Information processing system, computer program, and information processing method

Abstract

To increase a utility value of data by generating data including information that cannot be obtained from image data recording the situation of play of a game.SOLUTION: In an information processing system in which multiple physical game media are utilized, and play data for reproducing play of a game are generated on the basis of data of a play image recording the situation of play of a game in a state in which the attribute of partial game media is concealed, the attribute of a first game medium in which the attribute can be identified by a play image is specified based on the data of the play image (S2), first medium information is generated according to the specified result and the attribute of a second game medium in which the attribute cannot be specified from the data of a play image is specified according to predetermined processing, and second medium information is generated according to the specified result (S4), and play data are generated so as to include the first medium information and the second medium information (S5).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and the like for reproducing a game play using a physical game medium.

Background Art

[0002] There is known an information processing system that records, as a play image, a state in which a game is played using a physical game medium, and generates reproduction data for reproducing at least a part of the game play based on the data of the play image. For example, an information processing system has been proposed that generates score data capable of reproducing a shogi game by detecting and recording changes in the placement of pieces from image data of a shogi board surface (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of shogi, it is possible to identify all the pieces placed on the board and the pieces held by each player from the image data. On the other hand, depending on the type of game, it may be impossible to identify from the image data what kind of attribute the game medium used in the game is. For example, in the case of mahjong, at least a part of the mountain tiles and the king tiles are kept face-down until the end of the game, and it may be impossible to identify what kind of tiles they are from the image data. As long as the purpose is to reproduce the game, it is sufficient to discriminate only the attributes that can be identified from the image data. However, it is not possible to provide any service that adds some information to the game medium whose attributes cannot be identified from the image data. Therefore, the use of the data generated for reproduction is limited.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system or the like that can generate data including information not obtainable from image data recording how a game is played and enhance the utility value of the data.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] An information processing system according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing system that generates play data for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data of a play image recording how the game is played with a plurality of physical game media each having an attribute identifiable through vision and with the attribute of at least some of the game media being hidden. The information processing system includes: a first media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a first game media among the game media whose attribute is identifiable in the play image based on the data of the play image and generating first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result; a second media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a second game media among the game media whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means according to a predetermined process and generating second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; and a play data generation means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

[0007] A computer program according to an aspect of the present invention is applied to an information processing system that generates play data for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data of a play image that records a state in which a game is played using a plurality of physical game media each having an attribute identifiable through vision and in which the attribute of at least some of the game media is hidden. The computer included in the information processing system is caused to function as: a first media information generation means for specifying the attribute of a first game media whose attribute has been revealed during play among the game media based on the data of the play image and generating first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the specification result; a second media information generation means for specifying the attribute of a second game media whose attribute cannot be specified by the first media information generation means among the game media according to a predetermined process and generating second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the specification result; and a play data generation means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

[0008] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is applied to an information processing system that generates play data for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data of a play image that records a state in which a plurality of physical game media with attributes identifiable through vision are used and the game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media hidden. The computer included in the information processing system is caused to function as: a first media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a first game media whose attribute has been revealed during play among the game media based on the data of the play image, and generating first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result; a second media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a second game media whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means among the game media according to a predetermined process, and generating second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; and a play data generation means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an information processing system and the like according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The information processing system of this embodiment generates game data for reproducing at least a part of the play of a mahjong game based on the data of a play image that records how a mahjong game is played using physical mahjong tiles. Mahjong tiles (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as tiles) correspond to an example of a physical game medium. A game means one play from the tile distribution in mahjong until the end by winning or a draw. Game data is data for reproducing at least a part of the play of a game and corresponds to an example of play data.

[0011] In a mahjong game, there are a total of 34 types of tiles, including numbered tiles distinguished by numerical values from 1 to 9 for each of "manzu", "suzume", and "pinfu", character tiles of "east", "south", "west", and "north", and honor tiles of "white", "hatsu", and "chun". There are 4 tiles of each type, and a total of 136 tiles are used in the game. On the surface of each tile, there are displays such as characters and graphics indicating the type of the tile. The type of tile indicated by the display corresponds to an example of an attribute that can be identified through vision. Each face other than the surface of the tile is the same regardless of the type. Therefore, the type of the tile cannot be visually identified unless the tile is observed from its surface side. In a mahjong game, the game is played with some tiles placed face down and their types concealed. However, the games targeted by the information processing system are not limited to mahjong games. As long as a plurality of physical game media with attributes that can be identified through vision are used and the game is played with at least some of the attributes of the game media concealed, various games may be the target of information processing by the information processing system. The attribute of the game media is a concept for distinguishing game media in the game. As long as it can be identified through vision, various external characteristics and features of the game media may be included in the scope of the attribute.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of an information processing system. The information processing system 1 in Figure 1 includes a plurality of cameras 2 arranged around the mahjong table MT, an analysis PC (abbreviation for personal computer; the same applies hereinafter) 3 for analyzing the data of the play images captured by each camera 2, and a server 4 for processing the information from the analysis PC 3 and generating game data. The camera 2 is a web camera as an example. The camera 2 outputs a video continuously captured from the start to the end of the mahjong game as a play image. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term "image" is a concept including video.

[0013] The camera 2 does not necessarily have to be provided as a dedicated component of the information processing system 1. The camera 2 may be installed for a purpose different from the construction of the information processing system 1. For example, a camera installed for the purpose of broadcasting a mahjong game played on a mahjong table MT to viewers may be used. In that case, the images captured by the camera 2 may be recorded on an appropriate recording medium, and the data of the recorded images may be taken into the analysis PC 3 online or offline.

[0014] The number and arrangement of the cameras 2 are set according to the number and arrangement necessary to generate the target game data. In the example of FIG. 1, one camera 2 is arranged opposite each side of the mahjong table MT so as to be able to capture images including the hands of each of the four players surrounding the mahjong table MT, and one camera 2 is arranged above the mahjong table MT so as to be able to capture an image looking down on the mahjong table MT from directly above.

[0015] The analysis PC 3 analyzes the data of the play images captured by the camera 2 to identify the history of the mahjong game and the hands and discarded tiles of each player. The analysis PC 3 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with the camera 2. However, the correspondence relationship between the camera 2 and the analysis PC 3 is not limited to such an example. By connecting two or more cameras 2 to one analysis PC 3, the camera 2 and the analysis PC 3 may be associated in a many-to-one manner.

[0016] The server 4 generates information that cannot be obtained by the image analysis by the analysis PC 3, and integrates it with the information provided from the analysis PC 3 to generate game data. The server 4 may be configured by appropriately combining a plurality of server units, or may be configured by a single server unit. The server 4 may be configured as a cloud server using cloud computing technology. The server 4 provides a predetermined user service to the user of the user terminal 5 via a predetermined network NT. Game data is used in at least a part of the provided user service.

