Information processing device

Abstract

To enhance the effectiveness of advertising through online games. [Solution] On the game terminal 104, a first advertisement screen 146 is displayed at a predetermined timing when the game is being played. When the first advertisement screen 146 is displayed, game content that will give the player an advantage in the game is offered as a reward. On the first advertisement screen 146, the player is notified that a reward has been offered by the sponsor because the advertisement has been displayed. In addition, rewards are provided not only for displaying advertisements, but also for various actions such as accessing the sponsor's website, registering an email address, answering surveys, and purchasing products.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to advertisement control for network games.

Background Art

[0002] The use of smartphones as not only communication terminals but also game terminals has become widespread. Network games popular among smartphones are provided by accessing a platform constructed on a game server from the smartphones. Network games often focus on character cultivation, cooperation and competition with other players, and collection of cards and items.

[0003] Network games are often played during spare time such as commuting time, break time, and before going to bed. Since there are many opportunities for players to view them, it is considered that displaying advertisements in network games is likely to increase the recognition of products. The advertisements here may be game advertisements, but may also be product advertisements such as soft drinks and toys, or various advertisements such as movie, sports, and TV program promotions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, if an advertisement is displayed during the game, there is a possibility that the player may feel the advertisement display is cumbersome. In particular, if an advertisement is displayed conspicuously enough to interfere with game play, there is also concern that it may instead lower the corporate image of the advertiser.

[0006] This invention was completed based on the above-mentioned problem recognition, and its main purpose is to provide a technology for enhancing the advertising effect of network games. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device in one aspect of the present invention comprises a game execution unit that controls the progress of a game, an advertisement display unit that displays an advertisement at a predetermined timing, and a reward provision unit that, triggered by the display of an advertisement, provides the player with game content to give them an advantage in the game as a reward. The advertising display unit will notify the advertiser that it has received compensation for displaying the advertisement.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the game server is connected via a communication network to game terminals capable of running first and second network games. The game server comprises a game management unit that manages the progress of the first and second network games on the game terminal, an advertisement transmission unit that sends advertisements to the game terminal to be displayed while the first and second network games are running on the game terminal, and a reward provision unit that, triggered by the display of an advertisement, provides the player with game content to give them an advantage in the game as a reward. The ad transmission unit transmits an ad indicating that when the first network game is run on a game terminal, the advertiser will provide rewards to give the player an advantage in the first network game, and also indicates that the advertiser will provide rewards to give the player an advantage in the second network game.

[0009] An information processing device in one aspect of the present invention displays within the game the name of the game's sponsor and that game content to give players an advantage in the game has been provided by the sponsor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it becomes easier to enhance the advertising effect of network games. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a hardware configuration diagram of the game system. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of the game system. [Figure 3] This is a data structure diagram of the ad settings table. [Figure 4] This is a screenshot of the first advertisement screen. [Figure 5] This is a screenshot of the second advertisement screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] In this embodiment, a game server provides multiple types of network games to the game terminal, and advertisers who sponsor the games (hereinafter referred to as "sponsors") provide game content to the player. Game content here refers to anything that is useful for the player to progress through the game advantageously, such as characters, equipment, items, or item lottery rights, or anything that can be collected in the game world. Hereinafter, game content provided at the sponsor's expense will be referred to as "sponsor rewards." When the player starts the game, a message indicating that sponsor rewards have been provided will be displayed on the game terminal. By presenting game content at the sponsor's expense, the sponsor's favorability towards the player is increased. The following will focus on the provision of sponsorship compensation and the methods of notifying sponsors.

[0013] Figure 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of game system 100. In the game system 100, multiple game terminals 104a, 104b, 104c...104n (hereinafter collectively referred to as "game terminals 104" when referring to them together or without distinction) are connected to the game server 102 via the internet 106. In this embodiment, the game terminals 104 are assumed to be smartphones. The game terminals 104 may be portable game consoles or general-purpose computers such as laptop PCs. The game terminals 104 and the internet 106 are connected wirelessly, but may also be connected via a wired connection. Each game player is assigned a unique ID called a player ID. The game server 102 provides the game to each game terminal 104.

