a complex problem) or developed, by a provider of the advisory services network, based upon information obtained from the sponsor. Specifically, game instance management module 602 creates game instance 606 based upon a collection of data 622 and scenario information 624 provided to the advisory services network 600. The collection of data 622 can include various items of evidence, e.g., photos, videos, audio clips, documents, etc., which support or explain aspects of a complex problem providing the setting of game instance 606. Scenario information 624 can include a series of narratives divided into scenes which organize the collection of data 622 in a meaningful manner to provide a player with a fun and thought-provoking journey through the complex problem of game instance 606. Scenario information 624 can be created so as to the immerse players 620 in the world of the sponsor of game instance 606 while playing the game.

[0075] Game instance management module 602 instantiates game instance 606 and populates various data stores therein with data based upon the collection of data 622 and the scenario information 624. For example, when creating game instance 606, game instance management module 602 can store the collection of data 622 into an evidence store 610. In addition, game instance management module 602 can save scenario information 624 into a game information store 614. Further, game instance management module 602 configures a game controller 608, which maintains a user interface for players 620, handles input from players 620, progresses game play in accordance with game information stored in the game information store 614, manages access and storage of data to the various data stores of game instance 606, and performs a variety of other functions. As players 620 engage the serious game provided by game instance 606, game controller 608 appropriate responses. As described above, players 620 can navigate through scenes and narratives, view supporting evidence, and select items of evidence to be added to dossiers respectively associated with the players 620. Game controller 608 receives navigation input from players 620, retrieves requested scene information from game information store 614, and generates a corresponding user interface presented to players 620. Moreover, game controller 608 can receive the evidence selection and update dossier information in a dossier store 612 appropriately.

[0076] As described above, an aspect of serious games provided by advisory service network 600 is the ability of players 620 to suggest, develop, collaborate, etc. on solutions to the complex problem of the sponsor. As players 620 generate solutions and/or solution concepts, game controller 608 retains the solutions and solutions concepts in a solution store 616. While FIG. 6 depicts the various data stores as distinct elements, it is appreciated that such separation is a functional separation intended to facilitate comprehension of one or more features of serious games hosted by the advisory services network 600. It is to be appreciated that single data store, with or without partitions, can be employed to store various game, evidentiary, and player-generated information.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 6, each game instance in the set of game instances 604 can be associated with a sponsor, such as an organization with a complex problem, from a set of organizations 630. In a specific, non-limiting example, game instance 606 corresponds to organization 632. Accordingly, the collection of data 622 and scenario information 624 employed to generate game instance 606 can originate from organization 632 and can relate to a complex business problem of organization 632. While FIG. 6 shows game instances in the set of game instances 604 individually and respectively associated with distinct organizations in the set of organizations 630, it is to be appreciated that a single organization can sponsor multiple game instances corresponding to multiple complex business problems, or multiple organizations can sponsor a single game instance related to a shared complex problem.

[0078] The aforementioned embodiments of an advisory service network and associated gaming platform are intended to provide a general overview of a potential environment in which to implement and deploy the embodiments and features of a game dossier described below.

The Advisory Services Network Game Dossier

[0079] As mentioned above, a game dossier (also referred to herein as a "dossier" or an "advisory services network dossier") is a mechanism of the advisory services network to encapsulate a perspective or view, of a specific player, of a complex problem. The dossier can capture a player's perspective which is influenced by the background, experiences, skills, etc. of the player. Accordingly, with a large and diverse group of players, the resultant set of dossiers provides a variety of viewpoints which facilitates articulation of root problems and launch pads for high-quality solutions to those root problems.

[0080] In a specific, non-limiting example, the dossier functions as a personal collection of evidence items built by a player of the game. The player can review evidence related to a complex problem and select specific items which the player believes best represents the complex problem. The dossier enables the player to build a case on the complex problem by adding evidence to the dossier, removing evidence from the dossier, organizing evidence in the dossier, tagging evidence in the dossier, annotating evidence in the dossier, etc. The dossier can be shared with other players and/or experts also participating in the game.

[0081] With respect to one or more non-limiting aspects of the advisory services network game dossier as described above, FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for incorporating data items into a game dossier. Starting at 700, an item of evidence is obtained in response to a player selection. The item of evidence can include, for example, media items, e.g., videos, audio clips, photographs, etc., documents, data collections, databases, or other information gathered from or provided by a sponsor of the game to generate and support narrative scenes of the game and to help specify a complex problem of an organization (e.g., the sponsor). In another example, item of evidence can be external evidence outside of the game. At 710, the item of evidence is added to a dossier associated with the player. In a specific, non-limiting example, the dossier can be a digital set of information created by the player to support the player's theories surrounding the complex problem or solutions concepts developed to solve the complex problem.

