DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION

摘要

A server-based data processing system ( 10 ) is provided for enabling interaction between users of a massive multi-player role playing game (MMRPG) or similar application in which a virtual environment ( 20 ) is represented geographically as a plurality of cells ( 22 ) arranged in a matrix for example. Game state data relating to the individual cells is broadcast from the server ( 12 ) to respective user-interface apparatus ( 14 ) such as mobile phone devices. Each cell is associated with one channel allowing the user-interface apparatus to receive the channel associated with the cell in which the respective user is represented. The association between cells of the virtual environment and broadcast channels enables the user-interface devices to reject unwanted state data by simply tuning to the desired channel. This is particularly beneficial for low power, low memory devices.