Program and information processing system

Abstract

To prevent a user from feeling that an item which can be changed into NFT is unused possession.SOLUTION: A program makes a computer be functioned as acquisition means which makes a user acquire an item which can be changed into NFT, and control means which performs a control of not changing the item possessed by the user into NFT but consuming the item to generate an effect advantageous for the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Games that use blockchain have been known for some time (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In addition, as this type of game, a game in which it is possible to sell NFT-ized items to other users is also known. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] “A thorough explanation of how to get started with STEPN and its future prospects | How to earn money / how to do it and how much it costs to level up?”, [online], [searched on October 4, 2023], Internet<https: / / www.caica.jp / media / crypto / stepn-about / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a game in which a user can own an NFTed item, the user can, for example, feel satisfied by owning a unique item by owning the NFTed item, or can sell the NFTed item and make a profit. On the other hand, if an NFTable item exists in the game, a user who acquires such an item may not feel that the acquired item is worth converting into an NFT. In such a case, the user may feel that the items that are not worth converting into an NFT are accumulating and going to waste.

[0005] The present invention aims to prevent users from feeling that NFT-convertible items are going to waste in services where they can be acquired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment shown in the present disclosure, Computer, An acquisition means for allowing a user to acquire an NFT-enabled item; The control means functions as a control means for controlling the generation of an advantageous effect for the user by consuming the item held by the user without converting it into an NFT. The program is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent users from feeling that their NFT-compatible items are going to waste. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a game system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the game system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a map. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a home screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a list of mountains acquired by a user. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen when mining is performed. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the flow of asset acquisition and consumption. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram to explain the timeline for mountain acquisition and mining. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a list of jewels owned by a user. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a list of mountains acquired by the user in a state in which a beneficial effect is occurring for a specific mountain. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen related to purchasing an ice axe. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for generating a mountain and determining items that can be obtained from the mountain. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for acquiring and mining a mountain. [Figure 14] A flowchart showing an example of a process for consuming an NFT-enabled item to generate advantageous effects. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for providing preferential treatment for the purchase of an ice axe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Game system hardware configuration> 1, the game system 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of terminal devices 10, a server 20, and a block chain system 3. In addition, the block chain system 3 includes a plurality of node devices 30.

[0011] The terminal device 10, the server 20, and the blockchain system 3 (in other words, the node device 30) are connected to each other via a network 2. The network 2 may be configured, for example, by the Internet, a mobile communication system (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), etc.), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (registered trademark), other communication lines, or a combination of these.

[0012] The server 20 (in other words, a computer, an information processing device) may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The server 20 includes a processor 21, a memory 22, a storage 23, a communication IF (interface) 24, and an input / output IF 25. These components included in the server 20 are connected to each other by a communication bus.

[0013] The processor 21 controls the overall operation of the server 20. The processor 21 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. The processor 21 reads a program from the storage 23 and loads it in the memory 22. The processor 21 executes the loaded program.

[0014] The memory 22 is a main storage device. The memory 22 is composed of storage devices such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 22 temporarily stores the programs and various data read by the processor 21 from the storage 23, thereby providing a working area for the processor 21. The memory 22 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 21 is operating according to the programs.

[0015] In this embodiment, the program may be a program that realizes the game by the terminal device 10. The program may also be a program that realizes the game through cooperation between the terminal device 10 and the server 20. The program may also be a program that realizes the game through cooperation between the terminal device 10, the server 20, and the blockchain system 3. The game may be, for example, a game executed on a browser launched in the terminal device 10. The various data include, for example, data related to the game, such as user information and game information, and instructions and notifications transmitted and received between devices such as the terminal device 10 and the server 20.

[0016] The storage 23 is an auxiliary storage device. The storage 23 is configured with a storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. The storage 23 stores various data related to the game.

[0017] The communication IF 24 controls the transmission and reception of various data between the server 20 and the terminal device 10, etc., via a network. The communication IF 24 also controls the transmission and reception of various data between the server 20 and the block chain system 3 (in other words, the node device 30) via a network.

[0018] The input / output IF 25 is an interface through which the server 20 receives input of data and also an interface through which the server 20 outputs data. The input / output IF 25 may include, for example, an input unit that is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display unit that is a device that displays and outputs an image.

[0019] The terminal device 10 (in other words, a computer, an information processing device) may be, for example, a smartphone, a feature phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a tablet computer, a personal computer, a wearable terminal, or a game device. The terminal device 10 may be a mobile terminal. The terminal device 10 may be a portable terminal that a user uses when playing a game.

[0020] The terminal device 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a storage 13, a communication IF 14, an input / output IF 15, an input unit 17, and a display unit 18. These components included in the terminal device 10 are connected to each other via a communication bus.

[0021] The processor 11 controls the overall operation of the terminal device 10. The processor 11 may include a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, etc. The processor 11 reads a program from the storage 13 and loads it in the memory 12. The processor 11 executes the loaded program.

[0022] The memory 12 is a main storage device. The memory 12 is composed of storage devices such as a ROM and a RAM. The memory 12 temporarily stores the programs and various data that the processor 11 reads from the storage 13, thereby providing a working area for the processor 11. The memory 12 also temporarily stores various data that the processor 11 generates while it is operating according to the programs.

[0023] The storage 13 is an auxiliary storage device. The storage 13 is configured with a storage device such as a flash memory or a HDD. The storage 13 stores various data related to the game.

[0024] The communication IF 14 controls transmission and reception of various data between the terminal device 10 and the server 20, etc. via a network. The communication IF 14 may also control transmission and reception of various data between the terminal device 10 and the block chain system 3 (in other words, the node device 30) via a network.

[0025] The input / output IF 15 is an interface through which the terminal device 10 receives input of data and also an interface through which the terminal device 10 outputs data. The input / output IF 15 may input and output data via, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or the like. The input / output IF 15 may include an input unit 17, a display unit 18, or the like.

[0026] The input unit 17 accepts input from a user. The input unit 17 may be, for example, a pointing device such as a touchpad or a mouse. The display unit 18 displays an image. The display unit 18 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The terminal device 10 may include, for example, a touch screen that is an electronic component that combines the input unit 17 and the display unit 18. In this case, the input unit 17 may have a function of detecting a position input on the input surface by a user operation (for example, a touch operation, a tap operation, a slide operation, a swipe operation, a flick operation, a pinch-in operation, a pinch-out operation, etc.) and transmitting information indicating the detected position as an input signal.

[0027] The input unit 17 may be, for example, a keyboard, various physical buttons, various sensors (for example, an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor), an operation stick, a camera, or a microphone, etc. The display unit 18 may be, for example, a projector, etc.

[0028] In this embodiment, the input unit 17 is described as being a keyboard and a mouse. Note that, in this embodiment, operations on various UIs such as buttons may be performed by clicking a mouse cursor on an area on the display unit 18 where the buttons are displayed.

[0029] A plurality of node devices 30 constitute a blockchain system 3. Each node device 30 holds a distributed ledger. Each node device 30 stores the same data in the distributed ledger. Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, assets held by a user are managed in the distributed ledger of the blockchain system 3.

[0030] The node device 30 (in other words, a computer, an information processing device) may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The node device 30 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, a storage 33, a communication IF 34, and an input / output IF 35. These components included in the node device 30 are connected to each other by a communication bus.

[0031] The processor 31 controls the overall operation of the node device 30. The processor 31 may include a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, etc. The processor 31 reads a program from the storage 33 and loads it in the memory 32. The processor 31 executes the loaded program.

[0032] The memory 32 is a main storage device. The memory 32 is composed of storage devices such as a ROM and a RAM. The memory 32 temporarily stores the programs and various data that the processor 31 reads from the storage 33, thereby providing a working area for the processor 31. The memory 32 also temporarily stores various data that the processor 31 generates while it is operating according to the programs.

[0033] The storage 33 is an auxiliary storage device and is configured with a storage device such as a flash memory or an HDD, for example.

[0034] The communication IF 34 controls transmission and reception of various data between the node device 30 and the server 20 via the network. The communication IF 34 may also control transmission and reception of various data between the node device 30 and the terminal device 10 via the network.

[0035] The input / output IF 35 is an interface through which the node device 30 receives input of data and also an interface through which the node device 30 outputs data. The input / output IF 35 may include, for example, an input unit that is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display unit that is a device that displays and outputs an image.

[0036] In addition, the server 20 and the terminal device 10 may function as the node device 30. In other words, the blockchain system 3 may include the server 20 and the terminal device 10.

[0037] <Functional configuration of the game system> 2 is a block diagram showing functional configurations of the server 20, the terminal devices 10, and the node devices 30. The server 20 in this embodiment has, for example, a function of providing each of the terminal devices 10 with various data and programs required to realize a game, and a function of collecting and managing data related to the game from each of the terminal devices 10.

[0038] In this embodiment, the server 20 identifies each user and the terminal device 10 using a user account that is registered in advance for each game. The method of registering the account is not particularly limited. For example, the terminal device 10 or another device such as a personal computer may transmit information required for registering a user's account to the server 20 based on a user's operation, and the server 20 may create and store an account for each user based on the received information.

[0039] 2, the server 20 functions as a control unit 210 and a storage unit 220 through cooperation of the processor 21, memory 22, storage 23, communication IF 24, input / output IF 25, etc. The storage unit 220 stores various data used by the control unit 210. The various data include, for example, a program, game information, and user information. The program is a program for realizing a game. The game information and user information are data that the control unit 210 refers to when executing the program.

[0040] The game information includes, for example, information for defining various virtual spaces (in other words, game spaces). A virtual space is a space in which objects such as a character that can be controlled by a user (hereinafter also referred to as a "player character") are placed. The game information also includes, for example, information regarding the placement positions and setting values ​​of various objects such as buildings, trees, stones, items, etc. placed in the virtual space. Hereinafter, a character object placed in a virtual space may be simply referred to as a "character".

[0041] User information is information managed for each game account. User information includes, for example, information on the player character, information on owned assets, information indicating the progress of the game, and information on the mountain (mountain will be described later) acquired by the user (in other words, information on the right to play the game in a specific virtual space). Owned assets include tokens, item A, item B, item C, etc., which will be described later. That is, the storage unit 220 may store information such as tokens and items owned by each user, for example, in association with identification information that can identify each user.

[0042] The control unit 210 controls various processes related to the game by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 220. The control unit 210 has a transmission / reception unit 211, a game control unit 212, an asset management unit 213, and a market management unit 214.

[0043] The transmission / reception unit 211 transmits or receives various data. For example, the transmission / reception unit 211 receives requests to transmit various data and programs, requests for synchronization processing to support the multiplay function, data to be subjected to synchronization processing, and the like from each terminal device 10, and passes them to the game control unit 212, asset management unit 213, market management unit 214, or the like. The transmission / reception unit 211 also transmits various data and programs to each terminal device 10 in accordance with the control of the game control unit 212, asset management unit 213, market management unit 214, or the like.

[0044] In this embodiment, the multiplay function is a function that allows game processing by multiple accounts to proceed in a synchronized state. When multiple accounts logged in to the game system 1 participate in the same game, the server 20 and the terminal device 10 of the game system 1 execute various processes to support the multiplay function.

[0045] The game control unit 212 executes arithmetic processing described in a program stored in the storage unit 220 to provide a game to the terminal device 10 .

[0046] The game control unit 212 defines the virtual space based on information for defining the virtual space included in the game information. The game control unit 212 places objects in the virtual space based on setting information of the objects included in the game information. The game control unit 212 controls the objects placed in the virtual space. Specifically, the game control unit 212 changes the position, orientation, shape, color, etc. of the objects in the virtual space, and causes the objects to perform a predetermined action.

[0047] The game control unit 212 also places the player character in the virtual space based on the play information transmitted from the terminal device 10. The game control unit 212 also performs various determination processes related to the progress of the game based on the play information transmitted from the terminal device 10. In other words, the game control unit 212 controls objects and performs various determination processes based on the input operation of the user. The play information is output in response to the input operation of the user. As an example, the play information may include, as the operation content of the player character, coordinate information of the player character, information on the action of the player character, information indicating the button operated by the user, etc. The play information may also include information on the setting of the player character. As an example, the coordinate information of the character is information indicating the position of the character in the game space. As an example, the action information is information on the action of the character. As an example, the action of the character may include an action of swinging a pickaxe, an action of using various items, or a jump, which will be described later. As an example, the information on the setting of the character may include information on the equipment, appearance, etc. of the character. Furthermore, the setting of the character may be changed by the user.

[0048] The game control unit 212 may place the player characters of the multiple players in one virtual space and control the player characters of each player based on play information transmitted from the terminal device 10 of each player. In other words, the game control unit 212 performs control to enable a game space, which is an example of a virtual space, to be shared by multiple users.

[0049] Furthermore, when the game control unit 212 receives, for example, a request for synchronization processing to support the multiplay function or data to be subjected to synchronization processing from the terminal device 10 via the transmission / reception unit 211, the game control unit 212 executes synchronization processing to support the multiplay function. Furthermore, the game control unit 212 issues a command to the transmission / reception unit 211 to instruct transmission of game information or user information. For example, when the server 20 transmits information to a plurality of terminal devices 10, the game control unit 212 transmits information to each terminal device 10 simultaneously, thereby synchronizing the game proceeding among the terminal devices 10. By executing synchronization processing, it becomes possible to simultaneously reflect an event in the game resulting from an operation input in one terminal device 10 in the other terminal devices 10.

[0050] The asset management unit 213 manages the assets held by the user. The asset management unit 213 also manages a part or all (in other words, at least a part) of the assets held by the user in the distributed ledger of the blockchain system 3. In other words, the asset management unit 213 may store information on the assets held by the user in the storage unit 220, or may store it in the distributed ledger. Note that, in a case where the server 20 is configured to function as the node device 30, the asset management unit 213 may store information on the assets held in the distributed ledger stored in its own storage unit 220. Also, in a case where the server 20 is configured not to function as the node device 30, the asset management unit 213 may perform control such as sending a request to the blockchain system 3 for storage in the distributed ledger.

