Game system, game method, and game program

Abstract

To provide a game system, a game method, and a game program for allowing a user to be capable of sleeping while looking forward to getting up.SOLUTION: A game system 1 includes: a sleep information reception part 16 for receiving a user's sleep information; an installation reception part 14 that can be installed in a field according to a user's operation before sleeping and receives setting of an object with which a parameter is correlated; a character determination part 17 for determining a display character as a character to be displayed in a field on the basis of at least a user's sleep information and a parameter of an object; an image generation part 24 for generating a display image for showing a situation of a field including an object installed in a field and a display character; and an output part 28 for outputting a display image after a user gets up.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game system, a game method, and a game program, and more particularly to a game system, a game method, and a game program that use information related to a user's sleep. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an information processing system that executes an application, the information processing system including an acquisition means for acquiring user information for calculating information related to the user's sleep, a sleep discrimination means for discriminating the user's sleep state based on the acquired user information, and a process execution means for executing a predetermined information process in the application in conjunction with the user's sleep state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The information processing system described in Patent Document 1 can simplify the user's operation in a system that measures information related to the user's health. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016 / 021235 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the information processing system described in Patent Document 1, although a predetermined process can be executed based on the user's health information, for example, in order to wake up the user as a prerequisite for presenting the details of the user's health information, it is necessary to have the user execute a mini-game when waking up. In other words, in the information processing system described in Patent Document 1, the user is woken up by a passive action from the user's perspective. Therefore, in the information processing system described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult for the user to wake up in the morning feeling excited.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a game method, and a game program that enable a user to go to sleep and look forward to waking up. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a program to be executed by a computer having a processor and memory and controlling a game that utilizes information related to sleep, the program causing the processor to execute the following steps: determining information on the start time of a sleep measurement and information on the end time of the measurement in response to a user's operation; sensing the user's movements after the start of the measurement and obtaining the sensing results as data related to sleep; displaying the sensing results in response to an operation to end the measurement; executing a predetermined game process within the game based on the determination of the information on the start time of the measurement and the information on the end time of the measurement, and making an appearing character appear in a field within the game based on the information on the start time of the measurement and the information on the end time of the measurement; associating a predetermined time included between the start time of the measurement and the end time of the measurement with the appearing character as an appearance time; and associating the appearing character with the appearance time of the appearing character, and after obtaining information on the end time of the measurement, notifying the user of the combination of the appearing character and the appearance time of the appearing character. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the game system, game method, and game program of the present invention, it is possible to provide a game system, game method, and game program that allow a user to go to sleep looking forward to waking up. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a functional configuration block diagram of a storage unit provided in the game system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing data configurations of each storage unit in the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of processing in the game system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a moving image generated by an image generating unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a video generated by an image generating unit and a hint generating unit according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of processing in the game system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a list of characters according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a video selection screen and an image selection screen according to the embodiment; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the game system when the user is awake. [Figure 12] 4 is a flow diagram of a control process of a movement control unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a portion of the functional configuration block of a game system according to a modified example of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment Mode] <Overview of Game System 1> The game system 1 according to the present embodiment is a game system in which various characters appear in each of a plurality of fields included in a map within a game using the user's sleep information, and the characters that appear assume postures that are interesting to the user, and the appearances can be output and / or recorded as moving images or still images. In the game system 1, the user can observe the moving images or still images after waking up.

[0010] For example, the user operates a user character representing the user in the game, and travels (journeys) with the main character to a desired field on a map in the game. Then, the game system 1 accepts the user's instructions and places or places a predetermined object (e.g., a predetermined item or a support character that supports the user character in the game) in the destination field. Then, the user goes to bed. Here, a character type that represents the characteristics of the character is associated with the character, and a field is associated with a character type of a character that is likely to appear in the field depending on the characteristics of the field. In addition, predetermined parameters are associated with the object. Furthermore, a predetermined parameter that is the minimum required to execute a predetermined action in the field is associated with the character.

[0011] The game system 1 accepts sleep information, which is information related to the user's actual sleep. The sleep information is, for example, the amount of sleep time. The game system 1 accepts the sleep information from a device or the like that acquires the sleep information from the time the user goes to bed to the time the user wakes up. Then, the game system 1 determines the character that appears while the user is asleep based on the acquired sleep time, the character type of the field, and the character type of the character after the user wakes up. In other words, the game system 1 does not determine the character that appears on the field while the user is actually sleeping, but determines the character that appears on the field after the user wakes up, in the appearance that the character appeared on the field while the user is sleeping.

[0012] Furthermore, the game system 1 compares a predetermined parameter of the character that appears in the field with a predetermined parameter of an object that is installed or placed in the field, and determines whether the character that appears performs a predetermined action (for example, a sleeping action) on or around the main character. In this case, the game system 1 does not determine the predetermined action during the user's actual sleep, but determines whether the predetermined action was performed after the user wakes up, in the appearance that the predetermined action was performed or not performed while the user was sleeping. Next, the game system 1 generates a video including characters that appeared in the field to which the user character moved while the user was asleep and performed a predetermined action together with the main character in the field. Here, the character that has entered a sleeping state can take various sleeping positions or sleeping poses based on predetermined information associated with the field, etc. After waking up, the user can check what action the character that appeared in the field performed by referring to the video generated by the game system 1.

[0013] That is, after the user wakes up, the game system 1 generates a video including a state in which a sleeping character that appears in the field is sleeping in a predetermined sleeping position or posture on or around the main character in response to a predetermined input operation of the user, and enables the video to be displayed on a display unit of an information terminal or the like. Note that as the size of the main character increases, more characters can sleep on or around the main character. The game system 1 can record such a state as a video and / or a still image.

[0014] In this way, according to the game system 1, the user can go to sleep by devising various combination patterns of the field features and objects to be installed or placed in the field before going to sleep or during the day, and can observe various behaviors of various characters (for example, sleeping positions and sleeping postures) after waking up the next morning. In other words, in the game system 1, the user can travel with the main character in the game, actually go to sleep, and enjoy a journey in the game in which the user observes and studies the predetermined behavior of the character that appears in the field that changes according to the user's sleeping time after waking up the next morning. In the game system 1, the state in which the user character goes to sleep with the main character can be generated as a video, so that the user can feel as if the character appeared around the user while the user was actually sleeping and went to sleep.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows an overview of the game system according to this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 1, a game is executed in an information terminal 2, and game contents are displayed on an output unit 28 (for example, a display unit of the information terminal 2). Fig. 1(a) shows an example of the state of a field 100 before a user goes to sleep, and Fig. 1(b) shows an example of the state of the field 100 after the user wakes up. Fig. 1(c) shows an example of an illustrated book that collects images of characters, and Fig. 1(d) shows an example of an enlarged image of a character registered in the illustrated book.

[0016] In the game system 1, the user selects a predetermined field 100 included in a map in the game before going to sleep. Then, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the game system 1 places a main character 102, who travels with the user character in the game, in a predetermined location in the field 100 (for example, in the example of FIG. 1, the main character 102 in a sleeping state is placed near the center of the output unit 28). In addition, in the game system 1, the user selects an object to be placed in the field 100 at the next time of sleeping, before going to sleep, and places it in a desired position in the field 100. The object is, for example, a predetermined item (in the example of FIG. 1, a fan-shaped item 104 and a mat-shaped item 104a) or a support character that supports the user character in the game (in the example of FIG. 1, a support character 106).

[0017] Then, the game system 1 acquires the user's sleep timing and wake-up timing based on, for example, an input from the user to the information terminal 2, or information on the user's movements acquired by an acceleration sensor or the like of the information terminal 2, and calculates the user's sleeping hours from the acquired sleep timing and wake-up timing. Next, the game system 1 determines a character that appears in the field 100 while the user is asleep (hereinafter referred to as a "appearing character").

[0018] Here, various terrains and urban areas are depicted on the map in the game, and fields where the user character and the main character 102 can stop by or sleep in the game are set in various places in the map. A field type based on the terrain is set for each field. Examples of field types include grassland, marshland, forest, volcano, beach, city, and graveyard. A character type is set for each character, and the likelihood of a character appearing in a field is determined by the relationship between the field type and the character type. For example, character types include normal type, grass type, fire type, water type, electric type, and ghost type, and it is set such that a fire type character is more likely to appear in a volcano type field, and a ghost type character is more likely to appear in a graveyard type field.

[0019] The game system 1 determines the characters that have appeared in the field 100 based on the type of the field 100. For example, if the type of the field 100 is a marsh, the frequency with which water-type, normal-type, and electric-type characters appear in the field 100 can be set high (as an example, the order of the likelihood of characters appearing can be set to water type, normal type, and electric type). That is, in the game system 1, a predetermined character type and its frequency of appearance can be associated with the field 100. Here, the game system 1 increases the number of times that it is determined whether or not a character having a character type associated with the field 100 has appeared in the field 100 while the user was asleep, depending on, for example, the length of the sleeping time.

[0020] Then, the game system 1 determines the action of the character that appears on the field 100. The game system 1 compares the parameters of the object placed on the field 100 with the parameters of the appearing character, and determines the action of the appearing character by drawing lots based on the comparison result. For example, when the type of the parameter of the appearing character matches the type of the parameter of the object placed on the field 100 and the amount of the parameter of the character is equal to or less than the amount of the parameter of the object, the game system 1 determines with a predetermined probability whether or not to make the appearing character execute a predetermined action. On the other hand, when the type of the parameter of the appearing character does not match the type of the parameter of the object, or when the type of the parameter of the appearing character matches the type of the parameter of the object but the amount of the parameter of the character exceeds the amount of the parameter of the object, the game system 1 does not make the appearing character execute a predetermined action and makes the appearing character leave the field 100.

[0021] For example, in the example of FIG. 1(b), the game system 1 causes the character 108, the character 108a, and a plurality of characters 108b to appear in the field 100. Here, it is assumed that the character 108 is associated with "three" parameters "P1", the character 108a is associated with "two" parameters "P1", and the character 108b is associated with "one" parameter "P1" and "three" parameters "P2". It is also assumed that the item 104 is associated with "four" parameters "P1", and the support character 106 is associated with "three" parameters "P2". In this case, the total number of parameters associated with the objects (the item 104 and the support character 106) in the field 100 is "four" parameters "P1" and "three" parameters "P2". It is to be noted that the parameters "P1" and "P2" are different types of parameters.

[0022] Then, the game system 1 compares the parameters of each character with the parameters of all objects placed or arranged on the field 100. In the example of Fig. 1(b), the types and amounts of parameters of characters 108 to 108b are all included within the ranges of the types and amounts of all parameters associated with the objects on the field 100. Therefore, the game system 1 determines, by lottery, for example, a sleeping motion as the motion of these characters, and generates a video including the sleeping state of each of the selected characters.

[0023] On the other hand, when "five" parameters "P1" are associated with another character (not shown), or when a parameter "P3" different from the parameters "P1" and "P2" is associated with another character, the type and / or amount of the parameter of the other character is outside the range of the type and / or amount of all parameters associated with the objects in the field 100. In this case, the game system 1 causes the other character to execute an action to leave the field 100. Note that the game system 1 also causes characters that did not win the lottery for the above action to execute an action to leave the field.

[0024] Then, the game system 1 stores the generated video in a predetermined storage unit. After waking up, the user can refer to the video stored in the predetermined storage unit by the game system 1 on the information terminal 2, and can check what kind of characters appeared in the field 100 or slept while the user was asleep, and what kind of postures they took while sleeping.

[0025] Also, the game system 1 can record in the illustrated book the character that first appears in the field 100 as shown in FIG. 1(c). For example, the game system 1 can output the support character 106 that the user places in the field 100 for the first time and the characters that first appear in the field 100 (for example, the character 108, the character 108a, and the character 108b) in the form of an illustrated book at a predetermined position of the output unit 28 of the information terminal 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 1(d), the game system 1 can enlarge and display each of the characters recorded in the illustrated book in response to a user's operation. In this case, the game system 1 may assign a serial number 110 to each character and display it near the image of the character. For example, in the example of FIG. 1(d), the game system 1 accepts a selection instruction for the character 108b in the illustrated book from the user, and enlarges and displays the image of the character 108b, and displays the serial number 110 and the name 112 of the character near the image. Furthermore, the game system 1 may display, on the screen on which the enlarged image of the character 108b is displayed, other images 114 acquired for each type of sleeping phase or sleeping posture that the character 108b takes while sleeping, together with the name 116 of the type of sleeping phase or sleeping posture of the character in the image 114 and the number of times 118 that the character has been imaged so far (i.e., the number of times the character has appeared).

[0026] In this way, in the game system 1, the character that appears in the field 100 is determined based on the field type, the character type, and the sleeping time, and the action of the appearing character in the field 100 is determined based on the parameters of the object and the parameters of the appearing character. This action is, for example, the action of the character sleeping or the action of leaving the field 100 without sleeping. When the character sleeps, the sleeping phase or sleeping posture can be changed depending on the field type and the parameters of the object. Therefore, the user can devise various combinations of the selection of the desired field and the arrangement of various objects from the viewpoint of wanting to observe the appearance of the desired character and the posture in which the desired character sleeps. As a result, the user can gradually grasp what kind of environment is more comfortable for the character that may appear in the field 100 by thinking about it in various ways and devising it while awake while repeating actual sleep, and can prepare the environment (sleeping environment) in which the character sleeps in the game. And, as a result of the user's own devising, since it is not easy to predict what kind of character has taken what posture when going to bed, the user will want to check it when waking up, and the user can wake up with excitement.