[0017] For the user terminal 5, various terminal devices capable of information communication, such as a PC 5a, a smartphone 5b, and a tablet terminal 5c, may be used. The network NT is a WAN. As an example, the Internet may be used as the network NT. The analysis PC 3 and the server 4 are connected via an appropriate communication line. The communication line may be a LAN line for constructing the information processing system 1, or may be the network NT to which the user terminal 5 is connected. The camera 2 and the analysis PC 3 may be connected online or offline as described above. The communication line in the case of online connection may be the same as the communication line between the analysis PC 3 and the server 4.

[0018] On the mahjong table MT, there are a mixture of mahjong tiles whose types can be identified from the images captured by the camera 2 and mahjong tiles whose types cannot be identified. Hereinafter, the former may be referred to as the first mahjong tile and the latter as the second mahjong tile for distinction. The first mahjong tile corresponds to an example of the first game medium, and the second mahjong tile corresponds to an example of the second game medium. Fig. 2 shows an example of the arrangement of mahjong tiles on the table surface of the mahjong table MT as viewed from directly above the mahjong table MT in order to explain the distinction between the first mahjong tile and the second mahjong tile. In Fig. 2, the mahjong tile with hatching is the second mahjong tile T2, and the mahjong tile without hatching is the first mahjong tile T1. In Fig. 2, among the first mahjong tiles T1, the front lower mahjong tile T1 shows characters, symbols, etc. indicating the type, while the remaining first mahjong tiles T1 are alternatively indicated by the asterisk "*" for their types. In Fig. 2, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the hand cards Th of each player are shown in a state of being opened upward.

[0019] When the camera 2 is arranged as shown in FIG. 1, the hand cards Th of each player and the discarded cards Td are arranged so as to face the table as seen from any of the cameras 2. Among the trump cards Tr, the dora display card Ti is arranged with its front side facing up. Therefore, those mahjong tiles are classified as the first mahjong tiles T1. On the other hand, the mahjong tiles remaining in the wall Tm are stacked face down, and their types cannot be identified from any of the cameras 2. Among the trump cards Tr, the mahjong tiles other than the dora display card Ti are also face down, and their types cannot be identified from any of the cameras 2. Therefore, those mahjong tiles are classified as the second mahjong tiles T2. Among the trump cards Tr, if there are mahjong tiles that are turned face up during the game due to the addition of dora cards, those mahjong tiles become the first mahjong tiles T1. Also, at the end of the game, the mahjong tiles that are turned face up to determine the hidden dora, that is, the mahjong tiles arranged below the dora display card Ti, can also be classified as the first mahjong tiles T1 if their front sides are operated to face any of the cameras 2. The self-drawn tiles obtained by each player from the wall Tm are classified as part of the hand cards Th and are the first mahjong tiles T1.

[0020] The type of the first mahjong tile T1 is identified by the analysis PC3 based on the data of the play image captured by the camera 2. On the other hand, the type of the second mahjong tile T2 cannot be identified from the data of the play image. Therefore, the type of the second mahjong tile T2 is identified by the server 4 executing predetermined processing. Even for mahjong tiles included in the player's hand Th, discarded tiles Td, etc., if the type cannot be identified from the image data, they may be targeted for identification by the server 4 as a type of the second mahjong tile T2. In any case, the first mahjong tile T1 is a tile whose type can be identified from the perspective of at least one camera 2 and is not concealed during the game, and the second mahjong tile T2 is a tile whose type cannot be identified from the perspective of any camera 2 and can be distinguished as a tile in a concealed state during the game. Therefore, the "concealment" here means that the type cannot be identified from the perspective of any camera 2. The mahjong tiles in each player's hand Th are concealed from other players but are not concealed from at least one camera 2. Therefore, they are classified as the first mahjong tile T1.

[0021] Figure 3 shows an example of a schematic procedure of information processing for generating game data in the information processing system 1. In Figure 3, the cameras 2 are distinguished by attaching camera numbers #1 to #5, and the information processing regarding the play images captured by the camera numbers #1 and #5 is typically shown. The information processing regarding the play images captured by the camera numbers #2 to #4 is the same as the example shown in the figure. The information processing procedure in Figure 3 is an example assuming a batch process that is performed collectively using the data of the play images after the shooting of the play images from the start to the end of the game is completed.

[0022] In the information processing procedure of Figure 3, first, historical information is generated separately for each camera 2 in the analysis PC 3 based on the data of the play images captured by the cameras 2 (step S1). The historical information is information that records the progress of the game from the start to the end of the game. For example, the historical information is generated by recording various selection actions made by players during the game, such as drawing a tile, discarding a tile, and calling a tile, in association with information indicating the progress stage of the game, such as the turn number and elapsed time of the game. In generating the historical information, the type of the first mahjong tile T1 included in the play images is identified one by one, and first tile information indicating the identification result is generated in the analysis PC 3 (step S2). The first tile information corresponds to an example of first medium information. The historical information is generated so as to include the first tile information. As a result, the mahjong tiles acquired by each player by self-drawing or calling, the mahjong tiles discarded by discarding, the mahjong tiles included in the player's hand, and the type of Dora indicating tile among the king tiles are recorded in the history information in correspondence with the progress of the game, such as the turn of the game.

[0023] The history information generated for each camera 2 is provided to the server 4. The server 4 generates reproduction data based on the provided history information (step S3). An example of the reproduction data is shown in FIG. 4. The reproduction data in FIG. 4 includes data describing the history of a game from the start to the end. For example, the history of the first game of the East round includes tile dealing information indicating the contents of the tiles held by each player PL1 to PL4 at the time of dealing, information specifying the types of the player's own tiles and discarded tiles (played tiles) in each turn (indicated by * in the figure), the player's call actions and information specifying the type of called tile (also indicated by *), information specifying the selection actions of the player who has finished the game, game result information indicating the game results such as the winning hand of the winner and its score, and tile arrangement information indicating the configuration of the mountain tile Tm and the king tile Tr. Figure 4 shows an example in which players PL1 and PL2 each draw a tile and play a tile in turns 1 and 2, player PL3 calls in response to the play in turn 2, player PL4 draws a tile and plays a tile in turn 3, and the game progresses sequentially from there until player PL4 draws a tile and plays a tile in turn N, player PL3 calls ron for the played tile, and the game ends.

[0024] The tile arrangement information is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. When the mahjong tiles stacked as the mountain tiles Tm are distinguished as #1, #2... #z according to their arrangement order (self-drawn order), and the mahjong tiles stacked as the king tiles Tr are distinguished as #1 to #14 according to their arrangement order, the information records the correspondence between the arrangement order and the type of each mahjong tile. The types of each tile shown in FIG. 5 are just examples. The initial tiles dealt to each player, the self-drawn tiles in each turn, and the discarded tiles are classified as the first type of mahjong tile T1, and the types of these tiles are specified according to the first tile information. Also, among the tiles included in the tile arrangement information, the tiles self-drawn by the player and the dorahai display tiles can have their types identified in the play image of the game and are classified as the first type of mahjong tile T1. On the other hand, at the end of the game, the tiles remaining face-down in the mountain tiles Tm and the king tiles Tr cannot have their types identified in the play image and are classified as the second type of mahjong tile T2. Therefore, in the tile arrangement information at the stage of the reproduction data, the second type of mahjong tile T2 is recorded as unknown tiles.

