Game watching system and server device

Abstract

To provide a game watching system that can achieve a game allowing a watcher to be deeply involved in a player's game play without disturbing the game balance.SOLUTION: A game watching system includes: a game control unit that develops a game through the player's operation; a watching control unit that presents, to a watcher of the game, at least part of the contents of the game played by the player so that the watcher can grasp it; a mode shift unit that shifts the game into an interactive mode allowing the watcher to be involved in the game if predetermined mode shift conditions are fulfilled while the game is played; and an involvement content determination unit that provides the watcher with a preparation phase at a point in time before the contents of involvement are reflected on the game and determines the contents of involvement on the basis of selection by the watcher in the preparation phase. The game control unit causes the determined contents of involvement to be reflected on the game in the interactive mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game watching system and a server device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a game in which non-players (spectators) can watch a game being played by players, there is known a game in which the spectators can give items as presents to the players (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-171283 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, spectators were allowed to participate in the gameplay of the players at their own discretion and at their own timing. This resulted in a problem that the things that spectators could participate in were limited in order to prevent the game itself from collapsing due to the spectators' involvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a game viewing system and server device that allows spectators who are not playing the game to become deeply involved in the player's gameplay without compromising the game's appeal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present invention relates to a game watching system including a game control unit that progresses a game through a player's operation, a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content, a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectator can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during the game, and an involvement content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the involvement is reflected in the game and determines the content of the involvement based on the selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, and the game control unit reflects the determined content of the involvement in the game in the interactive mode. The present invention also relates to a server device including the above-mentioned units. The present invention also relates to a program for causing a computer to function as the above-mentioned units. The present invention also relates to a computer-readable information storage medium that stores the above-mentioned program.

[0007] According to the present invention, when the interactive mode is entered during the player's gameplay, spectators can become involved in the gameplay, and by providing a preparation phase that allows spectators to consider the content of their involvement in advance, it is possible to realize a game in which spectators can become deeply involved in the player's gameplay without destroying the game's appeal.

[0008] (2) In the game watching system, the server device, the program, and the information storage medium according to the present invention, the mode transition unit may control the transition to the interactive mode based on a watching state of the spectator.

[0009] According to the present invention, the transition to the interactive mode can be appropriately controlled depending on the watching situation.

[0010] (3) In the game watching system, the server device, the program, and the information storage medium according to the present invention, the mode transition unit may change the content of the interactive mode based on the watching status of the spectator.

[0011] According to the present invention, the content of the interactive mode can be appropriately controlled according to the watching situation.

[0012] (4) In the game watching system, the server device, the program, and the information storage medium according to the present invention, the mode transition unit may determine, as the watching situation, a level of excitement of the spectators.

[0013] According to the present invention, the transition to the interactive mode can be appropriately controlled according to the level of excitement of the spectators.

[0014] (5) In the game watching system, the server device, the program, and the information storage medium according to the present invention, the watching situation may be a situation of a predetermined operation performed by the spectator involving the consumption of a fee.

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the transition to the interactive mode depending on the status of a predetermined operation that involves the consumption of a fee by a spectator.

[0016] (6) In the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium according to the present invention, the watching situation may be the presence or absence or the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player.

[0017] According to the present invention, the transition to the interactive mode can be appropriately controlled depending on the relationship between the spectator and the player.

[0018] (7) In the game watching system, the server device, the program, and the information storage medium according to the present invention, the watching control unit may present the watching situation to the spectator in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the watching situation.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to give spectators a sense of anticipation regarding the transition to the interactive mode.

[0020] (8) In the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium according to the present invention, the watching control unit may present to the spectator a relationship between the watching situation and the transition to the interactive mode in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the relationship.

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to give spectators a sense of anticipation regarding the transition to the interactive mode.

[0022] (9) In the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium according to the present invention, the content of the participation may be the placement of an object within the game.

[0023] According to the present invention, a spectator can place objects in the game that a player is playing. This allows the player to be deeply involved in the game play.

[0024] (10) In addition, in the game viewing system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the involvement content determination unit may determine the content of the involvement based on an operation of the spectator selecting the timing at which the object is to be placed.

[0025] According to the present invention, spectators can place objects at any timing within the game being played by the player, and can become deeply involved in the gameplay of the player.

[0026] (11) In the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium according to the present invention, the involvement content determination unit may, during the preparation phase, present to the spectator the selection status of other spectators in a manner that allows the spectator to grasp the selection status.

[0027] According to the present invention, a spectator can refer to the selection states of other spectators in the preparation phase and consider the content of his / her involvement, thereby improving convenience for the spectators.

[0028] (12) Furthermore, in the game viewing system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the involvement content determination unit may, during the preparation phase, present to the spectator whether or not there is any overlap between the content of the spectator's involvement and the content of the involvement of other spectators in a manner that allows the spectator to understand such overlap.

[0029] According to the present invention, in the preparation phase, spectators can consider the content of their involvement by referring to the overlap with the content of the involvement of other spectators, thereby improving convenience for spectators.

[0030] (13) In addition, in the game viewing system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the involvement content determination unit may determine the content of the involvement to be reflected in the game based on an overlap between the content of the involvement of the spectator and the content of the involvement of other spectators.

[0031] (14) In the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the game control unit may stop the progress of the game during the preparation phase and resume the progress of the game after the preparation phase ends.

[0032] According to the present invention, while the game progress is stopped, the spectators' selections are accepted in the preparation phase to determine the content of their involvement, and the content of their involvement is reflected in the game after the game is resumed, thereby preventing the game's playability from being disrupted.

[0033] (15) In addition, in the game viewing system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the game control unit may grant a privilege to the player and / or the spectator based on the operation status of the player regarding the content of the involvement reflected in the game.

[0034] According to the present invention, a benefit is determined based on the operation state of a player in relation to the content of the spectator's involvement, so that a game can be realized in which spectators can become more deeply involved in the game.

[0035] (16) In addition, in the game watching system, server device, program, and information storage medium of the present invention, the watching control unit may present the results of the participation to the spectator after the game has ended and / or after the interactive mode has ended.