[0027] Furthermore, sleep information (e.g., sleep duration, sleep quality, etc.) is not necessarily freely controllable by the user, and is usually not freely controllable. In other words, depending on the user's physical condition, daily stress, lifestyle, etc., even if the user tries to get the sleep he or she desires (sleep for a specified amount of time or sleep of a specified quality), he or she is often unable to get the sleep he or she intended. Therefore, when game results are generated based on sleep information, the user is often unable to obtain the game results he or she desires, and the motivation to continue playing is reduced. Thus, games using sleep information have the problem of low game continuation rates, even though the accuracy of the information generally improves with the continued acquisition of health information including sleep information.

[0028] However, in the game system 1, in addition to the sleep information, elements that can be controlled by the user's own ideas, such as the selection of a field and the selection of an object to be placed in the field, are utilized to generate the game screen (i.e., an image of a predetermined character is displayed together with a predetermined object in a predetermined field). Although the user cannot know in advance how the ingenuity before sleep will affect the game screen, the user can recognize that the user's selection affects the game, and thus the user can enjoy the game without getting bored, providing the fun and enjoyment unique to sleep games. Furthermore, by displaying the character on the game screen together with the field selected by the user and the object to be placed in the field, the user can easily understand the influence of the settings before waking up on the game screen through the game screen after waking up. Note that, since it is particularly difficult for the user to freely control the quality of sleep compared to the sleep time, it is possible to use only the sleep time as the sleep information without using information on the quality of sleep. This allows the user to enjoy the game without getting bored (however, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the sleep information includes the sleep time and the quality of sleep, etc.).

[0029] The game system 1 can be realized by an information terminal such as a mobile communication terminal, a smartphone, a notebook computer, a tablet PC, a PC, a portable game machine, and / or a home game machine. However, from the viewpoint of easiness of acquiring information on the user's going to bed and waking up, the game system 1 is preferably a mobile communication terminal, a smartphone, or a small tablet terminal, or may be a combination of the above-mentioned various information terminals and a wearable device connected to the above-mentioned various information terminals by wire or wirelessly, or an information acquisition device having a sensor for acquiring the user's body information. The game system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below, but the names, numerical values, etc. in the above and following descriptions are merely examples, and it is noted that the present invention is not limited to these names, numerical values, etc., and that these names, numerical values, etc. do not necessarily relate to real names, numerical values, etc.

[0030] <Details of Game System 1> Fig. 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the game system according to this embodiment, Fig. 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of a storage unit included in the game system according to this embodiment, and Fig. 4 shows an example of the data configuration of each storage unit included in this embodiment.

[0031] The game system 1 of this embodiment is a game system 1 in which characters can appear in a field within a game, and accepts selection of the field in which the user will sleep next before going to sleep and settings of objects to be placed in that field, and in response to the user's operation after waking up in the next sleep, determines the character that will appear in the field using the user's sleeping time in the next sleep, and compares the field parameters and object parameters with the character parameters to determine the character's actions that satisfy specified conditions.

[0032] [Game System 1 Configuration Overview] The game system 1 includes an input unit 10 that receives predetermined instructions, a movement control unit 12 that controls the movement of a character in the game, an installation reception unit 14 that receives installation instructions for objects, etc., a sleep information reception unit 16 that receives information about the user's sleep, a character determination unit 17 that determines a display character that is a character to be displayed on the field, a posture determination unit 22 that determines the posture of the character, an image generation unit 24 that generates an image (moving image and / or still image) including the situation of the field, a storage unit 26 that stores various information, and an output unit 28 that outputs images, etc. Here, the character determination unit 17 includes an appearance determination unit 18 that determines an appearance character that is a character that appears on the field, and an action determination unit 20 that determines the action of the appearance character. The game system 1 may also include a character registration unit 30 that stores characters etc. that appear on the field in a designated storage unit, a reward granting unit 32 that grants rewards to users etc., a hint generation unit 34 that generates designated hints, an image acquisition unit 36 ​​that acquires video component images that make up the video, a character granting unit 38 that grants characters to users, an experience value granting unit 40 that grants experience points to users etc., a level setting unit 42 that sets the level of characters etc., and a size setting unit 44 that sets the size of the main character.

[0033] Furthermore, the game system 1 may include a mission control unit 46 that presents predetermined missions in the game to the user, a support character control unit 48 that controls the actions of a support character, an item control unit 50 that controls the actions of items in the game, a sensor 52 that detects the actions of the user, and a share control unit 54 that uploads videos and the like to a predetermined external server. The storage unit 26 has a field information storage unit 260 that stores information about the field, a character information storage unit 262 that stores information about the character, an item information storage unit 264 that stores information about the item, a main character information storage unit 265 that stores information about the main character, a user information storage unit 266 that stores information about the user, a generated image storage unit 268 that stores a generated image, and an image storage unit 270 that stores an image.

[0034] Examples of the sensor 52 include an illuminance sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air pressure sensor, a noise sensor, an odor sensor, and / or a biosensor, etc. In the present embodiment, an acceleration sensor can be used as the sensor 52 from the viewpoint of easily grasping when the user goes to bed and wakes up.

[0035] The game system 1 may not only have the above-mentioned multiple components in the same device or location physically, but may also have some of the above-mentioned multiple components installed in physically separate locations. For example, the game system 1 may have an external server assume some of the functions of the components. In this case, the game system 1 is configured by an information terminal, an external server, and, as necessary, a device having a sensor that acquires the user's sleep information. The game system 1 may also be configured as one or more servers. In this case, the game system 1 is configured by combining the information terminal, the components of one server, and the components of another server. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a collection of predetermined components can be understood as one "information processing device," and the game system 1 may be formed as a collection of multiple information processing devices. The method of allocating multiple functions required to realize the game system 1 according to this embodiment to one or multiple hardware devices can be appropriately determined in consideration of the processing capacity of each hardware device and / or the specifications required for the game system 1. Note that the various information stored in the storage unit 26 may be updated by user instructions or information received via the input unit 10, or may be updated at any time by acquiring predetermined information from a predetermined server located outside the game system 1.

[0036] [Gaming System 1 Configuration Details] In the following description, an example will be given in which a user mainly executes a game provided by the game system 1 using the information terminal 2. From the viewpoint of smoothly executing the processing of the game, the components are not particularly limited, but it is also preferable that the installation reception unit 14, the appearance determination unit 18, the action determination unit 20, the posture determination unit 22, and / or the image generation unit 24 are executed by an external server connected to the information terminal 2 via a communication network.

[0037] (Storage Unit 26) The storage unit 26 stores various types of information related to the game. Each storage section of the storage unit 26 supplies predetermined information to other components of the game system 1 in response to a request from the other components.

[0038] (Storage unit 26: field information storage section 260) The field information storage unit 260 stores field information, character types of characters that may appear in the field, type appearance probability, character ID, character appearance probability, and / or posture information in association with a field ID that identifies a field in a map of the game. The field information is information such as the name of the field (e.g., XX volcano, △△ grassland, etc.), the type of the field that is a characteristic of the field (e.g., volcano, grassland, etc.), the position of the field in the map, and the configuration of the field. The character type is information that represents the characteristics of a character associated with a character that appears in the game, and the character ID is an ID that identifies a character as described later.

[0039] Here, the character appearance probability is the probability that each of the multiple characters will appear in the field. In other words, the likelihood of each character appearing in the field is set by associating the field ID with the appearance probability of each character in the field. Note that rarity information is set individually for each character, and the character appearance probability of a rarer character is set lower than the character appearance probability of a less rarer character so that the rarer the character, the less likely it is to appear.

[0040] A type appearance probability may also be associated with a field. The type appearance probability is the appearance probability of all characters having a character type that is likely to appear in a field identified by a field ID. In other words, one or more character types may be associated with a field ID, and the likelihood of each character type appearing in a field may be set for each character type by further associating the field ID with a probability of appearance of each character type in the field. Each character type includes one or more characters each having a unique personality, and each character may be associated with a character appearance probability. In this case, the character appearance probability determines which characters are likely to appear in a field among the characters having a predetermined character type.

[0041] The posture information is information on the posture that a character appearing in a field takes when performing a predetermined action. For example, if the predetermined action is a sleeping action, the posture information includes information indicating what sleeping position or sleeping posture the character will take in the field, and / or information indicating the probability that the character will take that sleeping position or sleeping posture.

[0042] (Storage unit 26: character information storage section 262) The character information storage unit 262 stores character information, character type, action parameters, support parameters, posture information, experience points, and / or levels in association with a character ID that identifies a character. Character information is information related to a character's name, gender, technique, rarity, etc. Character type is information that indicates the characteristics of a character (for example, normal type, fire type, etc.). Characters include characters that appear on the field (appearing characters) and support characters that support the user's activities in the game. In addition, when a character is a support character that is placed on the field, the character can be treated as a type of object. In this case, the support parameters of the support character have the same function as the support parameters of an item described later.

[0043] The action parameters are information indicating the type and / or amount of parameters required to execute a specific action in the field. The support parameters are parameters that are associated with a character ID according to the characteristics of the support character when the character is a support character, and are parameters used for comparison with the action parameters. The action parameters and the support parameters may be the same or different. For example, when a character changes to a support character, the support parameters may be the action parameters inherited or changed. The action parameters of a character with a high rarity may be of more types and / or greater amounts than the action parameters of a character with a low rarity, and the action parameters of a character with a high rarity may be associated with the requirement to use a specific consumable item.

[0044] The actions include actions when the character is asleep in the field, and actions when the character is awake in the field. That is, the actions include, as actions during sleep, the sleeping actions of the character, the sleeping phase or sleeping pose of the character with movement, and a predetermined pose without the character's movement (i.e., the sleeping phase or sleeping pose of the character in a still image, etc.). For example, the sleeping actions can be set to a plurality of types of sleeping actions (actions in a deep sleep state, actions in a dozing state, etc.) depending on the depth of sleep. The actions include, as actions during wakefulness, actions that can be confirmed in a moving image, such as actions of moving within the field and actions of leaving the field, and / or actions that can be confirmed in a still image, such as the appearance of moving within the field and the appearance of leaving the field.

[0045] The posture information is information indicating what posture the character takes when performing a predetermined action, such as information on the sleeping position or posture during sleep. The posture information can store information on a plurality of postures. When the posture information includes information on a plurality of postures, each of the information on the plurality of postures may be associated with a rarity. The information on the posture associated with a predetermined rarity may be associated with a condition for the appearance of the character performing the action in the posture (for example, a condition such as capturing the character associated with the posture information in a video a predetermined number of times). Furthermore, the experience value is a value acquired by the character in the game, and the level is a numerical value determined according to the cumulative total of the experience value granted, and is a numerical value representing the rank of the character. When the experience value acquired by the character achieves a predetermined condition (for example, when it exceeds a predetermined threshold), the character's level can be raised in stages.

[0046] Here, the type of the action parameter is not particularly limited, but the type can be determined according to the character type, the characteristics of the character, and the like. As an example, a "fire type" character may be associated with an action parameter named "warm", an "electric type" character may be associated with an action parameter named "sparkling", and a "water type" character may be associated with an action parameter named "cool". Also, a single character may be associated with multiple types of action parameters. The types of action parameters are not particularly limited, but other examples include "cute", "fluffy", "powerful", and "sparkling". In addition to the type of action parameter, the amount of the action parameter is also associated with the character ID as an action parameter. For example, the type of action parameter and the amount of the action parameter of the type (for example, "warm" x 5) are associated with the character ID as an action parameter.

[0047] (Storage unit 26: item information storage section 264) The item information storage unit 264 stores item information, support parameters as object parameters, use history, and / or level in association with an item ID that identifies an item that is an object. The items are various tools that the user can place in the field 100 and various tools that can be used in the field 100 (hereinafter, these may be referred to as "sleep goods"). The item information is information on the type, name, properties, shape, and the like of the item. There is no particular limitation on the items, but examples include items having shapes such as pillows, futons, cushions, mats, sheets, and cushions, and items having shapes such as electric fans, hand fans, stoves, and ornaments. The support parameters are parameters that are associated with the item ID according to the characteristics of the item, and are parameters used for comparison with the operation parameters. The type and amount of the support parameters are the same as the operation parameters described in the description of the character information storage unit 262. The item ID is associated with the type of support parameter and the amount of the support parameter of the type as support parameters.

[0048] Here, the types of support parameters include the same types as the types of operation parameters. As an example, the types of support parameters include "warm", "shiny", "cool", "cute", "fluffy", "powerful", and "sparkling". Similarly to characters, one or more support parameters and the amount of each support parameter are associated with an item. For example, an item ID is associated with a type of support parameter and an amount of the support parameter of the type (for example, "cute" x 5, etc.) as a support parameter. The use history is information on the number of times and time that the item is used in the game. The level is a numerical value determined according to the use history, etc., and is a numerical value representing the rank of the item. The game system 1 may, for example, change the type and amount of the support parameter in response to level-up of the item, update the changed type and amount as new support parameters, and store them in the item information storage unit 264.