[0025] In the example of FIG. 5, the mountain tiles #1 to #i are the tiles whose types are specified by the first tile information, and the mountain tiles #j to #z are shown as unknown tiles by "?". Also, among the king tiles #1 to #14, the king tile #5, which is the dorahai display tile, has its type specified by the first tile information, and all the other king tiles are unknown tiles. Among the various information in the reproduction data, the information regarding the mahjong tiles excluding the unknown tiles corresponds to the first tile information. Note that regarding the mahjong tiles included in the mountain tiles Tm whose types are specified by the first tile information, it is possible to generate by determining which type of tile is obtained as the self-drawn tile in each turn and associating the determined type with the order of the turns. The reproduction data may be generated by associating, instead of or in addition to the information for each turn, the elapsed time of the game and the selection actions of each player, etc. Furthermore, the reproduction data may include information indicating the arrangement order of the mahjong tiles in each player's hand.

[0026] Since the camera 2 is arranged at the position for photographing the hands of each player and at the position for photographing the mahjong table MT from directly above, some tiles may be identifiable in each of the play images photographed by multiple cameras 2. For example, the surface of the discarded tile is reflected in both the image of the camera 2 that photographs the player's hand and the image of the camera 2 that photographs the mahjong table MT from above. In this case, the type of the mahjong tile may be specified by appropriately referring to the history information corresponding to each camera 2. For example, the type of the first mahjong tile T1 may be determined on the condition of the match of the types recorded in the history information corresponding to each camera 2, or the type of the tile may be determined by giving priority to the history information corresponding to any one of the cameras 2.

[0027] Returning to FIG. 3, the description will be continued. When the reproduction data is generated, the second tile information is subsequently generated by the server 4 (step S4). The second tile information is information indicating the types of tiles that are not specified in the first tile information. The first tile information is information obtained by specifying the types of tiles whose surfaces are reflected by at least one camera 2 during the game from the data of the play image. Therefore, at the end of the game, the types of the second mahjong tiles T2 remaining face down in the stock tile Tm and the wild tile Tr are not specified in the first tile information, and the types of those mahjong tiles T2 are also unknown in the reproduction data. Therefore, the server 4 specifies the types of the second mahjong tiles T2 according to a predetermined process, and generates the second tile information according to the specification result. The second tile information corresponds to an example of the second medium information.

[0028] FIG. 6 shows an example of the second tile information. In the example of FIG. 6, corresponding to the example of FIG. 5, the tiles remaining face down in the stock tile Tm are distinguished as stock tiles #j to #z in the order of their arrangement, and the tiles remaining face down in the wild tile Tr are distinguished as wild tiles #1 to #14 in the order of their arrangement, and each tile is recorded in association with the type specified by the server 4. Although there are 14 wild tiles Tr, the number of unknown tiles in the wild tiles Tr changes according to the number of drawn display tiles Ti turned face up during the game. An identifier indicating that the type of each tile described in the second tile information is an estimated type is additionally recorded.

[0029] The process of identifying the types of tiles in the second tile information may be, for example, a lottery process. In that case, from all the mahjong tiles used in the mahjong game, the tiles already identified in the first tile information are excluded to determine the tiles that become the lottery candidate group, and the second tile information may be generated in the procedure of sequentially identifying the types of each unknown tile from that candidate group. In this case, the lottery candidate group corresponds to an example of the candidate group of the attributes that the second mahjong tile T2 can take. The types of each tile may be identified according to a predetermined algorithm, or the types of each tile may be identified using an estimation function by AI (abbreviation for artificial intelligence).

[0030] Returning to FIG. 3 and continuing the explanation. When the second tile information is generated, game data is generated at the server 4 (step S5). The game data is generated by complementing the types of the unknown tiles in the tile arrangement information in the reproduction data according to the second tile information. Therefore, the tile arrangement information in the game data includes the second tile information indicating the types of mahjong tiles whose types cannot be identified in the data of the play image.

[0031] The game data generated by the above procedure is appropriately used in the user service provided to the user terminal 5. Examples of user services include, for example, a service that allows the user to view an image reproducing the state of the game based on the game data, a service that allows the player to play the mahjong game on behalf of the user at an appropriate timing during reproduction, and the like. An example of the screen of the mahjong game displayed on the user terminal 5 in the user service is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0032] The screen 100A shown in FIG. 7 and the screen 100B shown in FIG. 8 include a table image 101 reproducing the tabletop and an instruction unit 102 that is the operation target of the user. The table image 101 is an image showing the arrangement of mahjong tiles on the tabletop. In the table image 101, the tiles whose types cannot be identified are shown in gray, and the tiles whose types can be identified are shown with characters, symbols, etc. indicating the types. However, for some tiles, the types are alternatively shown with asterisks *.

[0033] The instruction unit 102 is provided with a player selection unit 103 for selecting any one of players 1 to 4, a viewpoint selection unit 104 for selecting the viewpoint of the table image 101 from either the top or the front, and a tile open selection unit 105 for selecting whether to display all players' hands in an open state. In FIG. 7, an example of the table image 101 when player 1 is selected by the player selection unit 103, the top is selected by the viewpoint selection unit 104, and the disclosure of tiles is selected by the tile open selection unit 105 is shown. In this case, the table image 101 is an image of observing the tabletop from above. Also, the table image 101 in FIG. 7 is displayed as an image of overlooking the mahjong table MT in a direction such that the hands of player 1 selected by the user are arranged horizontally at the bottom. The hands of all players are displayed facing up and in a state where the types are distinguishable.

[0034] On the other hand, in FIG. 8, an example of the table image 101 when player 1 is selected by the player selection unit 103 and the front is selected by the viewpoint selection unit 104 is shown. The tile open selection unit 105 is in a state where the disclosure of tiles is not selected. The table image 101 in FIG. 8 is an image of observing the tabletop from the position of player 1. Also, in the table image 101 in FIG. 8, the hands of player 1 selected by the user are arranged horizontally at the bottom. The hands of the other players 2 to 4 are displayed in an indistinguishable state.

[0035] The table images 101 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 are drawn based on the game data. The table image 101 may be generated as an image of observing the mahjong table MT from the viewpoint of any one of the cameras 2. The mahjong table MT may be reproduced as a 3D model in a 3D virtual space based on the game data, and an image of observing the mahjong table MT from an arbitrary viewpoint in the 3D virtual space, regardless of the viewpoint of the camera 2, may be drawn as the table image 101.

