METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INITIATING A COORDINATED EFFECT

Exemplary embodiments relate to the application of coordinated or cooperative effects to a coordinated activity. A coordinated activity protocol is provided for synchronizing interactive effects and experiences across multiple devices. The protocol allows effects to be initiated and coordinated on multiple devices via a real-time communications (RTC) channel. Messages may be exchanged to cooperatively initiate the effect, and (once initiated) generic data may be exchanged via application programming interface (API) calls. According to some embodiments, the coordinated activity is a shared video experience, such as a video conference or shared video-watching experience. According to other embodiments, the coordinated activity relates to other types of experiences, such as single- or multi-player games, shared book reading, communal interactions with a photo album, etc.