[0049] (Storage unit 26: main character information storage section 265) The main character information storage unit 265 stores main character information, the size, posture information, experience value, level, and / or gauge information of the main character in association with a character ID for identifying the main character. The main character information is information on the name, sex, technique, and the like of the main character. The size of the main character is information indicating the size of the main character in the game, and the posture information is information indicating what posture the main character takes when performing a predetermined action, and for the main character, it is preferable that the information is particularly information on the sleeping phase and sleeping posture during sleep. The posture information may include information on a plurality of postures. The experience value and the level are the same as those described in the character information storage unit 262. The gauge information is information on a predetermined parameter value of the main character, and the parameter value increases or decreases according to, for example, information such as the user's sleeping time (as an example, the parameter value increases according to the length of the sleeping time). The parameter value of the gauge information may be increased, for example, by using a paid item or the like.

[0050] (Storage unit 26: user information storage section 266) The user information storage unit 266 stores user information, character IDs of characters and / or main characters owned by the user, character posture information of characters corresponding to the character IDs, item IDs of items owned by the user, user experience points, user level, and / or mileage information in association with a user ID that identifies the user. The user information is the user's nickname, information about the user character used by the user in the game (appearance, sex, etc.), information specific to the individual user (date of birth, information about favorite food, etc.), and / or information about rewards given to the user. The posture information is information about the character of the character ID stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID, and indicates the posture of the character, such as a sleeping figure or sleeping phase. The experience points and level are the same as those described in the character information storage unit 262. The mileage information is information about the user's actual sleep information, for example, points given to the user according to the sleeping time.

[0051] (Storage unit 26: generated image storage section 268, image storage section 270) The generated image storage unit 268 stores generated image information and / or generated image data of the generated image in association with a generated image ID that identifies an image (generated image) generated by the game system 1. The generated image includes a still image and a moving image. The generated image information is, for example, when the generated image is a moving image, information such as the date of generation of the moving image, the time, minute, and second, the moving image size, hint information on characters included in the moving image and characters that appeared in the field but did not perform a predetermined action, and the like. In addition, when the generated image is a still image, the generated image information is, for example, information such as the date of acquisition of the still image, the time, minute, and second, the still image size, hint information on characters included in the still image and characters that appeared in the field but did not perform a predetermined action, and the like. The generated image storage unit 268 can also store the generated image as an album. In this case, the generated image storage unit 268 can set an upper limit on the number of albums. However, the generated image storage unit 268 can also increase the upper limit in exchange for consumption of in-game virtual currency, etc.

[0052] The image storage unit 270 is a storage unit that stores various images (moving images and / or still images) used in the game system 1, and stores image information and / or image data in association with an image ID that identifies the image. The image information is, for example, the name of the image, the image size, etc.

[0053] (Input section 10, output section 28) The input unit 10 accepts input of various information and predetermined instructions from a user. The input unit 10 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a motion sensor, etc. of the information terminal 2. The input unit 10 supplies the predetermined instructions to predetermined components of the game system 1. Each component that accepts the predetermined instructions performs a predetermined function.

[0054] The output unit 28 outputs various processing results executed in the game system 1. The output unit 28 outputs various processing results and stored information in a manner that allows the user to perceive them. Specifically, the output unit 28 outputs various processing results and stored information as still images, moving images, sounds, texts, and / or physical phenomena such as vibrations. For example, the output unit 28 is a display unit, speaker, vibration unit (a device provided in the information terminal that generates vibrations by a predetermined electric signal), light-emitting unit, etc. of the information terminal. The output unit 28 can also output an image generated by the image generation unit 24 in response to an instruction from the user. The output unit 28 can also output various information stored in the storage unit 26 and / or information received from an external server.

[0055] (Movement control unit 12) The movement control unit 12 controls the movement of a user character representing a user who executes a game and a main character who acts together with the user character within a map of the game in response to an instruction from the user received via the input unit 10. For example, a map is provided with a plurality of fields, and the movement control unit 12 moves the user character and the main character to one field within the map in response to a selection made by an awakened user. In this case, the movement control unit 12 can move the user character and the main character from one field to another field adjacent to the one field in principle. On the other hand, the movement control unit 12 may move the user character and the main character from one field to a field that is not adjacent to the one field but is located away from the one field, for example, when the main character is in a specific state (for example, when the gauge information of the main character indicates a maximum value, etc.). This allows the user character that can be operated by the user to act in the field together with the user character in the game, within the field of the destination. The movement control unit 12 supplies the field ID of the destination field to the appearance determination unit 18, the character determination unit 17, the action determination unit 20, and / or the posture determination unit 22.

[0056] (Installation reception desk 14) The installation reception unit 14 accepts the setting of an object that can be installed in the field and has parameters associated therewith, in response to the user's operation before the user goes to sleep. For example, the installation reception unit 14 accepts the setting of an object to be installed in the field in the next sleep before the user goes to sleep. That is, the installation reception unit 14 executes the setting of an object to be installed in the field in the next sleep and the setting of the main character to move to the field together with the user, in response to the user's instruction received via the input unit 10, before the user goes to sleep (typically during the day or during the day) under the control of the movement control unit 12. Examples of the object include sleep goods and / or support characters. Note that the number of sleep goods and support characters installed in the field may be one or more. When multiple support characters are installed in the field, a deck may be organized using multiple support characters. The installation reception unit 14 supplies information about the object installed in the field (for example, an item ID, a character ID, and the number of items and / or characters installed) to the character determination unit 17, the action determination unit 20, and / or the posture determination unit 22.

[0057] (Sleep Information Reception Unit 16) The sleep information receiving unit 16 receives sleep information that is information related to the user's sleep. That is, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives sleep information for the user's next sleep. The sleep information receiving unit 16 may receive the sleep information from a sleep information acquiring means that acquires the sleep information. The sleep information may include sleep duration, bedtime, time to get into bed, time to fall asleep, time to wake up, time to wake up, and / or quality of sleep. The sleep information receiving unit 16 can receive the sleep information from various known sleep information acquiring means. For example, the sleep information receiving unit 16 can receive information detected by a sensor 52 such as an acceleration sensor included in the user's information terminal 2, and calculate the sleep duration from the user's bedtime (e.g., bedtime) and wakeup timing (e.g., wakeup time). As an example, the information terminal 2 having an acceleration sensor is placed at the user's bedside or the like, and the time when the acceleration sensor detects a predetermined state can be set as the bedtime, and the time when the acceleration sensor detects a predetermined movement after a predetermined time has passed can be set as the wakeup timing. Furthermore, when the acceleration sensor measures the user's movements such as turning over while sleeping, the sleep information receiving unit 16 may receive the measurement result and generate information related to the quality of sleep. Furthermore, the sleep information receiving unit 16 may calculate the sleep time from the user's bedtime and wake-up time received via the input unit 10. The sleep information receiving unit 16 supplies the received sleep information or the generated or calculated sleep information to the character determination unit 17, the appearance determination unit 18, the posture determination unit 22, the image generation unit 24, the reward provision unit 32, and / or the experience value provision unit 40.

[0058] When the inventors verified the quality of sleep using a commercially available information terminal 2 having an acceleration sensor, they found that the sleep information receiving unit 16 was not always able to receive the exact quality of sleep. Therefore, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to obtain the exact quality of sleep and the user can simply experience the game, the sleep information may mainly be the sleep time, and the sleep quality may be used supplementarily.

[0059] (Character determination unit 17) The character determination unit 17 determines a display character, which is a character to be displayed in a field, based on at least the user's sleep information and the parameters of the object. The character determination unit 17 determines the display mode of the display character based on the user's sleep information and the parameters of the object. Specifically, the character determination unit 17 determines the display character based on at least the user's sleep information, the parameters of the object, and the parameters of the character associated with the field.

[0060] For example, the character determination unit 17 determines a display character by lottery based on the user's sleeping time received from the sleep information receiving unit 16. As an example, the character determination unit 17 determines a display character to be displayed in a field by lottery from among the characters stored in the character information storage unit 262, using the character appearance probability stored in the field information storage unit 260 in association with the field. In this case, the character determination unit 17 may determine the number of lottery draws and / or the winning probability according to the user's sleeping time. Then, the character determination unit 17 compares the parameters of the field and / or the parameters of the object with the parameters of the display character, and determines the action of the display character in the field that satisfies a predetermined condition based on the comparison result with a predetermined probability. The character determination unit 17 can also determine the time when the display character appeared in the field based on the sleep information.

[0061] Here, the character is associated with a motion parameter that is a condition required for the character to perform one of a plurality of predetermined motions (including at least one of a moving motion and a stationary motion) in the field. The character determination unit 17 acquires the motion parameters of the displayed character stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID. Then, the character determination unit 17 can compare the parameters of the object present in the field with the motion parameters of the displayed character to determine the motion of the displayed character (for example, a motion based on the posture information stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID of the displayed character). For example, when the comparison result shows that the motion parameters match the parameters of the object or are included in the parameters of the object, the character determination unit 17 determines the predetermined motion from among the plurality of motions as the motion of the displayed character. Specifically, the character determination unit 17 can determine the display mode of the displayed character based on the information of the appearing character determined by the appearance determination unit 18 and the information of the motion of the appearing character determined by the motion determination unit 20. The displayed character refers to the appearing character determined by the appearance determination unit 18 and the appearing character whose motion has been determined by the motion determination unit 20.

[0062] (Appearance determining section 18) The appearance determination unit 18 determines an appearance character that appears in the field based on the user's sleeping time in the next sleep. That is, the appearance determination unit 18 determines an appearance character by lottery using the sleeping time received from the sleep information receiving unit 16. The appearance determination unit 18 executes lottery for the appearance character a predetermined number of times determined according to the sleeping time. The appearance determination unit 18 may start the lottery in response to a predetermined input by the user who has woken up. Furthermore, the appearance determination unit 18 may increase the probability of drawing a character with a high rarity as the sleeping time is longer.

[0063] Specifically, the appearance determination unit 18 acquires the character type, type appearance probability, character ID, and character appearance probability stored in the field information storage unit 260 in association with the field ID received from the movement control unit 12. Then, the appearance determination unit 18 first performs a lottery (first lottery) to determine which character type of character will appear based on the character type and type appearance probability associated with the field ID. As a result, the character type that will appear in the field is determined. Next, after determining the character type to appear, the appearance determination unit 18 performs a lottery (second lottery) to determine which character will appear among one or more characters included in the character type based on the character ID of the character included in the character type and the character appearance probability corresponding to the character ID. As a result, the appearance determination unit 18 determines the appearing character. Note that the appearance determination unit 18 may determine the appearing character only by the second lottery without determining the character type.

[0064] Then, the appearance determination unit 18 executes the first lottery and the second lottery the number of times determined according to the sleeping time. For example, the appearance determination unit 18 can execute the first lottery and the second lottery by dividing the sleeping time by the unit time (decimals are discarded or rounded off) as the number of times. As an example, if the sleeping time is 8 hours and the unit time is set to 2 hours, the appearance determination unit 18 can execute 4 sets of lotteries by setting the first lottery and the second lottery as one set of lotteries. In other words, the longer the sleeping time, the more the number of times the first lottery and the second lottery are executed. This increases the number of characters that appear on the field. As a result, the number of characters that execute a predetermined action in the action determination unit 20 described later also increases, and the number of characters that the character granting unit 38 grants to the user also increases. Note that, although it depends on the setting of the unit time, the number of times the first lottery and the second lottery are executed by the appearance determination unit 18 is about several times a day.

[0065] The appearance determination unit 18 may also determine the time when the appearing character appeared in the field (that is, the time is not the actual time but a past time). That is, the appearance determination unit 18 performs the first lottery and the second lottery after acquiring the sleep time, that is, after the user wakes up. Therefore, when determining the appearing character, the appearance determination unit 18 separately determines the time when the appearing character appeared in the field. The appearance determination unit 18 can determine the time when the appearing character appeared in the field randomly or in accordance with the character type and movement parameters of the appearing character. The appearance determination unit 18 supplies information on the determined appearing character to the character determination unit 17, the movement determination unit 20, the posture determination unit 22, the image generation unit 24, the reward granting unit 32, and / or the hint generation unit 34.

[0066] In addition, the appearance determination unit 18 may divide the sleep time into a predetermined unit time in response to an instruction from the user who wakes up after the next sleep, and may determine the character that appears in the field at each unit time. That is, the appearance determination unit 18 may execute the first lottery and the second lottery for each unit time. In this case, the appearance determination unit 18 may determine the time corresponding to each unit time as the time when the appearing character appears. For example, when the sleep time is 8 hours and the unit time is 2 hours, the appearance determination unit 18 executes the first lottery and the second lottery four times. In this case, the appearance determination unit 18 specifies that each lottery is executed 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours after the user goes to sleep, and determines the time when each appearing character appears in the field. For example, when the user goes to sleep at 11:00 p.m. and wakes up at 7:00 a.m., the lottery in the appearance determination unit 18 is executed after the user wakes up, but the time when the appearing character appears is determined to be one of 1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., and 7:00 a.m.