[0014] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the game system 100. As described above, the game system 100 includes a game server 102 and a game terminal 104. Each component of the game terminal 104 and the game server 102 is realized by hardware including arithmetic units such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various coprocessors, storage devices such as memory and storage, and wired or wireless communication lines connecting them, and software stored in the storage devices that supplies processing instructions to the arithmetic units. The computer program may consist of device drivers, an operating system, various application programs located at a higher layer, and libraries that provide common functions to these programs. The blocks described below represent functional units, not hardware units. The game server 102 may include a web server, and the game terminal 104 may include a portable communication terminal and a web browser installed thereon.

[0015] (Game Server 102) The game server 102 includes a communication unit 108, a data processing unit 110, and a data storage unit 112. The communication unit 108 is responsible for communication processing with the game terminal 104 via the Internet 106. The data storage unit 112 stores various data. The data processing unit 110 executes various processes based on the data acquired by the communication unit 108 and the data stored in the data storage unit 112. The data processing unit 110 also functions as an interface between the communication unit 108 and the data storage unit 112. The data storage unit 112 stores various information such as game programs.

[0016] The data storage unit 112 includes an advertisement storage unit 136 and a player data storage unit 138. The player data storage unit 138 stores information regarding the play state of each player, such as the player's rank, game contents (characters, equipment, items, etc.) held by the player, play time, player attributes, etc. Player attributes are information that defines the personal attributes of the player, such as gender, age, place of residence, etc. The advertisement storage unit 136 stores advertisement information. The advertisement information is, for example, the image and character information of the advertisement displayed on the game terminal 104. Also, the advertisement storage unit 136 stores information regarding sponsor rewards. Details will be described later.

[0017] The communication unit 108 includes an advertisement transmission unit 142. The advertisement transmission unit 142 transmits advertisement information to the game terminal 104.

[0018] The data processing unit 110 includes a reward providing unit 126, a game management unit 114, and a player registration unit 128. The player registration unit 128 accepts player registration from the game terminal 104 via the communication unit 108. When player registration is requested, the player registration unit 128 assigns a player ID to the player and registers it in the player data storage unit 138.

[0019] The reward provision unit 126 provides rewards to players. Rewards are game content that can be used in the game. Rewards may be provided when players achieve predetermined conditions during the game, or they may be provided as sponsor rewards. The game management unit 114 manages the progress status of multiple types of games for each game and each player.

[0020] (Game terminal 104) The game terminal 104 includes a user interface unit 118, a communication unit 116, a data processing unit 120, and a data storage unit 122. The user interface unit 118 accepts input from the player via the touch panel and is responsible for processing related to the user interface, such as displaying images and outputting sound. The communication unit 116 is responsible for communication processing with the game server 102 and other game terminals 104 via the internet 106. The data storage unit 122 stores various types of data. The data processing unit 120 executes various processes based on the data acquired by the user interface unit 118 and the communication unit 116, and the data stored in the data storage unit 122. The data processing unit 120 also functions as an interface for the user interface unit 118, the communication unit 116, and the data storage unit 122.

[0021] The data processing unit 120 includes a game execution unit 132. The game execution unit 132 controls the progress of the game in cooperation with the game server 102. The game execution unit 132 may be formed as a software module downloaded from the game server 102. The communication unit 116 acquires various game information from the game server 102, and the data processing unit 120 displays the game screen on the user interface unit 118. The user interface unit 118 also detects various inputs from the user, and the data processing unit 120 notifies the game server 102 of the input information via the communication unit 116. In response to this input information, the game management unit 114 of the game server 102 controls the progress of the game in cooperation with the game execution unit 132 of the game terminal 104.