[0036] According to the present invention, spectators can be made aware of the results of their participation in the game. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a game watching system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of a server according to the embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of a terminal according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displayed on a display unit of a player's terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displayed on a display unit of a spectator's terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displayed on a display unit of a spectator's terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a window for specifying the placement of an indicator sign (object). [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displayed on a display unit of a spectator's terminal. [Figure 9] 6 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a server according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a terminal according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The present embodiment will be described below. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily necessary configurations of the present invention.

[0039] 1. Configuration Fig. 1 shows a game watching system according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the system is configured with a plurality of terminals 10 and a server 20 (server system). That is, as shown in Fig. 1, the game watching system according to the present embodiment is configured such that the server 20 (server device) that provides a service and the terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C, etc.) can be connected to a network.

[0040] The server 20 is an information processing device that provides online game services in response to requests from the terminals 10. The server 20 can be composed of one or more servers (authentication server, matching server, game processing server, communication server, billing server, database server, etc.).

[0041] In this embodiment, a game is executed on the player's terminal 10, and the server 20 executes a process of controlling the progress of the game executed on the terminal, a process of allowing spectators to watch the game played by the player (displaying the contents of the game on the spectator's terminal 10), etc. The server 20 also manages information such as the player's account information, the game results of the game executed on the terminal 10, game media (game media such as characters, items, etc.) that can be used in the game, and in-game currency that can be used in the game.

[0042] The terminal 10 is an information processing device such as a mobile terminal (smartphone, mobile phone, portable game machine, etc.), a personal computer (PC), a game device, an image generating device, etc., and is a device that can be connected to the server 20 via a network such as the Internet (WAN) or a LAN. The communication line between the terminal 10 and the server 20 may be wired or wireless.

[0043] An example of a functional block diagram of the server 20 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 2. Note that the server of this embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) of Fig. 2 are omitted.

[0044] The storage unit 270 stores programs and various data for making the computer function as each unit of the processing unit 200, and also functions as a work area for the processing unit 200. The function can be realized by a hard disk, a RAM, etc. (e.g. database).

[0045] The storage unit 272 stores player information for each of a plurality of players participating in an online game executed in the game watching system of this embodiment. For example, the storage unit 272 stores, as player information, a player name (player account), a password, destination information (IP address, etc.) of the terminal 10, etc., in association with player identification information (player ID, terminal ID used by the player, etc.) for each of a plurality of players. The storage unit 272 also stores, as player information, information for identifying other players who are in a friend relationship (an example of a predetermined relationship) with the player. The storage unit 272 also stores, as player information, information on game media and in-game currency owned by the player in association with the player identification information.

[0046] The communication unit 296 performs various controls for communicating with the terminal 10 and other servers, and the functions thereof can be realized by hardware such as various processors or communication ASICs, or programs.

[0047] The processing unit 200 (processor) performs various processes such as player information management, login / logout processing, and communication control processing based on data, programs, etc. transmitted from the terminal 10 and received via the communication unit 296. The processing unit 200 performs various processes using the memory unit 270 as a work area. The functions of the processing unit 200 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) and ASIC (gate array, etc.), or by programs. The processing unit 200 includes a watching control unit 210, a mode transition unit 212, and an involvement content determination unit 214.

[0048] The watching control unit 210 presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game so that the spectator can understand the content. More specifically, the watching control unit 210 generates information required for watching the game being played by the player as needed, based on the player's operation information and the game progress status transmitted from the player's terminal 10, and transmits the information to the spectator's terminal 10. The watching control unit 210 may also present (notify) the spectator of the watching situation so that the spectator can understand the watching situation. In this case, the watching control unit 210 may present the watching situation by displaying an image related to the watching situation on the display unit of the spectator's terminal 10, or may present the watching situation by sound (voice, notification sound, change in BGM) or vibration. The watching situation will be described later.

[0049] When a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied while a player is playing a game, the mode transition unit 212 transitions to an interactive mode in which spectators can participate in the game. In the interactive mode, all spectators may be allowed to participate in the game, or only specific spectators may be allowed to participate in the game. The mode transition unit 212 may determine that the mode transition condition is satisfied when a predetermined operation for mode transition is performed by a player or a spectator. In this case, the mode transition may be performed at the timing when the operation is performed, or may be performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation is performed, or may be performed at a timing specified by the operation. The mode transition unit 212 may also determine that the mode transition condition is satisfied when the number of spectators who have performed the predetermined operation for mode transition reaches a predetermined number (or the majority of the spectators). The mode transition unit 212 may also determine that the mode transition condition is satisfied at a predetermined timing after the start of the game (for example, a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the game). In addition, the interactive mode may be switched to at the start of a specified period during the game (for example, a specific period in a song played in a music game (intro, chorus, interlude, etc.)), and the interactive mode may be switched to at the end of that period.

[0050] In addition, the mode transition unit 212 detects the watching status of the spectators (for example, the degree of excitement of the spectators) The transition to the interactive mode may be controlled based on the spectator's viewing status. In this case, it may be determined whether the mode transition condition is satisfied based on the spectator's viewing status. Here, the viewing status may be the presence or absence of a spectator, the presence or absence of a spectator who has a predetermined relationship with the player, the presence or absence of a comment posted by the spectator, or the presence or absence of a tip by the spectator. In this case, it may be determined that the mode transition condition is satisfied when there is a spectator, when there is a spectator who has a predetermined relationship with the player, when there is a comment posted, or when a tip is made, or when there is no spectator, when there is no spectator who has a predetermined relationship with the player, when there is no comment posted, or when a tip is not made. Note that the spectator may be a person who can view the game (a viewer), or may be a viewer who can be involved in the game. In addition, the spectator who has a predetermined relationship with the player may be a spectator who is a friend of the player, a spectator whose intimacy with the player is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, a spectator designated in advance by the player, a spectator selected by lottery based on the player's operation, a spectator who has a high (or low) relevance to the player's play information (for example, a spectator whose level, rank, play history, etc. are close (or far) to the player, a spectator whose gender or team affiliation is the same (or different) as the player, a spectator who has played with the player in the past (or has never played with him / her), or a spectator who has raised their hand to participate in the interactive mode in the game played by the player (indicating their intention to participate). In addition, tipping may be an operation involving the consumption of a consideration (in-game currency or items owned by the spectator) by the spectator, or an operation without the consumption of a consideration. Furthermore, the watching status may be the number of spectators, the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player, the number of comments posted, the number of times tips were given, and the amount of tips.In this case, the mode transition condition may be determined to be satisfied when the number of spectators, the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player, the number of comments posted, the number of tips given, and the amount of tips reach a predetermined value, or when these do not reach the predetermined value. Also, whether or not the mode transition condition is satisfied may be determined based on the fluctuation (increase or decrease, degree of increase or decrease, etc.) of the number of spectators (or spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player), and for example, the mode transition condition may be determined to be satisfied when the number of spectators increases or increases rapidly (increases by more than a predetermined number in the most recent specified period), or when the number of spectators decreases or decreases rapidly (decreases by more than a predetermined number in the most recent specified period).