[0067] (Action decision unit 20) In response to a user's operation after waking up in the next sleep, the action determination unit 20 compares the parameters of the field and / or the parameters of the object with the parameters of the appearing character, and determines an action of the appearing character that satisfies a predetermined condition with a predetermined probability based on the comparison result.

[0068] The action determination unit 20 acquires support parameters stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with a character ID (i.e., the character ID of the support character), which is information about the object received from the installation reception unit 14, and / or support parameters stored in the item information storage unit 264 in association with an item ID, which is information about the object. The action determination unit 20 also acquires action parameters stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID of the appearing character received from the appearance determination unit 18. Then, the action determination unit 20 compares the support parameters of the item and / or the support character with the action parameters of the appearing character.

[0069] Specifically, the action determination unit 20 grasps the type and amount of support parameters of items and / or support characters (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "object parameters"), and grasps the type and amount of action parameters of the appearing character. Then, the action determination unit 20 determines the action of the appearing character with a predetermined probability when the following (a) or (b) is satisfied. Note that, when neither the following (a) nor (b) is satisfied, the action determination unit 20 determines the action of the appearing character to leave the field. In this case, the action determination unit 20 also determines the time at which the action of leaving is to be performed.

[0070] (a) When the type of operation parameter matches the type of object parameter, and the amount of the operation parameter is equal to or less than the amount of the object parameter. Note that when there are multiple types of operation parameters and multiple types of object parameters, when the multiple types of object parameters match the multiple types of operation parameters, and each of the amounts of the multiple types of operation parameters is equal to or less than the amount of each of the corresponding multiple types of object parameters. (b) When there are multiple types of object parameters, the multiple object parameter types include an operation parameter type, and the amounts of the operation parameters of the types included in the object parameter types are all less than the amount of the object parameter.

[0071] For example, the action determination unit 20 classifies object parameters by type and grasps the amount of each type. For example, if the support parameters of an item are "warm" (amount, for example, "3") and "sparkle" (amount, for example, "1"), and the support parameters of a support character are "warm" (amount, for example, "1") and "cool" (amount, for example, "2"), the action determination unit 20 determines that the field contains an amount of "warm" parameter of "4", an amount of "sparkle" parameter of "1", and an amount of "cool" parameter of "2".

[0072] The action determination unit 20 also grasps the action parameters of the appearing characters for each appearing character. For example, an example will be described in which there are three appearing characters. As an example, the action parameter of the first appearing character is "warm" (for example, "4"), the action parameters of the second appearing character are "warm" (for example, "4") and "sparkle" (for example, "5"), and the action parameter of the third appearing character is "sparkle" (for example, "1"). In this case, the action determination unit 20 determines that the "warm" parameter is associated with the first appearing character by an amount of "4", the "warm" parameter is associated with the second appearing character by an amount of "4" and the "sparkle" parameter is associated with the third appearing character by an amount of "1".

[0073] In this case, since the field contains a "warm" parameter of "4", a "sparkle" parameter of "1", and a "cool" parameter of "2", the action determination unit 20 determines that the action parameters of the first appearing character and the third appearing character satisfy the above condition (a) or (b), but determines that the action parameters of the second appearing character do not satisfy either of the above conditions (a) or (b) (in other words, the amount of the "warm" parameter of the second appearing character matches the amount of the "warm" parameter of the field, but the amount of the "sparkle" parameter exceeds the amount of the "sparkle" parameter of the field).

[0074] Then, the action determination unit 20 determines the action of the appearing character with a predetermined probability when a predetermined condition (condition (a) or (b) in the above example) is satisfied (i.e., a lottery is held when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and the appearing character executes the predetermined action when the lottery is won). That is, in the above example, the action determination unit 20 determines by lottery whether or not the first appearing character and the third appearing character execute the predetermined action in the field. When the lottery is won, the action executed by the action determination unit 20 is, for example, the action of the appearing character moving in the field and / or the action of the appearing character sleeping in the field (sleeping action). In this case, the action determination unit 20 may cause the displayed character to perform the sleeping action on or around or near the main character in the field, that is, at a position within a predetermined range centered on the main character. On the other hand, when the lottery is not won, the action executed by the action determination unit 20 is, for example, the action of the appearing character leaving the field without sleeping. The action determination unit 20 supplies information indicating the determined content to the character determination unit 17, the posture determination unit 22, the image generation unit 24, the character registration unit 30, the reward granting unit 32, and / or the hint generation unit .

[0075] When a predetermined condition (condition (a) or (b) in the above example) is satisfied, the action determination unit 20 may determine the action of the appearing character without a lottery (i.e., the action of the appearing character is not determined to be leaving the field) and cause the appearing character to perform the predetermined action. Similarly, when either (c) or (d) below is satisfied, the action determination unit 20 may determine the action of the appearing character without a lottery and cause the appearing character to perform the predetermined action.

[0076] (c) The type of the action parameter matches the type of the object parameter, and the amount of the action parameter is less than the amount of the object parameter. (d) When there are multiple types of object parameters, the multiple object parameter types include an operational parameter type, and the amounts of the operational parameters of the types included in the object parameter types are all less than the amount of the object parameter.

[0077] For example, if the action parameter of the fourth appearing character is "sparkle" (e.g., the amount is "5") and the "sparkle" parameter of the field is an amount of "5", the action determination unit 20 determines the action of the appearing character by lottery. On the other hand, if the "sparkle" parameter of the field is an amount of "10", the action determination unit 20 may determine the action of the appearing character without lottery (or may determine by conducting a lottery with a lottery probability of 100%).

[0078] The character determination unit 17 can determine the display mode of the displayed character based on the information received from the appearance determination unit 18 and the action determination unit 20. In this case, the character determination unit 17 supplies information indicating the determination content determined by the action determination unit 20 and information on the appearing character determined by the appearance determination unit 18 to the posture determination unit 22, the image generation unit 24, the character registration unit 30, the reward granting unit 32, and / or the hint generation unit 34. Below, an example will be described in which the appearance determination unit 18 and the action determination unit 20 each supply predetermined information to a predetermined component.

[0079] (Posture determination unit 22) The posture determination unit 22 determines the posture (e.g., sleeping posture, sleeping phase) of the appearing character that the motion determination unit 20 has determined to perform the sleeping motion, based on the user's sleeping time, the time elapsed since the user's bedtime, the real time, the quality of the user's sleep, posture information associated with the field ID, item information associated with the item ID, and / or posture information associated with the character ID of the supporting character. The posture determination unit 22 can also determine the posture of the supporting character and / or the main character in the field 100 based on the user's sleeping time, the time elapsed since the user's bedtime, the real time, the quality of the user's sleep, posture information associated with the field ID, item information associated with the item ID, posture information associated with the character ID of the supporting character, and / or posture information associated with the character ID of the main character. Furthermore, when the sleep information received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 includes the quality of the user's sleep (e.g., information on the stage of sleep, such as light sleep or deep sleep), the posture determining unit 22 may change the posture of the main character 102 (e.g., sleeping phase or sleeping posture) in accordance with the quality. In other words, unlike the case of a displayed character, the game system 1 does not, in principle, acquire an image including only the posture of the main character 102, but can change the posture of the main character 102 in accordance with the quality of sleep to give a change to the image of the field (image of the entire field) and the atmosphere of the image. In this way, the game system 1 may use the quality of sleep auxiliary.

[0080] For example, the posture determination unit 22 can determine to make the character determined to be put into a sleeping motion assume a predetermined sleeping posture or sleeping position based on posture information stored in the field information storage unit 260 in association with the field ID received from the movement control unit 12. The posture determination unit 22 may also determine to make the character determined to be put into a sleeping motion assume a predetermined posture through interaction between the character determined to be put into a sleeping motion and objects installed or placed in the field and / or other characters determined to be put into a sleeping motion around the character determined to be put into a sleeping motion. The posture determination unit 22 supplies information indicating the determination content to the image generation unit 24, the character registration unit 30, and / or the reward granting unit 32.

[0081] (Image Generation Unit 24) The image generating unit 24 generates a display image showing the situation of the field including the objects and the display characters placed in the field. The display image generated by the image generating unit 24 is a still image and / or a video. For example, the image generating unit 24 can generate a video having a length determined according to the sleep time, showing the situation of the field 100 including at least one of the characters that have appeared in the field 100 and the characters whose actions have been determined. The image generated by the image generating unit 24 is conceptually a video obtained by continuously recording an image capturing device that contains the field in an image capturing area while the user is sleeping and / or a still image captured by the image capturing device. The video and / or still image are made viewable by picking up the time when the character appeared in the field and / or the time when the character performed a predetermined action. When the image generating unit 24 receives a selection instruction from the user for a character included in the video and / or still image, the image of the character may be enlarged and displayed, and a video of several seconds including the enlarged character may be generated. In the following, a case where the image generated by the image generating unit 24 is a moving image will be mainly described as an example.

[0082] Specifically, image generating unit 24 generates an image including a state in which the appearing character determined by appearance determining unit 18 performs the action determined by action determining unit 20, and / or a state in which the character performs the action determined by action determining unit 20 and assumes the posture determined by posture determining unit 22. When generating a video, image generating unit 24 can also shorten the length of the generated video by a predetermined percentage according to the sleep time calculated from the user's bedtime and wake-up time included in the user's sleep information received from sleep information receiving unit 16, or generate a digest version of the video.

[0083] Here, the image generating unit 24 can generate multiple videos for one sleep of the user. That is, for one or more appearance times of an appearing character determined by the appearance determining unit 18 and / or one or more execution times of an action of an appearing character that has executed an action determined by the action determining unit 20 among the appearing characters, the image generating unit 24 may generate a video of a predetermined length including each execution time. For example, the image generating unit 24 may generate a video of the appearance determining unit 18 at times t1, t2, t3, . . . , t n (where n is a positive integer), when it is determined that a character has appeared at each of time t1, time t2, time t3, . . . , time t n It is also possible to generate a video of a predetermined length (preferably about several minutes or less from the viewpoint of allowing the user to easily watch) including a predetermined time before and after each time, and a thumbnail image for each time. This eliminates the need for the image generating unit 24 to generate a video for the entire sleeping time, and allows the image generating unit 24 to generate a video including the timing when the character appears in the field 100 and the timing when the appeared character performs a sleeping motion.

[0084] The image generating unit 24 may also provide a plurality of sections in which the time from bedtime to wake-up time is divided into a plurality of sections for each predetermined time, and generate a video or digest video or digest version still image for each section. For example, the image generating unit 24 can generate a plurality of videos by repeating the operation of generating a video at a time after a predetermined time has elapsed since bedtime, and then generating a video at a time after a predetermined time has elapsed from that time until wake-up time. Therefore, the longer the sleeping time or the shorter the time of the section, the more videos the image generating unit 24 will generate. Each of these multiple videos may include the timing when a character appears in the field 100 or the timing when the appearing character performs a sleeping motion, and may be a video including a predetermined time before and after these timings.

[0085] Furthermore, the image generating unit 24 can generate a video showing the state of the field when the user wakes up after waking up, and generate a video in which a character sleeping in the field wakes up in response to an input operation by the user. The generated video is output from the output unit 28. Furthermore, the image generating unit 24 can generate a video after changing the field environment in response to the actual time of day. For example, the image generating unit 24 can generate a video by changing the background image of the field to a night field, a sunrise field, a morning field, or a daytime field in response to the actual time of day. Furthermore, the image generating unit 24 can obtain information on the quality of the user's sleep at a predetermined time from the sleep information receiving unit 16 as sleep information, generate a video including the predetermined time, and include information indicating the quality of the user's sleep (for example, sleep stage) (for example, text information, information represented by a diagram such as a graph, etc.) in the video.

[0086] Image generation unit 24 supplies the generated image to generated image storage unit 268. Generated image storage unit 268 stores generated image data of the generated image together with generated image information in association with a generated image ID. Note that the generated image information may be information including, for example, the bedtime, wake-up time, and bedday of the user when the generated image was generated. In addition, image generation unit 24 supplies the generated display image to output unit 28, and output unit 28 outputs the display image.

[0087] (Character registration section 30) The character registration unit 30 stores in the user information storage unit 266 the character ID of the display character determined by the character determination unit 17 and included for the first time in the image generated by the image generation unit 24, and / or the character ID of the appearing character determined by the action determination unit 20 to perform a sleeping action, in association with the user ID. Specifically, the character registration unit 30 compares the character ID of the character owned by the user stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID with the character ID of the appearing character that has performed the sleeping action determined by the action determination unit 20, and if the character ID of the appearing character that has performed the sleeping action is not stored in the user information storage unit 266, the character registration unit 30 stores in the user information storage unit 266 the character ID of the appearing character that has performed the sleeping action in association with the user ID as a newly appearing character that has performed a sleeping action.