[0022] The communication unit 116 includes an advertisement receiving unit 140. The advertisement receiving unit 140 receives advertisements from the advertisement transmitting unit 142.

[0023] The user interface unit 118 includes an input unit 124 that receives input from the player and an output unit 134 that outputs various information such as images and sounds to the player. The input unit 124 mainly detects the player's touch operation on the screen as input. The output unit 134 includes an advertisement display unit 130 that displays advertisements received by the advertisement receiving unit 140 on the screen.

[0024] Normally, the game's play screen is generated by the game execution unit 132 and displayed by the output unit 134. In multiplayer mode, the game management unit 114 of the game server 102 manages game setting information common to each player. The game execution unit 132 of the game terminal 104 generates the play screen in accordance with the game setting information provided by the game server 102 and the player's input. The game management unit 114 of the game server 102 updates the game setting information based on the input from each player.

[0025] Figure 3 is a data structure diagram of the ad settings table 144. The ad settings table 144 is stored in the ad storage unit 136. The game server 102 provides multiple games G1 to Gn. Players download any game to their game terminal 104. Sponsors place ads in one or more games by paying advertising fees to the game operators. In Figure 3, sponsor S1 places ads in three games: G1, G2, and G3.

[0026] A portion of the advertising revenue is provided to players as sponsor rewards. As will be explained in more detail later, when playing game G1, an advertising screen is displayed at the start of the game (when logging in). When the advertising screen is displayed, the communication unit 116 of the game terminal 104 notifies the game server 102 which game's advertising screen was displayed and by which player. The reward provision unit 126 refers to the advertising setting table 144 and provides sponsor rewards to the players.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, when the advertisement screen for game G1 is displayed, sponsor S1 provides the player with 10 "stones." Here, "stones" are a type of game content, and by consuming a predetermined number of stones, the player can perform a lottery. Depending on the lottery result, the player can acquire various characters, equipment, and items. Stones are game content that acts like currency, expanding the player's chances of progressing through the game more advantageously. The reward provision unit 126 updates the player data in the player data storage unit 138 and provides the sponsor reward to the player by adding 10 stones as game content owned by the player.

[0028] The ad screen also includes a link to the official website of sponsor S1. When a player selects this link and accesses the sponsor S1 site, sponsor S1 will provide the player with 30 gems. Furthermore, when a player registers their email address with sponsor S1, sponsor S1 will give the player an additional 40 gems as a sponsor reward. By watching sponsor S1's in-game ad, accessing the sponsor S1 site, and registering their email address, players can obtain a total of 80 gems, essentially "on the house" of sponsor S1.

[0029] Stones are game content unique to each game. For example, stones obtained in game G1 can only be used in game G1. As an alternative, stones obtained in game G1 could be used in other games as well.

[0030] According to Figure 3, sponsor S2 places advertisements in two games, G4 and G5. When playing game G4, an advertisement screen is displayed at the start of the game, and the player is given 5 in-game currency (stones). Various other sponsor rewards may also be offered. When accessing sponsor S2's official website through either game G4 or G5, the character C1 is provided as a sponsor reward. Additionally, when registering an email address, the character's magic ability is enhanced with a magic book M.

[0031] Game content such as stones, character C1, and magic book M are all valuable to players, and therefore cannot be supplied indefinitely in order to maintain game balance. Normally, players obtain such game content through lotteries or by completing missions such as defeating boss characters set in the game. In other words, game content is obtained as compensation for the cost (effort) that players put into the game.

[0032] In this embodiment, game content (sponsor rewards) are also provided by sponsors. Sponsor rewards may be automatically obtained when playing the game, or they may be obtained as a condition for additional actions such as accessing a website or registering an email address. Sponsors pay advertising fees to the game operator, allowing them to display advertisements in the game. The advertising fees become revenue for the game operator, but a portion of it is returned to players as sponsor rewards. The game operator adjusts the amount of sponsor rewards supplied to maintain game balance and prevent excessive distribution. The reward provision unit 126 of the game terminal 104 may set a cap on the total amount of sponsor rewards supplied within a predetermined period.