[0051] The terminal device 10 has, for example, a function as an input device that accepts input operations by a user, and a function as an output device that outputs images and sounds of a game.

[0052] The terminal device 10 functions as a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 through cooperation of the processor 11, memory 12, storage 13, communication IF 14, input / output IF 15, etc. The storage unit 120 stores various data used by the control unit 110. The various data include, for example, a program, game information, and user information. The program is a program for realizing a game on the terminal device 10 side. The game information and user information are data referenced when the control unit 110 executes a program. The game information and user information stored in the storage unit 120 may include information similar to the game information and user information stored in the storage unit 220.

[0053] The control unit 110 executes a program stored in the storage unit 120 to control various processes related to the game executed on the terminal device 10. The control unit 110 includes, for example, an operation reception unit 111, a transmission / reception unit 112, a device processing unit 113, and a display control unit 114.

[0054] The operation reception unit 111 receives operations (hereinafter also referred to as "input operations") input by the user via the input unit 17. Specifically, the operation reception unit 111 detects input operations on a mouse or a keyboard serving as the input unit 17. Note that the input operations are not limited to operations of physically contacting the input unit 17, and may also include non-contact operations. Note that the operation reception unit 111 can also receive input operations performed using an operating device connected via the input / output IF 15 in the same way as input operations on the input unit 17.

[0055] The transmitting / receiving unit 112 transmits or receives various data. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 112 transmits various data and various requests to the server 20. As an example, the data transmitted by the transmitting / receiving unit 112 to the server may include play information, game information, and user information. In other words, the transmitting / receiving unit 112 transmits information related to the input operation accepted by the operation accepting unit 111 to the server 20.

[0056] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 112 receives various data, programs, and various requests from the server. As an example, the data that the transmitting / receiving unit 112 receives from the server 20 may include the type of object (e.g., character or item) to be placed in the game space, coordinate information of the object, action information of the character, information related to the character settings, and other information. As an example, the data that the transmitting / receiving unit 112 receives from the server may include data for synchronization to support a multiplay function. The data for synchronization may include, for example, data to be synchronized and the type of that data, data for specifying the time of synchronization, and the like.

[0057] The device processing unit 113 executes various processes related to the progress of the game. The device processing unit 113 identifies the user's instruction content based on the user's input operation detected by the operation reception unit 111. The device processing unit 113 also executes various determination processes related to the progress of the game based on the identified instruction content, etc. The device processing unit 113 also progresses the game while communicating with the server 20 based on the result of the determination process, etc.

[0058] The device processing unit 113 defines a virtual camera for designating an area of ​​the virtual space to be presented to the user. The device processing unit 113 arranges the virtual camera in the virtual space by defining the position and orientation of the virtual camera in the virtual space. The device processing unit 113 instructs the display control unit 114 to generate an image depicting the viewing area defined by the virtual camera and the objects arranged in the viewing area. In other words, the device processing unit 113 instructs the display control unit 114 to display an image according to the progress of the game on the display unit 18.

[0059] The position and orientation of the virtual camera can be appropriately determined for each virtual space. For example, the device processing unit 113 uses the position and orientation of a specific object as a reference and positions the virtual camera so that the specific object is located at the center of the viewing area in a specific orientation. At that time, the device processing unit 113 adjusts the position and orientation of the virtual camera using the direction, distance, and angle to the specific object. The specific object may be, for example, a dynamic object such as a player character or a non-player character, or a static object such as a building, a tree, or a stone. The dynamic object includes a player character that operates based on the operation of each user, and a non-player character that operates based on a program.

[0060] The display control unit 114 displays images relating to the game on the display unit 18. A specific example will be described below.

[0061] The display control unit 114 generates an image that depicts the area of ​​the field of view of the virtual camera defined by the device processing unit 113 in the virtual space and objects present in that area, and displays the image on the display unit 18. The display control unit 114 can superimpose and draw objects related to a UI (User Interface) required for various operations of the game, such as icons, buttons, and menus showing various parameters, on the image to be displayed on the display unit 18.

[0062] The control unit 110 of the terminal device 10 may arrange objects in the virtual space based on data of the objects sent from the server 20 and information indicating the positions of various objects in the virtual space, and may display a predetermined area of ​​the virtual space on the display unit 18. The control unit 210 of the server 20 may arrange objects in the virtual space and control the virtual camera, generate an image to be displayed on the display unit 18, and transmit the image to the terminal device 10, and the control unit 110 of the terminal device 10 may display the image on the display unit 18. In other words, various processes related to control of objects based on a user's input operation, control of the virtual camera, generation of an image to be displayed on the display unit 18, etc. may be performed by the server 20 or the terminal device 10.

[0063] The node device 30 functions as a control unit 310 and a storage unit 320 through cooperation of a processor 31, a memory 32, a storage 33, a communication IF 34, an input / output IF 35, etc. The storage unit 320 stores programs including a part of a game program, a distributed ledger used in the blockchain system 3, etc.

[0064] The control unit 310 controls the operation of the node device 30 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 320 .

[0065] When the control unit 310 receives a request to register information related to the possession of various items (including specific tokens described later) transmitted from the server 20 when the user acquires the items (for example, from another user or from the administrator (for example, by mining described later)), the control unit 310 registers the information in the distributed ledger. The control unit 310 may register information on the transaction history of each item in the distributed ledger, for example, based on information on the transaction (in other words, transfer) of the item transmitted from the server 20 or the terminal device 10. Specifically, the distributed ledger stores multiple blocks including a hash value and transaction data. The transaction data may be, for example, information indicating the transaction content of the item. The transaction data includes, for example, input information indicating the transfer source and output information indicating the transfer destination. The hash value is calculated from information included in the previous block, and the distributed ledger stores the transaction history of each item with each block linked like a chain by the hash value. By managing such item transaction history in a distributed ledger of each node device 30, information indicating which user owns which item can be stored on the blockchain. Note that, instead of the item transaction history, information regarding each user's item ownership status may be managed in a distributed ledger, so that information indicating which user owns which item can be stored on the blockchain. In this way, in the game of this embodiment, item ownership information is stored on the blockchain. Note that there may be items whose ownership information is not stored on the blockchain.

[0066] The functions of the terminal device 10, the server 20, and the node device 30 shown in FIG. 2 are merely an example. Each of the terminal device 10, the server 20, and the node device 30 may have at least a part of the functions of the other devices. In other words, the server 20 or the node device 30 may have some or all of the functional blocks of the terminal device 10 in this embodiment, the terminal device 10 or the node device 30 may have some or all of the functional blocks of the server 20, and the terminal device 10 or the server 20 may have some or all of the functional blocks of the node device 30. In addition, each of the devices such as the terminal device 10, the server 20, and the node device 30 may not be realized by an integrated device, and may be realized by, for example, a plurality of devices connected via a network or the like. In addition, the game system 1 may not include, for example, the terminal device 10, the server 20, or the node device 30.

[0067] <Processing according to this embodiment> Next, the process according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the processor 11 of the terminal device 10, the processor 21 of the server 20, or the processor 31 of the node device 30 executes a program stored in the game system 1 to perform each process described later. However, at least a part of the process performed by the processor 11, which is the process described later, may be executed by a processor other than the processor 11 (for example, the processor 21 or the processor 31). In addition, at least a part of the process performed by the processor 21, which is the process described later, may be executed by a processor other than the processor 21 (for example, the processor 11 or the processor 31). In addition, at least a part of the process performed by the processor 31, which is the process described later, may be executed by a processor other than the processor 31 (for example, the processor 11 or the processor 21). In other words, the computer that executes the program in this embodiment may be any of the terminal device 10, the server 20, and the node device 30, or may be realized by a combination of multiple devices. In addition, some or all of the various processes may be executed on the blockchain.

[0068] Here, an overview of the game of this embodiment will be described. In the game of this embodiment, there is a map 40 that is common to a plurality of users (specifically, all users) participating in the game. An example of the map 40 is shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of mountains are arranged on the map 40. In the map 40 shown in FIG. 3, the positions of the mountains are indicated by triangular symbols.

[0069] The user acquires (in other words, selects) a mountain (in other words, a virtual space in which the user plays the game) from the map 40. Acquisition of the mountain is performed, for example, as follows. For example, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display the map 40 (in other words, a list of mountains that the user can acquire) as shown in FIG. 3 based on a predetermined input operation by the user. Then, the user can acquire a specific mountain by selecting the specific mountain on the map 40 displayed on the display unit 18 (for example, a click operation on the specific mountain displayed). Specifically, for example, when an operation to select a specific mountain from among the mountains displayed on the map 40 is performed, the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display an acquire button 41 that accepts an operation to acquire the selected mountain. Then, the game control unit 212 causes the user to acquire the mountain selected by the user based on the operation (for example, a click operation) on the acquire button 41.

[0070] Furthermore, the user is able to mine for specific items in the mountain that the user has acquired. In other words, once the user has acquired a mountain, the user is able to play a game in which mining is performed in the acquired mountain. That is, in this embodiment, "acquiring a specific mountain" can be rephrased as "acquiring the right to mine in a specific mountain" and can also be rephrased as "acquiring the right to play a game in a specific virtual space." Note that the system may be configured to allow the user to mine in a mountain without acquiring the mountain (in other words, acquiring the right to mine).

[0071] In addition, in the game of this embodiment, an item A used for mining in the mountain is prepared. In order to perform mining, the user needs to have the item A. In other words, the item A is an item necessary for participating in the game. In this embodiment, the item A is a pickaxe. If the user does not have the item A, the mountain may not be acquired. In the game of this embodiment, a plurality of types of item A with different characteristics are prepared. In addition, the item A is an item that can take an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) state. The NFT state means a state in which information that proves that the item A is unique is stored on the blockchain. In other words, the NFT state means a state in which an NFT corresponding to the item A is issued and managed by the blockchain. In the following, digital assets such as an item for which a corresponding NFT is issued are also referred to as an NFT. In this embodiment, the NFT of the item A (in other words, the generation of the item A) is performed by the operator of the game, and cannot be performed by the user (in other words, minting by the user). In other words, in the game of this embodiment, the user is not allowed to obtain item A that has not been converted into an NFT. However, the user may be allowed to convert item A into an NFT.

[0072] In addition, in the game of this embodiment, the user can obtain items B and C by mining. Although details will be described later, item B is an item that can be in an NFT state. Also, item C is an item that can be exchanged for a specified token. Hereinafter, the token that can be obtained by exchanging for item C is referred to as a "specific token."

[0073] Furthermore, in the game of this embodiment, there are multiple types of item B, which are collectible items. Specifically, item B is a gemstone that the user collects. Furthermore, item C is a mineral (hereinafter referred to as "pyroxene") that is different from gemstones. In other words, the game of this embodiment has the gameplay of mining in the mountains using a pickaxe as item A to obtain gemstones as item B and pyroxene as item C.

[0074] In addition, the specific token that can be acquired by exchanging with item C is crypto-assets (e.g., virtual currency). In the game of this embodiment, the specific token can be used to level up item A, repair item A (in other words, fix it), and turn item B into an NFT, etc.

[0075] Regardless of whether they have been converted into NFTs or not, assets such as item A, item B, or item C held by each user may be managed on a blockchain (in other words, a distributed ledger).

[0076] Mining in a mountain as a predetermined event is performed, for example, as follows. For example, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display a home screen 42 illustrated in FIG. 4 based on a predetermined input operation by the user. The home screen 42 displays a mining start button 43 that accepts an operation related to starting mining in the mountain acquired by the user. Then, the game control unit 212 causes mining in the mountain acquired by the user to start based on an operation (for example, a click operation) on the mining start button 43. Note that the home screen 42 is displayed first, for example, when this game (in other words, an application related to a predetermined service) is started on the terminal device 10. Note that "displayed first when started" here includes a case where the home screen 42 is displayed after various displays related to the start (for example, a title display, a display related to loading, etc.). Note that the home screen 42 is displayed not only at the time of start, but also at a predetermined opportunity. For example, the home screen 42 may be displayed when an operation is performed on the home button 94 described later, when mining in the mountain as an in-game operation is completed, etc. Furthermore, a plurality of menu items related to the game may be displayed on the home screen 42. Specifically, various UIs (such as a mine button 91, a gem button 92, a shop button 93, and a home button 94, which will be described later) that accept operations related to the display of various screens, which will be described later, may be displayed on the home screen 42. Furthermore, a predetermined background image (such as a background image including a player character, etc.) may be displayed on the home screen 42.

[0077] The mountain to be mined by the user is determined, for example, as follows. For example, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display a list 44 of mountains acquired by the user, as shown in FIG. 5, based on a predetermined input operation by the user. The list 44 of mountains may be a list of mountains acquired by the user on the map 40 displayed on the display unit 18. When an operation (for example, a click operation on a specific mountain) is performed to select a specific mountain from the mountains acquired by the user displayed on the display unit 18 (in other words, the mountains displayed in the list), the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display a mining target determination button 46 that accepts an operation to determine the selected mountain as the mountain to be mined. The game control unit 212 sets the mountain selected by the user as the mountain to be mined based on an operation (for example, a click operation) on the mining target determination button 46. When the mining start button 43 is operated, mining is started on the mountain set as the mountain to be mined by the operation on the mining target determination button 46. That is, in this embodiment, the user can select (in other words, change) the mountain to be mined by selecting the mountain to be mined from the list of mountains 44 acquired by the user and operating the mining target determination button 46. When the user performs an operation to select a specific mountain from the list of mountains 44 acquired by the user, the mining start button 43 is displayed instead of or in addition to the mining target determination button 46 (see FIG. 5), and when the mining start button 43 is operated, mining in the specific mountain may be started. As shown in FIG. 4, the home screen 42 (in other words, the screen that accepts an operation related to the start of mining) may display a display 48 that allows the user to recognize the mountain set as the mountain to be mined (in other words, the mountain where mining is started by an operation to start mining). The home screen 42 may also display a display 49 that allows the user to recognize the pickaxe set as the pickaxe to be used for mining (in other words, the pickaxe to be equipped to the player character).

