Game providing server

Abstract

To provide a character rearing game with high amusement properties while adopting an activity in an SNS for a game element.SOLUTION: A server for providing a game in which one or a plurality of user terminals are caused to rear a user character in a game space acquires information related to an activity in one or a plurality of SNS applications that the user uses, and converts the information related to the activity to a game element in the game space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server or the like that provides a character training game to one or more user terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art So-called training games have become widespread, in which a user can train a character appearing in a game space by imparting experience points, points, and the like to the character, and enjoy the process.

[0003] In training games as well, mechanisms have been proposed that allow users to easily recognize the skills that a character should acquire in training games so that users can continue to enjoy the games (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7107411 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, only playing the game in the game space limits the scope of character development, and the degree of character growth is determined by the user's game playing skills. On the other hand, SNS such as YouTube (registered trademark), Twitter (registered trademark), Instagram (registered trademark), and TikTok (registered trademark) are widely used, and many users who play games enjoy multiple games and SNS.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly entertaining character development game that incorporates SNS activity into the game elements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is a server that provides one or more user terminals with a game in which the user can develop a character within a game space, obtains information related to activity in one or more SNS applications used by the user, and converts the information related to the activity into game elements within the game space. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly entertaining character development game while incorporating SNS activity into the game elements. Realize what you provide. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a game system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of a game server according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3 is a functional block diagram showing details of a control unit of the game server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing details of a storage of a game server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is an example of a character table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 3 is an example of a user table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of game processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the game processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game execution screen displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The contents of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described below. A game server according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] A server that provides one or more user terminals with a game in which a user develops a character in a game space, Obtaining information relating to the user's activity in one or more social networking applications; A server that converts information related to the activity into game elements within the game space. [Item 2] 2. The server according to item 1, which determines the development of the character based on the number of game elements acquired. [Item 3] 2. The server according to item 1, wherein the information related to the activity is information indicating other users' reactions to the user's posts in the SNS application. [Item 4] The server according to claim 1 , wherein a display mode of the game elements is determined based on a type of the SNS application. [Item 5] 2. The server of item 1, wherein the user is associated with other users in the game, and the other users can view the user's activity in the game.

[0011] (First embodiment) A game system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of the game system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the game system includes a game server 1, a user terminal 2A and a user terminal 2B connected to the game server 1 via a network such as the Internet, and SNS (social network service) servers 3A and 3B for SNSs used by users of the user terminals 2A and 2B, respectively. For convenience of explanation, Fig. 1 illustrates the user terminals 2A and 2B and the SNS servers 3A and 3B, but any number of user terminals can be connected to the network.

[0013] The game server 1 can provide a game service including a game in which a user operates a character (user character) in a game space, to a user associated with the user terminal 2A, 2B. As the game, the game server 1 can provide a game in which a user operates a user character and acquires game elements to train the character (for example, change the display mode of the character, change the parameters of the character, etc.), and can place items acquired by the user in the service in the game space. In addition, in the service, a user can be associated with other users (for example, follow other users), and the user can refer to the activities of the associated users in the service (for example, refer to the characters they have trained).

[0014] For example, a user can download a game application from the game server 1 or another platform to the user terminal 2, and transmit and receive data related to the game service with the game server 1 via the game application. Alternatively, a user can transmit and receive data related to the game service by accessing a Web application stored in the game server 1 using a Web browser built into the user terminal 2. In the following embodiment, a method of providing a game service via a downloaded game application will be described as an example.

[0015] The user terminal 2 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile terminal, or another information terminal.

[0016] 2 is a functional block diagram of the game server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that the configuration shown in the figure is an example, and the game server may have other configurations.

[0017] As shown in the figure, the game server 1 is connected to a database (not shown) and constitutes a part of the system. The game server 1 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

[0018] The game server 1 includes at least a control unit 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a transmission / reception unit 13, an input / output unit 14, etc., which are electrically connected to each other via a bus 15.