[0051] The mode transition unit 212 may also change the contents of the interactive mode when a predetermined mode content change condition is satisfied. For example, the mode transition unit 212 may determine that the predetermined mode content change condition is satisfied when a predetermined operation is performed by a player or a spectator, when the number of spectators who performed the operation reaches a predetermined number, when the number of spectators increases or increases rapidly, when the number of spectators decreases or decreases rapidly, or when a predetermined timing occurs after the start of the game. In this case, the player or spectator may be allowed to specify the contents of the interactive mode. The mode transition unit 212 may also change the contents of the interactive mode based on the above-mentioned watching situation. In this case, it may be determined whether the mode content change condition is satisfied based on the watching situation, or the contents of the interactive mode may be changed according to the watching situation. The determination of whether the mode content change condition is satisfied may be performed based on the situation at the time of mode transition (such as the watching situation) or may be performed based on the situation at a timing other than the time of mode transition. The contents of the interactive mode may be different for each spectator.

[0052] Furthermore, the mode transition unit 212 ends the interactive mode when a predetermined end condition is satisfied. For example, the end condition may be determined to be satisfied when a predetermined time has elapsed since the transition to the interactive mode (or the start of the game), or when a predetermined operation for terminating the mode is performed by the player or spectator. The termination condition may be determined to be satisfied when the number of spectators who have performed a specified operation to end the mode reaches a specified number (or a majority of the spectators), or the termination condition may be determined to be satisfied when the viewing situation becomes a specified situation (for example, the number of spectators falls below a specified value).

[0053] The involvement content determination unit 214 provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the involvement content is reflected in the game, and determines the involvement content based on the selection (operation) of the spectator in the preparation phase. Information on the determined involvement content is transmitted to the player's terminal 10 and the spectator's terminal 10. The involvement content may be anything that affects the player's gameplay, and may be, for example, the placement of an object in the game. In this case, the spectator may be able to select (specify) the type of object to be placed (which object to place), the position at which the object is placed (where to place), and the timing at which the object is placed (when to place). The object may be an object that is an object to be operated by the player, or may be an object that is not an object to be operated. For example, if the game played by the player is a music game (rhythm game), the object may be an instruction sign (marker) for instructing the player on the operation timing. The object may be an enemy character that appears in a shooting game or a RPG, or an item that the player can acquire. The object may be a block in a craft game. Also, the spectator may be able to place objects that he / she owns in the game. In this case, the object may be consumed (deleted from the player's list) or may not be consumed. By changing the contents of the interactive mode by the mode transition unit 212, the type of object that the spectator can place, the number of objects that the spectator can place, the position and timing at which the object can be placed may be changed, or among the type of object, the position and timing at which the spectator can specify the object may be changed. Also, the content of the involvement may be that the spectator plays the game that the player is playing (playing against or cooperating with the player, or taking over the operation), and by changing the contents of the interactive mode, the spectator may be able to play against or cooperating with the player in addition to placing objects.

[0054] In addition, the preparation phase may begin when (or after) transitioning to interactive mode, and then the details of the involvement may be reflected in the game (transition to the execution phase), or the preparation phase may begin when a mode transition condition is met, and then the game may transition to interactive mode, and the details of the involvement may be reflected in the game.

[0055] Furthermore, the involvement content determination unit 214 may present to the spectator in the preparation phase the selection status of other spectators or the presence or absence of overlap between the content of the spectator's involvement (the content of involvement specified in the preparation phase) and the content of the other spectators' involvement in a manner that allows the spectator to understand (perform control to display the selection status or the presence or absence of overlap on the display unit of the terminal 10 of the spectator). Furthermore, the involvement content determination unit 214 may determine the content of involvement to be actually reflected in the game based on the overlap between the content of the spectator's involvement and the content of the other spectators' involvement.

[0056] An example of a functional block diagram of the terminal 10 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 3. Note that the terminal of this embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) of Fig. 3 are omitted.

[0057] The input unit 150 is a device for inputting (detecting) input information from a player, and outputs the player's input information (operation information) to the processing unit 100. The functions of the input unit 150 can be realized by an input device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a mouse, directional keys or buttons, or a keyboard.

[0058] The storage unit 170 stores programs and various data for causing the computer to function as each unit of the processing unit 100, and also functions as a work area for the processing unit 100, and this function can be realized by a hard disk, RAM, etc. The storage unit 170 stores the standard operation contents that the player should perform during the game.

[0059] The display unit 190 outputs the game image generated by the processing unit 100, and the function thereof can be realized by a display such as a touch panel, LCD, or HMD (head mounted display) that also functions as the input unit 150.

[0060] The sound output unit 192 outputs the sound generated by the processing unit 100, and the function thereof can be realized by a speaker, a headphone, or the like.

[0061] The communication unit 196 performs various controls for communicating with the server 20 and other terminals 10, and the functions thereof can be realized by hardware such as various processors or communication ASICs, programs, and the like.

