Program and Information Processing Device

Abstract

This provides players with an incentive to purchase paid items. [Solution] A program that runs a game in which a player acquires a paid item with an associated validity period through a purchase procedure, wherein the computer functions as a storage means 50 that stores the validity period associated with the paid item owned by the player, a consumption means 52 that automatically consumes the paid item when the validity period expires, and a reward means 54 that grants the player a reward related to the game when the paid item is automatically consumed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program and an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a game that can consume paid items that can be obtained by a player's purchase procedure and free items that can be obtained by game execution without distinction.

[0003] Regarding this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preferentially consuming paid items when a player owns paid items and free items.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In such games, paid items may have an expiration date (for example, six months or one year). For this reason, there is a problem that the player has to pay attention on his / her own so that the purchased paid items do not expire, and may hesitate to purchase paid items.

[0006] <00000Z1>The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a program and an information processing apparatus that can motivate a player to purchase paid items.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] It should be noted that there is a misspelling in the original text where "

発明が解決しようとする課題

発明が解決しようとする課題

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

課題を解決するための手段

課題を解決するための手段

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] Furthermore, in the second aspect of the present invention, the remuneration is not associated with an effective period.

[0009] Furthermore, in a third aspect of the present invention, the storage means stores the player's player information, and the reward is a favorable modification of a portion of the player information.

[0010] Furthermore, in a fourth aspect of the present invention, the player information includes an ownership limit which is the upper limit of the number of contents that the player can own, and the reward is to increase the ownership limit.

[0011] Furthermore, in a fifth aspect of the present invention, the player information includes information indicating whether or not the player is a special member who has paid a fixed fee set at predetermined intervals, and the reward is making the player a special member.

[0012] Furthermore, in a sixth aspect of the present invention, the player information includes the current stamina value consumed when executing a quest in the game, and the reward is an increase in the current stamina value.

[0013] Furthermore, in a seventh aspect of the present invention, the game includes a lottery game in which the player acquires one or more contents randomly selected from a group of contents subject to lottery, and the reward is one or more contents selected in the lottery game.

[0014] Furthermore, in the eighth aspect of the present invention, the reward is a free item that can be consumed in the game without distinction from the paid item.

[0015] Furthermore, in the ninth aspect of the present invention, the granting means grants more free items than the amount of paid items that are automatically consumed.

[0016] Furthermore, in the tenth aspect of the present invention, the reward is content that can be purchased in the game by consuming the paid items.

[0017] Furthermore, in an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the granting means increases the amount of the reward as the amount of the automatically consumed paid items increases.

[0018] Furthermore, an information processing device according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that executes a game in which a player acquires a paid item associated with an expiration period through a purchase procedure performed by the player, and comprises: a storage means for storing the expiration period associated with the paid item owned by the player; a consumption means for automatically consuming the paid item upon the expiration of the expiration period; and a granting means for granting the player a reward related to the game upon the automatic consumption of the paid item. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide players with an incentive to purchase paid items. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This document shows an example of the overall configuration of the game system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically shows an example of a server device hardware configuration. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows an example of a smartphone hardware configuration as a terminal device. [Figure 4]It is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device. [Figure 5] In the game system according to this embodiment, it is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each functional means shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the reward notification screen according to this embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding of the description, the same reference numerals are attached to the same components and steps in each drawing as much as possible, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0022] <Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the game system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a server device 10 and one or more terminal devices 12. These server device 10 and terminal device 12 are communicably connected via a communication network NT such as an intranet, the Internet, or a telephone line.

[0024] The server device 10 is an information processing device that provides the execution result of a game obtained by executing the game program 14 or the game program 14 itself to the players of each terminal device 12 via the communication network NT. In this embodiment, the server device 10 provides the game program 14 itself to the players of the terminal device 12.

[0025] Each terminal device 12 is an information processing device owned by each player, which provides the game to each player by installing and executing the game program 14 received from the server device 10. Examples of these terminal devices 12 include various devices such as video game machines, arcade game machines, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and personal computers.

[0026] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of server device 10.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the server device 10 comprises a control device 20, a communication device 26, and a storage device 28. The control device 20 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 and memory 24.

