Region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of mountain villages

Abstract

The present invention relates to an area-linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of mountain villages. The present invention allows a user to experience the enjoyment of a mountain village life through a virtual forest product cultivation game that reflects the ecosystem of a mountain village area, and a virtual activity in the game to be linked to the consumption of reality through a reward system linked to a store in an actual mountain village area, thereby promoting the consumption of specialties from the mountain village area and contributing to the activation of local economy. The present invention is a technology developed through Academic Research Infrastructure Establishment Program for Science and Engineering (2340002809 / 2021R1I1A3044195), "Development and application of a Korean-style sustainable forest ecosystem service management model" on March 01, 2024 to February 28, 2025 supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea.

Description

Regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on mountain village ecosystem services

[0001] The present invention relates to a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of a mountain village.

[0002] In modern society, interaction with nature is gradually decreasing, and consequently, the economy and culture of mountain villages are experiencing continuous decline. In particular, mountain villages based on forest resources are facing economic difficulties due to a decline in vitality caused by problems such as population decrease and shrinking economic activity, as well as a decrease in the consumption of local specialties.

[0003] To overcome this situation, simulation games are being developed as a new approach based on mountain villages and their resources, allowing users to manage virtual farms or villages and cultivate crops. These game services serve to help users understand mountain village life by providing the experience of growing crops or forest products in a virtual world.

[0004] However, these conventional game services suffer from a lack of connection with the actual local economy, limited user activity within the game, and limited immersion due to almost no interaction with the real world; therefore, the development of a system based on the ecosystem of mountain villages is being urged to address these issues.

[0005] Meanwhile, the present invention is a technology developed through the "Development and Application of a Korean-style Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Services Management Model" project (2340002809 / 2021R1I1A3044195) of the Ministry of Education, Korea National Research Foundation, March 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025.

[0006]

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the aforementioned prior art by providing a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, which conveys the value and enjoyment of mountain village life to users through a virtual forest product cultivation game based on the ecosystem of a mountain village, revitalizes the local economy by promoting economic consumption in mountain villages through the ability for users to purchase local specialties with virtual goods acquired through the game program, and enhances user immersion and satisfaction by connecting the game and the real world through a reward system linked to actual mountain villages.

[0008] The above objective is achieved by a region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, according to the present invention, comprising: a user terminal; and a server unit that provides a game program based on the ecosystem of a mountain village region to the user terminal, and enables the user character to acquire a reward score when the user character satisfies a preset condition as the user terminal is operated within the game program, wherein the server unit provides virtual goods that can be used as currency within the game program to the user terminal based on the reward score, and wherein the server unit provides additional virtual goods to the user terminal when the user purchases forest products sold in an actual region corresponding to the mountain village region or food utilizing said forest products.

[0009] Additionally, the server unit includes a region selection module in which the user's character selects a virtual settlement based on regional information regarding the mountain village area within the game program; a game service module in which the user's character performs the game program by cultivating virtual forest products and carrying out tasks based on the settlement; and a shop module in which the user's character purchases virtual farming tools, fertilizers, and pesticides necessary for cultivating the virtual forest products by paying virtual goods.

[0010] In addition, the above regional information includes information on the actual topography, natural environment, climate, major resources, and special products of the mountain village area.

[0011] In addition, the above reward points are characterized by being acquired by the user as they complete tasks given to the user's character within the game program.

[0012] In addition, the shop module includes information on forest products from an actual mountain village area linked to the settlement, and is characterized by delivering forest products from an actual region corresponding to the mountain village area to the user when the user's character purchases forest products within the game program.

[0013] According to the present invention, through a virtual forest product cultivation game that reflects the ecosystem of a mountain village, users can experience the joys of mountain village life. Furthermore, by linking virtual activities within the game with real-world consumption through a reward system connected to actual mountain village shops, the consumption of local specialties is promoted, thereby contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.

[0014] In addition, if a user directly visits a mountain village and purchases forest products and food from actual shops in the area, additional rewards are provided within the game program, which strengthens the interaction between reality and the virtual world and has the effect of increasing immersion and satisfaction with the game.

[0015] Meanwhile, the effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and various effects may be included within the scope obvious to a person skilled in the art from the contents described below.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates, in its entirety, a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of a mountain village according to an embodiment of the present invention, and

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart for executing a game program of a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of a mountain village according to an embodiment of the present invention, and

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates the connections between the components of a server unit of a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of a mountain village according to an embodiment of the present invention, and

[0019] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of the process in which a user receives forest products through a store module of a regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0021] Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted.

[0022] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention. These terms are used merely to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by the terms used.