[0088] Furthermore, the character registration unit 30 compares the character ID and posture information of the character owned by the user stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID with the character ID of the appearing character that has performed the sleeping action determined by the action determination unit 20 and the posture of the appearing character determined by the posture determination unit 22, and even if the character ID of the appearing character that has performed the sleeping action and taken the posture determined by the posture determination unit 22 is not stored in the user information storage unit 266, the character registration unit 30 stores the character ID of the appearing character that has newly performed the sleeping action in association with the user ID in the user information storage unit 266. In other words, even if the character ID is the same for a character, if the posture during the sleeping action (i.e., sleeping position or sleeping pose) is different, the character registration unit 30 can handle the character as a different character for each of the postures.

[0089] (Reward Granting Unit 32) The reward granting unit 32 grants a predetermined reward to the user. For example, the reward granting unit 32 grants mileage to the user according to the sleep time accepted by the sleep information accepting unit 16. The reward granting unit 32 updates the mileage information stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID, using information on the mileage decided to be granted to the user. The reward granting unit 32 may grant a reward to the user when the character ID of the appearing character decided by the appearance deciding unit 18 is not stored in the user information storage unit 266. Furthermore, the reward granting unit 32 may grant a reward to the user even when the character ID of the appearing character decided by the appearance deciding unit 18 is stored in the user information storage unit 266. However, in this case, the amount of reward may be smaller than when the character ID is not stored in the user information storage unit 266.

[0090] The reward granting unit 32 may grant a reward to the user when the character ID of the appearing character determined by the action determination unit 20 to perform a sleeping action is not stored in the user information storage unit 266. Furthermore, the reward granting unit 32 may grant a reward to the user even when the character ID of the appearing character determined by the action determination unit 20 to perform a sleeping action is stored in the user information storage unit 266. However, in this case, the amount of reward may be smaller than when the character ID is not stored in the user information storage unit 266. Furthermore, even when the character ID of the appearing character determined by the action determination unit 20 to perform a sleeping action is stored in the user information storage unit 266, if the posture information indicating the posture determined by the posture determination unit 22 is not stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the character ID, the reward granting unit 32 may grant a reward to the user, assuming that the appearing character sleeping in a new posture has appeared.

[0091] The reward given to the user by the reward giving unit 32 can be stored in the user information storage unit 266 as user information in association with the user ID. There is no particular limitation on the form of the reward. For example, the reward may be a predetermined point (for example, research points), in-game virtual currency, or coins or a predetermined item used in the game. There is also no particular limitation on the method of determining the amount of reward given to the user by the reward giving unit 32. For example, the reward amount can be determined in various ways, such as determining the reward amount based on the number of characters that appeared in the field 100, determining the reward amount based on the number of characters that performed a sleep action among the characters that appeared, determining the reward amount based on the number of characters that correspond to a character ID not stored in the user information storage unit 266 among the characters that appeared or the characters that performed a sleep action, or determining the reward amount based on a reward amount uniquely associated with the characters that appeared or the characters that performed a sleep action.

[0092] (Hint Generation Unit 34) The hint generating unit 34 notifies the user of information on the motion parameters and / or object parameters required for making the displayed character perform a motion other than the motion determined by the character determining unit 17. For example, the hint generating unit 34 generates a parameter required for an appearing character who has left the field without sleeping to perform a sleeping motion or a predetermined motion (for example, one or more motions of a plurality of types of sleeping motions (sleeping phase or sleeping posture, that is, motions in a deep sleep state, motions in a drowsy state, etc.)) in the field, that is, a hint of the support parameters of an object to be installed and / or placed in the field. Specifically, the hint generating unit 34 acquires information on an appearing character whose motion of leaving the field has been determined by the motion determining unit 20 (the character who has left, that is, the character who did not sleep in the field) among the appearing characters determined by the appearance determining unit 18. Then, the hint generating unit 34 acquires the motion parameters stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID of the acquired character who has left. The hint generating unit 34 uses the acquired operation parameters to generate hint information that informs the user of the type and amount of support parameters necessary for the character that has left to perform a sleeping operation and / or a predetermined operation in the field. Note that the hint generating unit 34 does not need to generate hint information for an appearing character that satisfies the predetermined condition (condition (a) or (b) in the above description) in the operation determining unit 20 but has not won the lottery and has been determined to leave the field. This is because the appearing character has already satisfied the parameters themselves, which are the conditions for performing the predetermined operation in the field.

[0093] Then, the hint generating unit 34 supplies the generated hint information to the image generating unit 24. The image generating unit 24 generates a video or a still image in which the received hint information is superimposed on an image including the time when the action of leaving was performed. Then, when the output unit 28 outputs the video or the still image generated by the image generating unit 24 in response to an instruction from the user, the hint information is output together with the video or the still image. Note that when a field for moving the user character and the main character to a predetermined field is selected by an awake user, and the selected field is a field for which a hint has been output once, the output unit 28 may output the hint information that was already output when the field was selected.

[0094] (Image acquisition unit 36) The image acquisition unit 36 ​​acquires at least a part of the moving image generated by the image generation unit 24 or a plurality of frame images (moving image constituent images) constituting the moving image in response to an instruction from a user. The image acquired by the image acquisition unit 36 ​​is stored as image data in the image storage unit 270 in association with an image ID that identifies the image. In other words, the image acquisition unit 36 ​​has a function of acquiring a capture image of the moving image or still image output from the output unit 28.

[0095] (Character assignment unit 38) When the image generating unit 24 generates a video showing the state of the field when the user wakes up, the video is output from the output unit 28, and when the character assigning unit 38 generates a video showing a state in which the character sleeping in the field wakes up in response to the user's input action, the character assigning unit 38 makes the woken up character the property of the user with a predetermined probability. The character that the user owns can be used as a support character according to the user's selection. For example, the image generating unit 24 generates a video including a character sleeping in the field, and the video is output from the output unit 28. In this case, the user selects a sleeping character included in the video. The image generating unit 24 accepts the selection via the input unit 10 and generates a video showing a state in which the character sleeping wakes up. Then, when the character assigning unit 38 accepts the selection via the input unit 10, the character assigning unit 38 associates the character ID of the character sleeping with the user ID with a predetermined probability (i.e., draws a lottery). When the character assigning unit 38 determines to associate the character ID of the sleeping character with the user ID with a predetermined probability, the character assigning unit 38 stores the character ID in association with the user ID in the user information storage unit 266. As a result, the sleeping character that appeared in the field becomes a character owned by the user with a predetermined probability.

[0096] (Experience point granting section 40) The experience value imparting unit 40 imparts experience values ​​to the user, the main character, and / or the support character based on the sleep information received by the sleep information receiving unit 16. The experience value is determined, for example, according to the length of the sleep time. Specifically, the experience value imparting unit 40 adds the experience value determined according to the length of the sleep time to the experience value stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID, and updates the experience value stored in the user information storage unit 266 to the experience value after the addition. The experience value imparting unit 40 similarly updates the experience value stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID of the support character, and / or the experience value stored in the main character information storage unit 265 in association with the character ID of the main character.

[0097] (Level setting section 42) The level setting unit 42 compares the experience points of the user, the main character, and the support character with their respective predetermined thresholds, and if the experience points exceed the predetermined thresholds, raises the levels of the user, the main character, and the support character step by step. The level setting unit 42 can, for example, increase the number of items and types of items that the user can possess, and add or increase the types and / or amounts of support parameters of the support character according to the improvement of the level. As an example, if the support parameter of a certain character at "Level 1" is a "warm" parameter and its amount is "2", when the level of the character becomes "Level 5", the level setting unit 42 can increase the amount of the "warm" parameter to "4", and when the level becomes "Level 10", the amount of the "warm" parameter is set to "5" and a "sparkle" parameter (the amount is, for example, "1") is added. The level setting unit 42 updates the support parameters in the character information storage unit 262 to the changed support parameters.

[0098] (Size setting part 44) The size setting unit 44 increases the size of the main character stepwise in accordance with the increase in the level set by the level setting unit 42. The size setting unit 44 can also increase the size of the main character in accordance with the sleeping time received by the sleep information receiving unit 16. The size setting unit 44 can also increase the size of the main character by providing a predetermined item in the game to the main character. The size setting unit 44 updates the size information stored in the main character information storage unit 265 to the increased size. The appearance determination unit 18 can set an upper limit on the number of characters that appear in the field in accordance with the level and size of the main character. The action determination unit 20 can set an upper limit on the number of characters that perform a sleeping action in the field in accordance with the level and size of the main character. That is, the higher the level or the larger the size of the main character, the more the number of characters that appear in the field, the number of characters that perform a sleeping action in the field, and / or the size of the characters that can perform a sleeping action in the field may be increased. An upper limit may be set on the size of the main character.

[0099] (Mission Control Unit 46) The mission control unit 46 controls the generation of missions that the user can undertake within the game, the acquisition of missions from an external server, etc., and the presentation of the generated or acquired missions to the user. That is, the mission control unit 46 presents the user with missions, quests, etc. that the user can perform within the game via the output unit 28. The user can play the game to complete the presented missions, quests, etc.

[0100] (Support character control unit 48) The support character control unit 48 controls the behavior and growth of the support character. For example, the support character control unit 48 controls the behavior of the support character during times other than the sleeping time (typically during the day or daytime). As an example, various items exist in the field and around the field in the game, and the support character control unit 48 controls the support character to automatically collect various items. The support character control unit 48 stores the item ID of the item collected by the support character in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID. In addition, the support character control unit 48 may grow the support character based on the sleeping time and predetermined items (items such as tools and predetermined materials, etc.) accepted by the sleep information accepting unit 16. The growth includes leveling up and evolution of the support character (the character can change stepwise by using predetermined materials, etc., and such changes are referred to as "evolution" in this embodiment).

[0101] (Item control unit 50) The item control unit 50 controls the acquisition, use, and strengthening of items in the game. For example, the item control unit 50 controls the user's acquisition of a specified item in exchange for in-game virtual currency or a specified item at a shop in the game, and the user's level-up of an item using a specified item or a specified material. When a user acquires an item, the item control unit 50 stores the item ID of the item in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID. In addition, when the item control unit 50 applies a specified material or the like to a specified item in response to a user's instruction, the item control unit 50 may increase the level of the item. The item control unit 50 changes the type and amount of support parameters in response to the level-up of the item, updates the changed type and amount as new support parameters, and stores them in the item information storage unit 264.

[0102] (Share control unit 54) The share control unit 54 receives instructions from the user via the input unit 10, and supplies still images, videos, albums, and / or images stored in the generated image storage unit 268 and / or the image storage unit 270 to a predetermined server (for example, a server for a social network service (SNS)). Furthermore, when the share control unit 54 receives a predetermined instruction from the user via the input unit 10 while the output unit 28 is outputting a video, it may supply video component images (frame images) of the video being output to the predetermined server. As a result, videos and still images including a state in which the character is sleeping together with the main character are uploaded to the predetermined server.

[0103] [Processing flow of game system 1] 5 and 8 show an example of a process flow in the game system according to this embodiment. Note that the order of each step in the following flow description may be changed as appropriate as long as no contradiction occurs in the operation of the game system 1. In other words, when a step and a step following the step exist, the order of the step and the step may be interchanged, or the step may be executed before or after another step. Note that the same applies to Figs. 11 and 12.

[0104] First, a game includes a plurality of fields. The game system 1 accepts a selection of a predetermined field from among a plurality of fields in response to a user's operation before sleep, which is accepted via the input unit 10. The installation acceptance unit 14 then accepts an instruction from the user to install a predetermined object at a predetermined position in the field during the selected game via the input unit 10. The installation acceptance unit 14 then installs or places the object selected by the user at a predetermined position in the field in response to the instruction (step 10. Hereinafter, step is represented as "S"). The objects include items (including consumable items) and support characters, and support parameters are associated with each of them. The user intends for a desired character to appear in the field and perform a sleep action, and considers a combination of the types and / or amounts of support parameters of one or more items and / or one or more support characters, and installs or places the desired object in the field. For example, the user can devise various combinations of objects to be installed or placed in the field according to purposes such as "I want to make a character that I do not own a friend" or "I want to collect many characters of a predetermined character type". Furthermore, the user can freely install or place objects in the field regardless of whether or not there is a specific purpose.

[0105] The location and number of items in the field may be different from the location and number of support characters in the field. The location and number of items in the field may be different for each item, and the location and number of support characters may be different for each support character. Furthermore, the number of items and / or support characters that can be placed in each of the multiple fields may be different. That is, the number of items and / or support characters that can be placed in one field may be different from the number of items and / or support characters that can be placed in another field. The location of items and / or support characters may be different for each of the multiple fields, and the user may freely select. This allows, for example, a predetermined number of items and / or support characters to be placed in the first field, while more than a predetermined number of items and / or support characters to be placed in the second field.

[0106] In addition, by devising a combination of objects to be placed in the field, a character that would normally hardly appear in the field (i.e., a character with an extremely low probability of appearing in the field) may be made to appear more easily than when no object is placed. However, since the character would not normally appear in the field, it is preferable to set the appearance probability of the character that would normally appear in the field, even if an object is placed. This allows, for example, an ice-type character that would not normally appear in a volcano-type field to appear, and if the user can obtain an image of an ice-type character sleeping in a volcano-type field, the image has a rarity and can be very entertaining to the user.