[0062] Note that the programs and various data for causing a computer to function as each part of the processing unit 100, which are stored in an information storage medium or storage unit possessed by the server 20, may be received via a network, and the received programs and data may be stored in the storage unit 170. Such cases in which a terminal is caused to function by receiving programs and various data are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0063] The processing unit 100 (processor) performs processes such as processing for progressing the game, image generation processing, and sound generation processing, based on input information (operation information) from the input unit 150, a program, and data received via the communication unit 196. The functions of the processing unit 100 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) and ASIC (gate array, etc.), and by programs. The processing unit 100 of the player's terminal 10 includes a game control unit 110, an image generation unit 120, and a sound generation unit 130.

[0064] The game control unit 110 controls the progress of the game based on the player's operation. When the game starts, the game control unit 110 of the player's terminal 10 transmits information to the server 20 to notify the start of the game, and during the game, transmits the player's operation information and the game progress status to the server 20 as needed. Based on the information transmitted from the player's terminal 10, the server 20 performs a spectating control process and an update process of various data associated with each player. In addition, when the game control unit 110 of the player's terminal 10 receives a notification from the server 20 that the preparation phase has started, it stops the progress of the game, and when it receives a notification from the server 20 that the preparation phase has ended, it resumes the game, and reflects the content of the participation in the game based on the information on the participation received from the server 20 (for example, an object of a type designated in the preparation phase is placed in the game at a designated position at a designated timing).

[0065] Furthermore, the game control unit 110 of the spectator's terminal 10 transmits information to the server 20 to notify (request) the start of watching, and in response to this, causes the display unit 190 to display a game screen of the game being played by the player based on the information transmitted from the server 20. Furthermore, when the game control unit 110 of the spectator's terminal 10 receives a notification from the server 20 that the preparation phase has started, it causes the display unit 190 to display a game screen of the preparation phase, accepts an operation by the spectator to specify the details of the involvement (for example, the type of object to be placed, and the position and timing of placing the object) on the game screen, and transmits information regarding the results of the operation and the specified details to the server 20. Then, after the preparation phase ends, based on the information transmitted from the server 20, it causes the display unit 190 to display a game screen of the game being played by the player based on the information transmitted from the server 20. The game screen of the game is displayed on the display unit 190 (watching of the game is resumed).

[0066] In addition, the game control unit 110 may grant rewards to the player and / or spectators based on the player's operation status regarding the content of the participation reflected in the game (e.g., operations related to objects placed by spectators).

[0067] The image generation unit 120 performs drawing processing based on the results of various processes performed by the processing unit 100, thereby generating a game image, and outputs it to the display unit 190. The image generation unit 120 may generate an image (a so-called three-dimensional image) that can be seen from a virtual camera (a given viewpoint) in the object space (game space).

[0068] The sound generation unit 130 performs sound processing based on the results of various processes performed by the processing unit 100 , generates game sounds such as background music, sound effects, or voices, and outputs them to the sound output unit 192 .

[0069] The game watching system of this embodiment may be configured as a server system. The server system may be configured with one or more servers (authentication server, game processing server, communication server, billing server, database server, etc.). In this case, the server watching system performs processing of the processing unit 100 based on operation input (data input to an input unit of a terminal) transmitted from one or more terminals (e.g., a smartphone, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, etc.) connected via a network, generates image generation data for generating an image, and transmits the generated image generation data to each terminal. Here, the image generation data is data for displaying an image generated by the method of this embodiment on each terminal, and may be image data itself or various data (object data, game processing result data, etc.) used by each terminal to generate an image. In this way, the processing of the game control unit 110, the watching control unit 210, the mode transition unit 212, and the participation content determination unit 214 may be configured to be executed all by the server, may be configured to be executed all by the terminal, or may be configured to be executed in a distributed manner between the server and the terminal. The present invention can be applied to game apps executed on smartphones, game software for home game consoles, game software for PCs, browser games for smartphones and PCs, and commercial game machines.

[0070] 2. Method of the Present Invention Next, the method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The game watching system of the present embodiment is configured to execute a game (music game) in which a player performs operation input in accordance with music, and to allow a spectator to watch (view) the game being played by the player.

[0071] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen (game image) generated by the game watching system of this embodiment. The game screen GI shown in Fig. 4 is displayed on the display unit 190 (touch panel) of the player's terminal 10, and the player can perform an operation input by performing an operation of touching the touch panel with a fingertip, a touch pen, or the like (touch operation).

[0072] As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of buttons BT that are targets of player operation input (touch operation) are displayed on the game screen GI. The plurality of buttons BT are arranged and displayed horizontally at the lower part of the game screen GI. Also, each button BT indicates a character used in the game. When playing the game, the player can arbitrarily select a character to be used in the game from among a plurality of characters the player possesses.

[0073] Also, an instruction sign DS (an example of an object arranged in the game), which instructs the player of the timing of operation input, is displayed on the game screen GI. The instruction sign DS appears above one of the buttons BT and moves downward toward the button BT at a constant speed. The instruction sign DS moves so as to reach the button BT at a reference timing for each instruction sign DS associated with the music data being played. The player can obtain a score by performing a touch operation of selecting the button BT in accordance with the timing when the instruction sign DS reaches the button BT. At this time, the smaller the deviation between the timing when the instruction sign DS reaches the button BT (reference timing) and the timing of the operation of selecting the button BT (operation timing), the higher the evaluation value of the operation, and the higher score can be obtained. For example, when the deviation amount D between the player's operation timing and the reference timing is less than a predetermined value T1, it is evaluated as a great success and the highest evaluation value E1 is obtained. When the deviation amount D is equal to or greater than the predetermined value T1 and less than a predetermined value T2 (T2 > T1), it is evaluated as a success and the next highest evaluation value E2 (E2 < E1) is obtained. When the deviation amount D is equal to or greater than the predetermined value T2, it is evaluated as a failure and the lowest evaluation value E3 (E3 < E2) is obtained. Also, the higher the value of the parameter of the character indicated by the operated button BT, the higher the score obtained.