[0078] When the mining start button 43 is operated, the game control unit 212 places the player character 35 in the mountain 34 where mining is performed as a virtual space, as shown in FIG. 6. Then, the game control unit 212 moves the player character 35 based on the input operation by the user. That is, the mountain 34 is a virtual space in which the user can operate the player character 35 to play a predetermined game (specifically, a game in which mining is performed, in other words, a predetermined in-game) (in other words, a predetermined event can be executed). That is, the start of mining in a specific mountain 34 can be said to be the start of playing a game in a specific virtual space, or to enter a specific virtual space. Based on the input operation by the user, the game control unit 212 moves the player character 35 in the virtual space and causes the player character 35 to perform an action of using the pickaxe 36 (specifically, an operation of swinging the pickaxe 36). The method of operating the player character 35 in the virtual space can be the same as that of a conventional action game, but may be, for example, as follows. The game control unit 212 may move the player character 35 within the mountain 34 based on an operation of the "W", "A", "S", or "D" keys on the keyboard. The game control unit 212 may also cause the player character 35 to jump based on an operation of the space key on the keyboard. The game control unit 212 may also cause the player character 35 to perform a mining action of swinging the pickaxe 36 and digging into the mountain 34 based on a left-click operation of the mouse.

[0079] Gems and pyroxenes are buried (in other words, arranged) in the mountain 34. The user can acquire the gems and pyroxenes that he or she has dug up (in other words, discovered). That is, when the player character 35 operated by the user digs up an item such as a gem or pyroxene, the game control unit 212 grants (in other words, allows the user to acquire) the excavated item.

[0080] It should be noted that mining can be interrupted midway. For example, the game control unit 212 causes the player character 35 to exit the mountain 34 (in other words, ends the mining) based on the user's operation of opening a predetermined menu screen and an operation on the menu screen to instruct the player character 35 to exit the mountain 34. At this time, the game control unit 212 stores the progress of the mining in the storage unit 220. Then, when mining is started in the same mountain 34 next time, the game control unit 212 reads out the stored progress and resumes the mining from the continuation. That is, when mining is resumed, the previously dug part of the mountain 34 is in a dug state, and the previously dug gems, etc., among those buried in the mountain 34, are in a dug state. In other words, when the user leaves the specific virtual space and re-enters the specific virtual space, the mountain 34 is in a state in which the changes made by the user when the user last entered the specific virtual space are reflected. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to interrupt a game in a specific virtual space and resume it from the middle.

[0081] Furthermore, the user can dispose of the mountains he or she has acquired at will. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when an operation is performed to select a specific mountain from among the mountains acquired by the user and displayed on the display unit 18 (in other words, the mountains displayed in a list), the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display a disposal button 47 that accepts an operation related to the disposal of the selected mountain. Then, the game control unit 212 disposes of the selected mountain (in other words, cancels the user's acquisition state for the selected mountain) based on an operation (e.g., a click operation) on the disposal button 47. The disposed mountain disappears from the list 44 of mountains acquired by the user, and mining cannot be performed on that mountain.

[0082] In this embodiment, the pickaxe to be used in mining is selected before starting mining by operating the mining start button 43. The operation for selecting such a pickaxe can be the same as the operation for selecting a weapon to be used (in other words, equipped to the player character 35) in conventional games. The pickaxe to be used may be changeable during mining.

[0083] Pickaxes used for mining have a durability value set, and the durability value decreases as they are used for mining (for example, from a durability value of "100" to a durability value of "0"). When the durability value reaches a predetermined value (for example, a durability value of "0"), the pickaxe becomes unusable. In other words, it is not possible to mine using a pickaxe whose durability value has reached the predetermined value.

[0084] Furthermore, the operation receiving unit 111 receives an operation by the user instructing recovery of the durability value of the pickaxe (in other words, repairing item A). Then, the game control unit 212 performs a process of recovering the durability value of the pickaxe based on the operation. Furthermore, a predetermined amount of specific tokens is required to recover the durability value of the pickaxe, and when the durability value of the pickaxe is recovered by the operation, the predetermined amount of specific tokens is consumed.

[0085] Also, a level is set for the pickaxe. The operation reception unit 111 receives an operation to instruct the level of the pickaxe to be raised. Then, the game control unit 212 performs control to raise the level of the pickaxe based on the operation. Also, a predetermined amount of specific tokens is required to raise the level of the pickaxe, and when the level of the pickaxe is raised by the operation, the predetermined amount of specific tokens is consumed. When the level of the pickaxe is raised, a predetermined parameter of the pickaxe changes. Specifically, when the level of the pickaxe is raised, a predetermined parameter that affects the ease of obtaining gems and gemstones (in other words, the efficiency of mining) changes. More specifically, when the level of the pickaxe is raised, a parameter related to the swinging speed of the pickaxe changes and the swinging speed of the pickaxe becomes faster. This increases the speed of mining, and therefore increases the efficiency of mining. Also, when the level of the pickaxe is raised, the maximum value of the durability value increases. This increases the time that mining can be continued without recovering the durability value, and therefore increases the efficiency of mining. Furthermore, as the level of the pickaxe increases, the power of the pickaxe increases, and the amount of digging that can be done with one swing (in other words, the amount of impact that one operation has on the mountain) may also increase. This increases the speed of mining, and therefore the efficiency of mining.

[0086] In the game of this embodiment, items that can be obtained through a route different from item A, item B, and item C may be prepared. For example, there may be items that can be purchased in the game (e.g., items that can be equipped by a player character) using in-game currency that is not a crypto asset (e.g., assets owned by a user that are not managed by a blockchain but are managed by the storage unit 220, etc.). The in-game currency may be something that can be purchased using legal currency, etc.

[0087] Also, various items in this embodiment (for example, item A, item B, and item C) may be read as objects. Objects include characters, items, and the like. That is, item B and item C that are granted by playing a game (in other words, executing an event) in a mountain as a specific virtual space may be characters, etc.

[0088] In this embodiment, the map is updated (in other words, newly generated) at a predetermined time period (specifically, once a day). In addition, in accordance with the update of the map, the obtainable mountains are also updated (in other words, newly generated) at a predetermined time period (specifically, once a day). Also, only one user can obtain one mountain, and once a user obtains a mountain (in other words, the right to mine the mountain), other users cannot obtain the mountain. In other words, the mountain is obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. Note that the update of the map and the update of the obtainable mountains may be a renewal of past maps and mountains (in other words, new maps and mountains are generated, and past maps disappear or past mountains become unobtainable), or may be an expansion of past maps or addition of new mountains in addition to the mountains generated in the past (in other words, an increase in obtainable mountains), etc.

[0089] Here, the flow of asset acquisition and consumption in the game of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0090] As described above, in the game of this embodiment, the user needs to have a pickaxe in order to participate in the game. In this embodiment, the pickaxe can be purchased in the marketplace within the game, and the user purchases the pickaxe in the marketplace. The pickaxe can be purchased with a predetermined cryptocurrency. The predetermined cryptocurrency may be a specific token that can be acquired in exchange for pyroxene, or may be other cryptocurrency. Transactions in the marketplace are managed by the market management unit 214. Specifically, for example, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 receives an operation of the user selecting an item that the user wants to purchase. Then, information regarding the operation is sent to the market management unit 214 of the server 20 via the transmission / reception units 112 and 211, and the market management unit 214 performs a process of delivering the item selected by the user to the user based on the operation, and delivering the price from the user to the person who sold the item.

[0091] The user then uses the pickaxe to mine in the mountains, obtaining a variety of items including gems and gemstones.

[0092] The pyroxene acquired by the user can be exchanged for a specific token. The exchange between the pyroxene and the specific token may be performed automatically or based on an operation instructing the exchange by the user. That is, for example, the pyroxene may be automatically exchanged for the specific token at a specific timing such as the timing of leaving the mountain. In this embodiment, the pyroxene is given to the user by mining in the mountain, and the pyroxene is exchanged for the specific token, but the specific token may be given directly to the user instead of or in addition to the pyroxene by mining in the mountain.

[0093] In addition, the specific token acquired by exchanging with pyroxene is a utility token. The specific token may be a token that can be exchanged for other crypto assets (e.g., virtual currency) at a predetermined exchange (e.g., a decentralized exchange). The specific token may be a unique token related to the game of this embodiment, a token with an issuance limit set, or a virtual currency that can be used outside the game.

[0094] In addition, gems acquired by a user can be converted into NFTs by satisfying certain conditions. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to issue an NFT corresponding to a gem and manage it in a blockchain. Specifically, for example, after a user acquires a gem, the process of converting the gem into an NFT may be started in response to a user operation on the acquired gem, or the process of converting the gem into an NFT may be started automatically without a user operation on the acquired gem. For example, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 may receive an operation by the user to select a gem that the user wants to convert into an NFT in the game. Then, information on the operation is sent to the asset management unit 213 of the server 20 via the transmission / reception units 112 and 211, and the asset management unit 213 may perform a process of converting the selected gem into an NFT based on the operation. In addition, a fee (for example, a predetermined amount of specific tokens) is required for NFT conversion, and when a gem is converted into an NFT by the operation, the fee may be consumed from the user's assets. In addition, NFTed gems may be able to be bought and sold in a marketplace or the like in the game. In other words, turning an item into an NFT can be said to make the item available for buying and selling on the marketplace. Specifically, for example, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 may receive an operation to select the gems that the user wants to sell (specifically, the NFTed gems). Then, information regarding the operation is sent to the market management unit 214 of the server 20 via the transmission and reception units 112, 211, and the market management unit 214 may put up for sale the gems selected by the user based on the operation. Then, if there is another user who wishes to purchase the gems, the market management unit 214 may perform a process of transferring the gems to the other user and transferring the price from the other user to the user who sold the gems. In other words, the NFTed item B may be able to be traded with other users.

[0095] Furthermore, the gem may be exchangeable for a specific token. Specifically, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 may receive an operation in which the user selects a gem that the user wants to exchange for a specific token in the game. Then, information regarding the operation is sent to the server 20 via the transmission / reception units 112, 211, and the asset management unit 213 may grant the specific token to the user in place of the selected gem based on the operation. In other words, the gem may be an item that can be NFTed and exchanged for a specific token. Note that the exchange between the gem and the specific token may be performed only before or after the gem is NFTed, or may be performed both ways.

[0096] The game control unit 212 controls the game played by the user. The game control unit 212 has a virtual space management unit 231 and a reward granting unit 233. The virtual space management unit 231 also executes a map creation process for creating a map, an item overview determination process for determining the overview of items that can be obtained in each mountain (in other words, items to be placed in each virtual space), a virtual space creation process for creating a mountain, and an item detail determination process for determining the details of items that can be obtained in each mountain.

[0097] Furthermore, among the various processes in this embodiment, there is a process having randomness. In this embodiment, the process having randomness is realized by performing a calculation using a predetermined seed. The predetermined seed includes a seed using a blockchain (for example, the Bitcoin blockchain) and a seed using a virtual space ID, which will be described later, but it may include only one of them. Specifically, in this embodiment, two types of seeds using blockchain (hereinafter, each will be referred to as "seed") are used. hlast ", "seed hfirst ") and one type of seed using a virtual space ID (hereinafter referred to as "seed mdid ") is available.

[0098] More specifically, a seed related to the hash of a blockchain (specifically, for example, the Bitcoin blockchain) as a seed using a blockchain and a seed related to a virtual space ID are used to realize randomness. In this embodiment, the last hash (in other words, the hash value of the last generated block) of an arbitrary period (for example, one day) is used as the hash value. last_yyyymmdd and hash last_yyyymmdd hash is the first hash value of the block generated two days after the block was generated (in other words, the hash value of the first block generated). first_yyyymmdd+2 is used as a seed for the hash. In this embodiment, the virtual space ID is used as a seed for the virtual space ID. hlast =hash last_yyyymmdd And seed hfirst =hash first_yyyymmdd+2 And seed mdid =Virtual space ID.

[0099] In this embodiment, items that can be obtained on the map and on each mountain are randomly determined based on various seeds, but since the method of randomly determining specific items such as the map and various objects based on a seed is well known, an explanation of this method will be omitted.

[0100] In the map creation process, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a map. Specifically, as the map creation process, the virtual space management unit 231 performs a process of determining the topography of the map (in other words, the virtual world) on which multiple mountains are arranged, and a process of determining the arrangement of each mountain in the map. Furthermore, in the map creation process, the virtual space management unit 231 assigns an ID (in other words, identification information; hereinafter, referred to as a "virtual space ID") that enables each mountain in the map to be created to be identified. That is, each mountain in the map to be created is assigned a unique virtual space ID. Note that the virtual space ID may be composed of one or more numbers, and for example, consecutive numbers starting from 1 may be assigned to each mountain.

[0101] In this embodiment, the map is created randomly. In other words, the map creation process has a random nature. Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 generates random numbers by performing calculations using a predetermined seed (hereinafter referred to as a "map creation seed"), and determines the topography of the map and the location of each mountain on the map based on the random numbers. The map creation seed includes hlast In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 includes the seed hlast The virtual space management unit 231 creates a map using a function with the seed specified as an argument. hlast (in other words, a hash of the blockchain).

[0102] In the item summary determination process, the virtual space management unit 231 determines a summary of obtainable items for each mountain (in other words, items to be placed in each virtual space). Specifically, as the item summary determination process, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the number of items B buried in each mountain and a summary of the size of each item B (for example, a rough size such as small, medium, or large). That is, in the item summary determination process, for example, for each mountain, the gems buried in that mountain and obtained when mined there are determined to be one large gem and two small gems. Note that in the item summary determination process, the number of pyroxenes buried in each mountain, etc. may also be determined.