[0028] In the control device 20, the CPU 22 executes a predetermined program stored in the memory 24 or storage device 28, thereby functioning as various functional means. Details of these functional means will be described later.

[0029] The communication device 26 consists of a communication interface and the like for communicating with external devices. The communication device 26, for example, sends and receives various types of information with the terminal device 12.

[0030] The storage device 28 is composed of a hard disk or the like. This storage device 28 stores various programs and information necessary for executing processing in the control device 20, including the game program 14, as well as information on the processing results.

[0031] The server device 10 can be implemented using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose server computer. Furthermore, the server device 10 may consist of a single information processing device or multiple information processing devices distributed across the communication network NT. Also, Figure 2 only shows a portion of the main hardware configuration of the server device 10; the server device 10 may have other configurations that are generally found in servers. Similarly, the hardware configuration of the multiple terminal devices 12 may be similar to that of the server device 10, except for the inclusion of, for example, operating means, display devices, and sound output devices.

[0032] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a smartphone, which is the terminal device 12 shown in Figure 1.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 12 includes a main control unit 30, a touch panel (touchscreen) 32, a camera 34, a mobile communication unit 36, a wireless LAN communication unit 38, a storage unit 40, and a speaker 42.

[0034] The main control unit 30 is comprised of a CPU, memory, and other components. This main control unit 30 is connected to a touch panel 32 (which serves as a display input device), a camera 34, a mobile communication unit 36, a wireless LAN communication unit 38, a storage unit 40, and a speaker 42. The main control unit 30 also has the function of controlling these connected devices.

[0035] The touch panel 32 has both display and input functions, and is composed of a display 32A that handles the display function and a touch sensor 32B that handles the input function. In this embodiment, the display 32A can display game images including button images, directional key images, joystick images, and other operation input images. The touch sensor 32B can detect the player's input position relative to the game image.

[0036] The camera 34 has the function of capturing still images and / or videos and saving them to the memory unit 40.

[0037] The mobile communication unit 36 ​​has the function of connecting to a mobile communication network via the antenna 36A and communicating with other communication devices connected to the mobile communication network.

[0038] The wireless LAN communication unit 38 connects to the communication network NT via the antenna 38A and has the function of communicating with other devices such as the server device 10 that are connected to the communication network NT.

[0039] The memory unit 40 stores various programs and data, such as the game program 14 and play data indicating the game's progress and player information. The play data may also be stored in the server device 10.

[0040] Speaker 42 has the function of outputting game sounds, etc.

[0041] <Game Overview> The game according to this embodiment includes game types such as lottery games, quests, and purchase games, in which players can acquire characters as an example of content. These lottery games may be referred to as gacha, lottery, summoning, etc. These quests may be referred to as battle games, dungeons, exploration, etc.

[0042] The lottery game according to this embodiment is a game in which, upon receiving an instruction (request) from the player to execute a lottery game, the player acquires one or more characters (content) randomly selected from a group of characters (content) that are the subject of the lottery. This lottery is executed based on the consumption of currency items or gacha tickets owned by the player. Examples of these currency items include paid items (e.g., paid gems) and non-paid items (e.g., free gems). Paid items are items that can be obtained through purchase procedures (payments) using money, prepaid cards, credit cards, electronic money, cryptocurrencies, etc. For example, one of these paid items can be purchased for 100 yen. Paid items in this embodiment have an associated validity period. This validity period may be several months (e.g., 6 months) or several years (e.g., 1 year) after the player purchases the paid item. Preferably, this validity period is a period during which the player has ample time to consume the paid item within the game, or a period set in accordance with various laws (regulations). Non-paid items are free items that can be obtained by playing games (e.g., logging in, quests, missions, etc.). These free items can be consumed in various games without distinction from paid items. For example, in the first lottery game according to this embodiment, paid and free items can be consumed without distinction. On the other hand, in the second lottery game according to this embodiment, free items cannot be consumed, and only paid items can be consumed. Furthermore, in the third lottery game according to this embodiment, the amount of paid items and free items required to perform one lottery are different. For example, in the third lottery game according to this embodiment, the amount of paid items required to perform one lottery is set to be less than the amount of free items required.