[0074]

[0075] ​Moreover, the indication mark DS is displayed so as to indicate the type (mode) of touch operation. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the circular plain indication mark DS1 indicates a tap operation, the indication mark DS2 with a right arrow in a circle indicates a rightward flick operation, and the indication mark DS3 with a shape extending in the vertical direction indicates a long tap operation. By performing the type of touch operation indicated by the indication mark DS, the player can obtain a higher score (evaluation value) than when performing a type of touch operation different from the indicated type. For example, a high score can be obtained by performing a tap operation on the button BT in time with the indication mark DS1 reaching the button BT, and a high score can be obtained by performing a rightward flick operation on the button BT in time with the indication mark DS2 reaching the button BT. Also, a high score can be obtained by starting a long tap operation on the button BT in time with the lower end of the indication mark DS3 reaching the button BT, and ending the long tap operation in time with the upper end of the indication mark DS3 reaching the button BT.

[0076] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen GI displayed on the display unit 190 of the terminal 10 of the spectator. The game screen GI shown in FIG. 5 displays a game image of a game being played by a player who is the target of the spectator's spectating. In the game spectating system of this embodiment, the spectator can give a tip to a player (the target player) playing the game being spectated. The game screen GI shown in FIG. 5 displays a submission button PB for giving a tip to the target player. When the spectator operates the submission button PB, a dialogue DL for specifying the amount of the tip is displayed as shown in FIG. 6. The dialogue DL displays an input area IA for inputting the amount of the tip. When the spectator inputs an amount in the input area IA and operates the execute button RB, the in-game currency held by the spectator is consumed (decreased) by the input amount (in the example shown in FIG. 6, "100"), and the in-game currency in an amount corresponding to the amount input by the spectator (the same amount as the input amount or an amount less than the input amount) is given to the target player. Note that instead of consuming in-game currency as a payment, an item owned by the spectator may be consumed, or no payment may be consumed. Also, instead of (or in addition to) being able to give tips, spectators may be able to post comments they have entered, or items or stamps they have selected. The posted items or stamps may or may not be consumed.

[0077] In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not a mode transition condition is satisfied based on the watching state of the spectator, and when the mode transition condition is satisfied, an interaction mode in which the spectator can participate in the game is selected. For example, when a spectator makes a tip or when the amount of tip by a spectator (the amount input in the input area IA) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the mode transition condition is satisfied, and the system may transition to an interactive mode in which the spectator can participate in the game. Also, when the number of spectators, the number of spectators who are friends with the player, the number of spectators who have made tips, the cumulative number of tips by multiple spectators, the total amount of tips, or the number of comments reaches a predetermined value, the mode transition condition is satisfied, and the spectators (or, among the spectators, spectators who are friends with the player or spectators who have made tips) can participate in the game. In this case, the higher the game level of the spectators (or the greater the number, frequency, and amount of tips the spectators have made so far), or if there is a sudden increase (an increase in the most recent short period) in the number of spectators or the number and amount of tips, the more likely it is that the mode transition condition will be met (the more quickly the interactive mode will be entered), or the duration of the preparation phase and interactive mode, described below, may be longer.

[0078] Here, the spectating situation may be displayed (presented so that it can be understood) on the game screen GI of the spectator. In the example shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, a numerical value indicating the current spectating situation (e.g., the amount of tips, the total amount, the cumulative number of tips, the number of spectators, etc.) is shown in the gauge GA. The gauge GA indicates the relationship between the spectating situation and the transition to the interactive mode, and when the numerical value shown in the gauge GA reaches the upper limit of the gauge GA, the mode transition condition is satisfied and the mode transition occurs. In this way, it is possible to give the spectator a sense of anticipation for the transition to the interactive mode.

[0079] When the interactive mode is entered, the progress of the game being played by the player stops, and a preparation phase is provided for the spectator to specify the content of the involvement in the game. In this embodiment, the spectator can participate in the game being played by the player by arranging (adding) a new instruction sign DS in the game.

[0080] In the preparation phase, a window WD for designating the arrangement of the instruction signs DS is displayed on the display unit 190 of the terminal 10 of the spectator as shown in FIG. 7. If the progress of the game is not stopped during the preparation phase, the window WD is displayed superimposed on the game screen GI being watched by the spectator. In addition to the button BT and the instruction signs DS, a slide bar SB is displayed on the window WD shown in FIG. 7. The horizontal axis of the slide bar SB indicates the time axis of the music data being played, with the left end of the slide bar SB indicating the start time of the music and the right end indicating the end time of the music. A slider SL that can be moved left and right is displayed on the slide bar SB. The position of the slider SL on the slide bar SB indicates the time position in the music data, and the instruction signs DS that are displayed on the game screen GI at the time corresponding to the position of the slider SL on the slide bar SB are displayed on the window WD. The spectator can display the instruction signs DS that are displayed on the game screen GI at a time in the future from the current time in the window WD by performing an operation to move the slider SL to the right from the position corresponding to the current time (the time when the interactive mode is entered). The spectator can then specify any position above any button BT in the window WD in which the indication sign DS of any (future) time is displayed, and further specify the type of touch operation (tap operation, right flick operation, left flick operation, long tap operation), thereby adding and placing any type of new indication sign DS to be displayed on the game screen GI at any time (timing) and at any position. That is, the spectator can specify the timing and position at which the indication sign DS is placed and the type of indication sign DS to be placed by operating the slider SL in the window WD, specifying any position above the button BT, and specifying the type of touch operation. When the placement of a new indication sign DS is specified, information about the indication sign DS (the reference timing indicated by the indication sign DS, the type of touch operation, and the button BT to be operated) is newly set in association with the music data. In addition, the spectator can specify the timing and position at which the indication sign DS is placed and the type of indication sign DS to be placed in the window WD in which the indication sign DS of the future time is displayed, and further specify the type of touch operation (tap operation, right flick operation, left flick operation, long tap operation). By performing an operation of specifying an indication marker DS, it may be possible to delete the indication marker DS, or by performing an operation of specifying an existing indication marker DS and moving it vertically, it may be possible to change the reference timing indicated by the indication marker DS, or by performing an operation of specifying an existing indication marker DS and moving it horizontally, it may be possible to change the button BT to be operated indicated by the indication marker DS, or by performing a predetermined operation by specifying an existing indication marker DS, it may be possible to change the type of touch operation indicated by the indication marker DS.