[0082] FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary non-limiting embodiment for incorporating a particular portion of a data item into a game dossier. At 800, an item of evidence is obtained in response to a player selection. At 810, reduction parameters, operable to extract a portion of the item of evidence, are received. At 820, the portion of the item of evidence is extracted based upon the reduction parameters received. At 830, the portion of the item of evidence extracted to a dossier associated with the player. Thus, the player can incorporate segments of evidence items into the dossier in addition to adding evidence items in their entireties as described above.

[0083] Turning now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for removing data items from a game dossier. At 900, a selection, from a player, is received of a dossier item in a dossier associated with the player. At 910, the dossier item selected is removed from the dossier.

[0084] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of item management within a dossier of a serious game hosted by an advisory services network. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a player 1000 can input a variety of information and/or commands to a game environment which includes a set of evidence 1010 and a dossier 1020. An item management module 1030 captures input from player 1000 and performs various item management functions in accordance with the input.

[0085] In a specific, non-limiting example, player input can include an evidence item selection 1002 which instructs the item management module 1030 to select an item of evidence from the set of evidence 1010. The player input can also include an item add command 1004 which instructs the item management module 1030 to incorporate a selected item of evidence to dossier 1020 associated with player 1000. As shown in FIG. 10, in accordance with this example, evidence item 1012 can be selected in response to evidence item selection 1002 and added to dossier 1020 as dossier item 1022 in response to item add command 1004.

[0086] In another example, player input can include reduction parameters 1006 which enables item management module 1030 to extract a portion of an evidence item. Further, item add command 1004, in this example, instructs item management module 1030 to incorporate the extracted portion to dossier 1020. FIG. 10 illustrates an evidence item 1014 composed of several segments. Reduction parameters 1006 can specify a middle segment of evidence item 1014, which is extracted and added, by item management module 1030, to dossier 1020 as dossier item 1024.

[0087] In yet another example, player input from player 1000 can include an item removal command 1008. In response to the item removal command 1008 the item management module 1030 deletes a dossier item from dossier 1020. For instance, as shown in FIG. 10, dossier item 1026 is removed from dossier 1020 in response to item removal command 1008.

[0088] Dossier 1020 can incorporate evidence items by copy or by reference. For instance, dossier 1020 can retain duplicated copies of evidence items or portions thereof. However, it is to be appreciated that dossier 1020 can retain references to evidence items or portions thereof, which can be followed to obtain actual stored versions in the set of evidence 1010. When storing copies, item management module 1030 is configured to duplicate an evidence item and store the copy in dossier 1020. To remove a dossier item, the item management module 1030 deletes the copy. When storing items by reference, item management modules 1030 adds dossier items by generating an appropriate reference to an evidence item or a portion thereof and removes items by destroying the reference to the evidence item.

[0089] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for tagging an item stored in a dossier. Tagging can involve annotating a dossier item with supplemental information or metadata. Such supplemental information or metadata can function to categorize, organize, group, explain, etc. a dossier item. At 1100, a selection is received, from a player, of a dossier item in a game dossier associated with the player. At 1110, supplemental information related to the dossier item selected is obtained. At 1120, the dossier item selected is annotated with the supplemental information. For instance, the supplemental information can be incorporated into metadata stored in associated with the dossier item.

[0090] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of incorporating annotations to metadata associated with an item stored in a game dossier. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a player 1200 can provide supplemental information 1202 to an annotation module 1220 configured to incorporate the supplemental information 1202 into metadata 1214 associated with item 1212 of a dossier 1210. In a specific, non-limiting example, supplemental information 1202 can include information such as: tags, e.g., user-defined and built-in, to apply to item 1212; category groups to which item 1212 is added; text descriptions of item 1212; player notes on item 1212; identification information, e.g., of the corresponding evidence item, of a computer file underlying the evidence item or item 1212, or of item 1212 itself; game information associated with the underlying evidence item, e.g., scene information, related evidence, related discussions, etc; and/or any other suitable information which adds context to item 1212. In brief, supplemental information 1202 can include any suitable information to indicate or explain why player 1200 included item 1212 in dossier 1210 and a significance of item 1212 to the complex problem modeled within the game or to a solution concept.