[0023]

[0024] Hereinafter, a regional linked forest product cultivation game system (100) based on ecosystem services of a mountain village according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a regional linked forest product cultivation game system (100) based on ecosystem services of a mountain village according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a user terminal (110) and a server unit (120).

[0026] The user terminal (110) may be any one selected from a smartphone, desktop, tablet PC, or laptop, but is not limited to these, and any user terminal (110) that can be used in the relevant technical field may be used.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the server unit (120) provides a game program based on a mountain village to the user through the user terminal (110), and when the user's character satisfies a preset condition as the user terminal (110) is operated within the game program, the user's character can acquire a reward score and can be connected to the user terminal (110) through a network.

[0028] More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the server unit (120) may include a region selection module (121) in which a user's character selects a virtual settlement based on regional information, which is information about a mountain village area within the game program; a game service module (122) in which the user's character performs the game program by cultivating virtual forest products and performing tasks based on the settlement; and a shop module (123) in which the user's character purchases virtual farming tools, fertilizers, and pesticides necessary for cultivating virtual forest products by paying virtual goods.

[0029] Additionally, the server unit (120) can provide virtual goods that can be used as currency within the game program based on the reward score to the user through the user terminal (110).

[0030] Virtual goods are used when the user's character purchases forest products, farming tools, fertilizers, pesticides, water, etc. at the store module (123) described later, and can be provided according to a preset ratio in proportion to the reward points obtained by the user.

[0031] The region selection module (121) can determine a virtual settlement by selecting a region where the user's character will play the game from among multiple regions based on regional information about actual mountain village regions when the user starts the game program, and can be electrically connected to the game service module (122) and the shop module (123).

[0032] Here, regional information may include information regarding the actual topography, natural environment, climate, major resources, and special products of the mountain village area.

[0033] Specifically, regional information may include the actual topography of mountain village areas, such as mountain ranges, rivers, and forests; natural environments, such as soil types and vegetation; climatic characteristics, such as seasonal temperatures and precipitation; major resources, such as forest products and minerals; and local specialties, such as regional specialty mushrooms and medicinal herbs.

[0034] Local information reflects the unique ecological and cultural values ​​of the region, enhancing the sense of realism users experience within the game program and aiding in the understanding of the characteristics of mountain village life. This has the effect of stimulating interest in regional economic revitalization and ecosystem conservation, while providing users with a deeper sense of immersion.

[0035] The game service module (122) enables the user's character to perform a game program by cultivating virtual forest products and performing tasks based on the settlement selected in the region selection module (121), and can be electrically connected to the region selection module (121) and the shop module (123).

[0036] The user's character can cultivate and harvest forest products by selecting one or more of them based on the regional information of the actual mountain village area corresponding to the settlement selected in the region selection module (121).

[0037] In the game service module (122), the regional information of the settlement directly affects the types of forest products that can be cultivated and the growth conditions, and the user can select the optimal forest product and establish a cultivation strategy by considering this. Through this, the user can experience the growth cycle of forest products in a virtual cultivation environment that reflects the actual environment of a mountain village, and can obtain reward points by harvesting unique forest products that can be cultivated under specific climate or soil conditions.

[0038] Additionally, the user can play a game through the game service module (122) to grow the user's character or obtain reward points. For example, the game service module (122) can give the user's character tasks such as collecting 5 mushrooms or making a dish using special ingredients, and when the given tasks are completed, the user's character grows and the user can obtain reward points.

[0039] The game service module (122) is connected online via a network, allowing it to play games simultaneously with other users' characters in the same settlement.

[0040] The user's character can interact with other users' characters through the game service module (122) and perform tasks together, and can promote social interaction among users by sharing forest products, resources, etc. through cooperation and competition.

[0041] The shop module (123) can provide items such as virtual farming tools, fertilizers, and pesticides needed to cultivate virtual forest products by paying virtual goods obtained by the user's character while playing the game.

[0042] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the shop module (123) includes information on forest products from a real mountain village area linked to a settlement, so that when a user's character purchases forest products within the game program, the forest products from the real area corresponding to the mountain village area can be delivered to the user.

[0043] When the user's character pays the forest products or virtual goods cultivated while playing the game to the store module (123), it can perform the function of connecting with the forest product producers and suppliers in the actual mountain village area and actually delivering the forest products selected by the user's character to the user.

[0044] Through the shop module (123), the user can directly receive the specialty products of the mountain village region at home that correspond to the virtual forest products grown or purchased in the game, thereby providing the user with a deeper sense of immersion and promoting the consumption of specialty products of the mountain village region, which contributes to the revitalization of the local economy.