[0103] In this embodiment, the overview of the obtainable items (specifically, the number and size of item B) is determined randomly. In other words, the determination of the overview of the obtainable items is random. Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 generates a random number by performing a calculation using a predetermined seed (hereinafter, referred to as a "summary determination seed"), and determines the overview of the obtainable items based on the random number. The overview determination seed includes hlast and seed mdid In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 includes the seed hlast and seed mdidIn other words, the virtual space management unit 231 determines an overview of the obtainable items using a function in which the seed hlast and seed mdid When determining the outline of the obtainable items for a certain mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 uses the virtual space ID of the certain mountain as a seed. mdid That is, the virtual space management unit 231 uses the seed hlast The overview of obtainable items is determined based on the number of items (in other words, the blockchain hash) and the virtual space ID of each mountain.

[0104] In the virtual space creation process, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a mountain as a three-dimensional virtual space in which the item determined in the item summary determination process can be acquired (in other words, the item is placed). In this embodiment, the mountain is created randomly. In other words, the virtual space creation process has randomness. For example, the topography of the mountain and the location where each item is buried in the mountain may be determined randomly. The virtual space management unit 231 generates a random number by performing a calculation using a predetermined seed (hereinafter referred to as a "virtual space creation seed"), and creates a mountain based on the random number. The virtual space creation seed includes the following: hlast and seed mdid The virtual space management unit 231 then hlast and seed mdid The mountain is created using a function in which the summary of the obtainable item determined in the item summary determination process is specified as an argument. In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a mountain using the seed hlast and seed mdid When creating a mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 assigns the virtual space ID of the mountain to the seed mdid When creating a mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 uses the outline of the obtainable items determined for the mountain as an argument.hlast Mountains are created based on the block diagram (in other words, the hash of the blockchain), the virtual space ID of each mountain, and the overview of the obtainable items for each mountain determined in the item overview determination process.

[0105] In the item details determination process, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the items that can be obtained from each mountain, as determined in the item summary determination process. Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the type, size details, shape, or quality of the item B that can be obtained from each mountain, as determined in the item summary determination process. More specifically, for example, when the summary of the items that can be obtained is determined to be two small gems and one large gem, as described above, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the type of each small gem and large gem, such as diamond, aquamarine, red spinel, etc. Also, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the quality of each small gem and large gem, such as low quality, medium quality, or fine quality. Also, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the size of each small gem and large gem, such as 0.2 carats, 6.4 carats, etc. Note that the quality of the gem may be determined by taking into account the carat number. For example, the higher the carat number, the higher the quality of the gem.

[0106] In this embodiment, the details of the obtainable item (specifically, the type, quality, and detailed size of item B) are determined randomly. In other words, the determination of the reward details is random. Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 generates a random number by performing a calculation using a predetermined seed (hereinafter, referred to as a "detail determination seed"), and determines the details of the obtainable item based on the random number. The detail determination seed includes hfirst and seed mdid The virtual space management unit 231 then hfirst and seed mdid The virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the obtainable item by using a function in which the overview of the obtainable item determined in the item overview determination process and the overview of the obtainable item are specified as arguments.hfirst and seed mdid When determining the details of the obtainable items for a certain mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 uses the virtual space ID of the certain mountain as a seed. mdid When determining details of obtainable items for a certain mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 uses the outline of obtainable items determined for the certain mountain as an argument. hfirst Details of the obtainable items are determined based on the virtual space ID of each mountain (in other words, the hash of the blockchain), the virtual space ID of each mountain, and the overview of obtainable items for each mountain determined in the item overview determination process.

[0107] In this manner, in this embodiment, details of the gems that can be obtained through mining (e.g., some of the content such as type, quality, or detailed size) are not finalized until the item details determination process is executed.

[0108] The timeline for the acquisition and mining of the mountain is now described with reference to Figure 8. Here, we consider the last generated hash of 2022 / 05 / 29, which is hash last_20220529 Seed hlast It is used as the hash of the first generated hash on May 31, 2022. first_20220531 Seed hfirst This will be explained using an example in which the game is used to generate maps and mountains, determine obtainable items, etc.

[0109] First, the virtual space management unit 231 performs a map creation process using the last hash of May 29, 2022, to create a map. Here, the last hash of May 29 (in other words, the last block) is confirmed after the fact when the date of the timestamp included in the block of the blockchain changes to May 30. In other words, the seed hlastis determined by generating the first hash (in other words, the first block) on May 30, 2022. Therefore, in this embodiment, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the hash last_20220529 A map will be created using the above.

[0110] The virtual space management unit 231 also performs an item summary determination process using the last hash on May 29, 2022, and determines a summary of items that can be obtained for each mountain. The virtual space management unit 231 also performs a virtual space creation process using the last hash on May 29, 2022, and creates a mountain in which the items whose summary has been determined in the item summary determination process are placed. In this embodiment, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a hash at the timing when the first hash on May 30 is generated (in other words, after the hash is generated). last_20220529 The virtual space management unit 231 determines an overview of items that can be obtained from each mountain by using the hash last_20220529 Use to create a mountain.

[0111] In addition, the virtual space management unit 231 performs control to limit the period during which the mountain can be acquired. In this embodiment, the period during which the mountain can be acquired is set based on the first hash of the day (the seed related to the last hash of the previous day). hlast The next day, the first hash is generated (the seed for that hash). hfirst In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 last_20220529The period during which a mountain created using the method can be acquired is controlled to be the period until the details of the items that can be acquired on the mountain are determined. In other words, once a mountain (in other words, a map) is created, the created mountain can be acquired until the next mountain (in other words, a map) is created. The period during which a mountain can be acquired may be set, for example, from the generation of the first hash of the day until the end of the day (in other words, the day the mountain was created).

[0112] In addition, the virtual space management unit 231 performs item detail determination processing using the first hash on May 31, 2022, and determines details for items whose overviews were determined using the last hash on May 29, 2022. In this embodiment, the virtual space management unit 231 performs hash first_20220531 The virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the obtainable items using the above. That is, after the obtainable period of the mountain has elapsed, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the items obtainable on the mountain. In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 performs control so that the mountain cannot be obtained after the details of the obtainable items have been determined.

[0113] In this way, the mountain (or, in other words, the right to mine the mountain), whose overview and details of the obtainable items are determined, is acquired by the user based on the user's operations, making it possible to obtain items through mining.

[0114] When a user performs an operation to select a mountain to acquire, the virtual space management unit 231 grants the selected mountain to the user based on the operation. In other words, the virtual space management unit 231 grants the user the right to mine the mountain selected by the user (in other words, the right to play a game in the selected virtual space).

[0115] When receiving an operation to select a mountain to be acquired, the display control unit 114 displays detailed information 50 about the mountain that the user can acquire on the display unit 18, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, when an operation to select a specific mountain on the map 40 that displays the mountains that the user can acquire is performed, the display control unit 114 displays detailed information 50 about the specific mountain on the display unit 18. In this embodiment, information about gems that can be acquired on the specific mountain is displayed as the detailed information 50. In other words, a display about the expected reward for the specific mountain is displayed as the detailed information 50. Specifically, the device processing unit 113 receives information about an overview of items that can be acquired on the specific mountain from the virtual space management unit 231, and based on the information, displays the number of gems that can be acquired when mining on the mountain, an overview of the size of each gem, and the like on the display unit 18. This allows the user to select whether or not to acquire the specific mountain after viewing the detailed information 50. That is, in this embodiment, before the user acquires the right to play the game in the virtual space, the virtual space management unit 231 can present the user with information (in other words, detailed information 50) regarding the reward that can be acquired by playing the game, and the information is displayed on the display unit 18. Note that in this embodiment, the number of gems that can be acquired in the mountain and an outline of the size of each gem are presented as detailed information 50, and the presented number of gems and gems of a size corresponding to the presented size can be acquired without fail, but the number and size of gems presented as detailed information 50 are merely a guide, and there may be cases in which the number of gems presented as detailed information 50 or gems corresponding to the presented size (in other words, rewards as shown in detailed information 50) cannot be acquired.

[0116] In addition, the virtual space management unit 231 stores information indicating the mountain acquired by the user on a blockchain (for example, an Ethereum blockchain). Specifically, when a certain user acquires a certain mountain, the virtual space management unit 231 stores information indicating that the certain user has acquired the certain mountain on the blockchain. That is, in this embodiment, it can be said that a history related to the acquisition of the mountain by the user is stored on the blockchain. In other words, in this embodiment, information regarding the right to play a game in a specific virtual space is stored on the blockchain. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the acquisition of mountains, items, etc. by fraudulent methods. That is, in this embodiment, the right to acquire a specific item is acquired by acquiring a mountain with a limited period of acquisition, and information indicating the mountain acquired by the user is stored on a blockchain that is difficult to tamper with. With this configuration, when a certain user acquires an item (specifically, a gem) by a fraudulent method, it is possible to confirm that the certain user does not have acquisition information of a mountain that can acquire the item, and it is possible to prove the fraud of the certain user. In addition, in this embodiment, mountain acquisition information is stored on a blockchain that is difficult to rewrite, and the details of acquireable items are determined after the period during which the mountain can be acquired has elapsed, making it possible to more firmly prevent unauthorized acquisition of items.

[0117] The game control unit 212 starts mining in the mountain acquired by the user based on an operation by the user to instruct the start of mining in the mountain. In the game of this embodiment, mining in the mountain is possible from the timing after the outline of the obtainable items is determined and the mountain is created, and it is also possible to start mining before the details of the obtainable items are determined. In addition, it is also possible to start mining in the mountain after the details of the obtainable items are determined.

[0118] The reward granting unit 233 grants items to the user based on the results of mining in the mountain. Specifically, in this embodiment, gems and pyroxenes discovered through mining are granted to the user.

[0119] Here, the timing at which the provision of an item is determined based on mining in the mountain can be either before or after the details of the item are determined. In other words, there may be cases where the details of the item have not been finalized at the time when the provision of the item is determined. Specifically, in this embodiment, a state may exist in which a gem is discovered by mining in the mountain (in other words, the provision of the gem is determined), but the details of the discovered gem have not yet been determined. In other words, in this embodiment, the details of the gem are determined after a period during which the mountain can be acquired as a predetermined period (in other words, the period during which the right to play a game in a specific virtual space can be acquired), and mining in the mountain is possible during the period during which the mountain can be acquired, and a situation may arise in which mining in the mountain is performed and gems are acquired during the period during which the mountain can be acquired. The user can check the gems he or she has acquired on a predetermined screen such as a screen that displays a list of items owned by the user (for example, a screen that can be opened after leaving the mountain), but after the user acquires a gem, only an outline of the gem is displayed on the predetermined screen until the details of the gem are determined. Once the details have been decided, the details of the jewel can be confirmed on the specified screen.

[0120] In this embodiment, the creation of the map, the creation of the mountain (in other words, the virtual space), the determination of the outline of the obtainable items for each mountain, and the determination of the details of the obtainable items are performed every day, and the map is updated and the obtainable mountains are updated every day. That is, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the map creation process, the item outline determination process, and the virtual space creation process are performed using the last hash of May 30, and the item details determination process is performed using the first hash of June 1 for the items whose outlines are determined in the item outline determination process. In this embodiment, the next map update and the update of the obtainable mountains are performed after the period in which the mountains are obtainable ends, but the next map update and the update of the obtainable mountains may be performed during the period in which the mountains are obtainable. In other words, the hash used in the creation of the map, the creation of the mountain, the determination of the outline of the obtainable items for each mountain, or the determination of the details of the obtainable items may not be the last hash or the first hash of the day.

[0121] In this embodiment, the map and the mountain are created and the outline of the obtainable items are determined using the hash generated at the end of the day, but the hash generated at the end of the day (in other words, the last block of the day) is determined after the first hash of the next day (in other words, the first block of the next day) is generated. Therefore, the map and the mountain are created and the outline of the obtainable items is determined after the first hash of the next day is generated. Therefore, it is possible to create the map and the mountain and determine the outline of the obtainable items using the first hash of the next day. However, in this embodiment, the map and the mountain are created and the outline of the obtainable items are determined using the hash generated at the end of the day, so that the map and the mountain are created and the outline of the obtainable items are determined based on different hashes. In other words, when the process related to the map and the mountain are created and the obtainable items are determined on consecutive days, the hash used to determine the details of the items whose outline was determined on the previous day is not the same as the hash used to determine the outline of the items on the current day. In other words, in this embodiment, the game control unit 212 determines the details of an item using a specific hash (specifically, the first hash of the day) within a recurring arbitrary period, and determines an overview of the item using a hash different from the specific hash (specifically, the last hash of the day). Also, while a blockchain may branch, in this embodiment, when the first hash of the next day is generated, the map and mountain are created and the overview of obtainable items is determined using the hash generated at the end of the day, so that it is possible to perform processing using hashes (in other words, blocks) that are likely to be adopted.

[0122] In the game of this embodiment, the lottery logic for jewels as item B is stored on the blockchain and made public. Specifically, the logic for the item summary determination process and the item detail determination process is made public as a smart contract. hlast The logic for determining the reward summary using the is published as a smart contract. hfirst The logic for determining the details of the reward using the seed will be published as a smart contract. hlast and seed hfirstis a hash of the blockchain and is a publicly-disclosed seed. That is, in this embodiment, the outline of the items obtainable in each mountain is determined by a predetermined logic using a predetermined seed, but the predetermined seed and the predetermined logic are publicly-disclosed, and each user can check whether there is any fraudulent work in determining the outline of the items using the publicly-disclosed predetermined seed and the predetermined logic. Also, in this embodiment, the details of the items obtainable in each mountain are determined by a predetermined logic using a predetermined seed, but the predetermined seed and the predetermined logic are publicly-disclosed, and each user can check whether there is any fraudulent work in determining the details of the items using the publicly-disclosed predetermined seed and the predetermined logic. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a highly transparent system in which the operator's actions are not involved in the granting of items and this fact can be clearly presented to the user. In addition, by using the hash of the blockchain as the seed, the seed can be made unpredictable even by the operator and unchanging and clear to anyone. That is, with the configuration of this embodiment, the granting of items cannot be controlled even by the operator, and can be checked by the user using the publicly-disclosed logic, and cannot be predicted in advance. This prevents fraudulent granting of items and the value of the system from being damaged. In addition, in this embodiment, the random numbers related to determining the outline and details of the items are determined based on the hash of the blockchain, and the random numbers are identifiable, so that fraudulent manipulation of random numbers can be detected and fraud such as manipulating random numbers to fraudulently cause a specific object to appear can be prevented. The logic of the virtual space creation process may be stored on the blockchain and made public, or may not be stored on the blockchain and made private.