[0043] Furthermore, the quest according to this embodiment is a game in which a team formed by one or more characters owned by the player is made to battle an enemy character, based on instructions (requests) from the player to execute a quest. For example, a player can assemble a team of characters to use in a quest by selecting one or more characters from their owned characters in the team formation menu. This quest is executed based on the current stamina value associated with the player. If the player completes the quest, that is, if they reduce the hit points of the enemy character (boss character) that appears at the end of the quest to 0 or less, they can obtain a completion reward. This completion reward may include, for example, non-paid items (free items), gacha tickets, coins, characters, training items, and player experience points. These training items are, for example, items that increase a character's character experience points. On the other hand, if the player fails to complete the quest, they can choose to continue the quest by consuming one currency item (paid or free item) or one continue item, or give up on completing the quest.

[0044] Furthermore, in the purchase game according to this embodiment, the game allows the player to acquire a character (content) selected by the player based on the player's instruction (request) to purchase the character (content). This purchase is carried out based on the consumption of currency items (paid items or free items) owned by the player. This purchase game differs from lottery games and quests in that the player can reliably acquire the character (content) they desire.

[0045] Furthermore, in the game according to this embodiment, if a player is a special member who has paid a fixed fee set at predetermined intervals, the player will be provided with benefits (preferential treatment) that can be used within the game. Examples of these predetermined intervals include a few hours (e.g., 6 hours), a few days (e.g., 5 days), a few weeks (e.g., 1 week), or a few months (e.g., 1 month). Payment of this fixed fee (e.g., monthly fee) can be made using methods such as cash, prepaid cards, credit cards, electronic money, or cryptocurrencies. Examples of perks (preferential treatment) include free items, the right to play a lottery game (e.g., gacha tickets), the right to train characters (e.g., training items), the right to recover stamina (e.g., stamina recovery items), the right to continue (e.g., continue items), the right to increase the number of slots owned, and characters. For example, a player who pays a certain fee (e.g., a monthly fee) can acquire (obtain) a perk by requesting it at regular intervals (e.g., daily or monthly). In this embodiment, a special perk (preferential treatment) may be offered to a player who pays a certain fee consecutively (e.g., three times in a row). An example of such a special perk is the right to play a special lottery game in which characters with high rarity levels are the target of the lottery.

[0046] <Functional means> Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 10.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4, the server device 10 has a functional configuration comprising a storage means 50, a consumption means 52, an assignment means 54, and a control means 56. The storage means 50 is implemented by one or more storage devices 28. The functional means other than the storage means 50 are implemented by the control device 20 executing a game program 14 stored in the storage devices 28, etc.

[0048] The memory means 50 is a functional means for storing player information 50A, character information 50B, lottery game information 50C, quest information 50D, etc.

[0049] Player information 50A is stored for each player, associated with that player's player ID. This player information 50A includes, for example, the player's name, age, player rank, owned content information, membership information, stamina information, etc.

[0050] Player rank increases, for example, when a player gains player experience points.

[0051] Owned content information includes owned character information, owned item information, owned coin information, etc.

[0052] The owned character information includes the character ID for each character owned by the player, the ability parameters of each character (e.g., level, specific parameters, hit points, attack power, defense power, etc.), and the ownership slots, which are the upper limit of the number of characters (content) that can be owned. In this embodiment, the ownership slots increase (expand) by 5 slots when, for example, one currency item (paid item or free item) is consumed by the player upon instruction. In this embodiment, if the number of characters owned by a player exceeds the ownership limit, the player is prohibited from playing games that allow them to acquire characters (quests and lottery games). Therefore, players cannot play games that allow them to acquire characters unless they increase their ownership limit or decrease the number of characters they own (by combining or selling them).

[0053] The owned item information includes the item ID, quantity, and expiration date of various items owned by the player. Examples of these items include paid items, free items, gacha tickets, continue items, and stamina recovery items. In this embodiment, the expiration date is stored in association with paid items. This expiration date is, for example, six months from the date the player purchases the paid item. For example, if a player purchases 10 paid items on October 1st, the expiration date of those 10 paid items is from October 1st to March 31st of the following year.