[0045] Meanwhile, the server unit (120) predicts the weather of the settlement selected by the user's character within the game program and provides it to the user's character, and may further include a weather prediction module (124) electrically connected to the region selection module (121), the game service module (122), and the shop module (123).

[0046] Specifically, the weather prediction module (124) receives regional information from the region selection module (121), collects actual weather information of the mountain village area such as temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and humidity, preprocesses the weather information into time-series data, and then generates weather prediction information by predicting weather conditions using a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) structure model, and can provide it to the user's character through the game service module (122) and the shop module (123).

[0047] The shop module (123) can generate weather prediction items based on weather prediction information received from the weather prediction module (124), and the user's character can purchase them by paying virtual goods to establish a virtual forest product cultivation strategy that takes future weather conditions into account.

[0048] The server unit (120) can provide additional virtual goods to the user's terminal when the user purchases forest products or food made using forest products sold in a real region corresponding to a mountain village.

[0049] Specifically, when a user visits an actual mountain village and purchases specific forest products such as pine mushrooms, deodeok, or wild greens, or foods such as medicinal herbal tea or specialty dishes made from these ingredients, through a store in that area, the store may issue a code to the user.

[0050] When a user inputs a code issued to the server unit (120) through the user terminal (110), the server unit (120) can provide additional virtual goods to the user's character.

[0051] Additionally, the server unit (120) records the history of additional payments of virtual goods to the user, and can provide additional benefits if the user continuously interacts with the same mountain village area. For example, a user who has purchased products from the same mountain village area a certain number of times and entered a code is provided with special virtual items or limited content within the game program, thereby enabling the user to continuously maintain a relationship with the mountain village area and increase immersion in the game.

[0052] The reward system of this server unit (120) goes beyond simply the experience of acquiring virtual items within the game and provides a unique user experience linked to the real mountain village economy, and has the effect of inducing users to contribute to the revitalization of the local economy.

[0053] As described above, according to the regional linked forest product cultivation game system (100) based on the ecosystem service of a mountain village according to one embodiment of the present invention, the user experiences the enjoyment of mountain village life through a virtual forest product cultivation game that reflects the ecosystem of the mountain village area, and by linking virtual activities within the game with real-world consumption through a reward system linked to actual mountain village shops, the consumption of local specialties of the mountain village area is promoted, thereby contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.

[0054] In addition, if a user directly visits a mountain village and purchases forest products and food from actual shops in the area, additional rewards are provided within the game program, which strengthens the interaction between reality and the virtual world and has the effect of increasing immersion and satisfaction with the game.

[0055] Although all components constituting the embodiments of the present invention have been described above as being combined or operating together, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the present invention, all components may be selectively combined and operated in one or more ways.

[0056] Furthermore, terms such as "include," "compose," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the relevant component may be inherent; therefore, they should be interpreted as allowing for the inclusion of additional components rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as those defined in advance, should be interpreted in accordance with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

[0057] Furthermore, the above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical concept of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations within the scope of the essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0058] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in this invention are intended to illustrate, not limit, the technical concept of the invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of this invention shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of this invention.

Claims

1. User terminal; and The system includes a server unit that provides a game program based on the ecosystem of a mountain village to the user terminal, and enables the user's character to acquire reward points when the user's character satisfies preset conditions as the user terminal is operated within the game program. The above server unit is, Based on the above reward points, virtual goods that can be used as currency within the game program are provided to the user's terminal, and The above server unit is, A region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, characterized by providing additional virtual goods to the user's terminal when the user purchases forest products sold in an actual region corresponding to the mountain village region or food utilizing the forest products.

2. In Claim 1, The above server unit is, A region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, comprising: a region selection module in which the user's character selects a virtual settlement based on regional information, which is information about the mountain village region, within the game program; a game service module in which the user's character performs the game program by cultivating virtual forest products and performing tasks based on the settlement; and a shop module in which the user's character purchases virtual farming tools, fertilizers, and pesticides necessary for cultivating the virtual forest products by paying virtual goods.

3. In Claim 1, The above regional information is, A region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on ecosystem services of a mountain village, including information on the actual topography, natural environment, climate, major resources, and special products of the aforementioned mountain village area.

4. In Claim 1, The above reward points are, A regionally linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, characterized by being acquired as the user completes tasks given to the user's character within the game program.

5. In Claim 2, The above store module is, A region-linked forest product cultivation game system based on a mountain village ecosystem service, characterized by including information on forest products from an actual mountain village area linked to the above settlement, and delivering forest products from an actual region corresponding to the mountain village area to the user when the user's character purchases forest products within the game program.

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