[0081] When the spectator performs a predetermined operation in the window WD to instruct the end of the preparation phase, the game transitions to the execution phase and the progress of the game is resumed, and the content specified by the spectator in the preparation phase is reflected in the game. That is, in the execution phase, the type of instruction sign DS specified in the preparation phase (the newly placed instruction sign DS) is displayed in the game screen GI at a specified position at a specified timing. Note that a time limit may be set for the preparation phase, and the preparation phase may be terminated and the progress of the game may be resumed when the time limit has elapsed, or an upper limit may be set for the number of instruction signs DS that can be placed (or placed, deleted, or changed) in the preparation phase, and the preparation phase may be terminated and the progress of the game may be resumed when the number reaches the upper limit. Also, the time at which the progress of the game is resumed may be the time at which the progress of the game was stopped, or may be a time slightly earlier than the time at which the game was stopped.

[0082] In this embodiment, the content of the interactive mode may be changed based on the watching situation of the spectator. For example, the larger the amount of tipping by a spectator (or the greater the cumulative number of tipping by a plurality of spectators, the greater the total amount of tipping, or the greater the number of spectators), the greater the number and types of instruction signs DS that the spectator can place in the preparation phase. In addition, if the watching situation does not satisfy the mode content change condition (for example, if the amount of tipping, the cumulative number of tipping, the total amount of tipping, or the number of spectators is less than a predetermined value, or if there is no spectator who has a predetermined relationship with the player), the spectator may not be able to specify the type of instruction sign DS to be placed in the preparation phase (only the timing and position at which the instruction sign is placed can be specified), and if the watching situation satisfies the mode content change condition, the spectator may be able to specify the type of instruction sign DS to be placed in the preparation phase. Also, when the spectating situation satisfies the mode content change condition, the spectator may be allowed to play cooperatively with the player (for example, the player and the spectator alternately operate the button BT) or play against the player in the interactive mode (the game after restart). When the content of the interactive mode changes according to the spectating situation in this way, the relationship between the spectating situation and the content of the interactive mode may be indicated by a gauge GA, as shown in FIG. 8. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a first threshold value for "mode transition" and a second threshold value for "cooperative play" are indicated by black triangles in association with the gauge GA, and when the value indicated by the gauge (the value indicating the spectating situation) reaches the first threshold value, the mode transition condition is satisfied and transition is made to the interactive mode, and when the value indicated by the gauge reaches the second threshold value, the mode content change condition is satisfied and cooperative play with the player is possible in the interactive mode.

[0083] When the placement of the instruction signs DS is specified by multiple spectators in the preparation phase, the instruction signs DS placed by the other spectators (selection status of other spectators) may be identifiably displayed in the window WD. In this case, if an instruction sign DS placed by a spectator overlaps with an instruction sign DS placed by another spectator (for example, multiple spectators specify the placement of instruction signs DS indicating the same reference timing), a notice indicating that the specified contents overlap or an overlapping instruction sign DS (overlap status) may be identifiably displayed. In this way, a spectator can specify the placement of the instruction signs DS by referring to the selection status of other spectators and the overlap status with the specified contents of other spectators, thereby improving convenience for the spectators. In addition, when the instruction sign DS placed by a spectator overlaps with an instruction sign DS placed by another spectator (for example, when multiple spectators specify the placement of instruction signs DS indicating the same reference timing), a notice indicating that the specified contents overlap or an overlapping status with the specified contents of other spectators (overlap status) may be identifiably displayed. Of the indication signs DS placed by spectators, only the overlapping indication signs DS may be displayed in a distinguishable manner. Also, when there is overlap in the designated contents, the indication signs DS may be automatically placed to eliminate the overlap. For example, when a plurality of spectators specify the placement of indication signs DS indicating the same reference timing, the designated indication signs DS may be placed with a shift in the reference timing of each (or any of) them.

[0084] Also, the designation contents that are actually reflected in the game may be determined based on the overlapping situation between the designation contents of the spectator and the designation contents of other spectators. For example, it may be possible to make it impossible to designate the arrangement of an indication sign DS that overlaps with an indication sign DS placed by another spectator, or it may be possible to designate such an arrangement but the designation of such an arrangement may be invalid. Conversely, it may be possible to make only the designation of the arrangement of an indication sign DS that overlaps with an indication sign DS placed by another spectator valid. Also, it may be possible to prioritize and make valid the designation of the arrangement of an indication sign DS that overlaps (or does not overlap) with an indication sign DS placed by another spectator. For example, when it is necessary to overlap 10 indication signs DS, if 9 indication signs DS can be overlapped but the remaining one indication sign DS cannot be overlapped (for example, there is no indication sign DS placed by another spectator that can be overlapped), it may be possible to make valid the designation of the arrangement of the 9 indication signs DS and to make valid the designation of the arrangement of the one non-overlapping indication sign DS as an exception. In addition, the designated contents actually reflected in the game and the contribution of the arranged instruction signs DS to the score may be different depending on whether the designated contents overlap or not. For example, when a plurality of spectators specify the same reference timing and specify the arrangement of instruction signs DS that instruct a long tap operation, the length (duration) of the long tap operation specified by the instruction signs DS may be longer (or shorter) than when the designated contents do not overlap. In addition, when a plurality of spectators specify the arrangement of instruction signs DS with overlapping designated contents, the score obtained by the touch operation performed according to the instruction signs DS may be higher (or lower) than when the designated contents do not overlap.

