Microsoft celebrates its 5000th awarded patent with one related to Xbox Live online gaming. Many of us have already used the excellent Gotham TV features of Project Gotham Racing 3, and the Redmond peepz intend to take spectating games to the next level.

Patent no. 6,999,083 provides for technologies that allow people to not just play video games against each other online, but to join the game as a spectator from anywhere in the world. The patent, which covers technologies that will be featured in Xbox 360 games, brings new innovation to online gaming by allowing consumers to tune into a video game much as they would a sporting event broadcast.

What Microsoft intends to achieve is that for any Xbox Live enabled game, and as such any Xbox 360 game because they are required to have Live connectivity, interested gamers can tune in and see how other gamers are doing on their favorite games.

The patent specifically applies to the following:

• A system for generating a spectator experience in real time from a game or event, such as highlights, instant replays, and unique views of the action within a game to enhance the experience for spectators rather than players. Using viewing controls, a spectator can control one or more virtual cameras to select desired viewpoints or an automated camera control to frame the action and perform specific cuts to best convey the story and action. The game and in turn the spectator experience may vary as a function of participant interactions and other contributions to the game based on real-time spectator activity.
• A portal such as a Web site to access spectator-related services such as schedules and information on multiple games and events as well as the number of spectators and participants in each. The portal allows the spectator to find the most popular games to watch, preview the action, and then connect to the desired game or event.

Read the full text of the patent here if you are interested in long and boring technical proza. Note that if you think this is a “far too general patent” you should read the original patent text and most specifically the claims, there’s a lot of specifics in there.