[0054] The coin ownership information includes the number of coins the player owns.

[0055] Member information includes specific information that identifies whether a player is a special member who has paid a fixed fee set for each predetermined period (or a regular member who has not paid a fixed fee). This fixed fee is, for example, 500 yen. This specific information includes the quantity of predetermined periods (e.g., one month) in which the player is identified as a special member. For example, if a player pays the fixed fee for one unit of predetermined period (e.g., one month), "1" is added to the specific information. Also, for example, if a player pays the fixed fee for three units of predetermined period (e.g., three months), "3" is added to the specific information. Also, for example, if a player is a regular member, the specific information includes "0". In this embodiment, the specific information is decremented (-1) each time a predetermined period (e.g., one month) has elapsed since the player became a special member.

[0056] Stamina information includes the player's current stamina value and stamina limit. The current stamina value is the value consumed when performing quests in the game. This current stamina value increases by a predetermined amount (e.g., 1) after a certain period of time (e.g., 3 minutes) and recovers up to the stamina limit. In this embodiment, the current stamina value increases (recovers) by a value corresponding to the stamina limit (e.g., the same number as the stamina limit) when one currency item (paid or free item) or one stamina recovery item is consumed by the player. Note that if a currency item or stamina recovery item is consumed, the current stamina value will recover beyond the stamina limit. This stamina limit increases, for example, when the player's player rank increases.

[0057] Character Information 50B is stored for each character, associated with that character's character ID. Character Information 50B includes, for example, the character's name, image, ability parameters, and rarity. This Character Information 50B is updated periodically by the game operator through game updates.

[0058] Ability parameter information includes the initial and maximum values ​​for each of the character's ability parameters.

[0059] Rarity includes numerical values ​​ranging from 1 to 6. These values ​​may be represented, for example, by the number of stars. Characters with higher rarity generally have advantageous ability parameters in the game (e.g., quests).

[0060] The lottery game information 50C is stored for each lottery game, associated with the lottery game ID of that game. The lottery game information 50C includes the name of the lottery game, the prize money, information on the lottery participants, etc.

[0061] The price includes the number of currency items (paid or free items) required to perform one draw. For example, the price for the first draw game is 5 paid or free items. Also, for example, the price for the second draw game is 5 paid items. Also, for example, the price for the third draw game is 3 paid items or 5 free items.

[0062] The information for which characters are selected for the lottery includes the character ID of each character that makes up the group of characters selected for the lottery game, and the frequency of appearance (weight) associated with that character ID. The frequency of appearance includes a number ranging from 1 to 10, for example. Lower numbers are assigned to characters of higher rarity, and higher numbers are assigned to characters of lower rarity. Note that different numbers may be assigned to characters of the same rarity (for example, rarity 6).

[0063] Quest Information 50D is stored for each quest, associated with the quest's quest ID. Quest Information 50D includes the quest name, stamina cost, enemy character information, and clear reward information.

[0064] The stamina consumed includes the amount required to complete the quest. The stamina consumed is deducted from the player's current stamina. In this embodiment, the stamina consumed includes higher values, for example, the higher the difficulty of the quest.

[0065] Enemy character information includes the character ID and ability parameters of each enemy character that appears in the quest. This includes the boss character that appears at the end of the quest.

[0066] The clear reward information includes the number of free items and coins obtainable upon clearing a quest, the character ID and drop rate of obtainable characters, and player experience points. The drop rate is the probability that the player will acquire a character. In this embodiment, the drop rate includes higher probabilities for quests of higher difficulty.

[0067] The consumption means 52 is a functional means for consuming currency items owned by the player. In this embodiment, the consumption means 52 refers to the validity period of the paid items in the owned item information of the player information 50A and compares the validity period of each paid item with the current date and time. Subsequently, the consumption means 52 automatically consumes the paid items as their validity period expires. For example, at a predetermined timing (e.g., 0:00 AM every day), the consumption means 52 identifies the number n of paid items whose validity period has expired and deletes the identified n paid items from the owned item information.