[0107] Then, the user goes to bed. In this case, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the user's bedtime timing (S12). For example, in the case where the information terminal 2 has an acceleration sensor as the sensor 52, when the user places the information terminal 2 near bedding or at the bedside, the acceleration sensor detects a predetermined state, such as when the acceleration sensor does not detect the movement of the information terminal 2 for a predetermined time, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the timing at which the acceleration sensor determines that no movement is detected as the bedtime timing. In addition, the sleep information receiving unit 16 may receive information indicating that the user will go to bed via the input unit 10 when the user goes to bed (for example, displaying a "bedtime button" or the like on the output unit 28 and having the user input that the user has gone to bed by pressing the "bedtime button"), and may receive the timing of the acquisition as the bedtime timing. In addition, when the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the timing to go to bed, the image generation unit 24 may generate a video showing the user character and the main character going to sleep in the field, or a video showing the user character going to sleep after the user character puts the main character to sleep, and store the video in the generated image storage unit 268 and / or output the video to the output unit 28.

[0108] Next, the user wakes up. In this case, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the user's wake-up timing (S14). For example, when an acceleration sensor of the information terminal 2 placed by the user near the bedding or at the bedside detects the movement of the information terminal 2 for a predetermined time, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the timing at which the acceleration sensor detects the movement as the wake-up timing. The sleep information receiving unit 16 may also receive information indicating that the user has woken up via the input unit 10 when the user wakes up (for example, displaying a "wake-up button" or the like on the output unit 28 and having the user input that the user has woken up by pressing the "wake-up button") and receive the timing of the acquisition as the wake-up timing. Then, the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the sleep time, which is the user's sleep information, from the bedtime timing and the wake-up timing (S16). When the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the wake-up timing, the image generating unit 24 may generate a moving image showing the user character waking up in the field and output the moving image to the output unit 28. Then, the sleep information receiving unit 16 may output the user's sleep information to the output unit 28 at this timing to present the user's own sleep information. If the sleep time calculated from the bedtime and wake-up timing received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 is less than a certain time, the game system 1 may end the process at the point when the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the wake-up timing (i.e., execute a process to set the sleep time to zero without executing the lottery for characters etc. in the later stage).

[0109] When the sleep information to be received is a sleep time, the sleep information receiving unit 16 can set a predetermined continuous sleep time (e.g., 8 hours) as the received sleep time. When the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives a sleep time that exceeds the predetermined sleep time, the sleep information receiving unit 16 may round down the time that exceeds the predetermined sleep time (i.e., in this case, the maximum sleep time received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 becomes a sleep time of the predetermined length). In addition, after receiving a continuous sleep time (e.g., a time that is equal to or less than the predetermined sleep time and equal to or more than the certain period of time), the sleep information receiving unit 16 may stop receiving the next sleep information for a predetermined period of time.

[0110] Next, the character determination unit 17 uses the user's sleep information and the object parameters to determine the display character to be displayed in the field. In this case, when the sleep information receiving unit 16 receives the user's wake-up timing, the character determination unit 17 may determine the display character even without the user's operation (i.e., even without a specific instruction from the user). Specifically, the appearance determination unit 18 and the action determination unit 20 execute the following process.

[0111] First, the appearance determination unit 18 uses the sleep time received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 to determine the character (appearing character) that appears in the field and the appearance time of the appearing character (S18). The appearance determination unit 18 refers to the field information storage unit 260 and determines the character type that appears in the field by drawing a lottery using the type appearance probability of each character type associated with the field ID of the field. Next, the appearance determination unit 18 determines the appearing character that appears in the field by drawing a lottery for characters included in the determined character type using the character appearance probability of each character. The appearance determination unit 18 performs the drawing for determining the character type and the drawing for determining the appearing character a number of times determined according to the length of the sleep time.

[0112] The appearance determination unit 18 may perform the lottery using the character appearance probability of each character, instead of using the type appearance probability associated with the field ID of the field. In this case, the field information storage unit 260 stores in advance the character types of characters that are likely to appear in the field in association with the field ID. The appearance determination unit 18 may then perform the lottery by increasing the character appearance probability of characters of the character type that is likely to appear and that is associated in advance with the field ID of the field, more than the character appearance probability of characters of other character types.

[0113] Furthermore, the appearance determination unit 18 determines the time at which each appearing character appears in the field for each appearing character. The time is a time between the time of going to bed and the time of waking up accepted by the sleep information accepting unit 16 (it may include the time of going to bed and the time of waking up). There is no particular limitation on the method of determining the time. For example, the appearance determination unit 18 may randomly determine the time at which each appearing character appears.

[0114] The action determination unit 20 compares the action parameters of the appearing character with the object parameters of the objects installed or placed in the field (i.e., the support parameters of the items and / or the support parameters of the support characters), and determines the action of the appearing character based on the comparison result (S20). When the type and amount of the action parameters of the appearing character are included in the type and amount of the object parameters, the action determination unit 20 determines by lottery whether the appearing character will perform a predetermined action (e.g., a sleeping action). On the other hand, when the type and amount of the action parameters of the appearing character are not included in the type and amount of the object parameters, the action determination unit 20 determines that the appearing character will perform an action of leaving the field. Furthermore, when it is determined by lottery that the appearing character will not perform a predetermined action, the action determination unit 20 determines that the appearing character will perform an action of leaving the field.

[0115] The posture determination unit 22 determines the posture of the appearing character that the motion determination unit 20 has determined to perform the sleeping motion (S22). The posture determination unit 22 can, for example, refer to posture information associated with the field ID of the field and determine that the appearing character will take a posture specific to the field. For example, when the field type is a volcano type field, the field information storage unit 260 can store information indicating that the character will take a sleeping posture with its belly exposed as posture information associated with the field ID. In this case, the posture determination unit 22 can refer to the posture information and determine the sleeping posture with its belly exposed as the posture of the appearing character that has been determined to perform the sleeping motion. The posture determination unit 22 can also determine the posture of the main character based on the user's sleeping time, sleep quality, and the like. Note that the posture determination unit 22 may determine the posture by lottery.

[0116] The image generating unit 24 generates an image (e.g., a video) showing the situation of the field including at least one of the characters appearing in the field and the characters whose actions have been decided (S24). That is, the image generating unit 24 generates a video including the appearance of the characters appearing in the field, in a format that looks like the video was taken while the user was sleeping. The image generating unit 24 can generate various types of video, such as a video of the entire time the user was asleep, a digest version video including videos of the time when the characters appeared while the user was asleep and the time when the characters performed sleep actions, and a video in a format that looks like the situation of the field was recorded at predetermined times while the user was asleep. The image generating unit 24 stores the generated video in the generated image storage unit 268.

[0117] Furthermore, when generating a video including a video at the appearance time of the appearance character determined by the appearance determination unit 18 and having a predetermined length of time before and after the appearance time, the image generation unit 24 can set a start time and an end time of the video. For example, when the appearance determination unit 18 determines the appearance time of the appearance character to be 3:00 a.m., the image generation unit 24 generates a video having a length of 5 minutes before 3:00 a.m. and 5 minutes after 3:00 a.m., that is, from 2:55 a.m. to 3:05 a.m. When generating a video, the image generation unit 24 may change the field environment in the video according to the time when the video was captured. For example, the image generation unit 24 can generate a video by changing the field environment to a night field, a sunrise field, a morning field, a daytime field, or the like, according to the appearance time of the appearance character determined by the appearance determination unit 18.

[0118] In addition, when the sleep information received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 includes the quality of the user's sleep, and when generating a video at the time when a character appears, the image generating unit 24 may also display information about the quality of the user's sleep received by the sleep information receiving unit 16. This allows the user to know, for example, what state of sleep (light sleep, deep sleep, etc.) the user is in at the time when a character appears. In addition, S48, which will be described later, may be executed first after S24.

[0119] Fig. 6 shows an example of a scene from a video generated by the image generating unit according to this embodiment. Fig. 6(a) is an example of a scene from a video when the user goes to bed, Fig. 6(b) is an example of a scene from a video a predetermined time after the user goes to bed, and Fig. 6(c) is an example of a scene from a video a further predetermined time after the time of Fig. 6(b).

[0120] For example, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the image generating unit 24 generates a video of a main character 102 sleeping near the center of a field 100 immediately after the user goes to bed (or falls asleep), with items 104, 104a, and a support character 106 placed or arranged around the main character 102. These items and support characters are objects that the user placed or arranged in the field in S10. This video can be output from the output unit 28 of the information terminal 2 in response to a user instruction after the user wakes up.

[0121] The image generating unit 24 generates a moving image as a moving image after a predetermined time has elapsed since the user went to bed, in which the main character 102 is sleeping near the center of the field 100, objects are installed or placed around the main character 102, and among the characters appearing in the field 100, a character 108 and a character 108a are performing a sleeping motion, as shown in FIG. 6(b) (the example of FIG. 6(b)). The image generating unit 24 generates a moving image as a moving image after a predetermined time has elapsed since the time of FIG. 6(b), in which the main character 102 is sleeping near the center of the field 100, objects are installed or placed around the main character 102, and among the characters appearing in the field 100, a character 108, a character 108a, a plurality of characters 108b, and a character 108c are performing a sleeping motion, as shown in FIG. 6(c) (the example of FIG. 6(c)). Note that the example of FIG. 6(c) shows a state in which the character 108c is sleeping on the stomach of the main character 102.

[0122] Here, the posture determination unit 22 may change the posture of the main character 102 according to, for example, the time elapsed since the user went to bed or the quality of sleep (or sleep stage) of the user at the appearance time of the character 108b that appeared in the field 100 determined by the appearance determination unit 18. For example, the posture determination unit 22 may change the posture of the main character 102 to a posture of deep sleep when the user is in deep sleep, slightly change the posture of the main character 102 from the initial posture when the main character 102 was placed in the field 100 when the user is in light sleep, and change the posture of the main character 102 to a posture with the upper body raised when the user is in an awake state. Then, the image generation unit 24 may generate a video including the main character 102 whose posture has been changed by the posture determination unit 22, for example, as shown in FIG. 6(c).

[0123] Then, when the moving image generated by the image generating unit 24 includes a character with a character ID that is not stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID, the character registration unit 30 determines that the character is a character that has appeared in the field 100 for the first time and has fallen asleep (Yes in S26). Then, the character registration unit 30 stores the character ID of the character in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID. For example, the character registration unit 30 registers the character that has appeared in the field 100 in the form of an electronic picture book for registering characters (S28). Note that the image generating unit 24 may generate a moving image that focuses on the situation in the field 100 of the character that the character registration unit 30 registers in the user information storage unit 266 (that is, a moving image in a format in which the character appears in the field 100 and is sleeping, with the character at the center).

[0124] Then, the reward granting unit 32 grants a predetermined reward to the user when there is a character that has newly appeared in the field 100 and / or a character that has appeared and performed a sleeping action (S30). The reward granting unit 32 may grant a predetermined reward to the user (S30) even when there is no character that has newly appeared in the field 100 and / or a character that has appeared and performed a sleeping action (No in S26). The reward granting unit 32 may also grant a predetermined reward (e.g., mileage) to the user according to the length of the sleeping time accepted by the sleep information accepting unit 16. The amount of reward granted to the user may be increased according to the charge.

[0125] Next, the hint generating unit 34 judges whether or not there is a character that appeared in the field 100 but left without performing a predetermined action (S32). If the hint generating unit 34 judges that there is a character that has left (Yes in S32), it generates a predetermined hint including information regarding the type and / or amount of support parameters required for the character to perform the predetermined action (S34).

[0126] FIG. 7 shows an example of a scene from a video generated by the image generating unit and the hint generating unit according to this embodiment.

[0127] For example, the hint generating unit 34 acquires information on the appearing character whose action of leaving the field 100 has been determined by the action determining unit 20 from the action determining unit 20, among the appearing characters determined by the appearance determining unit 18. Then, the hint generating unit 34 acquires action parameters stored in the character information storage unit 262 in association with the character ID of the appearing character. The hint generating unit 34 uses the acquired action parameters to generate hint information indicating the type and amount of support parameters required for the appearing character to perform a sleep action. Then, the image generating unit 24 generates a video including the hint information generated by the hint generating unit 34 in a video including the time when the appearing character performed the action of leaving. As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the image generating unit 24 generates a video including a predetermined image (a silhouette of the character that has left, or an image such as a simple figure that does not allow one to understand what kind of character the character that has left is) in the area 120 of the appearance position of the appearing character that has left, and including a hint 122 (in the example of FIG. 7, "Cute 5 is required" is displayed) in the vicinity of the image.

[0128] Then, after the hint generating unit 34 generates a hint, or when the hint generating unit 34 determines that the character that has left does not exist (No in S32), if the image generating unit 24 receives a predetermined instruction via the input unit 10 after the user wakes up, it generates a video of the field 100 at the time the user wakes up. Then, the output unit 28 outputs the video in response to a predetermined input from the user who has woken up (S36 in FIG. 8).