[0091] In a further embodiment, a learning module 1230 is provided and configured to generate autonomously generated supplemental information 1232 which annotation module 1220 can incorporate into metadata 1214 associated with item 1212. Autonomously generated supplemental information 1232 can be similar in type and content to supplemental information 1202 described above. However, autonomously generated supplemental information 1232 is generated by the advisory services network itself instead of being supplied by player 1200. Annotation module 1220, when updating metadata associated with a dossier item of dossier 1210, can feedback the supplemental information 1202 and/or metadata 1214 to learning module 1230. Learning module 1230 can learn additional supplemental information to attach to a dossier item through application of machine learning techniques based upon current as past metadata updates by annotation module 1220 on dossier 1210 associated with player 1200 and other dossiers associated with other players. For example, learning module 1230 can generate autonomously apply a group tag on a item similar to a set of items previously tagged as members of the group.

[0092] Turning now to FIG. 13, illustrated is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for ordering items in a game dossier according to an ordering criterion. At 1300, at least one ordering criterion for items in a dossier is obtained. In a specific example, the at least one ordering criterion can establish "sort by" parameters wherein items in the dossier are sorted based upon a type and value of metadata fields associated with the items. The "sort by" parameters can further include a directional component to indicate a direction, e.g., increasing or decreasing, of the order. According to a further example, the at least one ordering criterion includes multiple criteria to implement a plurality of cascading orderings of the items in the dossier. For instance, a primary criterion can direct ordering of all items in the dossier while a secondary criterion influences an order of items determined to be equal relative to the primary criterion.

[0093] At 1310, an order of the items in the dossier is determined according to a set of values respectively associated with the items and the at least one criterion. The set of values, in one example, can be data fields within metadata respectively associated with each data item. The at least one ordering criterion identifies at least one value in the sets of values. The order of the items is determined in accordance with the at least one value identified. The items in the dossier, according to an embodiment, can include all items stored in the dossier or include only the items within a selection, e.g., user-defined or system-defined, of a subset of items from among all the items in the dossier. At 1320, the items in the dossier are displayed in accordance with the determined order.

[0094] FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for modifying an order of items in a dossier in accordance with an ordering instruction. Contrasting from the embodiment above where a dossier-wide sort or selection-wide sort is indiscriminately applied to all items of the dossier or selection, FIG. 14 depicts an embodiment where a player can directly modify an order of items at a variety of granularities, e.g., individual items, small numbers of items, large subsets of items, all items, etc. At 1400, an ordering instruction, regarding items in a game dossier, is received from a player. The ordering instruction can include, but not limited to, a command to give a particular ordering rank to an item or items. At 1410, a hierarchy of the items in the game dossier is modified in accordance with the ordering instruction. For example, when the ordering instruction is intended to provide a specific item with a specific ordering rank, the hierarchy can be modified such that the specific item is given the specific ordering rank and any items previously ranked at or below the specific ordering rank are bumped down. At 1420, the items in the dossier are presented to the player in accordance with the modified hierarchy.

[0095] Turning to FIG. 15, a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting act of ordering items in a game dossier is shown. A dossier 1500, within an advisory services network game for example, can include an ordering component 1510 configured to receive an ordering criterion 1502 and/or an ordering instruction 1504. The ordering component 1510, based upon the ordering criterion 1502 or the ordering instruction 1504, can modify placement orders respectively associated with dossier items 1512-1516. In one example, the ordering component 1510 can evaluate values respectively associated with dossier items 1512-1516 in order to determine modifications to the placement orders of the dossier items.

[0096] FIG. 16 illustrates exemplary, non-limiting ordering schemes employable for items in a game dossier according to one or more embodiments. In one embodiment, dossier items can be arranged, ordered, or ranked, by ordering component 1510, linearly, as shown at 1600. In another embodiment, shown at 1602, dossier items can be arranged, non-linearly, as a graph structure. In the graph structure, the dossier items are nodes interconnected with one another via edges. The edges can represent a variety of relationships, e.g., greater than, less than, equal to, common game scene, common groups, common tags, etc. For a specific relationship, embodied by an edge, two dossier items interconnected via the edge are related according to the specific relationship. In the graph structure embodiment, edges can be undirected as shown in FIG. 16 or directed. With directed edges, the edge indicates a directionality of the relationship between two dossier items. In a further embodiment, shown at 1604, dossier items can be arranged in a hierarchy such as a tree structure. In the tree structure, a root dossier item is located at a top of the hierarchy and all other items cascade down from the root dossier item as children, grandchildren, etc. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 16, dossier items can be arranged according to a variety of elaborate ordering schemes and are not limited to a mere linear arrangements.