[0036] As a user service, when providing a service that allows a user to view an image that reproduces the state of a game recorded in game data, the table image 101 may be displayed while being changed along with the progress of the game based on the game data. In this case, the display mode of the table image 101 may be set according to the selection states of the player selection unit 103, the viewpoint selection unit 104, and the tile open selection unit 105, and the table image 101 may be displayed from any viewpoint, such as a viewpoint from above as shown in FIG. 7 or a viewpoint from a specific player as shown in FIG. 8. When reproducing a game, at least a part of the first mahjong tile T1 that is placed face-down and whose type is not clear at the viewing time may have its tile type presented to the user based on the first tile information. For example, when the user designates any first mahjong tile T1 included in the wall tiles Tm, the type of that tile may be presented to the user according to the first tile information. Also, when reproducing a game, the second mahjong tile T2 may be displayed in a state where its type cannot be identified, or at least a part of the types of the concealed tiles may be presented to the user based on the second tile information. For example, when the user designates a concealed tile as the second mahjong tile T2 included in the wall tiles Tm or the king tiles Tr, the type of the designated tile may be presented to the user according to the second tile information.

[0037] On the other hand, as a user service, there may be a case where, during the reproduction of a game, a service is provided that allows the user of the user terminal 5 to play a mahjong game on behalf of any one player (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the target player) at an appropriate timing. In that case, it is necessary to display the hands of the other players who are opponents in the game so that the user cannot identify them. For example, it may be made impossible to disclose the tiles of other players by operating the tile open selection unit 105, and in either the table image 101 of FIG. 7 or the table image 101 of FIG. 8, the hands of the other players may be displayed face-down. The target player can be selected by the user, for example, at the player selection unit 103 in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0038] When a user plays as the target player, the user may select actions different from the selection actions of the target player described in the game data. In that case, it becomes necessary to change the selection actions of players other than the target player from the selection actions on the game data, or the game may proceed in a procedure different from the procedure in which the game is reproduced in the game data, such as the turn of each player and the order of self-drawn tiles being different from those in the game data. In this case, the selection actions of players other than the target player are appropriately controlled by the server 4.

[0039] Also, due to the selection actions of each player being different from those in the game data, in the actual game to be reproduced, a hidden tile among the wall tiles Tm, that is, a tile remaining as the second mahjong tile T2, may become a self-drawn tile of one of the players, or a tile that remained face-down in the actual game within the trump tiles Tr may be turned face-up with the addition of bonus tiles. In such a case, it may be necessary to present the user with the type of at least some of the hidden tiles in the actual game. In such a case, the type of hidden tile specified according to the second tile information is presented to the user. Tiles whose type is clear as the first mahjong tile T1 in the actual game are displayed as tiles of the type specified according to the first tile information among the tile arrangement information in the game data. When presenting the type of mahjong tile to the user, whether the type is determined by the first tile information or the type specified by the second tile information, in other words, the type specified by the processing of the server 4, may be presented to the user separately based on the identifier information included in the second tile information. Thereby, the identifier of the second tile information functions as an example of identification information for identifying whether the mahjong tile is the first mahjong tile or the second mahjong tile.

[0040] When making the user play a game on behalf of the target player, the type of the second mahjong tile T2 may affect the advantage or disadvantage of the user in the game. For example, as a result of a player other than the user or the target player taking an action different from the actual game, the second mahjong tile T2 becomes the user's or another player's self-drawn tile, discarded tile, or declared meld, and accordingly, the advantageous or disadvantageous situation in the game may change from the actual game. Therefore, it is also possible to advance the game so that the advantage or disadvantage of the game when the user plays changes from the actual game by using the process for specifying the type of the second mahjong tile T2. For example, when a different action from the actual game is selected in any of the turns specified in the reproduction data, then, so that the user can more easily form a winning hand with a higher score than in the actual game, or so that the possibility of a player other than the user or the target player forming a winning hand is reduced compared to the actual game, at least some types of the second mahjong tile T2 may be determined. Such a process can be realized, for example, by applying a predetermined algorithm to specify the type of the tile instead of or in addition to the lottery process as the process for specifying the type of the second mahjong tile T2, or by using an estimation function by AI. At least some types of the second mahjong tile T2 determined by the lottery process may be appropriately modified using a predetermined algorithm or an estimation function of AI or the like during the user's play. By using an algorithm or AI, a plurality of sets of game data with different advantages and disadvantages among players may be generated in advance, and the game difficulty when the user plays may be changed by allowing the user to select the game data and the target player when the user plays.

[0041] As described above, in the information processing system 1, the game data for reproducing the game includes not only the first tile information indicating the type of the first mahjong tile T1 that can be specified from the data of the play image, but also the second tile information indicating the type of the second mahjong tile T2 that cannot be specified from the data of the play image. Therefore, in the user service using the game data, it is possible to provide various services to the user by referring to the information regarding the second mahjong tile T2 as needed. For example, it is possible to provide services such as presenting the type of the second mahjong tile T2 to the user during the reproduction of the game, or allowing the user to play the game with a progression different from that of the game being photographed. Thereby, the usage of the game data can be expanded and its utilization value can be increased.

[0042] Next, an example of a more detailed configuration of the information processing system 1 for realizing the information processing procedure shown in FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of the logical configuration of the analysis PC 3 and the server 4 in the information processing system 1. In FIG. 9, one of the plurality of analysis PCs 3 connected to the server 4 is typically shown. The other analysis PCs 3 have the same configuration. The analysis PC 3 is provided with an image acquisition unit 11, a history information generation unit 12, and a tile identification unit 13. Each of the units 11 to 13 is a logical device realized by a combination of a microprocessor which is the hardware of the analysis PC 3 and a computer program PG1 as software.

[0043] The image acquisition unit 11 acquires the play images output from each camera 2 and records them as play image data (hereinafter sometimes referred to as image data) Dp in the storage device of the analysis PC 3. The image acquisition unit 11 may be configured to sequentially acquire the image signals output from the camera 2, or may be configured to read the image data Dp from a recording medium on which the images output from the camera 2 are recorded. The history information generation unit 12 analyzes the image data Dp to generate history information. The tile identification unit 13 analyzes the image data Dp to identify the type of the first mahjong tile T1 and provides the identification result to the history information generation unit 12.

[0044] The server 4 is provided with a game data generation unit 21, a tile estimation unit 22, and a service control unit 23. Each of the units 21 to 23 is a logical device realized by a combination of a microprocessor which is the hardware of the server 4 and a computer program PG2 as software.