[0129] The user can view the video on the output unit 28. When a character performing a predetermined action (e.g., a sleeping action) is present in the field 100 in the video (Yes in S38) and the image generating unit 24 receives a user's selection instruction for the character in the field 100 via the input unit 10 (Yes in S40), the image generating unit 24 causes the output unit 28 to output a video including a state in which the selected character performs a predetermined action (e.g., a wake-up action) (S42). For example, the image generating unit 24 can display a user character in the field, generate a video showing a state in which the user character wakes up the character performing a sleeping action, and output this video to the output unit 28. Then, the character assigning unit 38 assigns the character performing the predetermined action to the user with a predetermined probability (i.e., by lottery) (S44).

[0130] Next, the experience value granting unit 40 grants experience values ​​to the user, the main character, and / or the support character based on the sleep information received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 (S46). Also, if there is no character performing a sleeping motion in the field 100 in the video when the user wakes up (No in S38), and if the user's selection instruction for the character in the field 100 is not received via the input unit 10 (No in S40), the experience value granting unit 40 also grants a predetermined amount of experience values ​​(in this case, the experience value granting unit 40 may grant an amount of experience values ​​less than the amount of experience values ​​granted in S46).

[0131] Then, when the output unit 28 receives a predetermined instruction from the user via the input unit 10, it outputs the moving image generated by the image generation unit 24, the moving image stored in the generated image storage unit 268, and / or a list of characters who slept in the field 100 while the user was sleeping (S48). The output unit 28 can receive an instruction to output a moving image and / or an instruction to output a list from the user at any time. This allows the user to refer to characters that appear in multiple moving images, characters that performed sleeping actions, and the actions of these characters in a list, so that if the user does not have time after waking up, the user can check the game results using the list rather than the moving image.

[0132] FIG. 9 shows an example of displaying a list of characters according to this embodiment.

[0133] More specifically, the output unit 28 can generate and output a list showing when and in what sleeping posture a character appeared in the field 100 during the user's sleep on a certain day based on the determination results of the appearance determination unit 18, the determination results of the action determination unit 20, the determination results of the posture determination unit 22, and the video generated by the image generation unit 24. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the output unit 28 can output a list of a title 124 including the time when a character performing a sleeping action appeared, a description 126 of the sleeping posture of the character that appeared in the field 100 at that time, a description of the character, and / or a reward given to the user, and a title 124a including the time when a character performing a sleeping action appeared after the time of the title 124, and a description 126a of the sleeping posture of the character that appeared in the field 100 at that time, a description of the character, and / or a reward given to the user, in chronological order. In addition, the list can be used to count the number of times the user recorded the sleeping posture of the character that appeared in the field 100 while sleeping. Therefore, a user can use this list to refer to the total amount and breakdown of rewards he or she has earned.

[0134] Furthermore, when the output unit 28 receives a user's selection instruction for an area where a character in the list is displayed (for example, a character image displayed adjacent to the explanatory text 126 or explanatory text 126a) via the input unit 10, the output unit 28 may play a video stored in the generated image storage unit 268 and generated for the character in the area, or a video of a predetermined time including the character among the videos. Furthermore, for a character that the user did not possess by the previous day among the characters displayed in the list (i.e., a character corresponding to a character ID not stored in the user information storage unit 266), the output unit 28 displays, for example, a predetermined mark or the like in the area where the character is displayed so that it is not clear what kind of character it is. Then, the output unit 28 may erase the predetermined mark or the like after playing back the video including the character in response to the user's instruction, and display the character in the area where the character is displayed so that it is clear what kind of character it is.

[0135] FIG. 10 shows an example of a moving image selection screen and an image selection screen according to this embodiment.

[0136] The image generating unit 24 temporarily stores the generated image in the generated image storage unit 268 on the day the image is generated. The storage period is, for example, 24 hours, and the stored image may be deleted after 24 hours have passed since storage. Then, for example, if the image is a video, the image generating unit 24 outputs each of the thumbnail images of the generated multiple videos to the output unit 28. In this case, the image generating unit 24 may determine, as the imaging time of the one video, the time determined by the appearance determining unit 18 for the appearance character that has performed a sleeping motion among the appearance characters included in the one video and that appeared in the field 100 at the earliest timing in the one video (in the case where the appearance determining unit 18 determines the appearance character each time during a sleeping time, the actual time at which the appearance character was determined may be used, and in the case where the appearance determining unit 18 determines the appearance character each time upon waking up, the time at which the appearance character is said to have appeared may also be determined to be different from the actual time). Then, the image generating unit 24 determines the image capturing time of each video, and outputs thumbnail images of each video to the output unit 28 in chronological order of the image capturing time with reference to the determined image capturing time. Here, when the image capturing time determined by the image generating unit 24 is to be the actual time, it is determined to be a time after the user goes to bed and before the user wakes up. This allows the user to feel as if a character appeared while the user was actually asleep and had gone to sleep.

[0137] 10(a), the image generating unit 24 arranges thumbnail images 130 of each of a plurality of videos generated on a specific day in chronological order and outputs them to the output unit 28. Then, the output unit 28 can output a video corresponding to a thumbnail image selected by the user in response to the user's selection of a thumbnail image received via the input unit 10. Furthermore, the image generating unit 24 can store the thumbnail image selected by the user as an album in the generated image storage unit 268 in response to the user's selection of a thumbnail image received via the input unit 10.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 10(b), the output unit 28 can output album thumbnails 140 of a plurality of albums to the output unit 28. The albums can be classified according to the characteristics of the characters appearing in the video in a sleeping motion or the user's instruction. The output unit 28 can output the video of the album corresponding to the album thumbnail selected by the user in response to the selection of the album thumbnail by the user received via the input unit 10. As a rule, the video generated by the image generating unit 24 and stored in the generated image storage unit 268 as an album is not deleted unless there is a specific instruction from the user. Therefore, the user can leisurely enjoy his / her favorite video or still image at any time after waking up and on any day.

[0139] (User awake flow) Fig. 11 shows an example of the flow of the game system when the user is awake. Note that S50 to S60 in Fig. 11 can be executed in this order, some steps can be omitted, or one step can be changed to be before or after another step. In this embodiment, the order from S50 to S60 will be described as an example.

[0140] After the user wakes up, the game system 1 can automatically execute steps S18 to S34 (S50). For example, there are not only diurnal characters but also nocturnal characters. Therefore, in the game system 1, when the user is awake, the game system 1 automatically executes steps S18 to S34. That is, while the user is awake, the game system 1 executes the following: determining characters that appear in the field 100 while the user is awake; determining characters that have performed a sleeping action among the characters that appear; determining the sleeping phase of the characters that have performed a sleeping action; generating a video including characters that came to sleep in the field 100 while the user was awake; registering characters that have newly appeared in the field 100 in the user information storage unit 266; giving a reward to the user; and / or generating hints for characters that have appeared but have not performed a sleeping action.

[0141] In addition, in S50, the image generating unit 24 generates shorter videos or fewer videos than the videos generated while the user is asleep. In addition, the reward given to the user by the reward giving unit 32 is set to be smaller than the reward given after the user falls asleep. This is because the user is not asleep in S50.

[0142] The support character control unit 48 also grows the support character based on the sleeping time received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 (for example, executes level-up or evolution of the support character) (S52). For example, the support character control unit 48 can grow the support character by using the experience value given to the support character by the experience value giving unit 40 according to the length of the sleeping time. The size setting unit 44 can grow the main character by increasing the size of the main character based on the sleeping time received by the sleep information receiving unit 16 (S52). Furthermore, the size setting unit 44 can grow the main character (i.e., increase the size) by giving the main character an item that serves as food for the main character (for example, a specified berry in the game) in response to a user's instruction received via the input unit 10.

[0143] Furthermore, the item control unit 50 strengthens an item possessed by the user (i.e., an item corresponding to an item ID stored in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID) and / or grants a predetermined item to the user in response to an instruction from the user received via the input unit 10 (i.e., stores the item ID of the predetermined item in the user information storage unit 266 in association with the user ID) (S54). For example, a support parameter is associated with an item. The item control unit 50 can strengthen an item by increasing the type and / or amount of the support parameter in exchange for consumption of a predetermined material, in-game virtual currency, etc. Furthermore, the item control unit 50 may increase the level of an item possessed by the user (i.e., increase the type and / or amount of the support parameter of the item) in accordance with the length of the user's sleeping time. Furthermore, when the user possesses a predetermined item, the item control unit 50 may increase the level of the item in accordance with the number of times and / or the duration of use of the item.

[0144] Furthermore, the item control unit 50 can grant a predetermined item to the user in exchange for consumption of in-game virtual currency or a reward granted to the user. For example, the game system 1 can provide an item shop or the like in the game, and the user can obtain a predetermined item at this item shop in exchange for in-game virtual currency or the like. Note that the items can be both or either of an item that can be used substantially permanently or for a predetermined period of time and an item that can be used only a predetermined number of times. In addition to items associated with support parameters, items may also include items not associated with support parameters. Items not associated with support parameters may be associated with a function that increases the probability used in various lotteries, such as the type appearance probability or character appearance probability in the appearance determination unit 18 and / or the lottery probability in the action determination unit 20. Examples of such items include "incense" and "accessories" that a predetermined character likes.

[0145] Furthermore, the installation reception unit 14 can organize a deck of multiple support characters in response to user instructions received via the input unit 10 while the user is awake (S56). The user can consider combinations of various types of support characters and organize a deck with the aim of making it easier for a character desired to appear in the field during the next sleep. In other words, the user can consider combinations of the type and amount of support parameters of one support character and the type and amount of support parameters of another support character, and organize a deck in line with the user's desired purpose.

[0146] Furthermore, the support character control unit 48 automatically causes the support character to collect various items (including, for example, berries, which are the food of the main character) and materials in and around the field in the game while the user is awakened (S58). In this case, if the installation reception unit 14 has organized a deck of support characters, the support character control unit 48 can make use of the individual characteristics of the organized support characters to collect items and materials.

[0147] The mission control unit 46 also requests the user to perform play content that is required to be achieved in the game. Specifically, the mission control unit 46 outputs a predetermined mission from the output unit 28 in a manner that is perceptible to the user, and sets the predetermined mission as a mission to be achieved by the user in response to an instruction from the user received via the input unit 10 (S60). Then, when the user achieves the mission set by the user, the mission control unit 46 supplies information indicating that the mission has been achieved to the reward granting unit 32. The reward granting unit 32 can grant a reward to the user based on the content of the mission and the degree of achievement of the mission in response to the information. Examples of the mission include a predetermined mission, a sub-mission, a story-type mission, an event-type mission, and the like, and can be appropriately set, for example, to record an image of a sleeping figure or sleeping phase of a predetermined type of character, or to record an image of a sleeping figure or sleeping phase of a predetermined character according to a predetermined story.

[0148] (Moving between fields) FIG. 12 shows an example of a flow of control processing of the movement control unit according to this embodiment.

[0149] The movement control unit 12 controls the movement of the user character and the main character within the map of the game, that is, the movement from one field to another field. This movement can be performed at any time during the time period when the user is awake. First, the mission control unit 46 generates a predetermined mission for the user and outputs it to the output unit 28 (S70). This mission is, for example, a mission to take a video of a sleeping figure of a specific character, a mission to move to a field where a large number of specific characters appear, a mission to move to a specific field and take a video of a sleeping figure of a specific character, or a predetermined event. Therefore, depending on the content of the mission, the user character may not be able to clear the mission in the field where the user character is currently staying. Therefore, the user considers moving the user character and the main character to a field where the mission is thought to be clear, and tries to move the user character and the main character to the desired field.

[0150] Here, the movement control unit 12 can limit the movement of the user character and the main character to only once a day in principle. The movement control unit 12 may determine the passage of a day based on real time, or may determine that a day has passed when the user goes from an awake state to a sleep state, sleeps for a predetermined time or more, and then goes to an awake state. The movement control unit 12 can also limit the movement distance within the map to a field adjacent to the field in which the user character and the main character are currently staying. Under such restrictions, the user moves the user character and the main character to a predetermined field in order to clear the mission. However, depending on the mission content that the mission control unit 46 has caused the output unit 28 to present, there are cases in which it is not possible to move to the desired field.

[0151] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the state of the main character becomes a predetermined state, the movement control unit 12 can remove the movement restrictions imposed on the user character and the main character, and can allow them to move freely within the map. For example, the movement control unit 12 refers to the gauge information of the main character, and checks whether the parameter value indicated by the gauge information is the maximum value (S72). When the movement control unit 12 determines that the parameter value is the maximum value (Yes in S72) and receives an instruction to move to a desired field from the user via the input unit 10 (Yes in S74), it moves the user character and the main character to the desired field (S76). Thereafter, the step of S10 or S50 is executed.

[0152] On the other hand, if the movement control unit 12 determines that the parameter value is not the maximum value (No in S72), or if the parameter value is the maximum value but an instruction to move to a desired field is not received from the user via the input unit 10 (No in S74), the movement control unit 12 moves the user character and the main character to a field adjacent to the current field and desired by the user (S77). Depending on the user's instruction, the movement control unit 12 may keep the user character and the main character in the current field. Thereafter, step S10 or S50 is executed.