[0097] Turning to FIG. 17, illustrated is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for initiating discussions, regarding a game dossier, among a plurality of players. At 1700, a game dossier, developed by one player, is exposed or published to a plurality of players also enjoying the game. At 1710, feedback information is received from the plurality of players regarding the exposed game dossier. According to an example, exposing the game dossier can initiate a discussion thread with the game dossier as the thread topic. Feedback information can, thus, include posts from other players to the thread, helpfulness indications from the players (e.g., a player ranking of the usefulness of the game dossier or corresponding discussion thread), links to related discussion threads, or the like. At 1720, the feedback information is retained in association with the game dossier. For instance, a link or reference to the discussion thread can be kept within the game dossier itself. Alternatively, discussion threads in a forum or other discussion system can include a reference to the game dossier to which it relates.

[0098] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting act of sharing a game dossier to a plurality of players to facilitate discussion or dissemination. As shown in FIG. 18, a game dossier 1800 can be published, e.g., made available or exposed, to a plurality of players 1810. The plurality of players 1810 can include one or more players also playing a serious game with the player corresponding to game dossier 1800. According to an example, publishing the game dossier can involve creating a discussion thread 1820. Feedback on game dossier 1800 can be collected from the plurality of players 1810 as posts 1822 of discussion thread 1820. The discussion thread 1820, including posts 1822, can be stored in metadata 1802 of game dossier 1802. It is to be appreciated that discussion thread 1820 can be retained by and hosted by a discussion forum separate from game dossier 1800. Accordingly, in this alternative embodiment, a reference or link to discussion thread 1820 can be stored in metadata 1802.

[0099] As discussed previously, game dossier 1800 captures a perspective (e.g., of the complex problem, of the evidence, of solution concepts, etc.) of the player corresponding therewith. When game dossier 1800 is published, the plurality of players 1810 can review game dossier 1800 and comprehend the captured perspective. The captured perspective can influence the plurality of players 1810 to reassess their own perspectives as conveyed in corresponding plurality of dossiers 1830, which can also be published to the plurality of players 1810. In this regard, perspectives, as specified in game dossiers, can influence other perspectives, which evolve and compound into new perspectives and new solutions.

[0100] FIG. 19 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting act of publishing a game dossier to a discussion forum to facilitate review by a plurality of players. As shown in FIG. 19, a request to share game dossier 1900 can be received by a publishing module 1910 configured to generate a new discussion thread 1922 on a discussion forum 1920. Discussion thread 1922 and game dossier 1900 can be linked such that the discussion thread pertains to game dossier 1900 and can be navigated to from game dossier 1900. Similarly, discussion thread 1922 can include a reference to game dossier 1900 such that game dossier can be viewed from discussion thread 1922.

[0101] Turning now to FIG. 20, illustrated is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment for presenting a collection of game dossiers to an enterprise entity related to a game environment. At 2000, a dossier network can be generated from a plurality of game dossiers. In one example, the dossier network can be constructed via links between dossiers. For instance, as described above, dossiers can include other dossiers as items. Accordingly, such inclusions or references among dossiers can be leveraged to build a graph or network of dossiers. At 2010, a dossier viewing user interface based at least upon the dossier network is constructed. The user interface can be a faithful reproduction of the network (graph) itself or a listing of the dossiers by rank. A rank can be determined, according to an embodiment, based upon linkings between dossiers. For example, a dossier which is included in or reference by a plurality of other dossiers can be ranked higher than a dossier which is reference by one other dossier or no other dossiers. At 2020, the dossier viewing user interface can be presented to an organization with a complex problem that is sponsoring the game.

[0102] FIG. 21 illustrates exemplary, non-limiting user interfaces of a dossier viewer. At 2100, one example is shown that includes a list of dossiers along with handles or identifiers of corresponding players. At 2102, another example is shown in which dossiers are illustrated as a graph or network based upon relationship therebetween. According to an aspect, dossiers displayed in the dossier viewer can be selected and viewed in greater detail. For instance, a user at the enterprise entity can click-through a dossier to view the contents of the dossier.

[0103] FIGS. 22-25 illustrate various exemplary user interfaces for a game dossier in the advisory services network and related functionality. These illustrations are provided to highlight and describe embodiments and features of the game dossier and not intended to limit game dossiers as recited in the appended claims to the depictions described here. It is to be appreciated that alternative user interfaces can be devised to accomplish dossier functionality described herein and that such alternative interfaces are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

[0104] FIG. 22 shows a simplified dossier interface placed with a context of an exemplary user interface for the advisory services network game. As shown in FIG. 22, a display of the dossier can slide over the interface for the game when activated. The dossier, as illustrated in FIG. 22, includes several scrollable lists of items in the dossier, wherein the scrollable lists correspond to a particular type of item, e.g., videos, scenes, discussions, etc.