[0019] The control unit 10 is a calculation device that controls the operation of the entire game server 1, controls the transmission and reception of data between each element, and performs information processing necessary for application execution and authentication processing, etc. For example, the control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes programs stored in the storage 12 and deployed in the memory 11 to perform each information processing.

[0020] The memory 11 includes a main memory configured with a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary memory configured with a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disc Drive), etc. The memory 11 is used as a work area for the processor 10, and also stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) that is executed when the game server 1 is started, various setting information, etc.

[0021] The storage 12 stores various programs such as application programs. A database (not shown) that stores data used in each process may be constructed in the storage 12.

[0022] The transmission / reception unit 13 connects the game server 1 to a network. The transmission / reception unit 13 may include a short-range communication interface for Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0023] The input / output unit 14 includes information input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and output devices such as a display.

[0024] A bus 15 is commonly connected to each of the above elements, and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals, and various control signals.

[0025] 3 is a functional block diagram showing details of the control unit 10 of the server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the control unit 10 executes an application program related to the service according to this embodiment, and the modules of this executed program are divided into several functional blocks as shown in the figure. In addition, all or part of the functional blocks executed by this control unit of the game server can also be executed by the control unit of the user terminal depending on the nature of the functional blocks.

[0026] First, the information receiving unit 21 executes a process of receiving a request received from the user terminal 2 via an application (hereinafter, this application) related to the service according to this embodiment, and of receiving information from another server. Examples of the process of receiving information include a process of operating a user character in a game in which a user operates a user character to acquire game media displayed in a game space (for example, a vertical or horizontal scrolling game in which the user operates the user character to make contact with game media moving in the game space, thereby causing the user character to acquire game media), and a process of acquiring information related to the user's activity on the SNS from the SNS server 3 that provides the SNS used by the user.

[0027] Next, the game processing unit 22 executes processing for a game in which the user operates the user character and acquires game content displayed within the game space.

[0028] As described above, the training game in this embodiment is a vertical or horizontal scrolling game in which the user operates the user character to contact the game medium moving in the game space, causing the user character to acquire the game medium. Here, the user character has a predetermined display mode, is defined by a shape, size, color, etc., and also has parameters (for example, a personality, a degree of intimacy with the user, a numerical value that affects skills such as physical strength / intellect, etc.). Similarly, the game medium has a predetermined display mode, is defined by a shape, size, color, etc., and is associated with a predetermined parameter (for example, a numerical value that affects the display mode of the user character, personality, a degree of intimacy with the user, a skill such as physical strength / intellect, etc.) so as to change the display mode and / or parameters of the user character based on the acquisition of the game medium. In particular, the display mode and / or parameters of the user character and / or game elements can be determined based on information related to the activity used and acquired by the user, and for example, the display mode of the user character and / or game elements can be given a color according to the corporate color of the SNS (for example, blue for Twitter (registered trademark), red for YouTube (registered trademark, etc.). In the game process, the user can operate a user character displayed in a game space in a predetermined direction and acquire game media by having the user character come into contact with game media moving in a predetermined direction (vertical or horizontal with respect to the display screen) in the game space. The display form and / or parameters of the user character can be changed based on the total number and / or parameters of game media acquired in the game.

[0029] The user management unit 23 manages game-related information of users.

[0030] The game media management unit 24 manages game media, for example, items used in a game for training a user character.

[0031] The screen data generation processing unit 25 generates screen information as data required to configure a screen to be displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0032] 4 is a functional block diagram showing details of storage 12 of a game server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Storage 12 has an area 31 for storing information about a character operated by a user in a game. Storage 12 also has an area 32 for storing information about the user's game. All or part of this information and image data can be stored in any storage area inside or outside the game server 1 instead of being stored in storage 12.

[0033] The following describes in detail each table stored in the storage 12. Fig. 5 is an example of a character table according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] In this embodiment, the character table 500 stores information about user characters used in the game. For example, the information about the user characters includes at least a character name, rank information about the character, and points required to determine the rank (for example, points corresponding to game media acquired in the game) associated with a character ID.