[0085] Also, a player (and / or a spectator) may be given a privilege (game media, in-game currency, etc.) based on the operation status of the player with respect to the specified content (content of involvement) by the spectator reflected in the game. For example, in the interactive mode, when a player performs a touch operation according to the indication sign DS arranged by the spectator, a privilege may be given to the player or the spectator. In this case, the content of the privilege may be determined depending on whether the designation of the arrangement of the indication sign DS by the spectator overlaps with that of another spectator, and if it overlaps, the content of the privilege may be changed depending on whether the spectator and the other spectator have a predetermined relationship. Also, the content of the privilege may be determined depending on the content of the touch operation by the player according to the indication sign DS. Also, when a player performs a touch operation according to the indication sign DS arranged by the spectator, information about the spectator who specified the arrangement of the indication sign DS (information identifying the spectator, content of the privilege given to the spectator) may be notified to all spectators (or only the spectator). Also, when a player performs a touch operation according to an indication sign DS, if the indication sign DS is an indication sign DS arranged by a spectator, the score obtained by the touch operation may be higher than if the indication sign DS is an indication sign DS that has been set in advance in association with music data. Also, a score may be given to the player according to the selection situation of the spectators (the number of indication signs DS designated for arrangement by the spectators, the number of spectators who designated the arrangement of indication signs DS), and the higher the number or the number of spectators, the higher the score given to the player. In this case, the score given according to the evaluation result of the player's touch operation and the score given according to the selection situation of the spectators may be displayed on the game screen GI in a distinguishable manner, or may be displayed in combination on the game screen GI. Also, a ranking may be displayed based on the scores given according to the selection situation of the spectators. Also, the number of indication signs DS designated for arrangement by the spectators, the number of spectators who designated the arrangement of indication signs DS, and the number of spectators who designated the arrangement of indication signs DS may be displayed on the game screen GI in a distinguishable manner. A bonus may be given to a player according to the number of participants, such that the greater the number or the greater the number of participants, the more valuable the bonus given to the player.

[0086] Furthermore, the watching control unit 210 of the server 20 may present the result of the participation to the spectator after the end of the game and / or the end of the interactive mode. For example, a replay image (replay video) showing a state in which a player performs a touch operation according to the instruction sign DS placed by the spectator in the interactive mode may be displayed on the display unit 190 of the terminal 10 of the spectator. A replay image showing a state in which a spectator places an instruction sign DS that contributed to the player's score may be displayed on the display unit 190 of the terminal 10 of the spectator as an example of excellent participation. A ranking showing which instruction sign DS placed by which spectator was most operated by the player may be displayed on the display unit 190 of the terminal 10 of the spectator.

[0087] Also, one spectator may be selected from a plurality of spectators by lottery or the like, and the selected spectator may be allowed to specify the arrangement of the indication signs DS, or the selected spectator may be allowed to play cooperatively or competitively with the player. Also, one spectator may be selected from a plurality of spectators, and after the selected spectator (first spectator) specifies the arrangement of the indication signs DS, another spectator (second spectator) who has a predetermined relationship with the first spectator may be selected, and after the second spectator specifies the arrangement of the indication signs DS, another spectator (third spectator) who has a predetermined relationship with the second spectator may be selected. In this case, the contents that the later selected spectator can specify may be determined according to the contents of the arrangement specified by the spectator selected earlier. For example, when the spectator selected earlier specifies the arrangement of the indication signs DS related to the tap operation, the later selected spectator may be allowed to specify only the arrangement of the indication signs DS related to the tap operation, or conversely, may be allowed to specify only the arrangement of the indication signs DS related to the type of operation other than the tap operation.

[0088] According to this embodiment, when the mode transition condition is satisfied during the game play of the player and the game mode is switched to the interactive mode, the spectators can be involved in the game play, and a preparation phase is provided to allow the spectators to consider the content of the involvement (the type of object to be placed in the game, the position and timing of placing the object) in advance, thereby realizing a game in which the spectators can be deeply involved in the game play of the player without destroying the game characteristics. Furthermore, based on the watching situation of the spectators (the number of spectators, the amount and number of tips, etc.), it is possible to determine whether the mode transition condition is satisfied or not, and to change the content of the interactive mode, thereby strongly motivating the spectators to liven up the watching. Furthermore, based on the operation situation of the player in response to the content of the involvement by the spectators, a privilege is given to the spectators, and the result of the involvement is presented to the spectators, thereby motivating the spectators to carefully consider the content of the involvement.

[0089] 3. Processing Next, an example of the processing of the game watching system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0090] 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the server 20. The watching control unit 210 acquires operation information of the player playing the game and the progress of the game from the player's terminal 10 (step S10), generates information necessary for watching the game based on the acquired information, and transmits the generated information to the spectator's terminal 10 (step S11).

[0091] Next, the mode transition unit 212 determines whether or not the mode transition condition is satisfied based on the spectators' viewing situation (the number of spectators, the amount and number of tips, etc.) (step S12). If the mode transition condition is satisfied (Y in step S12), the mode transition unit 212 switches to the interactive mode. The transition is made, and information notifying that effect is transmitted to the terminals 10 of the players and spectators (step S13).

[0092] Next, the involvement content determination unit 214 acquires information on the operation results of the spectator in the preparation phase from the spectator's terminal 10, determines the involvement content of the spectator in the game (type of the indicator signs DS to be placed in the game, and the position and timing of placing the indicator signs DS) based on the acquired information (step S14), and transmits information on the determined involvement content to the player and the spectator's terminal 10 (step S15). Next, the processing unit 200 determines whether the game being played by the player has ended (step S16), and if the game has not ended (N in step S16), proceeds to step S10 and repeats the processing from step S10 until the game ends.

[0093] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the player's terminal 10. First, the processing unit 100 starts playing music data (step S20). Next, the game control unit 110 performs control to display the indication markers DS on the game screen GI based on the reference timing for each indication marker DS set in association with the music data (step S21).

[0094] Next, the game control unit 110 judges whether or not the player has operated (touched) any of the buttons BT (step S22). If the player has operated (Y in step S22), the game control unit 110 evaluates the player's operation (step S23) and calculates a score based on the evaluation result (the difference between the player's operation timing and the reference timing indicated by the instruction marks DS, and the agreement / mismatch between the type of touch operation by the player and the type of touch operation indicated by the instruction marks DS) (step S24).