[0153] The item control unit 50 can also expand the size of the field in exchange for consuming in-game virtual currency, etc. By expanding the field, it is possible to increase the number of objects that can be placed or arranged in the field, and to increase the number of characters that appear in the field and characters that perform sleep actions.

[0154] [Modifications of the embodiment] Fig. 13 shows an example of an outline of a part of the functional configuration of a game system according to a modified example of this embodiment. Note that the game system 3 according to the modified example may have all or part of the configuration of the game system 1 described in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Furthermore, since the game system 3 has substantially the same configuration and functions as the game system 1 according to this embodiment, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0155] The game system 3 according to the modified example of the present embodiment is a game system capable of displaying characters and objects in a field in a game selected by a user. Specifically, the game system 3 according to the modified example includes a storage unit 62 that stores a first parameter associated with each of a plurality of fields and a second parameter associated with each of a plurality of objects, a sleep information receiving unit 16 that receives the sleep information of a user, a receiving unit 60 that receives the setting of one field selected from the plurality of fields and at least one object selected from the plurality of objects in response to the user's operation before sleep, an image generating unit 24 that generates a display image showing the situation of the field including the character based on at least the sleep information of the user, the first parameter associated with the selected field, and the second parameter associated with the selected object, and an output unit 28 that outputs the display image after the user wakes up.

[0156] (Variation 1) Specifically, the game system 3 according to the first modification is an example in which the system is configured as a battle game. For example, a game system can be configured in which a user's own avatar as a character can fight against an opponent character (enemy, enemy monster, etc.) appearing in a predetermined field. A field in which the avatar can move is associated with an appearance parameter as a first parameter that is a condition for the opponent character to appear in the field. In addition, in the first modification, the avatar can be equipped with equipment and items such as a sword, shield, armor, etc. as objects, and a second parameter is associated with the equipment and items. When the type and amount of the first parameter are within the range of the type and amount of the second parameter, the opponent character can appear in the field. The second parameter may include, for example, a parameter that activates a predetermined skill or the like.

[0157] First, the storage unit 62 stores the first parameter in association with the field ID, and also stores the second parameter in association with the object ID. Then, the reception unit 60 receives a selection of one field from a plurality of fields in response to an operation of the user before sleep, and sets the received field as the field in which the game is executed. The reception unit 60 also receives settings of objects such as equipment and items used by the user's avatar in the selected one field.

[0158] Then, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including a battle scene between the opponent character and the user's avatar, the opponent character determined to appear on the field using the user's sleep information, the first parameter, and the second parameter received by the sleep information receiving unit 16. Note that the number of times the opponent character will be drawn and the level of the opponent character appearing on the field may be determined based on the user's sleep information (e.g., sleeping time).

[0159] In this case, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including a battle scene between an opponent character and an avatar equipped with equipment and items. The display image including the battle scene is a display image including a scene in which the avatar defeats the opponent character, a scene in which the avatar is defeated by the opponent character, or a scene in which the avatar and the opponent character fight well, based on the correspondence between the opponent character and the avatar equipped with equipment, etc. Then, the output unit 28 outputs the display image generated by the image generating unit 24 to a display unit of an information terminal, etc.

[0160] In variant example 1, the user can have their own avatar battle an opponent character in a battle game simply by sleeping, and the opponent character that appears on the field will change in various ways depending on the equipment, and the content of the battle will also change accordingly, so the user can wake up excited about what kind of battle will take place.

[0161] (Variation 2) A specific example of the game system 3 according to the second modification is a farm game. For example, a game system can be configured in which vegetables as characters grow in a vinyl greenhouse, rice fields, or the like in a specified field. A first parameter, which is a condition for determining what vegetables will grow, is associated with the field. In the second modification, the objects are, for example, vinyl greenhouses, heating appliances, cooling appliances, scarecrows, fertilizer, and the like that can be placed in the field, and a second parameter is associated with the objects. When the type and amount of the first parameter are within the range of the type and amount of the second parameter, the vegetables determined by the first parameter can grow in the vinyl greenhouse, or the like in the field.

[0162] First, the storage unit 62 stores the first parameter in association with the field ID, and also stores the second parameter in association with the object ID. Then, the reception unit 60 receives a selection of one field from a plurality of fields in response to an operation of the user before sleep, and sets the received field as the field in which the game is executed. The reception unit 60 also receives settings of objects such as a vinyl greenhouse and fertilizer used for growing vegetables in the selected one field.

[0163] Then, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including the vegetables determined to grow in the field using the user's sleep information, the first parameter, and the second parameter received by the sleep information receiving unit 16, and showing the state of the vegetables growing. Note that the number of draws to determine the vegetables to grow in the field and the growth speed of the vegetables may be determined based on the user's sleep information (e.g., sleep time). In this case, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including the vegetables grown in the field (e.g., vegetables grown in a vinyl greenhouse) and the state of the vegetables growing. Then, the output unit 28 outputs the display image generated by the image generating unit 24 to the display unit of the information terminal, etc.

[0164] In variant example 2, the user can grow vegetables in the farm game simply by sleeping, and the vegetables that grow vary depending on the objects placed in the field, so the user can wake up excited about what kinds of vegetables will grow.

[0165] (Variation 3) Specifically, the game system 3 according to the third modification is an example in which the system is configured as an amusement park game. For example, a game system can be configured in which a guest who visits a specific amusement park as a character plays on a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, or the like in the amusement park field. A first parameter (guest appearance parameter) that is a condition for determining what kind of guest will visit the amusement park field is associated with the amusement park field. In addition, in the third modification, the object is, for example, a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, a haunted house, or the like that can be installed in the amusement park, and a second parameter is associated with the object. When the type and amount of the first parameter are within the range of the type and amount of the second parameter, the guest determined by the first parameter can play on the Ferris wheel, or the like in the amusement park.

[0166] First, the storage unit 62 stores the first parameter in association with the field ID, and also stores the second parameter in association with the object ID. Then, the reception unit 60 receives a selection of one field from a plurality of fields in response to an operation of the user before sleep, and sets the received field as the field in which the game is executed. The reception unit 60 also receives the setting of an object, such as a Ferris wheel or a roller coaster, to be installed in the selected one field.

[0167] Then, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including the guest determined to visit the field using the user's sleep information, the first parameter, and the second parameter received by the sleep information receiving unit 16, and showing the guest playing at a predetermined facility of the amusement park. Note that the number of lotteries to determine the guest who will visit the amusement park and the rarity of the guest may be determined based on the user's sleep information (e.g., sleeping hours). In this case, the image generating unit 24 generates a display image including the guest who has visited the field (i.e., the amusement park) and the guest playing. Then, the output unit 28 outputs the display image generated by the image generating unit 24 to a display unit of an information terminal or the like.

[0168] In variant example 3, the user can have various guests visit the amusement park in the amusement park game simply by sleeping, and the guests who visit the park will change depending on the objects placed in the field, so the user can wake up excited about who will (or will not) be visiting the amusement park at night as guests.

[0169] [Effects of the embodiment] The game system 1 according to the present embodiment can determine characters that appear in the field and characters that perform predetermined actions such as sleep actions using the user's sleep time, field parameters, and object parameters, and generate a video including a state in which the character performs the predetermined action such as sleep actions in the field. Then, the user can watch the video after waking up. Therefore, according to the game system 1, the user can watch a video in a state different from the previous day every time he wakes up in the morning. And, since the content displayed in the video also changes according to the length of sleep time, it is possible to provide a contradictory playability in which the user wants to "wake up early and watch a video" every morning, but also wants to "sleep longer and achieve more results". As a result, the game system can provide a game that makes the user look forward to getting up (in other words, a game in which the user can actively get up).

[0170] For example, in the game system 1, the user can go to bed looking forward to seeing what characters will be in the field the next morning, and so the user can look forward to getting up in the morning. Moreover, the user can enjoy the possibility of owning a character that has visited the field, the enjoyment of checking a video showing what characters appeared in the field and slept there, and furthermore, the enjoyment of being able to observe a field that looks different from the previous morning every morning.

[0171] Furthermore, in the game system 1, the main character grows according to the sleeping time, and as the main character grows larger, the number of characters that come to sleep in the field increases according to the size of the main character, so that the user can be given a conflicting feeling between the desire to wake up early and observe the field and the desire to sleep longer, and can enjoy the game more. In addition, in the game system 1, the user can check the video including the characters that appeared in the field and the characters that slept while the user was sleeping at any time while awake. This allows the user to enjoy observing the ecology of the characters, such as how the characters live at night and how they sleep.

[0172] Furthermore, in the game system 1, a user can obtain research points and in-game virtual currency by registering characters who have slept in the field and the sleeping positions and postures of the characters in an "illustrated book," and the obtained research points and in-game virtual currency can be used for various purposes within the game, providing various ways of enjoying sleep. In addition, in the game system 1, a user only needs to sleep, and the game system 1 executes the game by simply obtaining the sleep time of the sleep, so no gameplay such as complicated operations is required, and anyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy a game centered on sleep.

[0173] [Game Program] Each of the components of the game system 1 according to this embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 13 can be realized by having a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) execute a program (i.e., a game program), that is, by software processing. Also, each of the components can be realized by writing a program in advance into hardware as an electronic component such as an integrated circuit (IC). Note that software and hardware can also be used in combination.

[0174] The game program according to this embodiment can be incorporated in advance, for example, in an IC or a ROM. The game program can also be provided as a computer program by recording it in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor recording medium. The recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD. Furthermore, the game program can be stored in advance in a computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet, and provided by downloading it via the communication network.

[0175] The game program according to this embodiment acts on the CPU and the like to cause the game program to function as the input unit 10, movement control unit 12, installation reception unit 14, sleep information reception unit 16, character determination unit 17, appearance determination unit 18, action determination unit 20, posture determination unit 22, image generation unit 24, storage unit 26, output unit 28, character registration unit 30, reward granting unit 32, hint generation unit 34, image acquisition unit 36, character granting unit 38, experience value granting unit 40, level setting unit 42, size setting unit 44, mission control unit 46, support character control unit 48, item control unit 50, sensor 52, share control unit 54, reception unit 60, memory unit 62, field information storage unit 260, character information storage unit 262, item information storage unit 264, main character information storage unit 265, user information storage unit 266, generated image storage unit 268, and image storage unit 270, all of which are described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 13.

[0176] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, the technical elements of the above-described embodiments may be applied alone, or may be divided into multiple parts such as program parts and hardware parts and applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0177] 1, 3 Game System 2. Information terminal 10 Input section 12 Movement control section 14 Installation Reception Department 16 Sleep Information Reception Department 17 Character Determination Section 18 Appearance determining section 20 Action decision unit 22 Attitude determining section 24 Image Generation Unit 26 Storage Unit 28 Output section 30 Character Registration Section 32 Reward Department 34 Hint Generation Unit 36 Image acquisition section 38 Character assignment section 40 Experience Points Granting Department 42 Level setting section 44 Size setting section 46 Mission Control Unit 48 Support Character Control Unit 50 Item Control Section 52 Sensors 54 Share control section 60 Reception 62 Storage section 100 Fields 102 Main Character 104, 104a items 106 Supported Characters 108, 108a, 108b, 108c Characters 110 Serial Number 112 Name 114 images 116 Species Name 118 shots taken 120 areas 122 Tips 124, 124a Title 126, 126a Description 130 thumbnail images 140 Album Thumbnails 260 Field information storage section 262 Character information storage section 264 Item Information Storage Section 265 Main character information storage section 266 User Information Storage Unit 268 Generated Image Storage Unit 270 Image Storage Unit

Claims

1. A program to be executed by a computer having a processor and a memory, the computer controlling a game that uses information related to sleep, The program causes the processor to: determining information on a start time of a sleep measurement and information on a stop time of the sleep measurement in response to a user operation; sensing a movement of the user after the start of the measurement and acquiring a result of the sensing as data related to sleep; displaying a result of the sensing in response to an operation of ending the measurement; executing a predetermined game process in the game based on the information on the start time of the measurement and the information on the end time of the measurement, and causing an appearance character to appear in a field in the game based on the information on the start time of the measurement and the information on the end time of the measurement; A step of associating a predetermined time included in the period from the start time of the measurement to the end time of the measurement with the appearing character as an appearance time; a step of associating the appearance character with the appearance time of the appearance character, and after acquiring information on the end time of the measurement, notifying the user of the combination of the appearance character and the appearance time of the appearance character; A program that executes the following.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the step of causing an appearance character to appear causes the appearance character corresponding to the field to appear.

3. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the step of causing the characters to appear determines the number of the characters to appear according to a sleep time based on information on a time when the measurement starts and information on a time when the measurement ends.

4. 2. The program according to claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a video of a predetermined length including the appearance character and including a predetermined time before and after the appearance time.

5. A game system comprising means for executing all the steps executed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A method implemented on a computer having a processor and a memory, the processor performing all of the steps performed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A server comprising means for executing all the steps performed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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