[0105] FIG. 23 illustrates an exemplary dossier where items are displayed visually as tiles on a grid. Each tile can be presented in an order which is indicated by index numbers associated with each tile. The tiles can indicate a variety of information about an item such as a type of the item, e.g., discussion, video, etc.; a preview of the item such as a video frame or indication of item type via a illustrative icon (a film snippet, a photo icon, . . . ), discussion title, etc.; and contextual information of the item such as a player whom started the discussion or a scene from which a video is drawn. The tiles can also include a mechanism by which to remove an item from the dossier, e.g., the circled "x" icon. The user interface shown in FIG. 23 can provide tips upon registering a hover action by a player. For instance, as shown in FIG. 23, an item rollover can be displayed when the player hovers or rolls over an item. The item rollover can include a name of an item, e.g., video name or discussion title in full; a dimension of the item, e.g., video length, discussion thread length, etc.; a help tip that items can be reordered via drag-and-drop; and/or a help tip that additional information on the dossier item can be viewed via click-through. The additional information, in an aspect, can include tags, groupings, annotations, or other supplemental information associated with the item as metadata.

[0106] In addition, as shown in FIG. 23 above the tiles, the dossier can include a variety of display management controls. For instance, controls can be provided that change the content of the dossier view between items and tags. In another example, controls to sort dossier items and controls to filter dossier items can be provided.

[0107] FIG. 24 depicts another exemplary dossier that provides a more text-oriented experience. Similar to FIG. 23, a series of controls to facilitate ordering and filtering of items can be provided above an actual display of items. Dossier items, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 24, can be displayed as a list view with several columns. In an example, one column can be an item column that includes summary information on a dossier such as an item preview, an item name, item dimension information, other metadata, and a mechanism by which to remove and item from the dossier. Another column can be a tags column which includes player annotation on the time, e.g., why the item is important, why the item was chosen, significance of the item to possible solutions, etc. A groups column is also provided. Similar to tags, groups provide customizable categorization without polluting a dossier-stream with an abundance of player-defined tags. Further, with groups, built-in tags, which can be potentially confusing to players and entail players having to learn meanings of the built-in tags, can be avoided. Groups can be player-defined and operate as buckets which items are placed within. As shown in FIG. 24, controls are provided to apply groups, e.g., add an item to a group, and to manage available groups. Turning to FIG. 25, exemplary user interfaces to manage groups are illustrated. At 2500, an exemplary menu is illustrated that can be displayed when a player clicks the Apply button shown in FIG. 24. The menu can include a listing of groups which can be applied as well as an option to create a new group. Selecting the option to create a new group or selecting the Manage button from FIG. 24 can present the manage groups display shown at 2502. The manage groups display enables a player to create new groups by entering a new group name and selecting Add. In addition, the manage groups displays provides mechanisms to remove existing groups or edit existing groups.

[0108] FIG. 26 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting dossier module of a gaming platform in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in FIG. 26, a gaming platform 2600 can implement functionality of an advisory service network described herein. The gaming platform 2600 can include a dossier module 2610 configured to implement various functions associated with a digital dossier feature of gaming platform 2600. The dossier module 2610 can include an item management module 2612 configured to execute a variety of inventory related functions on dossier items stored in a digital dossier 2622 (similar to game dossiers and advisory service network dossiers described previously). For example, the item management module 2612 can add a data item to the digital dossier 2622. The data item can be a item of evidence within the gaming platform 2600, as mentioned previously, or an external data item which facilitates explaining a player's perspective or ideas. In another example, the item management module 2612 can remove a dossier item from the digital dossier 2622.

[0109] Dossier module 2610, in another embodiment, can include an annotation module 2614 configured to retrieve and store metadata information on dossier items stored in the digital dossier 2614. In a further embodiment, an ordering module 2616 is provided which is configured to maintain a hierarchy or ordering of dossier items in the digital dossier 2622. The ordering module 2616 can maintain a linear ordering or a non-linear ordering such as a graph order or tree order. A publishing module 2618 is included in dossier module 2610 to create a discussion thread 2626 associated with the digital dossier 2622 to enable other players of the gaming platform 2600 to comment and provide feedback on digital dossier 2622. In yet another embodiment, dossier module 2620 includes a dossier viewer module configured to generate a dossier viewing user interface 2626 to view digital dossier 2622 and/or any other digital dossiers within gaming platform 2600.