[0095] Next, the game control unit 110 judges whether or not information notifying that the interactive mode has been entered (the preparation phase has started) has been received from the server 20 (step S25), and if the information has been received (Y in step S25), the game control unit 110 stops the progress of the game (step S26). Next, the game control unit 110 judges whether or not information regarding the participation content has been received from the server 20 (step S27). If the information has been received (Y in step S27), the game control unit 110 performs a process of reflecting the participation content in the game based on the received information (setting the reference timing of the instruction sign DS designated to be placed by the spectator in correspondence with the music data) (step S28), and resumes the progress of the game (step S29). Next, the processing unit 100 judges whether or not the game (playback of the music) has ended (step S30), and if the game has not ended (N in step S30), the processing unit 100 proceeds to step S20, and repeats the process from step S20 onwards until the game ends.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, a term cited as a broadly defined or synonymous term in the description in the specification or drawings can be replaced with a broadly defined or synonymous term in other descriptions in the specification or drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 10... terminal, 20... server, 100... processing unit, 110... game control unit, 120... image generation unit, 130... sound generation unit, 150... input unit, 170... storage unit, 190... display unit, 192... sound output unit, 196... communication unit, 200... processing unit, 210... watching control unit, 212... mode transition unit, 214... participation content determination unit, 270... storage unit, 272... storage unit, 296... communication unit

Claims

1. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: A game watching system characterized in that, in the interactive mode, the determined content of the involvement is reflected in the game, progress of the game is stopped during the preparation phase, and progress of the game is resumed after the preparation phase ends.

2. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: In the interactive mode, reflecting the determined content of the participation in the game; the content of the engagement being the placement of an object in the game; The mode transition unit includes: A game viewing system characterized by changing the type of object that the spectator can place, or the number of objects that the spectator can place, or the position at which the spectator can place the object, or the timing at which the spectator can place the object, based on the viewing situation of the spectator.

3. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: In the interactive mode, reflecting the determined content of the participation in the game; The mode transition unit includes: Controlling a transition to the interactive mode or changing the content of the interactive mode based on the watching status of the spectators; the watching situation is the presence or absence or the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player; The spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player are the spectators who have a friend relationship with the player, or the spectators whose intimacy with the player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or the spectators who have a friend relationship with the player. A game watching system, characterized in that the spectators are designated in advance by players, or the spectators are selected by a lottery based on the operations of the players.

4. In claim 1 or 2, The mode transition unit includes: A game watching system, characterized in that the transition to the interactive mode is controlled based on the watching status of the spectator.

5. In claim 1, The mode transition unit includes: A game watching system, characterized in that the content of the interactive mode is changed based on the watching situation of the spectator.

6. In any one of claims 2 to 5, The mode transition unit includes: A game watching system characterized in that the watching situation is determined based on a level of excitement of the spectators.

7. In any one of claims 2 to 6, A game watching system, wherein the watching situation is a situation of a predetermined operation involving consumption of a fee by the spectator.

8. In claim 2, 4 or 5, A game watching system, wherein the watching situation is the presence or absence or the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player.

9. In any one of claims 2 to 8, The watching control unit: A game watching system that presents the watching situation to the spectators in a manner that allows them to understand it.

10. In any one of claims 2 to 9, The watching control unit: A game watching system characterized in that the spectator is presented with a relationship between the watching situation and the transition to the interactive mode in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the relationship.

11. In claim 1 or 3, A game watching system, wherein the content of the participation is the placement of objects within the game.

12. In claim 2 or 11, The involvement content determination unit A game watching system, comprising: a game watching unit that decides the content of the involvement based on an operation of the spectator that selects the timing at which the object is to be placed.

13. In any one of claims 1 to 12, The involvement content determination unit A game watching system characterized in that, in the preparation phase, the selection situations of other spectators are presented to the spectator in a manner that allows the spectator to understand them.

14. In any one of claims 1 to 13, The involvement content determination unit A game viewing system characterized in that, in the preparation phase, the spectator is presented with a message indicating whether or not there is an overlap between the content of the spectator's involvement and the content of the involvement of other spectators in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the overlap.

15. In any one of claims 1 to 14, The involvement content determination unit A game watching system characterized in that the content of the participation of the spectator is determined based on an overlap between the content of the participation of the spectator and the content of the participation of other spectators.

16. In any one of claims 1 to 15, The game control unit: A game watching system, characterized in that a privilege is given to the player and / or the spectator based on the operation status of the player with respect to the content of the participation reflected in the game.

17. In any one of claims 1 to 16, The watching control unit: A game viewing system characterized in that the results of said participation are presented to said spectators after the game has ended and / or after the interactive mode has ended.

18. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: A server device characterized in that, in the interactive mode, the determined content of the participation is reflected in the game, progress of the game is stopped during the preparation phase, and progress of the game is resumed after the preparation phase ends.

19. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: In the interactive mode, reflecting the determined content of the participation in the game; the content of the engagement being the placement of an object in the game; The mode transition unit includes: the type of the object that the spectator can place based on the watching situation of the spectator; Alternatively, a server device is provided which changes the number of objects that the spectator can place, or the positions at which the spectator can place the objects, or the timing at which the spectator can place the objects.

20. a game control unit that progresses the game through operations by a player; a watching control unit that presents at least a part of the content of the game being played by the player to a spectator other than the player of the game in a manner that allows the spectator to understand the content of the game being played by the player; a mode transition unit that transitions to an interactive mode in which the spectators can participate in the game when a predetermined mode transition condition is satisfied during playing of the game; a participation content determination unit that provides the spectator with a preparation phase before the content of the participation is reflected in the game, and determines the content of the participation based on a selection of the spectator in the preparation phase, The game control unit: In the interactive mode, reflecting the determined content of the participation in the game; The mode transition unit includes: Controlling a transition to the interactive mode or changing the content of the interactive mode based on the watching status of the spectators; the watching situation is the presence or absence or the number of spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player; A server device characterized in that the spectators who have a predetermined relationship with the player are spectators who have a friend relationship with the player, or spectators whose intimacy with the player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or spectators designated in advance by the player, or spectators selected by lottery based on the operation of the player.

Images