[0033] Figure 4 is a screenshot of the first advertisement screen 146. The advertising display unit 130 displays the first advertising screen 146 as the initial screen when game G1 is played. As shown in the advertising settings table 144 in Figure 3, sponsor S1 is the one placing advertisements in game G1. Therefore, the first advertising screen 146 is an advertisement for sponsor S1.

[0034] The first advertising screen 146 includes a banner ad 148 and a referral ad 150. The banner ad 148 contains a link to the official website of sponsor S1. By selecting the banner ad 148, the player can access the official website of sponsor S1. When access to the banner ad 148 occurs, the communication unit 116 notifies the game server 102 of the access. At this time, the reward provision unit 126 provides the player with 30 stones as a sponsor reward (see Figure 3).

[0035] On the official website of sponsor S1, users can register their email address. When an email address is registered, the communications unit 116 notifies the game server 102 of this fact. At this time, the reward provision unit 126 provides the player with 40 gems as a sponsor reward (see Figure 3).

[0036] The ad storage unit 136 stores the image of the banner ad 148 and the URL of the official website (Uniform Resource Locator) as advertising information for each sponsor. The ad transmission unit 142 transmits the advertising information to the game terminal 104, the ad receiving unit 140 receives the advertising information, and the ad display unit 130 displays the banner ad 148 based on the advertising information.

[0037] The referral advertisement 150 indicates that a sponsor reward (10 gems) has been provided when the first advertisement screen 146 is displayed. The text in the referral advertisement 150 is automatically generated by the reward provision unit 126 and sent from the advertisement transmission unit 142 to the advertisement reception unit 140 as part of the advertisement information. The sponsor may set arbitrary text data for the referral advertisement 150. In Figure 4, it is shown that 10 gems have been presented as a sponsor reward by sponsor S1, which provides the movie "AX", and that more gems can be obtained by accessing the official website of the movie "AX" from the banner advertisement 148.

[0038] When playing Game G1, the first advertisement screen 146 is displayed automatically. In other words, players can receive sponsor rewards simply by playing Game G1 as usual. The introductory advertisement 150 on the first advertisement screen 146 informs players that sponsor rewards have been given by sponsor S1. Because players receive sponsor rewards without having to take any action for sponsor S1, they are more likely to develop a positive feeling towards sponsor S1.

[0039] Normally, when an advertisement is displayed when starting a game, players may find it annoying. However, the first advertisement screen 146 in this embodiment is also a screen that informs the player that a sponsor reward has been given. In other words, the first advertisement screen 146 is not a screen that forcibly displays an advertisement to the player. Because the first advertisement screen 146 conveys information that is favorable to the player, the player is less likely to feel annoyed by the display of the first advertisement screen 146.

[0040] Players who feel a connection to sponsor S1 are more likely to reciprocate the sponsor's rewards by taking additional actions such as visiting sponsor S1's official website, registering their email address, or answering surveys. Furthermore, sponsors can not only raise awareness of the movie "AX" by viewing the first ad screen 146, but also reward players in stages with sponsor rewards for actions such as visiting the official website or registering their email address. As a result, it becomes easier to concentrate advertising budgets (sponsor rewards) on customers who are more likely to purchase the product.

[0041] Figure 5 is a screenshot of the second advertisement screen 152. The advertising display unit 130 displays the second advertising screen 152 in game G1 after displaying the first advertising screen 146. The second advertising screen 152 includes a referral advertisement 154 and a download button 156. Sponsor S1 also places advertisements in games G2 and G3 in addition to game G1 (see Figure 3). The referral advertisement 154 indicates that sponsor S1 is providing sponsorship rewards not only for game G1 but also for other games G2 and G3. The content of the referral advertisement 154 is also generated by the reward provision unit 126 as part of the advertising information.

