Ever been watching an esports competition for a game like Dota 2, Overwatch, or Street Fighter 5 and wished there was a way to let participants know they’re playing badly or outright remove them from the game? Apparently Sony thinks this could be something people want as it has filed a patent called Spectators Vote to Bench Players in a Video Game that does precisely what it says on the tin.

Originally spotted by Eurogamer, the patent is specifically in regard to spectators watching games, so it’s not like Sony is working to give players the ability to boot others out of a game if they’re losing. Rather, the audience would be able to vote or even pay with actual money to send messages to players or have them removed from the game.

RELATED: Sony Patent Aims to Make Spectating a More Interactive Experience

According to the patent, with the increased interest in streaming and esports, Sony is exploring methods to enhance the viewing experience for the audience, citing Twitch as an example of how people can watch livestreams. Considering Sony purchased the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the de facto fighting game tournament, earlier this year, the company is clearly invested in pushing the esports scene even further. It makes sense for it to come up with new ideas and see what works and is popular with audiences.

As this is only a patent, there’s no guarantee that it’ll even be implemented. If it were, spectators would be given access to a menu as they watch games, where they have the option to remove (or bench) players, warn players that they need to improve, keep them in the game, or send a custom message. Regarding payment options, spectators can use real money, in-game currency, or cryptocurrency to remove a player. But the audience can choose to vote to remove players as well.

Twitch Evo esports

Since removing a player based on one person would obviously invite disaster, the patent lays out how a player will only be removed if voting reaches a certain threshold (for example, 60% or more of the votes). A weighted system would also be implemented, where the votes of more skilled players would have a greater impact. Basically, a vote from a professional player would matter a lot more than a vote from someone who hasn't even touched the game that’s being played. Skill level would be determined by the spectator’s statistics or accomplishments in the game.

As Eurogamer and others have pointed out, the patent makes no mention of positive reinforcement. What’s more, while there are attempts to prevent it, this system is open to being abused and could easily be severely affected by homophobia, racism, and general bigotry. Twitch already suffers from a hate raid problem, where specific streamers are targeted with hateful messages and harassment, usually by bots.

MORE: Twitch's Hate Raid Controversy Explained

Source: USPTO, Eurogamer