[0045] The game data generation unit 21 creates game data Dm based on the history information generated by each analysis PC 3, and stores the generated game data Dm in a predetermined recording device. The game data Dm may be stored, for example, on a database DBm. The tile estimation unit 22 specifies the type of an unknown tile by estimating the type of the tile which cannot be specified in terms of type from the image data Dp. For the process of estimating the type of the tile, a lottery process or the like may be used as described above. The service control unit 23 provides user services using the game data Dm to the users of the user terminal 5. The service control unit 23 is provided, as an example, with a reproduction control unit 24 which reproduces the state of the game recorded in the game data Dm on the user terminal 5, and a play control unit 25 which allows the user to play the game during the reproduction of the game as further logical devices.

[0046] FIG. 10 shows an example of the procedure of the history information generation process executed by the analysis PC 3 for generating the history information. The process of FIG. 10 may be a batch process executed at an appropriate timing after the play images from the start to the end of the game are captured, or may be a real-time process executed in synchronization with the capture of the play images. When the history information generation process is started, first, the image acquisition unit 11 of the analysis PC 3 acquires the data of the play image, and stores the obtained data in the storage device of the analysis PC 3 as the image data Dp (step S101). In this case, in the case of a batch process, the data of the play image may be read from the recording medium which records the data of the play image captured by the camera 2. In the case of a real-time process, the image data output from the camera 2 may be sequentially stored in the storage device of the analysis PC 3.

[0047] Next, the history information generation unit 12 of the analysis PC 3 selects a scene to be analyzed from the image data Dp stored in the analysis PC 3 (step S102). The selection of the scene may be performed, for example, in the chronological order of the game. Next, the history information generation unit 12 analyzes the selected scene to determine the progress state of the game (step S103). For example, by comparing the previous scene and the scene to be analyzed and detecting changes in the hand cards Th, the discard pile Tm, etc., the presence or absence of the initial deal, the presence or absence of selection actions such as self-drawn and calls, etc. are determined as the progress state. Subsequently, the tile identification unit 13 identifies the type of each mahjong tile shown in the scene to be analyzed and generates first tile information, and provides the first tile information to the history information generation unit 12 (step S104). In this process, for mahjong tiles whose types can be identified in the play images such as self-drawn tiles, discarded tiles, and called tiles, information associating the mahjong tile with its type is generated as the first tile information.

[0048] The history information generation unit 12 acquires the first tile information generated by the tile identification unit 13, and records it in the history information by associating the progress state determined in step S103 with the first tile information (step S105). Therefore, the history information includes the first tile information. After that, the history information generation unit 12 determines whether the process has ended until the end of the game (step S106), and if the game has not ended, returns to the process of step S102. When the game ends, the history information is completed, and the history information generation unit 12 outputs the history information to the server 4 (step S107). After that, the analysis PC 3 ends the process of FIG. 10.

[0049] FIG. 11 shows an example of the procedure of the game data generation process executed by the server 4 in response to the output of the history information in the analysis PC 3. The process of FIG. 11 is a batch process executed at an appropriate timing after the history information of the same game is output from all the analysis PCs 3. When the game data generation process is started, the game data generation unit 21 of the server 4 acquires the history information from each analysis PC 3 (step S111), and generates reproduction data based on the acquired history information (step S112). The reproduction data is configured as shown in FIG. 4 as an example. At the stage of step S112, the mahjong tiles for which the type cannot be specified from the data Dp of the play image are recorded as unknown tiles in the reproduction data.

[0050] Next, the game data generation unit 21 extracts the unknown tiles in the reproduction data (step S113). Thereafter, the game data generation unit 21 delivers the information of the extracted unknown tiles to the tile estimation unit 22, and the tile estimation unit 22 selects, as target tiles, the mahjong tiles for which the type should be specified from the unknown tiles (step S114). However, if there are mahjong tiles for which the type has been specified in the process of step S116 described later with respect to at least a part of the unknown tiles, those tiles are excluded from the candidates for the target tiles as processed tiles. Next, when specifying the type of the target tiles, the tile estimation unit 22 discriminates the mahjong tiles that can be the candidates as candidate tiles (step S115). The candidate tiles are the mahjong tiles remaining after excluding the mahjong tiles for which the type has been specified in the reproduction data and the processed tiles from all the mahjong tiles. The set of candidate tiles is an example of the candidate group of the attributes that the second mahjong tile T2 can take.

[0051] In the subsequent step S116, the tile estimation unit 22 identifies the type of the target tile by estimating the type of the target tile according to a predetermined process. As an example, among the candidate tiles determined in step S115, the type of the target tile may be identified by selecting any one tile and assigning it to the target tile. The process of assigning the type of the target tile can be performed using a lottery process as an example. Thereafter, the tile estimation unit 22 determines whether there is an unprocessed tile among the unidentified tiles extracted in step S113 that has not yet been selected as the target tile in step S114 (step S117). If there is an unprocessed tile, the tile estimation unit 22 returns to the process of step S114. If it is determined in step S117 that there is no unprocessed tile, the tile estimation unit 22 generates second tile information in which all the unidentified tiles are associated with the type estimation result and recorded (step S118). In this case, the tile estimation unit 22 may attach identification information indicating that the tile is a tile whose type has been estimated, like the identifier illustrated in FIG. 6, to the second tile information.

[0052] When the second tile information is generated in step S118, the game data generation unit 21 acquires the second tile information from the tile estimation unit 22, and generates game data Dm by integrating the obtained second tile information with the reproduction data (step S119). For example, the game data generation unit 21 identifies the type of the mahjong tile that is an unidentified tile in the reproduction data according to the second tile information, and generates the game data Dm by complementing the identified type as the type of the unidentified tile. Therefore, the game data Dm is generated as data including both the first tile information and the second tile information. Thereafter, the game data generation unit 21 stores the game data Dm in the database DBm (step S120). When the process of step S120 is completed, the server 4 ends the process of FIG. 11.

[0053] FIG. 12 shows an example of the procedure of user service processing executed by the service control unit 23 of the server 4 to provide user services using the game data. The processing in FIG. 12 is processing executed in response to a request from the user terminal 5. When the user service processing is started, the service control unit 23 acquires the game data Dm used in the user service from the database DBm (step S201). When there is game data corresponding to each of a plurality of games, the user may be asked which game service is desired, and the game data Dm corresponding to the game specified by the user may be acquired.

[0054] When the game data is acquired, the service control unit 23 determines whether the user desires to play on behalf of any one of the players who played the game (step S202). For example, a play selection unit for desiring to play may be provided on the screens 100A and 100B of FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, and when the user operates the play selection unit, the user may be able to play on behalf of the player selected by the player selection unit 103. When it is determined that the user does not desire to play, the service control unit 23 causes the user service to be executed in the game reproduction mode (step S203). On the other hand, when it is determined that the user desires to play, the service control unit 23 causes the user service to be executed in the play control mode (step S204).