[0042] The download button 156 allows players to download games G2 and G3. Because players have experienced the benefits of earning sponsor rewards by playing game G1, they are more likely to want to earn similar sponsor rewards in other games. This method expands the opportunities for games G2 and G3 to be downloaded via game G1. This is beneficial for the game operator, and sponsor S1 also benefits from increased advertising exposure. For example, if a player has already downloaded game G2, the download button 156 for game G2 may be replaced with a button to launch the game G2 app on the second advertising screen 152.

[0043] The game system 100 has been described above based on the embodiment. Network games are often played in short bursts at a high frequency during spare time. Therefore, advertising network games is considered effective in increasing product awareness. In this embodiment, sponsor rewards are provided virtually unconditionally simply for playing the game, rather than requiring actions such as accessing the official website or registering an email address. By providing sponsor rewards before asking players to take any action, it is possible to increase favorability towards the sponsor.

[0044] Players who have a positive impression of a sponsor are more likely to take additional actions such as visiting the official website, registering their email address, answering surveys, or purchasing products related to the sponsor. In addition, sponsor rewards are set for each additional action as an incentive. For example, if the advertising period is set to 15 days, sponsor rewards could be provided for each display of the first ad screen 146 during the first 5 days, and for each visit to the official website from the 6th to the 8th day. From the 9th day onward, sponsor rewards can be set for each consumption or consumption-related action, such as registering an email address, answering surveys, or purchasing products.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first advertisement screen 146 is displayed at the start of the game, not during the game itself. Because it is not an advertisement during gameplay, it is easier to maintain the game's world view. Furthermore, as explained in relation to Figure 5, it is possible to guide players to various games by offering sponsor rewards as an incentive.

[0046] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and the components can be modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the embodiments and modifications described above. In addition, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments and modifications described above.

[0047] Although the game system 100 is described as being composed of multiple game terminals 104 and one game server 102, some of the functions of the game terminals 104 may be implemented by the game server 102, or some of the functions of the game server 102 may be assigned to the game terminals 104. Furthermore, a third device other than the game server 102 and game terminals 104 may also perform some of the functions. The collection of functions of the game terminal 104 and the game server 102, as described in Figure 2, can be broadly understood as a single "information processing device." How to allocate the multiple functions necessary to realize the present invention to one or more hardware components should be determined in consideration of the processing capabilities of each hardware component and the specifications required for the game system 100.

[0048] Generally, there is a psychological tendency for people to develop a desire for a product the more frequently they are exposed to a lot of information about it. Because network games are viewed frequently by players, it is possible to increase players' interest in the product by gradually disclosing product information in the first advertising screen 146. For example, if the product is a movie, the first advertising screen 146 displayed the first time could explain the movie's synopsis, the second time it could explain the movie's cast, and the third time it could display comments from the actors. When the first advertising screen 146 is displayed multiple times, the content of the introductory advertisement 150 can be changed to increase players' interest in the product.

[0049] Sponsor rewards may also be given when a product is purchased. The store terminal obtains the player ID from the game terminal 104 and notifies the game server 102 of the product purchase along with the player ID. Upon receiving the notification, the reward provision unit 126 provides the sponsor reward to the player. The game server 102 can collect various information, such as players who only viewed the first advertisement screen 146, players who registered their email address, and players who actually purchased a product. The data processing unit 110 of the game server 102 may have a "profile generation unit" that creates a customer profile of each player (customer) based on this information, such as whether they are interested in the product and whether they are the type to take proactive action. The advertisement transmission unit 142 may send advertisement information introducing products other than the advertised product to highly responsive customers. Furthermore, collaboration between the game and sponsors is also conceivable. For example, a mini-game may be provided that can only be played by people who have seen the advertisement, registered their email address, or answered a survey.