[0123] The detailed information 50 about the mountain may be displayed not only when the user acquires a mountain, but also when the user selects a mountain to mine from among the mountains acquired by the user, when mining in the mountain is started, and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when an operation to select a specific mountain is performed in a state in which a list 44 of mountains acquired by the user is displayed on the display unit 18, the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display the detailed information 50 about the specific mountain. For example, information about gems that can be acquired in the specific mountain (e.g., the number of gems and an overview of the size of each gem) is displayed as the detailed information 50. In other words, an indication of the expected reward for the specific mountain is displayed as the detailed information 50. This allows the user to select whether or not to mine in the specific mountain after viewing the detailed information 50. In addition, the progress of mining may be displayed as the detailed information 50. Specifically, for example, detailed information 50 may display information such as how many gems have been discovered, what percentage of the gem reserves have been discovered, how many pyroxenes have been discovered, what percentage of the pyroxene reserves have been discovered, or the degree of mining progress for that mountain (in other words, the degree of game progress for that mountain) calculated based on the amount of gems discovered, etc.

[0124] Note that the item A owned by a user may be lent to another user. Specifically, when a user lends the item A to another user, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 of the other user may receive an operation by the other user to instruct the other user to start mining in the mountain acquired by the user. Then, information on the operation is sent to the game control unit 212 via the transmission / reception units 112, 211, and the game control unit 212 may cause the other user to start mining in the mountain based on the operation by the other user. That is, even if the other user does not own a pickaxe, the other user may be able to borrow the pickaxe and play the game. In this case, the game play of the other user may be performed in a mountain acquired by the lender of the pickaxe. Also, the lender and borrower of the pickaxe may be able to enter the same mountain and mine together. In other words, the lender and borrower of the pickaxe may be able to play a multiplayer game in the same virtual space (for example, a mountain acquired by the lender).

[0125] (Beneficial Effects) As described above, in this embodiment, the reward granting unit 233 allows the user to obtain gems based on mining in the mountains. In addition, gems are items that can be converted into NFTs. In addition, gems are items that can generate advantageous effects for the user by consuming them without converting them into NFTs.

[0126] In this embodiment, the consumption of non-NFT gems provides an effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value. Specifically, the consumption of non-NFT gems provides an effect of making it easier to accumulate experience values ​​related to increasing the level of the player character (hereinafter referred to as the "player character's experience value").

[0127] In addition, in this embodiment, the efficiency of mining increases as a predetermined rank increases due to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value. Specifically, in this embodiment, the experience value of the player character accumulates, and when the accumulated amount of the experience value reaches a predetermined amount, the level of the player character increases by one. The higher the level of the player character, the higher the efficiency of mining. Specifically, when the level of the player character increases, a predetermined parameter of the player character changes. Specifically, when the level of the player character increases, a predetermined parameter that affects the ease of obtaining gems and gemstones (in other words, the efficiency of mining) changes. More specifically, when the level of the player character increases, a parameter related to the swing speed of the pickaxe changes and the swing speed of the pickaxe increases. This increases the speed of mining, and therefore the efficiency of mining increases. Also, when the level of the player character increases, the power of the player character increases, and the amount of digging with one swing (in other words, the amount of influence that one operation has on the mountain) and the like may increase. This increases the mining speed, and therefore the efficiency of mining. Furthermore, as the level of the player character increases, the number of special items that can be used increases. Here, the special items are items that increase the efficiency of mining. Specifically, bombs, ladders, and the like are prepared as special items. By using a bomb, it is possible to destroy the ground surface (in other words, rocks) and dig into mountains. Furthermore, by using (in other words, placing) a ladder, it is possible to move to higher or lower places. Note that the special items can be used by, for example, performing a predetermined operation (for example, scrolling the mouse wheel or operating a specific key on the keyboard) to change the item held by the player character from a pickaxe to a specific special item, and then performing a left-click operation on the mouse.

[0128] The experience value of the player character can be accumulated by performing mining. In other words, during mining in the mountain (in other words, playing the game in the mountain), a predetermined experience value is granted at a predetermined opportunity. Specifically, the game control unit 212 grants a predetermined experience value to the user (specifically, the player character of the user) based on, for example, the user destroying the ground surface (in other words, rocks) using a pickaxe. Also, during mining, a special stone may be found. The game control unit 212 grants a predetermined experience value to the user based on, for example, the user destroying the special stone using a pickaxe. Note that the experience value obtained when the special stone is destroyed may be greater than the experience value obtained by normal destruction of the ground surface. The game control unit 212 grants a predetermined experience value to the user based on, for example, the user digging up a pyroxene using a pickaxe. Note that the experience value obtained when the pyroxene is dug up may be greater than the experience value obtained by normal destruction of the ground surface.

[0129] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the display control unit 114 may cause the display unit 18 to display the player character's experience value 38 as a predetermined experience value, the player character's level 39 as a predetermined rank that increases with the accumulation of the predetermined experience value, and the like, during mining (in other words, game play in the mountain).

[0130] As described above, in this embodiment, the consumption of gemstones that are not NFTed provides an effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value. Specifically, in this embodiment, the effect of increasing the amount of a predetermined experience value provided at a predetermined opportunity during the execution of mining in the mountain (in other words, gameplay in the mountain) is obtained. Specifically, the effect of increasing the amount of experience value obtained based on the destruction of the surface, the destruction of special stones, and the digging up of pyroxene is obtained. Specifically, the effect of increasing the amount of experience value obtained at each opportunity by 100% (in other words, double), 50% (in other words, 1.5 times), or 20% (in other words, 1.2 times) is obtained.

[0131] In this embodiment, the effect associated with the accumulation of a certain amount of experience points by consuming non-NFT gems is obtained through the exchange of non-NFT gems for a specific item. In this embodiment, the specific item is a specific ticket (hereinafter referred to as an "experience point ticket").

[0132] Here, we will explain the process of exchanging non-NFT gems for experience tickets and obtaining effects related to the accumulation of a certain amount of experience points.

[0133] In this embodiment, the experience point tickets provided are a 100% boost ticket, which increases the amount of experience points gained by 100%, a 50% boost ticket, which increases the amount of experience points gained by 50%, and a 20% boost ticket, which increases the amount of experience points gained by 20%.

[0134] In addition, in this embodiment, it is possible to consume 10 gems that are not NFTed to obtain one experience ticket. Specifically, by consuming 10 diamonds, one 100% boost ticket can be obtained. Furthermore, by consuming 10 red spinels, one 50% boost ticket can be obtained. Furthermore, by consuming 10 aquamarines, one 20% boost ticket can be obtained. That is, in this embodiment, the type of ticket that can be obtained varies depending on the type of gem consumed. In other words, the advantageous effect (specifically, the effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value) obtained by consuming gems without NFTing varies depending on the type of gem consumed. In other words, the game control unit 212 causes the advantageous effect to be generated to differ depending on the type of gem consumed without NFTing. Note that the game control unit 212 may cause the advantageous effect to be generated to differ depending on at least one of the type, number, class (in other words, quality, carat number, etc.) or rarity of gems consumed without NFTing. Specifically, the game control unit 212 may vary the degree of advantage of the advantageous effect (in other words, the degree of influence on the virtual space (specifically, the mountain), for example, the increase in experience points) depending on at least one of the type, number, rank, and rarity of the gem consumed without being converted into an NFT. Note that here, rarity may also be referred to as the difficulty of acquisition, and may be, for example, the probability of being placed on a mountain. For example, if a high-quality diamond has a lower probability of being selected as a result of the item summary determination process and the item detail determination process compared to low-quality diamonds and low-quality aquamarine, it can be said that the high-quality diamond is more difficult to acquire and has a higher rarity than low-quality diamonds and low-quality aquamarine. The higher the rarity of the gem consumed, the greater the increase in experience points may be.

[0135] The game control unit 212 exchanges the gems that are not converted into NFTs and that are held by the user for experience value tickets based on a predetermined operation by the user. For example, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display a list of gems held by the user (in other words, gems acquired by mining) as shown in FIG. 9 based on a predetermined operation by the user. In addition, the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts an operation to select a gem to be exchanged for an experience value ticket from the gems displayed in the list. For example, the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts an operation to select gems one by one from the gems displayed in the list (for example, by performing a click operation on each gem) to select a total of 10 gems as an operation to select a gem to be exchanged for an experience value ticket. At this time, for gems selected from the second gem onwards, the operation acceptance unit 111 only accepts an operation to select a gem of the same type as the first gem, and does not accept an operation to select a gem of a different type from the first gem. In other words, a gem of a different type from the gem selected initially cannot be selected. Furthermore, when the first gemstone is selected, the display control unit 114 darkens any gemstones displayed in the list that are of a different type from the first gemstone, to indicate to the user that they cannot be selected. Note that it is possible to deselect a gemstone that has been selected by clicking it, by clicking it again.

[0136] In addition, when a gem is selected, the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display a display indicating that each selected gem has been selected and a display indicating the order in which the gems have been selected. In the screen illustrated in FIG. 9, the color of the round field 60 displayed in the upper right corner of each gem's image changes to indicate that the gem has been selected, and the number displayed in the round field 60 indicates that the gem has been selected. In addition, the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display a display 61 indicating the effect obtained by consuming the selected gem (specifically, the amount of increase in experience points, in other words, the type of experience point ticket obtained by exchanging the selected gem) and a display 62 indicating the number of gems currently selected, from when the first gem is selected until when the tenth gem is selected. In addition, when the tenth gem is selected, the display control unit 114 causes the display unit 18 to display a dialogue 63 for confirming whether to exchange the selected gem (specifically, ten gems) for an experience point ticket. The dialogue 63 includes an execute button 64 for accepting an operation related to the execution of the exchange and a cancel button 65 for accepting an operation related to the cancellation of the exchange. When the execute button 64 is operated (e.g., clicked), the control unit 110 of the terminal device requests the server 20 to exchange the selected gem for an experience value ticket, and the game control unit 212 of the server 20 exchanges the selected gem for the corresponding experience value ticket based on the request. In other words, gems owned by the user are consumed, and the experience value ticket is granted to the user. When the cancel button 65 is operated (e.g., clicked), the control unit 110 of the terminal device 10 performs control to cancel the selection state of the last (in other words, the tenth) selected gem, and to return to a state in which the nine gems selected up to that point are selected.

[0137] In addition, when a gemstone exceeding a predetermined standard (e.g., a gemstone of 1 carat or more) is selected as the gemstone to be exchanged for an experience point ticket, the display control unit 114 may cause the display unit 18 to display a message prompting the user to confirm whether the gemstone exceeding the predetermined standard may be used to exchange for an experience point ticket.

[0138] In this embodiment, the experience value ticket acquired by consuming gems can be used on mountains. When the experience value ticket is used on a specific mountain, the effect of increasing the amount of the predetermined experience value given at a specific opportunity for mining on the specific mountain (in other words, game play in a specific virtual space) is obtained. In other words, a mountain on which advantageous effects are generated by consuming gems will have a larger amount of the predetermined experience value given at a specific opportunity than a mountain on which advantageous effects are not generated by consuming gems. Specifically, a mountain on which a 100% boost ticket is used will have a 100% increase in the amount of experience value given at a specific opportunity. Also, a mountain on which a 50% boost ticket is used will have a 50% increase in the amount of experience value given at a specific opportunity. Also, a mountain on which a 20% boost ticket is used will have a 20% increase in the amount of experience value given at a specific opportunity.

[0139] The game control unit 212, based on a predetermined operation by the user, displays a list 44 of the mountains acquired by the user on the display unit 18 as shown in FIG. 5. When an operation (e.g., a click operation on a specific mountain) is performed to select a specific mountain from the mountains acquired by the user (in other words, the mountains displayed in the list) displayed on the display unit 18, the display control unit 114 displays an experience value boost button 70 on the display unit 18 as a UI for accepting an operation related to the use of an experience value ticket for the selected mountain. When an operation (e.g., a click operation) is performed on the experience value boost button 70, the display control unit 114 displays a ticket selection window 71 on the display unit 18 as a UI for selecting the experience value ticket to be used. The ticket selection window 71 displays the number of experience value tickets held for each type of experience value ticket. When the ticket selection window 71 is displayed, an operation to select the type of experience value ticket to be used (e.g., a click operation on a button corresponding to each type of experience value ticket included in the ticket selection window 71) is also accepted, and the type of ticket selected by the operation is used for the selected specific mountain.

[0140] Furthermore, when an experience ticket is used for a specific mountain, the display control unit 114 displays, in the list of mountains 44 acquired by the user, a display that indicates that a specific effect has occurred on the specific mountain due to the use of the experience ticket for the specific mountain, and that allows the user to recognize the type of effect occurring on the specific mountain, as shown in FIG. 10. Specifically, the display control unit 114 displays, in the list of mountains acquired by the user, mountains for which an experience ticket has been used (in other words, mountains for which a specific effect has occurred due to the use of gems that have not been converted to NFT) and mountains for which an experience ticket has not been used (in other words, mountains for which a specific effect has not occurred) in a distinguishable manner. More specifically, the display control unit 114 displays the icon 75 of a mountain for which an experience ticket has been used and the icon 76 of a mountain for which an experience ticket has not been used in a different manner. Furthermore, the display control unit 114 displays, in the list of mountains 44 acquired by the user, the type of effect occurring for each mountain for which an experience ticket has been used (in other words, the type of experience ticket used) in a distinguishable manner. More specifically, the display control unit 114 displays the amount of increase in experience points for each mountain for which an experience point ticket has been used. In Fig. 10, the word "50% boost" is displayed for a mountain for which a 50% boost ticket has been used.