[0055] The game reproduction mode is a mode for displaying on the user terminal 5 how the game is played according to the game data Dm. In the game reproduction mode, the reproduction control unit 24 sequentially draws the images of the game according to the reproduction data included in the game data Dm and displays them on the user terminal 5. However, regarding the concealed tiles, the types of tiles described in the second tile information may be appropriately shown according to the user's operations or the like. On the other hand, the play control mode is a mode in which the user substitutes for a single target player selected by the player selection unit 103 (Figs. 7 and 8) and plays the game. In the play control mode, the user may select an action different from the selection action of the player described in the game data Dm. Therefore, in the play control mode, the selection actions of players other than the target player selected by the user are controlled by the play control unit 25, and the play is controlled so that the game progresses according to the user's selection action and the selection actions of other players. Also, regarding the mahjong tiles that remained as concealed tiles without their types being revealed in the actual game, when it becomes necessary to reveal their types by the selection actions of the user or other players, the types of those tiles are specified according to the second tile information and disclosed to the user. When disclosing to the user the types of mahjong tiles specified by the second tile information, information such as an identifier attached to the second tile information may be referred to, and information indicating that it is the second mahjong tile T2 whose type has been estimated may be provided to the user. For example, by displaying the second mahjong tile T2 in a manner different from the first mahjong tile T1, it may be shown to the user that the tile is the one whose type has been estimated. When performing such a display, information regarding the reproducibility of the game can be provided to the user. For example, the user can be made to understand whether the play is progressing as in the actual game recorded in the game data, or whether the play is progressing in a procedure different from the actual game.

[0056] In either the game reproduction mode or the play control mode, the table image 101 displayed on the user terminal 5 may be generated as an image from an appropriate viewpoint. However, in the case of the play control mode, the hands of players other than the user are displayed in a state hidden from the user. When the table image 101 is drawn based on the model of the mahjong table MT constructed in the virtual three-dimensional space, the table image 101 may be displayed as an image from an arbitrary viewpoint specified by the user.

[0057] When either mode is selected in step S203 or S204, the service control unit 23 determines whether the end condition of the user service is satisfied (step S205). For example, when the reproduction progresses until the end of the game, when the play by the user ends, or when the user instructs the end of the service, it may be determined that the end condition is satisfied. When the end condition of the user service is not satisfied, the service control unit 23 returns to the process of step S202. At this stage, if the user wishes to play, the mode can be switched to the play control mode while the game image is being reproduced in the game reproduction mode, and the user can start playing. When it is determined in step S205 that the end condition is satisfied, the service control unit 23 ends the user service (step S206), and then ends the process of FIG. 12.

[0058] In the above form, the tile identification unit 13 of the analysis PC 3 functions as an example of the first medium information generation means by executing the process of step S104 in FIG. 10, the tile estimation unit 22 of the server 4 functions as an example of the second medium information generation means by executing the processes of steps S114 to S118 in FIG. 11, the game data generation unit 21 of the server 4 functions as an example of the play data generation means by executing the process of step S119 in FIG. 11, and the service control unit 23 of the server 4 functions as an example of the service providing means by executing the processes of steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 12. Further, the play control unit 25 of the server 4 functions as an example of the play control means by providing the user service in the play control mode in step S204 of FIG. 12.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and may be implemented in appropriately modified or changed forms. For example, in the above form, by executing the game data generation process of FIG. 11 as a batch process, game data is generated and stored in advance at a stage before providing user services. However, at the time of executing a service that requires game data, game data may be generated in real time in parallel with the provision of the service. An example of the processing procedure in that case is shown in FIG. 13.

[0060] The game data generation process of FIG. 13 is a process on the premise that reproduction data based on history information is generated by the processes of steps S111 and S112 of FIG. 11 and the reproduction data is stored in the database DBm of the server 4. The game data generation process of FIG. 13 is, for example, a process executed in parallel with the user service process of FIG. 12. In that case, in the user service process of FIG. 12, reproduction data before the second tile information is included is acquired in place of the game data in step S201.

[0061] In the game data generation process of FIG. 13, the game data generation unit 21 acquires reproduction data that does not include the second tile information from the database DBm (step S141). When there is reproduction data corresponding to each of a plurality of games, reproduction data corresponding to the game targeted by the user service of FIG. 12 is acquired. Next, the game data generation unit 21 determines whether or not it is necessary to disclose the type of mahjong tile that is an unknown tile in the reproduction data during the provision of the user service (step S142). For example, step S142 is positively determined when the user requests disclosure of the type of unknown tile in the game reproduction mode, or when an unknown tile is selected as a self-drawn tile in the play control mode.

[0062] When it is determined in step S142 that it is necessary to disclose the unknown tiles, the game data generation unit 21 requests the tile estimation unit 22 to identify the type of the unknown tiles. In response to the request, the tile estimation unit 22 discriminates the mahjong tiles that can be candidates for the unknown tiles as candidate tiles (step S143), and then estimates the type of the unknown tiles according to a predetermined process to identify the type of the tile (step S144). The processes of steps S143 and S144 may be executed in the same manner as the processes of steps S115 and S116 in FIG. 11. However, the process of step S144 is a process of sequentially identifying the type of the second mahjong tile T2 during the progress of the game. Therefore, when the game is in progress in the play control mode, the type of the second mahjong tile T2 is identified according to a predetermined algorithm while referring to the progress of the play such as the formation status of the hands of the user or other players, or by using the estimation function of the AI, By doing so, it is possible to control the progress of the game so as to be advantageous or disadvantageous to the user.

[0063] When the type of the tile is identified in step S144, the result is provided to the game data generation unit 21, and the game data generation unit 21 records the identified type in the game data Dm (step S145). The game data Dm in this case is game data including the reproduction data acquired in step S141. Subsequently, the game data generation unit 21 determines whether or not the end condition of the user service is satisfied (step S146). The end condition is the same as the end condition whose success or failure is determined in step S205 of FIG. 12. When step S142 is negatively determined, the processes of steps S143 to S145 are skipped, and the process proceeds to step S146. When the end condition is not satisfied in step S146, the game data generation unit 21 returns to the process of step S142. On the other hand, when the end condition is satisfied in step S146, the game data generation unit 21 stores the game data Dm at that time in the database DBm (step S147), and then ends the process of FIG. 13.

[0064] In the game data generation process of FIG. 13, in the processes of steps S143 and S144, second tile information is sequentially generated for at least a part of the mahjong tiles that are regarded as unknown tiles in the reproduction data, and the second tile information is recorded in the game data as needed in the process of step S145. Therefore, the tile estimation unit 22 of the server 4 functions as an example of a second medium information generation means by executing the processes of steps S143 and S144, and the game data generation unit 21 of the server 4 functions as an example of play data generation means by executing the process of step S145.

