Microsoft Seeks to Pause Games for Ad Revenue

Microsoft has filed a patent for a system that pauses games to play ads, which rewards players with more time to keep playing. The filing, titled 'Contextually aware management of interactive software application access', was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on September 3rd.

The basic idea is that a player watches an ad and earns a credit, which unlocks a set amount of playtime. When the credit runs out, the game is suspended and another ad appears. The value of a credit can change depending on how and when someone plays, with one example suggesting one credit could be worth an hour on a weekday afternoon but only 30 minutes on a weekend evening.

The patent also deals with timing, noting that many online games can't be paused and cutting off play at the wrong moment could cost someone a multiplayer match or get their character killed. To get around this, the system would only look for a break inside a 'window' near the end of each credit.