[0141] In this embodiment, it is possible to use experience tickets (in other words, to consume gems that are not NFTized to generate a predetermined effect) for both mountains that have not yet been mined and mountains that have been mined (in other words, mountains that are in the middle of being mined) among the mountains acquired by the user. However, it may be possible to restrict the use of experience tickets for either mountains that have not yet been mined or mountains that have been mined.

[0142] In this manner, in this embodiment, an effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value is obtained by consuming gems that are not NFTized. The predetermined experience value is, for example, an experience value related to an increase in a predetermined rank (in other words, a level) related to the user. The predetermined experience value does not have to be an experience value related to an increase in the level of a player character. For example, the predetermined experience value may be an experience value related to an increase in the level of a pickaxe. In other words, the predetermined experience value may be an experience value related to an increase in the level of an object (for example, a player character or a pickaxe) owned by the user. The predetermined experience value may also be an experience value related to an increase in the level of the user himself. Furthermore, the efficiency of mining may increase as a predetermined rank increases due to the accumulation of the predetermined experience value.

[0143] Furthermore, the effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value obtained by consuming non-NFT gems may not necessarily increase the experience value obtained by a predetermined opportunity. For example, the effect may increase the type of the predetermined opportunity. In other words, the opportunity to acquire experience value may be increased by consuming non-NFT gems. Furthermore, the experience value itself may be granted by consuming non-NFT gems. Furthermore, the rank that increases by accumulating experience value may be increased by consuming non-NFT gems.

[0144] In addition, the advantageous effect for the user obtained by consuming gems that are not NFTized may be as follows. That is, for example, the advantageous effect may be an effect that makes it easier to dig a mountain. Specifically, for example, the advantageous effect may be an effect that reduces the number of swings of the pickaxe required to dig the same amount of the mountain. More specifically, the mountain (specifically, the rocks of the mountain) may become softer, and it may be possible to break it in fewer than N swings, whereas it would normally take N swings to break it. In other words, the advantageous effect may be an effect that makes it easier to deform the virtual space. In addition, the advantageous effect for the user may be an effect that increases the types of special items that can be used and the number of times that they can be used in a mountain where an advantageous effect is occurring (for example, a mountain where a ticket obtained by exchanging with gems is used) compared to a mountain where an advantageous effect is not occurring. Note that here, an increase in the number of times that a special item can be used includes, for example, an increase in the number of specific special items (for example, bombs) that can be brought into a mountain where an advantageous effect is occurring.

[0145] In this way, the generation of an effect advantageous to the user by consuming non-NFT gems may be a given effect on the virtual space in which gems can be obtained. The given effect may be, for example, an effect related to the accumulation of experience points (for example, an effect advantageous to the accumulation of experience points), or an effect that makes it easier to dig mountains. The generation of an effect advantageous to the user by consuming non-NFT gems may be a given effect on the pickaxe as an item used to obtain gems. Also, for example, an experience point ticket as an item obtained by exchanging with gems may be used not for mountains but for the pickaxe or the player character. Specifically, for example, the consumption of non-NFT gems (for example, by using the experience point ticket exchanged for gems for the pickaxe) may have a favorable effect on the accumulation of experience points for the pickaxe. Specifically, for example, using the experience point ticket for the pickaxe may increase the amount of experience points obtained by using the pickaxe (for example, the experience points obtained when the surface is destroyed using the pickaxe).

[0146] In addition, the occurrence of an advantageous effect for the user by consuming non-NFT gems can be said to create an advantageous state for the user. In other words, the occurrence of an advantageous effect can be said to apply a certain buff that is advantageous to the user.

[0147] In addition, the effect that is advantageous to the user and occurs in a specific virtual space by consuming gems that are not NFTized may be permanent or time-limited. For example, when an experience ticket is used for a specific mountain, the effect of increasing the experience value may disappear when the specific mountain is entered a predetermined number of times (in other words, when entering and exiting the specific mountain a predetermined number of times). Also, for example, when an experience ticket is used for a specific mountain, the effect of increasing the experience value may disappear when mining work (in other words, game play) is performed on the specific mountain for a predetermined time. Also, for example, when an experience ticket is used for a specific mountain, the effect of increasing the experience value may not disappear no matter how many times the specific mountain is entered. In other words, the effect may not disappear based on the time or number of times mining work is performed on the specific mountain, and the effect may last until the specific mountain is disposed of.

[0148] Furthermore, the effect advantageous to the user obtained by consuming non-NFT gems may be obtained without exchanging the gems for a specific item (e.g., experience ticket). For example, when the experience boost button 70 (see FIG. 5) is operated, a UI for selecting the gems to be consumed (e.g., a screen displaying a list of gems as exemplified in FIG. 9) is displayed on the display unit 18, and when an operation for selecting the gems to be consumed on the UI (e.g., an operation similar to the operation for selecting gems to be exchanged for experience ticket from gems owned by the user, as described with reference to FIG. 9) is performed, the selected gems may be consumed to give a specific effect advantageous to the user to a specific mountain.

[0149] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game control unit 212 exerts a predetermined effect on the virtual space in which gems can be obtained by consuming gems that are not NFTized and are held by the user. Specifically, the game control unit 212 exerts a predetermined effect on a mountain (in other words, the second virtual space) different from the mountain from which the consumed gems were obtained (in other words, the first virtual space). However, it may also be possible to exert a predetermined effect on the mountain from which the consumed gems were obtained (in other words, the first virtual space). Specifically, for example, when mining is performed on a certain mountain and gems are excavated, the effect of making it easier to accumulate a predetermined experience value for the certain mountain may be obtained by using the gems on the certain mountain.

[0150] In this embodiment, the "second virtual space different from the first virtual space" may include the following. That is, when the first virtual space is a virtual space where gems can be obtained (i.e., a mountain), the second virtual space may not be a virtual space where gems can be obtained. For example, the second virtual space may be a virtual space where a second game other than a mining game as a game that can be played in the first virtual space can be played. Also, for example, the second virtual space may be a virtual space where users can interact with other users, such as a lobby in a so-called online game. Also, the first virtual space and the second virtual space may be seamlessly connected to each other. Specifically, for example, a specific mountain as the first virtual space and another mountain as the second virtual space may be seamlessly connected like separate mountains in a so-called open world, and the player character may be able to walk from the first virtual space to the second virtual space through the virtual space including the first virtual space and the second virtual space. The second virtual space may be a virtual space in a second service (in other words, another game, another application) different from the first service in which mining can be performed. In addition, when the first virtual space is a virtual space in a first service (e.g., a game) operated by a first operating company, the second virtual space may be a virtual space in a second service (e.g., a game) operated by a second operating company.

[0151] In this embodiment, the consumption of non-NFT gems produces advantageous effects for the user, but it may be possible to consume NFT gems in the same way to produce similar advantageous effects. It may also be possible to consume NFT gems in the same way to produce similar advantageous effects. That is, for example, NFT gems may or may not be exchangeable for experience tickets in the same way as non-NFT gems.

[0152] In addition, the NFTed gem may be able to be equipped to a character used (in other words, operated) by the user. In other words, the NFTed gem may be able to be worn by a character used by the user as an accessory (in other words, an ornament). Here, the character that can be equipped with the gem may be a player character that mines in the mountain, or may be a different character. In other words, the character that can be equipped with the gem may be a character used by the user in the first virtual space where the gem was acquired, or may be a player character used by the user in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space. That is, for example, a gem (specifically, an NFTed gem) acquired in a virtual space (specifically, a mountain) in the first service may be usable in the second service. In other words, the control unit 210 controls the gem acquired by the user in the first game (specifically, a game in which mining is performed, in other words, the first application) and converted into NFT gems to be usable in the second game (in other words, the second application), thereby enabling the user to equip his / her player character in the second game with the NFT gems. Note that the NFT gems may be able to be equipped to the character used by the user in the second game (in other words, the second virtual space), but may not be equipped to the character used by the user in the first game (in other words, the first virtual space). In other words, the NFT gems may not be equipped to the character used to acquire the gems (in other words, the player character performing mining), but may be equipped to other characters. Note that the "character used by the user" includes the user's avatar.

[0153] According to the configuration of this embodiment, the user can select whether to convert gemstones as NFT-enabled item B into NFTs or to use the gemstones to generate a predetermined effect that is advantageous to the user in the game. In this way, by making it possible to give unique value by converting item B into NFTs, it is possible to give the user a sense of satisfaction from possessing item B and to enjoy trading while checking the market price. On the other hand, since NFT conversion usually requires a fee, there is a risk that items B that do not need to be converted into NFTs will gradually accumulate. However, according to the configuration of this embodiment, item B can be used to generate a predetermined effect without being converted into NFTs, so that it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that item B is accumulating uselessly and going to waste. In addition, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the consumption of items B that do not need to be converted into NFTs leads to the efficiency of discovering new items B, which leads to the ease of discovering better items B, and therefore it is possible to improve the motivation for searching for items that can be converted into NFTs (in other words, playing the game).

[0154] (Special offers for purchasing items) As described above, the pickaxe can be purchased in the marketplace within the game. The pickaxe is purchased, for example, as follows. For example, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display a shop screen 80 illustrated in FIG. 11 based on a predetermined input operation by the user. A list of purchasable pickaxes is displayed on the shop screen 80. The operation reception unit 111 also receives an operation to select a pickaxe to purchase from the list of pickaxes displayed (for example, a click operation on a specific displayed pickaxe). When the pickaxe to purchase is selected, the display control unit 114 also causes the display unit 18 to display a dialogue (not shown) for confirming whether to purchase the selected pickaxe. The dialogue includes an execution button for receiving an operation related to the execution of the purchase and a cancel button for receiving an operation related to the cancellation of the purchase. When an operation (e.g., a click operation) is performed on the execute button, the control unit 110 of the terminal device requests the server 20 to purchase the selected pickaxe, and based on the request, the market management unit 214 of the server 20 executes control to grant the selected pickaxe to the user and receive the purchase price from the user's assets (in other words, reduce the user's assets by the amount of the price).

[0155] In addition, when a specific ice pick is displayed as a purchasable ice pick on a terminal device 10 of a certain user, the specific ice pick is also said to be on display in the shop of the certain user.

[0156] The display control unit 114 causes the shop screen 80 to display, for each pickaxe, the price 81 of the pickaxe, an ID (in other words, identification information) 82 that can uniquely identify each pickaxe, and the like.

[0157] The market management unit 214 exercises control to give preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe (in other words, item A) depending on the user's possession of gems (in other words, item B). In this embodiment, the market management unit 214 exercises control to give preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe by preferentially presenting purchasable pickaxes to the user. In other words, the market management unit 214 exercises control to give preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe by making it possible to purchase a specific pickaxe earlier than if no preferential treatment was given.

[0158] In this embodiment, the market management unit 214 controls the purchase of a pickaxe to be given preferential treatment depending on the possession status of gems that meet a predetermined standard. Specifically, the market management unit 214 controls the purchase of a pickaxe to be given preferential treatment depending on the amount of gems that are not NFTized and that meet a predetermined condition that the user possesses.

[0159] Each user is assigned a rank related to preferential treatment (hereinafter referred to as "preferential treatment rank") according to the amount of non-NFT gems they possess that meet certain conditions. Here, we will explain that there are multiple preferential treatment ranks, including rank 0, rank 1, rank 2, and rank 3. Note that the higher the rank number, the higher the rank and the greater the degree of preferential treatment. Also, if the preferential treatment rank is rank 0, no preferential treatment will be available.

[0160] The control unit 210 sets the preferential rank to rank 1 for users who possess a total of 20 or more gems that fall into any of the following categories. The control unit 210 also sets the preferential rank to rank 2 for users who possess a total of 40 or more gems that fall into any of the following categories. The control unit 210 also sets the preferential rank to rank 3 for users who possess a total of 250 or more gems that fall into any of the following categories. The control unit 210 also sets the preferential rank to rank 0 for users who possess a total of less than 20 gems that fall into any of the following categories. ·10 carats or more of high quality diamonds · Medium quality diamonds over 20 carats Low quality diamonds over 30 carats Fine quality red spinel over 15 carats Medium quality red spinel over 30 carats Low quality red spinel over 60 carats Fine quality aquamarine over 30 carats Medium quality aquamarine over 45 carats Low quality aquamarines over 90 carats

[0161] That is, for example, if a user possesses three fine diamonds of 10 carats or more, six medium quality diamonds of 20 carats or more, four medium quality red spinels of 30 carats or more, ten low quality red spinels of 60 carats or more, ten fine quality aquamarines of 30 carats or more, seven medium quality aquamarines of 45 carats or more, and five low quality aquamarines of 90 carats or more, the user's preferential rank will be set to rank 2 based on the user possessing a total of 45 gemstones that meet the specified conditions (i.e., more than 40 and less than 250).

[0162] In this embodiment, the conditions imposed on the gems are the same regardless of the rank, and the preferential rank is determined according to the number of gems possessed that satisfy the conditions. However, the conditions imposed on the gems may differ depending on the rank. Also, for example, no conditions may be imposed on the gems, and the preferential rank may be determined simply according to the number of gems possessed.

[0163] Among the pickaxes sold in the marketplace, there are pickaxes (hereinafter referred to as "preferential goods") that are presented to users according to their preferential ranks. The higher the preferential goods, the earlier they are displayed on the shop screen 80. For example, the market management unit 214 controls so that a specific preferential goods are lined up at a first timing in the shop of a user (e.g., a user with rank 3) who has the highest preferential rank among all active users from a predetermined reference time up to one week ago (for example, when the reference time is Monday midnight, from Monday midnight of the previous week to Monday midnight of the current week). In addition, the market management unit 214 controls so that the specific preferential goods are lined up at a second timing (for example, eight hours after the first timing) that is later than the first timing in the shop of a user (e.g., a user with rank 2) who has the second highest rank among all active users within one week from the predetermined reference time. In addition, the market management unit 214 controls the shop of the user with the third highest rank among all active users within one week from a predetermined reference time (for example, a user with rank 1) so that the specific preferential product is lined up at a third timing (for example, 8 hours after the second timing) that is later than the second timing. That is, the market management unit 214 controls the shop so that the higher the preferential rank, the earlier the specific preferential product is lined up in the shop, and the specific preferential product is lined up in the shop with a delay of 8 hours for each rank step down. In this embodiment, the specific preferential product is lined up in the shop of a user with a preferential rank of rank 0, 8 hours later than the shop of a user with a rank of 1, but the specific preferential product may not be lined up in the shop of a user with a rank of 0 even if time passes (in other words, a user with a rank of 0 does not have an opportunity to purchase the specific preferential product). In other words, the preferential product may be an item that a user who is not given preferential treatment cannot purchase.