[0065] In the above form, an identifier is included in the second tile information as identification information for identifying whether the mahjong tile is the first mahjong tile T1 or the second mahjong tile T2, and this is recorded in the game data. However, the identification information is not limited to such an example. For example, when the game data generation unit 21 adds the type of unknown tile to the reproduction data according to the second tile information, identification information for distinguishing the first or second mahjong tile may be added to and recorded in the game data. Identification information may be attached to the first mahjong tile T1.

[0066] The service using the game data can be set as appropriate. For example, by referring to the second tile information, an effect associated with a mahjong tile whose type was unknown in the actual game may be added to the reproduction image or the image of the user's play. In addition, options for actions different from the selection actions of each player who appeared in the actual game may be presented to the user, and a simulation showing how the progress of the game could change according to the selection result may be executed while appropriately referring to the second tile information, and a service that presents the result of the simulation to the user may be provided.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, the data of the play images is analyzed by the analysis PC 3 to generate the first tile information and the history information, and the server 4 generates the second tile information and generates the game data based on the history information corresponding to each camera 2. However, those processes may be executed by the same computer. For example, the server 4 may acquire the data of the play images captured by each camera 2 and execute the processes of each stage in FIG. 3 in a batch manner at the server 4. Alternatively, the data of the play images of each camera 2 may be collected by any one of the analysis PCs 3, and all the processes up to the generation of the game data may be executed by that analysis PC 3. Alternatively, the processes of each stage from the generation of the play data from the data of the play images may be appropriately shared and executed by computers.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a mahjong game using mahjong tiles as a physical game medium has been described. However, the information processing system and the like according to the present invention can be applied to various games as long as a plurality of physical game media with attributes that can be identified through vision are used and the game is played in a state where the attributes of at least some of the game media are concealed. For example, regarding a game using a card-shaped game medium such as a playing card or a card-type battle game, the information processing system and the like of the present invention can be applied by associating the game medium used so that its attributes can be identified with the first game medium and the game medium remaining arranged so that its attributes cannot be identified with the second game medium, respectively.

[0069] When there are a variety of game media such as in a card-based battle game, the number of candidates for identifying the attributes of the second game media may increase significantly. In such a case, it may be possible to obtain, as reference information, the tendency of the game media to be used in the actual game and use this reference information for identifying the attributes. For example, when there is a temporal popularity regarding the combination of game media that players actually use, the information on this popularity can be obtained as reference information to narrow down the candidates for identifying the attributes of the game media, and a process such as determining the attributes by lottery within the narrowed-down range may be applied. Alternatively, a lottery probability may be set for each candidate based on reference information such as popularity information, and a process of determining the attributes by lottery based on this lottery probability may be applied. When narrowing down the candidate group itself, the possibility of an attribute outside the candidate group being identified as the attribute of the second game media disappears, and when differentiating the lottery probability within the candidate group, the possibility of being identified as the attribute of the second game media relatively changes among the attributes within the candidate group. In either case, it is common in that the possibility of actually being identified as the attribute of the second game media is differentiated based on the reference information among the attributes that the second game media can have. In other words, by applying the auxiliary process based on the reference information, the attribute to be identified as the second game media may be determined from the candidate group obtained by differentiating the possibility of being identified as the second game media among the media. The candidate group in this case may be narrowed down to a part of the attributes that the second game media can have and that have a relatively high possibility of actually being identified as the attribute of the second game media, or it may include at least a part of the attributes that the second game media can have and the possibility is differentiated among the attributes.

[0070] The above-described auxiliary process may be executed at a stage of a process corresponding to step S115 in FIG. 11 or step S143 in FIG. 13, for example, when the present invention is applied to a game in which a wide variety of cards are used. Alternatively, the auxiliary process may be performed by an operator such as a system by referring to reference information. Even in that case, the computer may be caused to acquire data of the candidate group obtained by applying the auxiliary process and execute a process of specifying the attribute of the second game medium. In any case, after setting the candidate group through the auxiliary process, the computer may be caused to execute a process of selecting the attribute of the second game medium from the candidate group. By applying such a process, even when there are too many candidates for the game medium due to the existence of a wide variety of game media, the attribute of the game medium can be specified more appropriately. Note that the reference information is not limited to information regarding the tendency of use of the game medium, etc., and various types of information may be used as the reference information as long as it can be used as a clue for differentiating the possibility of being specified as the attribute of the second game medium among attributes from a huge number of game media, such as information regarding the sales start time of the game medium, information regarding the rules (regulations) of the game play, etc.

[0071] The various aspects of the present invention derived from each of the above-described embodiments and modification examples are described below. In the following description, corresponding components illustrated in the accompanying drawings are appended in parentheses in order to facilitate understanding of each aspect of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated forms by this.

[0072] An information processing system (1) according to one aspect of the present invention uses a plurality of physical game media each having an attribute that can be identified through vision, and records a state in which a game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media being concealed. Based on the data (Dp) of a play image, it is an information processing system that generates play data (Dm) for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game. Among the game media, it identifies the attribute of a first game media (T1) whose attribute can be identified in the play image based on the data of the play image, and generates first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result. First media information generation means (13, S104); among the game media, second media information generation means (22, S114 to S118; S143, S144) that identifies the attribute of a second game media (T2) whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means according to a predetermined process, and generates second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; and play data generation means (21, S119) that generates the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

[0073] A computer program (PG1, PG2) according to an aspect of the present invention is applied to an information processing system (1) that generates play data (Dm) for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data (Dp) of a play image that records a state in which a plurality of physical game media each having an attribute identifiable through vision are used and the game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media being hidden. The computer (3, 4) included in the information processing system is caused to function as: a first media information generation means (13, S104) that identifies the attribute of a first game media whose attribute has been revealed during play among the game media based on the data of the play image, and generates first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result; a second media information generation means (22, S114 to S118; S143, S144) that identifies the attribute of a second game media whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means among the game media according to a predetermined process, and generates second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; and a play data generation means (21, S119) that generates the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

[0074] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is applied to an information processing system (1) that generates play data (Dm) for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data (Dp) of a play image that records a state in which a plurality of physical game media with attributes identifiable through vision are used and the game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media hidden. A computer (3, 4) included in the information processing system identifies the attribute of a first game media whose attribute has been revealed during play among the game media based on the data of the play image, and generates first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result, a first media information generation means (13, S104); among the game media, a second media information generation means (22, S114 to S118; S143, S144) that identifies the attribute of a second game media whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means according to a predetermined process, and generates second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; and a play data generation means (21, S119) that generates the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information.

[0075] According to the above aspect, the play data for reproducing the play of the game includes not only the first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media whose type can be identified from the data of the play image, but also the second media information indicating the attribute of the second media information whose attribute cannot be identified from the data of the play image. Therefore, when providing some service using the play data, by referring to the second media information, it is possible to provide various services using information related to the attribute of the second game media. For example, it is possible to provide services such as presenting the attribute of the second game media to the user during the reproduction of the play, or allowing the user to play the game in a progress different from the photographed play. Thereby, the use of the play data can be expanded and its utilization value can be increased.