[0110] FIG. 27 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting advisory services network in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in FIG. 27, a gaming platform 2700 can implement functionality of an advisory service network described herein. Gaming platform 2700 can host, e.g., execute, a serious game 2710 based upon a complex problem faced by a sponsor, e.g., an enterprise entity or other organization.

[0111] The serious game 2710 can include a game engine 2712 configured to manage execution of the serious game. The serious game 2710 further includes a plurality of data stores such as a game information store 2714, a discussion store 2716, a dossier store 2718, and an evidence store 2720. The game information store 2714 can store data game-related information such as scene information on a plurality of scenes of serious game 2710 and associated narrative information. The discussion store 2716 can include a plurality of discussion threads while evidence store 2720 retains a collection of data related to the complex problem. Finally, the dossier store 2718 is configured to store one or more player-generated dossiers as described above.

[0112] Moreover, game engine 2712 can include a dossier module 2722 configured to manage and maintain the one more player-generated dossiers stored in the dossier store 2718. In one example, the dossier module 2722 can add items from the evidence store 2720 to a dossier in the dossier store 2718, remove items from the dossier, and/or publish the dossier to a discussion thread retained in the discussion store 2716.

Exemplary Networked and Distributed Environments

[0113] One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the various embodiments of direct manipulation systems and methods described herein can be implemented in connection with any computer or other client or server device, which can be deployed as part of a computer network or in a distributed computing environment, and can be connected to any kind of data store. In this regard, the various embodiments described herein can be implemented in any computer system or environment having any number of memory or storage units, and any number of applications and processes occurring across any number of storage units. This includes, but is not limited to, an environment with server computers and client computers deployed in a network environment or a distributed computing environment, having remote or local storage.

[0114] Distributed computing provides sharing of computer resources and services by communicative exchange among computing devices and systems. These resources and services include the exchange of information, cache storage and disk storage for objects, such as files. These resources and services also include the sharing of processing power across multiple processing units for load balancing, expansion of resources, specialization of processing, and the like. Distributed computing takes advantage of network connectivity, allowing clients to leverage their collective power to benefit the entire enterprise. In this regard, a variety of devices may have applications, objects or resources that may participate in the resource management mechanisms as described for various embodiments of the subject disclosure.

[0115] FIG. 28 provides a schematic diagram of an exemplary networked or distributed computing environment. The distributed computing environment comprises computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. and computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc., which may include programs, methods, data stores, programmable logic, etc., as represented by applications 2830, 2832, 2834, 2836, 2838. It can be appreciated that computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. and computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. may comprise different devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), audio/video devices, mobile phones, MP3 players, personal computers, laptops, etc.

[0116] Each computing object 2810, 2812, etc. and computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. can communicate with one or more other computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. and computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. by way of the communications network 2840, either directly or indirectly. Even though illustrated as a single element in FIG. 28, communications network 2840 may comprise other computing objects and computing devices that provide services to the system of FIG. 28, and/or may represent multiple interconnected networks, which are not shown. Each computing object 2810, 2812, etc. or computing object or device 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. can also contain an application, such as applications 2830, 2832, 2834, 2836, 2838, that might make use of an API, or other object, software, firmware and/or hardware, suitable for communication with or implementation of the processing techniques provided in accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure.

[0117] There are a variety of systems, components, and network configurations that support distributed computing environments. For example, computing systems can be connected together by wired or wireless systems, by local networks or widely distributed networks. Currently, many networks are coupled to the Internet, which provides an infrastructure for widely distributed computing and encompasses many different networks, though any network infrastructure can be used for exemplary communications made incident to the systems as described in various embodiments.

[0118] Thus, a host of network topologies and network infrastructures, such as client/server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures, can be utilized. The "client" is a member of a class or group that uses the services of another class or group to which it is not related. A client can be a process, i.e., roughly a set of instructions or tasks, that requests a service provided by another program or process. The client process utilizes the requested service without having to "know" any working details about the other program or the service itself.

[0119] In a client/server architecture, particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer, e.g., a server. In the illustration of FIG. 28, as a non-limiting example, computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. can be thought of as clients and computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. can be thought of as servers where computing objects 2810, 2812, etc., acting as servers provide data services, such as receiving data from client computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc., storing of data, processing of data, transmitting data to client computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc., although any computer can be considered a client, a server, or both, depending on the circumstances.

[0120] A server is typically a remote computer system accessible over a remote or local network, such as the Internet or wireless network infrastructures. The client process may be active in a first computer system, and the server process may be active in a second computer system, communicating with one another over a communications medium, thus providing distributed functionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of the information-gathering capabilities of the server.