[0035] FIG. 6 is an example of a user table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the user table 600 stores game-related information of a user who plays a game. For example, as information about a user, at least a player name, a friend ID registered in the same game service, a character ID related to the player, an SNS used by the user, and information about reactions by other users acquired through the user's activity (e.g., posts by the user) on the SNS (e.g., "Like", bookmark, follow, etc.) are stored in association with the user ID. Although not shown, when the information about the reactions by other users is managed as a number, it can also be managed by converting it into the number of game media appearing in the game and / or parameter information of the game media based on the number. The storage 12 can further store an information table about user characters owned by the user.

[0036] 7 is a flow chart showing an example of game processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This processing is realized, for example, by executing a program stored in the memory 11 of the game server 1 in the control unit 10.

[0037] First, the information receiving unit 21 of the control unit 10 of the game server 1 receives information related to the SNS from the SNS server 3 used by the user (S101). Specifically, the server terminal 1 receives information related to other users' reactions to the target user's (user linked to the account of the training game) activity on the SNS (e.g., posting of text, images (including videos), etc.) (e.g., the number of "likes", the number of comments, the number of bookmarks through heart marks, etc.) and the number of users associated with the target user's SNS account (e.g., the number of followers) from the SNS server 3 via an API (Application Programming Interface) at regular intervals or at any time. When the information related to the reactions of other users is received at regular intervals, for example, the total number of "likes" accumulated every three hours can be obtained.

[0038] Next, the user management unit 23 of the control unit 10 updates the user information based on the received information related to the SNS (S102). Specifically, the user management unit 23 updates the received number of followers of the target user in the user table 600, and if the received information on the reaction of the other users is the number of "Likes", updates the number in the user table 600. The number of "Likes" managed in the user table 600 can be managed as a total number, or as the number received per certain period. Furthermore, the game media management unit 24 can determine the number of game media as game elements to be made to appear in the training game based on the received number of "followers" and / or the number of "Likes". As described above, the training game is a vertical or horizontal scrolling game in which the user operates the user character to come into contact with game medium moving within the game space, thereby allowing the user character to acquire game medium, and the game medium is associated with predetermined parameters (e.g., numerical values ​​that affect the user character's display appearance, personality, intimacy with the user, and skills such as physical strength / intelligence, etc.) so as to change the display appearance and / or parameters of the user character based on the acquisition of the game medium. The game medium may be, for example, a heart-shaped item, but is not limited to this, and may have the corporate color of the SNS used by the user (for example, blue for (X(Twitter(registered trademark)) and red for YouTube(registered trademark)). Here, the more followers and / or the more "likes" a user has on the SNS, the more items can be pre-set as game medium to appear in the training game. When game medium appears in the training game and the user plays the game, the number of "followers" and / or the number of "likes" managed in user table 600 can be subtracted according to the number of game media that appeared, and instead, the number of "followers" and / or the number of "likes" received from the SNS server 3 can be added to manage them.

[0039] In this way, by obtaining information related to the user's SNS activity and reflecting that information as game elements in the game medium, users playing the game can enjoy playing the game while expanding the scope of the game, without being confined to the game world.

[0040] 8 is a flow chart showing another example of the game processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This processing is realized, for example, by executing a program stored in the memory 11 of the game server 1 in the control unit 10.

[0041] First, the game processing unit 22 of the control unit 10 of the game server 1 executes a predetermined game process (S201). Specifically, the screen data generation processing unit 25 generates information constituting a game screen to be displayed on the user terminal 2, and transmits screen information for playing the training game to the user terminal 2.