[0164] In other words, the market management unit 214 determines a user to whom the preferential product (in other words, a specific pickaxe that can be purchased) is preferentially presented based on the possession status of each of the multiple users of gems that are not NFTized. Specifically, among the multiple users (for example, active users), a user with a relatively high preferential rank is determined as a user to whom the preferential product is preferentially presented compared to a user with a relatively low preferential rank. Then, the market management unit 214 presents the preferential product to the user with a relatively high preferential rank earlier than a user with a relatively low preferential rank. That is, the market management unit 214 controls so that the preferential product is displayed earlier on the shop screen 80 of a user with a relatively high preferential rank than on the shop screen 80 of a user with a relatively low preferential rank. For example, first, the operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 of each user receives an operation for displaying the shop screen 80. Also, when an operation for displaying the shop screen 80 is performed, the terminal device 10 requests the server 20 to transmit information on the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80. Also, the market management unit 214 of the server 20 determines the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 of the terminal device 10 that made the request based on the request, and transmits an instruction to display the determined pickaxe on the shop screen 80 to the terminal device 10. Based on the instruction, the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display the shop screen 80 on which the pickaxe determined by the market management unit 214 as the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 is displayed. When determining the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80, the market management unit 214 determines the pickaxe to be displayed so that the preferential goods are displayed on the shop screen 80 earlier for a user with a relatively high preferential rank than for a user with a low preferential rank. As a result, preferential goods are lined up earlier in the shop of a user with a relatively high preferential rank than in the shop of a user with a relatively low preferential rank.

[0165] Furthermore, the display control unit 114 causes the shop screen 80 to display a display 84 informing the user (in other words, the user himself / herself) of the preferential rank.

[0166] In addition, the display control unit 114 displays a special offer notification display 85 on the shop screen 80, indicating that the special offer product is a special offer product. The special offer notification display 85 can be said to be a display that allows the user to recognize which of the pickaxes lined up on the shop screen 80 is a special offer product. In other words, the display control unit 114 presents the user with information indicating that the pickaxe that can be purchased by the special offer (in other words, the special offer product) is an item related to the special offer. The special offer notification display 85 may be, for example, a display of characters attached to the image of the special offer product (for example, a display of the characters "Special Offer Product" in FIG. 11), a display of a specific frame surrounding the image of the special offer product, or a display in which the background of the image of the special offer product is different from the background of the image of the pickaxe that is not a special offer product. The special offer notification display 85 may include a display indicating which special offer rank user the special offer product is intended for (for example, a display indicating that the pickaxe is preferentially presented to users of rank 2 or higher).

[0167] The preferential treatment notice display 85 may be displayed only during a period when the preferential product is given more preferential treatment than other users. That is, for example, during a period when the preferential product is lined up in the shop of the first user with the preferential rank of rank 1 and the preferential product is not lined up in the shop of the second user with the preferential rank of rank 0, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 of the first user may display the preferential treatment notice display 85 for the preferential product on the shop screen 80, and then, when the preferential product is lined up in the shop of the second user with the preferential rank of rank 0 (in other words, when the preferential product is presented regardless of the preferential rank), the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 of the first user may not display the preferential treatment notice display 85 for the preferential product on the shop screen 80. In addition, even if preferential products are lined up in the shop of the second user with a preferential rank of 0 (in other words, even if preferential products are presented regardless of preferential rank), the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 of the first user may display a preferential notification display 85 about the preferential products on the shop screen 80.

[0168] The display control unit 114 may display a UI (e.g., a check box 87 in FIG. 11 ) related to accepting an operation to display only the discount products on the shop screen 80. Then, when an operation (e.g., a click operation) is performed on the check box 87, the display control unit 114 may display only the discount products out of the multiple pickaxes that can be purchased on the shop screen 80.

[0169] In this embodiment, when a predetermined period has elapsed since the preferential product is displayed on the shop screen 80 of a user with a relatively high preferential rank, the preferential product is displayed on the shop screen 80 of a user with a relatively low preferential rank, and the predetermined period is a period during which the preferential product is not displayed on the shop screen 80 of the user with a relatively low preferential rank. However, the preferential product may also be displayed on the shop screen 80 of the user with a relatively low preferential rank during the predetermined period. In this case, the operation acceptance unit 111 of the terminal device 10 of the user with a relatively low preferential rank may not accept an operation to purchase the preferential product during the predetermined period, and may control so that the user with a relatively low preferential rank cannot purchase the preferential product. In addition, in this case, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 of the user with a relatively low preferential rank may display the preferential product in a darkened state on the shop screen 80 to indicate to the user that the preferential product cannot be purchased. In this case, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 of the user with a relatively low preferential rank may display a preferential notice display 85 for the preferential product on the shop screen 80. In other words, the preferential notice display 85 may function as a display indicating that the product to which the preferential notice display 85 is attached (in other words, the preferential product) cannot be purchased without the preferential treatment.

[0170] Note that the control of presenting preferential products to users with a relatively high preferential rank earlier than to users with a relatively low preferential rank may be executed in the terminal device 10. For example, the market management unit 214 may send similar information indicating pickaxes currently for sale (in other words, pickaxes that can be displayed on the shop screen 80) to all users' terminal devices 10 regardless of the user's preferential rank, and the control unit 110 of each user's terminal device 10 may determine which pickaxe to display on the shop screen 80 from among the pickaxes currently for sale in accordance with the user's preferential rank.

[0171] In this embodiment, preferential treatment is given to the purchase of a pickaxe depending on the possession status of gems, but here, "possession status of gems" may refer to possession status of only non-NFT gems, possession status of only NFT gems, or possession status of non-NFT gems and NFT gems. That is, for example, when 20 or more non-NFT gems that meet a certain condition are possessed, the preferential rank may be set to rank 1, when 20 or more NFT gems that meet a certain condition are possessed, or when a total of 20 or more non-NFT gems that meet the certain condition and NFT gems that meet the certain condition are possessed, the preferential rank may be set to rank 1.

[0172] Note that the control of giving preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe does not have to be a control of preferentially presenting pickaxes that are available for purchase or a control of making a pickaxe available for purchase early. For example, the control of giving preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe may be a control of making a pickaxe available for purchase at a low price, a control of giving a predetermined benefit (e.g., a predetermined item, etc.) to a user in addition to the purchased pickaxe when purchasing a pickaxe, or a control of increasing the amount of the predetermined points given in a configuration in which predetermined points are given for the purchase of a pickaxe. Furthermore, the control of giving preferential treatment to the purchase of a pickaxe may be a control of making it possible to enter a place where a pickaxe can be purchased (in other words, a shop in a virtual space) that cannot be entered without the preferential treatment.

[0173] In addition, the market management unit 214 may, in addition to or instead of controlling preferential treatment for the purchase of a pickaxe depending on the user's possession of gems, control preferential treatment for the purchase of gems (e.g., the purchase of NFT-ized gems in the marketplace) using a method similar to that control.

[0174] In this embodiment, since the pickaxe is an NFTed item, there are no other identical pickaxes, and when a user acquires (in other words, purchases) a specific pickaxe, other users cannot acquire an identical pickaxe to that specific pickaxe. In other words, the preferential product is an item that is sold out due to purchase by other users and cannot be purchased. The item that can be purchased as a preferential offer may be an item that multiple users can acquire the same item.

[0175] As described above, there is a risk that items B (e.g., gemstones) that do not even require NFT conversion will gradually accumulate, but according to the configuration of this embodiment, preferential treatment can be received for the purchase of item A (e.g., pickaxe) depending on the possession status of item B that is not NFT converted, so that it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that item B is accumulating uselessly and going to waste. In addition, in this embodiment, preferential treatment can be received for the possession of item B that meets a higher standard than item B that can generate advantageous effects for the user when consumed (e.g., low-quality diamonds less than 30 carats, etc.), and additional uses (in other words, added value) can be provided for item B that meets a predetermined standard. It should be noted that there may be cases where the user does not feel that NFTed item B (e.g., gemstones) are of much value (e.g., the value felt by the user decreases as the game progresses), but according to the configuration of this embodiment, preferential treatment can be received for the purchase of item A (e.g., pickaxe) depending on the possession status of item B that is not NFT converted, so that it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that item B is accumulating uselessly and going to waste.

[0176] In this embodiment, the screen displaying the map 40 illustrated in FIG. 3, the home screen 42 illustrated in FIG. 4, the screen displaying the list of mountains acquired by the user illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 10, the screen displaying the list of gems owned by the user illustrated in FIG. 9, or the shop screen 80 illustrated in FIG. 11 may be displayed by, for example, clicking a predetermined button such as a tab displayed during the display of these various screens (in other words, displayed on the game screen). That is, for example, a screen displaying the map 40 or a screen displaying the list of acquired mountains 44 may be displayed based on an operation on the mine button 91 illustrated in FIG. 4. Also, a screen displaying a list of gems owned may be displayed based on an operation on the gem button 92 illustrated in FIG. 4. Also, the shop screen 80 may be displayed based on an operation on the shop button 93 illustrated in FIG. 4. Also, the home screen 42 may be displayed based on an operation on the home button 94 illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition, based on the operation of the map display button 95 and the my mine display button 96 illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, respectively, the screen may be switched between displaying the map 40 (in other words, a list of obtainable mountains) and displaying a list 44 of obtained mountains.

[0177] (Processing flow) Next, an example of the processing executed by the game system 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart. First, an example of the processing related to the generation of a mountain and the determination of items that can be acquired from the mountain will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0178] The virtual space management unit 231 acquires a hash generated at the end of a day from a specific blockchain (step S1). Next, the virtual space management unit 231 seeds the acquired hash (specifically, hlast ) to perform calculations and create a map (step S2). Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the topography of the map and the arrangement of mountains on the map, and assigns a virtual space ID to each mountain in the map that enables the mountain to be identified.

[0179] Next, the virtual space management unit 231 determines an overview of obtainable items for each mountain on the map created in step S2 (step S3). Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 seeds the hash obtained in step S1 and the virtual space ID of each dungeon (specifically, seed hlast , seed mdid ) to determine the number of obtainable items for each pile and the approximate size of each item.

[0180] Next, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a mountain where the item outlined in step S3 can be obtained (in other words, the item is arranged) (step S4). Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 creates a seed (specifically, a seed ) for the hash obtained in step S1 and the virtual space ID of each mountain. hlast , seed mdid ) to perform operations and create mountains.

[0181] Next, the virtual space management unit 231 acquires the first hash generated two days after the day the hash acquired in step S1 was generated (step S5). Next, the virtual space management unit 231 determines the details of the reward for each mountain on the map created in step S2 (step S6). Specifically, the virtual space management unit 231 seeds the hash acquired in step S5 and the virtual space ID of each mountain (specifically, seed hfirst , seed mdid ) to perform calculations to determine the type, detailed size, shape, or quality of item B available in each mountain.

[0182] Next, an example of processing related to mountain acquisition and mining in a mountain will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0183] The operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 receives an operation to acquire a mountain to be mined from among a plurality of mountains in a map (step S11). In other words, the operation reception unit 111 receives an operation to select a specific mountain from among a plurality of mountains. In yet other words, the operation reception unit 111 receives an operation related to acquisition of rights to play a game in a specific virtual space.

[0184] When an operation to obtain a mountain for mining is performed, the game control unit 212 grants the specific mountain to the user based on the operation (step S12). In other words, the game control unit 212 grants the right to play a game in a specific virtual space to the user based on the user's operation.

[0185] Furthermore, the operation receiving unit 111 receives an operation to instruct the user to start mining in the mountain acquired by the user (step S13). In other words, the operation receiving unit 111 receives an operation by the user to instruct the user to start playing a game in a virtual space in which the user has the right to play the game.

[0186] The game control unit 212 also starts mining based on an operation by the user instructing the start of mining in the mountain (step S14). In other words, the game control unit 212 starts playing a game in a specific virtual space based on an operation by the user instructing the start of playing a game in the specific virtual space. The game that is started may be one in which the user manually advances the game by operating a player character or the like, or may be one in which the game control unit 212 advances the game automatically without the user's operation. Specifically, for example, the player character may automatically perform mining, and the gems or the like that the player character unearths may be given to the user as a reward. The user may also be able to select whether to advance the game manually or automatically.

[0187] Next, the reward granting unit 233 grants a reward to the user based on the mining in the mountain (step S15). In other words, the reward granting unit 233 grants a reward to the user based on playing a game in a specific virtual space. Specifically, the reward granting unit 233 grants gems and pyroxenes to the user based on the mining in the mountain.

[0188] Next, an example of a process for generating a beneficial effect for a user by consuming an NFT-convertible item without converting it to NFT will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 14.

[0189] The operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 receives an operation to select gems to be consumed to generate an advantageous effect from among the non-NFT gems held by the user (step S21). Specifically, the operation reception unit 111 receives an operation to select 10 gems to be used in exchange for experience value tickets.

[0190] Next, when an operation to select the gem to be consumed is performed, the game control unit 212 consumes the selected gem and grants the user an experience value ticket corresponding to the consumed gem (step S22). In other words, the game control unit 212 consumes the selected non-NFT item and grants the user a specific item that can generate an advantageous effect for the user.

[0191] Next, the operation acceptance unit 111 of the terminal device 10 accepts an operation to select a mountain on which the experience point ticket is to be used (step S23). In other words, the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts an operation to select a virtual space that generates an advantageous effect.

