Sony has filed a new patent that would make up a whole process for user-generated minigames in order to increase the replayability factor of games that have already been released. The patent itself goes into detail on the various ways that such games could fulfill their function on existing titles.
Within a minigame, the gamer can be instructed to complete new objectives or challenge their friends for high scores in a format that was not originally designed into the legacy game.
User-generated content is a common fixture in many games. Back in 2020, Sony released Dreams, a game where players could create their own small games or audiovisual experiences and share them online with others. The minigames the patent speaks off, however, will be more similar to normal user-generated content.
Further, since the minigame is derived from an existing game, gamers already know the characters and basic components of the game, and are therefore more likely to play the minigame.
Many games that are focused on multiplayer have systems that allow gamers to generate their own content. The Halo games, for instance, have Forge, which allows players to create custom battle maps and game modes using in-game assets, and upload them for others to play. The patent also brings this up as a reason for Sony’s system’s existence.
Instead of replaying the same level or completing the same missions repeatedly, gamers often desire new challenges when replaying legacy games. In response to this need, game designers have begun to produce minigames.
While we don’t yet know whether or not Sony’s minigame patent will take systems and mechanics from Dreams to be used in whatever new system its patent is going to be producing, hopefully it will open up more user-generated content in many of its games in the future.
I can already imagine doing the fight with Odin in God of War Ragnarok with certain challenges and caveats.