[0042] 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game execution screen displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, a screen for playing the training game is displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0043] In this example, the training game is a vertical or horizontal scrolling game in which the user operates the user character to touch game media moving in the game space, causing the user character to acquire game media. Here, the game screen is composed of a rank display unit 40 that displays the rank of the user character, a point display unit 41 (in the form of a gauge in this example) that converts the number of acquired game media into points that determine the rank and visibly displays to the user the points required to reach the next rank, game media 42 (heart mark items in this example) that move in a predetermined direction on the screen (in this example, vertically from the top to the bottom of the screen), a user character 43 that the user trains, and game media 44 (in this example, furniture, plants, accessories, etc.) for decorating the game space.

[0044] The game processing unit 22 executes a process to move the user character 43 in a predetermined direction in the game space (in this example, horizontally from left to right on the screen) in response to an operation request from the user, executes a hit determination when the game medium 42 moving in a predetermined direction in the game space (in this example, vertically from top to bottom on the screen) approaches the position of the user character 43, and executes a process to add points according to the game medium when it is determined that a hit has occurred. Regarding the points, points according to the number of game media determined to be hits may be added, or points according to the content of the game media (for example, the size, color, etc. of the game media) may be added. Here, as described above, the game media can be associated with predetermined parameters (for example, numerical values ​​that affect the display mode and / or parameters of the user character, personality, intimacy with the user, and skills such as physical strength / intellect, etc.) so as to change the display mode and / or parameters of the user character based on the acquisition of the game media.

[0045] Next, the game media processing unit 24 updates the character information based on the game media acquired by the user in the game (S203). Specifically, points are calculated based on the game media acquired by the user in the training game (in this example, the number of items and the size of the heart mark), and the points are linked to the character ID and updated as points managed in the character table 500. When the accumulated points reach the number of points required for the next rank, the game media processing unit 24 executes a process to increase the rank and updates the rank managed in the character table 500. The game media processing unit 24 can also execute a process to change the display mode of the user character and / or update parameters according to the updated rank or the number (and / or content) of acquired game media. In addition, the game media processing unit 24 can also execute a process to visualize and display parameters constituting the user character (for example, numerical values ​​that affect the personality, intimacy with the user, and skills such as physical strength / intellect) using a multi-axis radar chart or the like.

[0046] In this way, users can enjoy a game that reflects their activity on the SNS even in the game space, and furthermore, by incorporating their activity on the SNS into character development, they can increase mutual engagement between the game and the SNS.

[0047] As described above, in the game service, users can follow other users' accounts and access each other's activities in the game service, and can also send and receive responses to each other (for example, sending "likes" or registering as favorites), which can motivate each user to continue enjoying the game. In addition, if a user who registers with the SNS is also a user who registers with the game service, it can be suggested that the user who is followed on the SNS follow the user on the game service. Furthermore, in order to support the training game of a user who is followed on the game service, it is possible to suggest that the user who uses the game service follow the user on the SNS, such as by following the user on the SNS or by sending a "like" to respond, or to send a link to the SNS account of the user to be followed. In addition, in order to correct disparities between users within a game service in the number of followers and the number of activities (e.g., the number of "likes") acquired on SNS (so-called disparities between influencers and non-influencers), when one user (e.g., a non-influencer) follows the account of another user (e.g., an influencer) in the game service (i.e., by associating the account of one user with the account of the other user within the game service), the followed user may be converted into game media based on a certain percentage (e.g., a few percent) of the number of followers or the number of activities (e.g., "likes") acquired by the followed user on the SNS account, and the converted game media may be made to appear within the game service.

[0048] The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Game Server 2. User terminal 3. SNS Server

Claims

1. A server that provides a game in which a user terminal or terminals can raise a character in a game space, Obtaining information relating to a user's activity in one or more social networking applications; translating information related to the activity into game elements within the game space; The information related to the activity includes information regarding other users' reactions to the activity related to the user's account; A server that converts the game elements based on information related to activities in a SNS application of other users associated with the user's account in the game.

2. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the character's development is determined based on the number of game elements acquired.

3. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the display mode of the game elements is determined based on a type of the SNS application.

4. The server of claim 1 , wherein the user is associated with other users in the game, and the other users are able to view the user's activity in the game.

Images