[0076] Note that the computer program according to an aspect of the present invention may be provided in a state stored in a storage medium. By using this storage medium, for example, by installing and executing the computer program according to the present invention on a computer, the system of the present invention can be realized using the computer. The storage medium storing the computer program may be a non-transitory storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0077] In the above aspect, the following matters can be further added. Note that the following various matters may be appropriately combined and applied as long as there is no contradiction among them.

[0078] The second medium information generation means may identify the attribute of the second game medium with the game medium in which the attribute is maintained in a concealed state from the start to the end of the play as the second game medium. According to this, information regarding the attribute of the game medium whose attribute has been concealed from the start to the end of the play can be reflected in the service using the play data.

[0079] The second medium information generation means may execute, as the predetermined process, a process of determining the attribute of the second game medium by lottery from a candidate group of attributes that the second game medium can have. According to this, it is possible to identify the attribute of the second game medium by a relatively simple process using lottery.

[0080] The second medium information generation means may identify the attribute of the second game medium by selecting the attribute of the second game medium from a candidate group of attributes obtained by applying an auxiliary process that differentiates the possibility of being identified as the attribute of the second game medium among attributes based on predetermined reference information. According to this, even when there are game media with various attributes, it is possible to appropriately identify the attribute of the second game medium. For example, a process of identifying the attribute of the second game medium so as to reflect the popularity of the game medium used in an actual game is possible.

[0081] The play data generation means may generate the play data such that the game medium includes identification information for identifying whether the game medium is the first game medium or the second game medium. According to this, when disclosing the attributes of the game medium in a service using the play data, it is possible to determine based on the identification information whether the attribute is a definite attribute specified from the data of the play image or an attribute specified by the second medium information generation means, and provide further information such as presenting the determination result to the user.

[0082] Service providing means (23, S201 to S206) may be provided to provide a user with a service of displaying an image that reproduces at least a part of the play of the game based on the play data. According to this, it is possible to provide a diverse service that reflects the first and second medium information to the user.

[0083] The service providing means may further include play control means (25, S204) for causing the user to play the game when providing the service, and the play control means may specify the attributes of the game medium during play by the user with reference to the first medium information and the second medium information. According to this, when it is necessary to clarify the attributes of the second game medium as a result that the user's selection behavior during the play of the game is different from the selection behavior during the play recorded in the play image, it is possible to refer to the second medium information and clarify the attributes to cope with it. Therefore, it is possible to add a new use that cannot be realized only by reproducing the play of the game to the usage form of the play data.

[0084] The game is played by a plurality of players, and the play control means may cause the user to play the game on behalf of any one of the plurality of players. According to this, by causing the user to play the game on behalf of any one of the players, it is possible to enhance the interest of the service using the play data.

[0085] The play control means may allow the user to select a player to substitute for the user. According to this, it is possible to reflect the user's wishes in the setting of the player to substitute for the user.

[0086] The play control means may control the actions of other players in the game while the user is playing the game. When the user plays the game, a selection action different from the play recorded in the play image is taken, and as a result, there is a possibility that other players cannot take the selection action recorded in the play image. However, when controlling the actions of other players by the play control means, various selection actions are allowed regarding the play of the game in which the user participates, and it is possible to smoothly advance the play in which the user participates.

Explanation of Signs

[0087] 1 Information processing system 2 Camera 3 PC for analysis 4 Server 5 User terminal 12 History information generation unit 13 Tile identification unit 21 Game data generation unit 22 Tile estimation unit 23 Service control unit 24 Reproduction control unit 25 Play control unit T1 First mahjong tile T2 Second mahjong tile

Claims

1. An information processing system that generates play data for reproducing at least a part of the play of a game based on data of a play image that records a state in which a plurality of physical game media with visually identifiable attributes are used and the game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media hidden, comprising: a first media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a first game media among the game media, the attribute of which is identifiable in the play image, based on the data of the play image, and generating first media information indicating the attribute of the first game media according to the identification result; a second media information generation means for identifying the attribute of a second game media among the game media, the attribute of which cannot be identified by the first media information generation means, according to a predetermined process, and generating second media information indicating the attribute of the second game media according to the identification result; a play data generation means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information; An information processing system comprising the above.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second media information generation means identifies the attribute of the second game media as the game media in which the attribute is maintained in a hidden state from the start to the end of the play.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second media information generation means executes, as the predetermined process, a process of determining the attribute of the second game media by lottery from a group of candidates for the attribute that the second game media can have.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second media information generation means selects the attribute of the second game media from a group of candidates for the attribute obtained by applying an auxiliary process for differentiating the possibility of being identified as the attribute of the second game media among attributes based on predetermined reference information, thereby identifying the attribute of the second game media.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the play data generation means generates the play data so as to include identification information for identifying whether the game media is the first game media or the second game media.

6. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising service providing means for providing a user with a service of displaying an image that reproduces at least a part of the play of the game based on the play data.

7. The service providing means further comprises play control means for causing the user to play the game when providing the service, and the play control means refers to the first media information and the second media information to identify the attributes of the game medium during play by the user. The information processing system according to claim 6.

8. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the game is played by a plurality of players, and the play control means causes the user to play the game on behalf of any one of the plurality of players.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein the play control means causes the user to select a player on behalf of whom the user substitutes.

10. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein the play control means controls the actions of other players in the game while the user plays the game.

11. Based on the data of a play image that records how the game is played using a plurality of physical game media with attributes that can be identified visually and with at least some of the attributes of the game media hidden, for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game. Applied to an information processing system that generates play data, the computer included in the information processing system, First media information generating means for identifying the attributes of the first game medium whose attributes have been revealed during play among the game media based on the data of the play image, and generating first media information indicating the attributes of the first game medium according to the identification result; Second media information generating means for identifying the attributes of the second game medium whose attributes cannot be identified by the first media information generating means among the game media according to a predetermined process, and generating second media information indicating the attributes of the second game medium according to the identification result; and Play data generating means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information. A computer program configured to function as.

12. Applied to an information processing system for generating play data for reproducing at least a part of the play of the game based on data of a play image that records a state in which a plurality of physical game media with visually identifiable attributes are used and the game is played with the attributes of at least some of the game media being hidden, cause a computer included in the information processing system to, First media information generation means for identifying, based on the data of the play image, the attribute of a first game medium whose attribute has been revealed during play among the game media, and generating first media information indicating the attribute of the first game medium according to the identification result; Second media information generation means for identifying, according to a predetermined process, the attribute of a second game medium whose attribute cannot be identified by the first media information generation means among the game media, and generating second media information indicating the attribute of the second game medium according to the identification result, and Play data generation means for generating the play data so as to include the first media information and the second media information; An information processing method for functioning as such.

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