[0121] In a network environment in which the communications network 2840 or bus is the Internet, for example, the computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. can be Web servers with which other computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc. communicate via any of a number of known protocols, such as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Computing objects 2810, 2812, etc. acting as servers may also serve as clients, e.g., computing objects or devices 2820, 2822, 2824, 2826, 2828, etc., as may be characteristic of a distributed computing environment.

Exemplary Computing Device

[0122] As mentioned, advantageously, the techniques described herein can be applied to any device where it is desirable to solve real-world problems in a computing system supporting the gaming environment described herein. It can be understood, therefore, that handheld, portable and other computing devices and computing objects of all kinds are contemplated for use in connection with the various embodiments, i.e., anywhere that where users can access the gaming environment. Accordingly, the below general purpose remote computer described below in FIG. 29 is but one example of a computing device.

[0123] Embodiments can partly be implemented via an operating system, for use by a developer of services for a device or object, and/or included within application software that operates to perform one or more functional aspects of the various embodiments described herein. Software may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by one or more computers, such as client workstations, servers or other devices. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer systems have a variety of configurations and protocols that can be used to communicate data, and thus, no particular configuration or protocol is considered limiting.

[0124] FIG. 29 thus illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment 2900 in which one or aspects of the embodiments described herein can be implemented, although as made clear above, the computing system environment 2900 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope of use or functionality. In addition, the computing system environment 2900 is not intended to be interpreted as having any dependency relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary computing system environment 2900.

[0125] With reference to FIG. 29, an exemplary remote device for implementing one or more embodiments includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer 2910. Components of computer 2910 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 2920, a system memory 2930, and a system bus 2922 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 2920.

[0126] Computer 2910 typically includes a variety of computer readable media and can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 2910. The system memory 2930 may include computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and/or random access memory (RAM). By way of example, and not limitation, system memory 2930 may also include an operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data.

[0127] A user can enter commands and information into the computer 2910 through input devices 2940. A monitor or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 2922 via an interface, such as output interface 2950. In addition to a monitor, computers can also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers and a printer, which may be connected through output interface 2950.

[0128] The computer 2910 may operate in a networked or distributed environment using logical connections to one or more other remote computers, such as remote computer 2970. The remote computer 2970 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, or any other remote media consumption or transmission device, and may include any or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 2910. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 29 include a network 2972, such local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), but may also include other networks/buses. Such networking environments are commonplace in homes, offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.

[0129] As mentioned above, while exemplary embodiments have been described in connection with various computing devices and network architectures, the underlying concepts may be applied to any network system and any computing device or system in which it is desirable to implement a game for real-word application.

[0130] Also, there are multiple ways to implement the same or similar functionality, e.g., an appropriate API, tool kit, driver code, operating system, control, standalone or downloadable software object, etc. which enables applications and services to take advantage of the techniques provided herein. Thus, embodiments herein are contemplated from the standpoint of an API (or other software object), as well as from a software or hardware object that implements one or more embodiments as described herein. Thus, various embodiments described herein can have aspects that are wholly in hardware, partly in hardware and partly in software, as well as in software.

[0131] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," "has," "contains," and other similar words are used, for the avoidance of doubt, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements when employed in a claim.

[0132] As mentioned, the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. As used herein, the terms "component," "module," "system" and the like are likewise intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on computer and the computer can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

[0133] The aforementioned systems have been described with respect to interaction between several components. It can be appreciated that such systems and components can include those components or specified sub-components, some of the specified components or sub-components, and/or additional components, and according to various permutations and combinations of the foregoing. Sub-components can also be implemented as components communicatively coupled to other components rather than included within parent components (hierarchical). Additionally, it can be noted that one or more components may be combined into a single component providing aggregate functionality or divided into several separate sub-components, and that any one or more middle layers, such as a management layer, may be provided to communicatively couple to such sub-components in order to provide integrated functionality. Any components described herein may also interact with one or more other components not specifically described herein but generally known by those of skill in the art.

[0134] In view of the exemplary systems described supra, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the described subject matter can also be appreciated with reference to the flowcharts of the various figures. While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the various embodiments are not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Where non-sequential, or branched, flow is illustrated via flowchart, it can be appreciated that various other branches, flow paths, and orders of the blocks, may be implemented which achieve the same or a similar result. Moreover, some illustrated blocks are optional in implementing the methodologies described hereinafter.