[0192] Next, when an operation is performed to select a mountain on which to use the experience point ticket, the game control unit 212 consumes the experience point ticket to generate an advantageous effect for the user for the selected mountain (step S24). Specifically, the game control unit 212 performs control to increase the experience point granted at a predetermined opportunity for game play on the selected mountain (in other words, the user's actions on the selected mountain) by an increase amount according to the type of experience point ticket consumed. In other words, the game control unit 212 uses a specific item to generate an advantageous effect for the user for the selected virtual space.

[0193] Next, an example of a process for giving preferential treatment to a user when purchasing an ice axe will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0194] The operation reception unit 111 of the terminal device 10 receives an operation for displaying the shop screen 80 (step S31).

[0195] Next, when an operation is performed to display the shop screen 80, the transmitting / receiving unit 112 of the terminal device 10 requests the server 20 for instructions regarding the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 (step S32).

[0196] Next, when the market management unit 214 of the server 20 receives the request, it determines the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 based on the user's preferential rank (step S33). Specifically, the market management unit 214 determines the pickaxe that the user can purchase according to the preferential rank as the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80. For example, for a specific preferential product, if the user's preferential rank is rank 3, the product can be purchased at a first timing, if the user's preferential rank is rank 2, the product can be purchased at a second timing 8 hours after the first timing, if the user's preferential rank is rank 1, the product can be purchased at a third timing 8 hours after the second timing, and if the user's preferential rank is rank 0, the product can be purchased at a fourth timing 8 hours after the third timing. In this case, if the user's preferential rank is rank 3 and the request is received after the first timing, the market management unit 214 determines the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 so that the specific preferential product is included in the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80. Also, if the user's preferential rank is rank 2 and the request is received before the second timing, the market management unit 214 determines the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 so that the specific preferential product is not included in the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80. On the other hand, if the user's preferential rank is rank 2 and the request is received after the second timing, the market management unit 214 determines the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 so that the specific preferential product is included in the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80. The same applies to the case where the user's preferential rank is rank 1 or rank 0. In addition, if the specific preferential product has already been purchased by another user, the specific preferential product cannot be purchased by any user other than the other user, so the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 is determined so that the specific preferential product is not included in the pickaxe displayed on the shop screen 80.

[0197] Next, the market management unit 214 transmits, to the terminal device 10, an instruction to display, on the shop screen 80, the ice axe determined as the ice axe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 (step S34).

[0198] Next, based on the instruction, the display control unit 114 of the terminal device 10 causes the display unit 18 to display the shop screen 80 showing the pickaxe that the market management unit 214 has determined to be the pickaxe to be displayed on the shop screen 80 (step S35).

[0199] In this embodiment, the items, tokens, and various logics (in other words, smart contracts) managed on the blockchain are managed on the same blockchain, but some of them may be managed on different blockchains. The hashes used in various processes may be hashes of the same blockchain or hashes of other blockchains. The blockchain may be an existing one such as Ethereum or Bitcoin. The NFTs corresponding to item A and item B (in other words, item A and item B that have been converted into NFTs) may be capable of being bridged from the blockchain on which they were issued to another blockchain.

[0200] Each configuration according to this embodiment can also be applied to content (in other words, services) other than the game according to this embodiment.

[0201] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Within the scope of the present invention, the components can be freely combined, any components can be modified, or any components can be omitted. The process flow described in this specification is merely an example, and the order and configuration of each process may be different.

[0202] <Additional Notes> The matters described in the above embodiment can also be described as follows.

[0203] (Appendix 1-1) Computer, An acquisition means (e.g., a reward granting unit 233) that allows a user to acquire an NFT-enabled item; The device functions as a control means (e.g., a game control unit 212) that performs control to generate an advantageous effect for the user by consuming the item held by the user without converting it to an NFT. program. According to this configuration, since the user can obtain an NFTable item, it is possible to give the user a sense of satisfaction by converting an item into an NFT and possessing the NFTed item, and to give the user the enjoyment of trading the NFTed item while checking the market price. On the other hand, there may be cases where a user who has acquired an NFTable item does not feel that the acquired item is worth converting into an NFT. However, according to this configuration, since an NFTable item can be used to generate a predetermined effect without converting it into an NFT, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that NFTable items are accumulating and going to waste.

[0204] (Appendix 1-2) The control means, by consuming the item held by the user without converting the item to an NFT, exerts a predetermined effect that is advantageous to the user on a virtual space in which the item can be obtained. The program described in Appendix 1-1. With this configuration, consuming a non-NFT item leads to a beneficial effect on the virtual space in which the item can be acquired, thereby providing users with the enjoyment of going through the cycle of acquiring and consuming items.

[0205] (Appendix 1-3) The advantageous effect is an effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value, Accumulation of the predetermined experience points increases a predetermined rank associated with the user. A program according to claim 1-1. With this configuration, the consumption of non-NFT items can facilitate the accumulation of a certain amount of experience points, making it easier to progress through the game.

[0206] (Appendix 1-4) The control means varies the advantageous effect to be generated depending on at least one of the type, number, rank, or rarity of the items consumed without being converted into NFTs. The program described in Appendix 1-1. With this configuration, the effects that occur can be made different depending on what item is consumed, thereby diversifying the relationship between the consumption of items and the occurrence of effects, thereby making the service more interesting.

[0207] (Appendix 1-5) The items are buried in the virtual space and can be obtained by the user through mining. The program described in Appendix 1-1. With this configuration, it is possible to realize unprecedented gameplay in which players mine items buried in a virtual space, turn the mined items into NFTs for enjoyment, or use them to generate advantageous effects without turning them into NFTs.

[0208] (Appendix 1-6) The control means, by consuming the item held by the user without converting it to an NFT, exerts a predetermined effect that is advantageous to the user in a second virtual space that is different from a first virtual space in which the consumed item was acquired. The program described in Appendix 1-1. With this configuration, consumption of a non-NFT item leads to an impact on a virtual space other than the virtual space in which the consumed item was obtained, so that consumption of a non-NFT item can be linked to the enjoyment of playing in a virtual space other than the virtual space in which the consumed item was obtained, providing motivation for playing in a variety of virtual spaces.

[0209] (Appendix 1-7) The NFTized item can be equipped to the character used by the user. The program described in Appendix 1-1. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an additional way to enjoy NFT-compatible items by equipping them to characters. In addition, for such items that are not considered worth equipping to characters, it is possible to provide another use for them by consuming them without converting them to NFT and using them to generate a predetermined effect.

[0210] (Appendix 1-8) An acquisition means (e.g., a reward granting unit 233) that allows a user to acquire an NFT-enabled item; A control means (e.g., a game control unit 212) that performs control to generate an advantageous effect for the user by consuming the item held by the user without converting it to an NFT. Information processing system. According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the program described in Supplementary Note 1-1.

[0211] (Appendix 2-1) Computer, An acquisition means (e.g., a reward granting unit 233) for allowing a user to acquire a first item; and functioning as an influence imparting means (e.g., a game control unit 212) that imparts a predetermined influence to a second virtual space that is different from the first virtual space in which the first item to be consumed was acquired by consuming the first item held by the user. program. According to this configuration, a consumable item can be used in a new way, such as affecting a virtual space different from the virtual space in which the first item was acquired, thereby broadening the scope of the game.

[0212] (Appendix 2-2) The influence applying means applies an influence to the second virtual space that makes it easier to acquire the first item by consuming the first item owned by the user. The program described in Appendix 2-1. According to this configuration, by consuming a first item acquired in a first virtual space, it becomes easier to acquire the first item in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space, so that the acquired first item can be used to acquire a better first item in another virtual space, thus providing the user with the enjoyment of going through a cycle of acquiring and consuming items.

[0213] (Appendix 2-3) The first item can be obtained by an operation by the user that changes the topography of the first virtual space. The program described in Appendix 2-1 or Appendix 2-2. With this configuration, it is possible to realize unprecedented gameplay in which a first item is obtained by changing the terrain of a first virtual space, and the obtained first item is then used to affect another virtual space.

[0214] (Appendix 2-4) The first item can be obtained by changing the topography of the first virtual space using a second item held by the user. The program described in Appendix 2-3. With this configuration, it is possible to realize unprecedented gameplay in which a user can use a second item they possess to change the terrain of a first virtual space, thereby acquiring a first item, and then using the acquired first item to affect another virtual space.

[0215] (Appendix 2-5) An acquisition means (e.g., a reward granting unit 233) for allowing a user to acquire a first item; and an influence imparting means (e.g., a game control unit 212) that, by consuming the first item held by the user, imparts a predetermined influence to a second virtual space that is different from the first virtual space in which the first item to be consumed was acquired. Information processing system. According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the program described in Supplementary Note 2-1.

[0216] (Appendix 3-1) Computer, Functioning as a control means (e.g., market management unit 214) that controls preferential treatment for the purchase of a second item in a virtual space depending on the user's possession of a first item that can be converted into NFT. program. In a game in which a user can possess an NFTed item, the user can, for example, obtain satisfaction from possessing a unique item by possessing the NFTed item, or obtain profits by selling the NFTed item. On the other hand, when an NFTable item exists in a game, it is conceivable that the user may possess an NFTable item that is not very valuable. In such a case, the user may feel that the item that is not very valuable is accumulating and going to waste. However, according to this configuration, it is possible to generate an effect that the possession of a first NFTable item allows a user to receive preferential treatment for the purchase of a second item, so that the user can prevent the user from feeling that the NFTable items are accumulating and going to waste.

[0217] (Appendix 3-2) The control means determines a user to whom the second item available for purchase should be presented preferentially based on the possession status of the first item of each of a plurality of users. The program described in Appendix 3-1. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide preferential treatment by preferentially presenting the second item to some users based on the ownership status of the first item of each of the multiple users. Therefore, it is possible to provide a special effect to the accumulated NFT-convertible items, and to prevent users from feeling that the items are accumulating and going to waste.

[0218] (Appendix 3-3) The control of giving preferential treatment to the purchase of the second item is control of making it possible to purchase the second item earlier than in a case where the preferential treatment is not given. The program described in Appendix 3-1. According to this configuration, the user can purchase the second item early depending on the possession status of the first item. Therefore, it is possible to bring about a special effect for the accumulated NFT-convertible items, and it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that the items are accumulating and going to waste.

[0219] (Appendix 3-4) Computer, With regard to the second item that can be purchased with the special offer, the device functions as an information presenting means (for example, the display control unit 114) that presents to the user information indicating that the second item is an item related to the special offer. The program described in Appendix 3-1. According to this configuration, the user can recognize that the second item that can be purchased with the preferential treatment is an item related to the preferential treatment. Therefore, the user can have a special feeling that he or she is being treated preferentially, and can also realize the value of possessing the first item.

[0220] (Appendix 3-5) The first item is an item that can be extracted in a virtual space by using the second item. The program described in Appendix 3-1. With this configuration, the user can enjoy the cycle of extracting a first item using a second item, receiving preferential treatment for the purchase of the second item by possessing the extracted first item, purchasing a new second item, and then using the purchased second item to extract the first item.

[0221] (Appendix 3-6) The second item is an NFT item. A program according to any one of Appendices 3-1 to 3-5. Since NFTed items are unique, there is a risk that they may become unavailable due to purchases by other users, etc. In this configuration, preferential treatment can be received for the second item, which is an NFTed item, depending on the possession status of the first item, so that it is possible to provide an incentive to possess the first item.

[0222] (Appendix 3-7) The control means controls the user to give preferential treatment in purchasing the second item depending on the amount of the first item that is not converted into an NFT and satisfies a predetermined condition. A program according to any one of Appendices 3-1 to 3-5. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide special value (specifically, the value of receiving a special offer) for the first item that satisfies a certain condition, and it is also possible to set conditions for the amount of the first item that must be possessed in order to receive the special offer. This makes it possible to motivate the acquisition of the first item.

[0223] (Appendix 3-8) The system includes a control means (e.g., a market management unit 214) that controls preferential treatment for the purchase of a second item in a virtual space depending on the user's possession of a first item that can be converted into NFT. Information processing system. According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the program described in Supplementary Note 3-1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0224] 1 Game system, 3 Blockchain system, 10 Terminal device, 11 Processor, 12 Memory, 13 Storage, 14 Communication IF, 15 Input / output IF, 17 Input section, 18 Display section, 20 Server, 21 Processor, 22 Memory, 23 Storage, 24 Communication IF, 25 Input / output IF, 30 Node device, 31 Processor, 32 Memory, 33 Storage, 34 Communication IF, 35 Input / output IF, 110 Control section, 111 Operation reception section, 112 Transmission / reception section, 113 Terminal processing section, 114 Display control section, 120 Memory section, 210 Control section, 211 Transmission / reception section, 212 Game control section, 213 Asset management section, 214 Market management section, 220 Memory section, 231 Virtual space management section, 233 Reward granting section, 310 Control section, 320 Memory section

Claims

1. Computer, An acquisition means for allowing a user to acquire an NFT-enabled item; The control means functions as a control means for controlling the generation of an advantageous effect for the user by consuming the item held by the user without converting it into an NFT. program.

2. The control means, by consuming the item held by the user without converting the item into an NFT, exerts a predetermined effect that is advantageous to the user on a virtual space in which the item can be acquired. The program according to claim 1.

3. The advantageous effect is an effect related to the accumulation of a predetermined experience value, Accumulation of the predetermined experience points increases a predetermined rank associated with the user. The program according to claim 1.

4. The control means varies the advantageous effect to be generated depending on at least one of the type, number, rank, and rarity of the item consumed without being converted into an NFT. The program according to claim 1.

5. The items are buried in the virtual space and can be obtained by the user through mining. The program according to claim 1.

6. The control means, by consuming the item held by the user without converting the item to an NFT, exerts a predetermined effect that is advantageous to the user in a second virtual space that is different from a first virtual space in which the item to be consumed was acquired. The program according to claim 1.

7. The NFT-ized item can be equipped to the character used by the user. The program according to claim 1.

8. An acquisition means for allowing a user to acquire an NFT-enabled item; A control means for performing control to generate an advantageous effect for the user by consuming the item held by the user without converting it into an NFT. Information processing system.

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