[0050] The data processing unit 110 of the game server 102 may include an "ad placement control unit." The ad placement control unit determines which games to place ads in and for how long, based on the advertising fees provided by the sponsor and the sponsor's corporate image. For example, an advertisement for a product targeting women is likely to be more effective if placed in games with a large number of female players. The ad placement control unit may select games to place ads in by matching the target audience of the product with the customer profiles of each game, or it may propose such games to the sponsor.

[0051] The number of sponsors who can place advertisements in a game may be limited to one company. The display period of the advertisement may be set according to the advertising fee. Also, if sponsor S1 obtains the right to display an advertisement on the first advertisement screen 146 for 5 days, it may advertise the same product for all 5 days, or it may advertise different products each of the 5 days.

[0052] It is possible for multiple sponsors to display advertisements in a game at the same time. For example, if the advertising fees for sponsor S1 and sponsor S2 are 7:3, then on the first advertising screen 146, there may be a 70% chance that sponsor S1's advertisement will be displayed and a 30% chance that sponsor S2's advertisement will be displayed.

[0053] The larger the player base of a game, the more effective advertising becomes. Therefore, if a game is popular, it's worth paying high advertising fees for. Game companies that provide high-quality games have a significant advantage.

[0054] To ensure that the advertisement is seen, the first advertisement screen 146 may be set so that it cannot be closed until it has been displayed for a predetermined time, for example, about 3 seconds.

[0055] Although the first advertisement screen 146 was described as being displayed at the start of the game (when logging in), the first advertisement screen 146 and the second advertisement screen 152 may also be displayed at any time that does not interfere with gameplay, such as when the game ends, when an in-game mission is completed, when a received message is opened, or at a predetermined time. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 100 Game System, 102 Game Server, 104 Game Terminal, 106 Internet, 108 Communication Unit, 110 Data Processing Unit, 112 Data Storage Unit, 114 Game Management Unit, 116 Communication Unit, 118 User Interface Unit, 120 Data Processing Unit, 122 Data Storage Unit, 124 Input Unit, 126 Reward Provision Unit, 128 Player Registration Unit, 130 Ad Display Unit, 132 Game Execution Unit, 134 Output Unit, 136 Ad Storage Unit, 138 Player Data Storage Unit, 140 Ad Receiving Unit, 142 Ad Transmission Unit, 144 Ad Setting Table, 146 First Ad Screen, 148 Banner Ad, 150 Referral Ad, 152 Second Ad Screen, 154 Invitation Ad, 156 Download Button

Claims

1. A game execution unit that controls the progress of the game, An ad display unit that displays an ad at a predetermined time, The system includes a reward provision unit that, triggered by the display of the aforementioned advertisement, provides the player with game content to give them an advantage in the game, The information processing device is characterized in that the advertising display unit notifies the advertiser that it has received the aforementioned compensation when displaying the advertisement.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the reward provision unit provides a first reward when the advertisement is displayed, and after providing the first reward, provides a second reward when the player accesses a predetermined external site via the advertisement.

3. The first and second network games are connected via a communication network to game terminals capable of running network games. A game management unit that manages the progress of the first and second network games on the game terminal, An advertising transmission unit transmits advertisements to be displayed on the game terminal while the first and second network games are running to the game terminal. The system includes a reward provision unit that, triggered by the display of the aforementioned advertisement, provides the player with game content to give them an advantage in the game, The game server is characterized in that the advertising transmission unit transmits an advertisement indicating that when the first network game is executed on the game terminal, the advertiser will provide a reward to give the player an advantage in the first network game, and also indicating that the advertiser will provide a reward to give the player an advantage in the second network game.

4. An information processing device characterized by displaying within the game the name of the game's sponsor and that game content that allows the user to progress through the game advantageously has been provided by the sponsor.

5. Features to control the game's progress, A function to display advertisements at predetermined times, The computer is instructed to perform a function that, triggered by the display of the aforementioned advertisement, provides the player with game content to give them an advantage in the game as a reward. A game program characterized by notifying the game that the advertiser has provided the aforementioned compensation when displaying the aforementioned advertisement.

Images