[0135] In addition to the various embodiments described herein, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiment(s) for performing the same or equivalent function of the corresponding embodiment(s) without deviating therefrom. Still further, multiple processing chips or multiple devices can share the performance of one or more functions described herein, and similarly, storage can be effected across a plurality of devices. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to any single embodiment, but rather is to be construed in breadth, spirit and scope in accordance with the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dossier subsystem of a network gaming platform, comprising: an item management module configured to, at least one of: add a first data item of a plurality of data items to a digital dossier associated with a player of the network gaming platform; add a portion of a second data item of the plurality of data items to the digital dossier; or remove a first dossier item previously included in the digital dossier, wherein the plurality of data items relate to evidence within a game, hosted on the network gaming platform, in which a variety of players of the game attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found based on the evidence.

2. The dossier subsystem of claim 1, wherein the item management module, in response to addition of the portion of the second data item, is configured to receive reduction parameters from the player and to extract the portion of the second data item based upon the reduction parameters.

3. The dossier subsystem of claim 2, wherein the reduction parameters specify a region, of the second data item, of interest to the player and include boundary information of the region with respect to an entirety of the second data item.

4. The dossier subsystem of claim 1, further comprising: an annotation module configured to acquire supplemental information from at least one of the player or the gaming platform and to incorporate the supplemental information in metadata associated with a second dossier item in the digital dossier.

5. The dossier subsystem of claim 4, further comprising: a learning module configured to generate the supplemental information from the gaming platform, wherein the learning module is further configured to employ machine learning techniques to derive the supplemental information from respective metadata of a plurality of dossier items in the digital dossier.

6. The dossier subsystem of claim 1, further comprising: an ordering module configured to maintain an ordering of a plurality of dossier items in the digital dossier.

7. The dossier subsystem of claim 6, wherein the ordering module is further configured to obtain at least one ordering criterion that specifies an order condition relative to a set of values respectively associated with the plurality of dossier items and to order the plurality of dossier items in accordance with the at least one ordering criterion.

8. The dossier subsystem of claim 6, wherein the ordering module is further configured to receive an ordering instruction that indicates a placement of an item in the ordering of the plurality of dossier items and to modify the ordering to reflect the placement of the item specified in the ordering instruction.

9. The dossier subsystem of claim 6, wherein the ordering is at least one of a linear ordering, a graph-based ordering, or a tree-based ordering.

10. The dossier subsystem of claim 1, further comprising a publishing module configured to create a discussion thread related to the digital dossier and to expose the discussion thread to a plurality of players of the gaming platform.

11. The dossier subsystem of claim 10, wherein the discussion thread retains posts from the plurality of players regarding the digital dossier.

12. The dossier subsystem of claim 1, further comprising a dossier viewer module configured to generate a user interface for displaying a plurality of digital dossiers of the gaming platform.

13. The dossier subsystem of claim 12, wherein the dossier viewer module generates at least one of a list view user interface or a graph view user interface.

14. A method facilitate by at least one processor of a computing system, comprising: storing a plurality of data items in a digital dossier employable in a game in which a variety of players of the game attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found based on evidence input to the game; receiving a command from a player of the game, wherein the player is associated with and authorized to make changes to the digital dossier; and managing the digital dossier in accordance with the command.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the command is an item add command, the method further comprising: obtaining a new data item from a collection of data outside of the digital dossier; and including at least one of a copy of the new data item or a reference to the new data item in the digital dossier.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the command is an item removal command, the method further comprising: removing an existing data item from the digital dossier in response to the item removal command.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the command is a publish command, the method further comprising: creating a discussion thread about the digital dossier; and exposing the digital dossier to a plurality of players of the game via the discussion thread.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the command is an ordering command, the method further comprising: arranging the plurality of data items of the digital dossier based upon at least one of an ordering criterion or an ordering instruction included in the ordering command.

19. A gaming platform of an advisory services network, comprising: a game engine associated with an instance of a game and configured to manage execution of the game, wherein the game involves a variety of players who attempt to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found based on evidence input to the game; and a plurality of data storage locations, comprising: an evidence data store configured to retain a collection of data related to a complex business problem faced by a sponsor of the game, wherein the collection of data is received from the sponsor; a game information store configured to store scene information regarding a plurality of scenes of the game and narrative information for the plurality of scenes; a dossier store configured to retain digital dossiers generated by players of the game; and a discussion store configured to retain discussion threads, wherein the game engine further includes a dossier module configured to manage and maintain the digital dossiers stored in the dossier store.

20. The gaming platform of claim 19, wherein the dossier module is further configured to, in response to player input, at least one of add items from the collection of data to a digital dossier, remove items from the digital dossier, reorder items in the digital dossier, or publish the digital dossier to a discussion thread.

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