[0068] The granting means 54 is a functional means for granting rewards to the player. In this embodiment, the granting means 54 grants the player a game-related reward when a paid item is automatically consumed by the consumption means 52. Unlike the paid item, this reward does not have an associated validity period. The reward is predetermined by the game operator, for example. Examples of such rewards include changes to player information and content. Specific examples of rewards are described below.

[0069] (1) Change player information For example, the rewards include making favorable changes to a portion of Player Information 50A. These rewards may include increasing the number of owned character slots in owned content information, designating the player as a special member in membership information (adding a value of 1 or more to specific information), and increasing the current stamina value in stamina information.

[0070] (2) Content For example, the reward is content. This reward (content) may include one or more pieces of content (e.g., characters) automatically selected in a lottery game, free items that can be consumed in the game (lottery game, quest, etc.) without distinction from paid items, and content that can be purchased by consuming paid items in the game (purchase game). This lottery game may include, for example, a lottery game that can be run at the time a paid item is automatically consumed.

[0071] Furthermore, the granting means 54 increases the amount of rewards the more paid items are automatically consumed. For example, the granting means 54 increases the amount of inventory slots, the duration of the player being a special member (the number of units of a predetermined period, i.e., the value added to specific information), or the amount of current stamina increase, the more paid items are automatically consumed. Also, for example, the granting means 54 increases the amount of content given in the lottery game, the amount of free items given, or the amount of content given in the purchase game, the more paid items are automatically consumed.

[0072] Furthermore, the granting means 54 increases the value of paid items when they are automatically consumed. For example, the granting means 54 grants the player more free items than the amount of paid items automatically consumed by the consumption means 52. Specifically, if 50 paid items are automatically consumed, the granting means 54 grants the player 75 free items. Furthermore, for example, the granting means 54 normally increases the ownership slots by 5 when one paid item is consumed, but increases the ownership slots by 6 when one paid item is consumed automatically. Also, for example, the granting means 54 normally makes a player a special member for a predetermined period of one unit (e.g., one month) when 500 yen (equivalent to 5 paid items) is paid, but makes a player a special member for a predetermined period of one unit (e.g., one month) when 4 paid items are consumed automatically. Also, for example, the granting means 54 normally adds the stamina limit to the current stamina value when one paid item is consumed, but adds a value higher than the stamina limit to the current stamina value when one paid item is consumed automatically. Furthermore, for example, the granting means 54 normally selects 10 characters in the first lottery game and grants them to the player when 50 paid items are consumed, whereas when 50 paid items are consumed automatically, it selects 11 characters in the first lottery game and grants them to the player. Furthermore, if the paid item is automatically consumed, the granting means 54 may reduce the value of the paid item to a lower value than usual.

[0073] The control means 56 is a functional means that controls the entire game. In this embodiment, the control means 56 automatically executes the lottery game. The control means 56 also generates a reward notification screen to notify the recipient of the reward granted by the granting means 54.

[0074] <Processing flow> Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each functional means shown in Figure 4 in the game system according to this embodiment. Furthermore, the processing in the following steps is started at a predetermined timing (for example, 0:00 AM every day). Note that the order and content of the following steps can be changed as appropriate.

[0075] (Step SP10) The consumption means 52 determines whether or not there are any paid items whose validity period has expired. For example, the consumption means 52 refers to the owned item information in the player information 50A to identify the paid items whose validity period has expired and their quantities, and assigns the quantities to the variable n (where n is a non-negative integer). Subsequently, if the variable n is 1 or greater, the consumption means 52 affirms the determination. If the determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to the process of step SP12. On the other hand, if the determination is denied, the process terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 5.

[0076] (Step SP12) The consumption means 52 automatically consumes the paid items (n items) identified in step SP10. For example, the consumption means 52 removes the identified paid items (n items) from the owned items information in the player information 50A. Then, the process moves on to the processing in step SP14.

[0077] (Step SP14) The control means 56 determines whether or not to start a lottery loop for executing a lottery game. For example, the control means 56 affirms the determination if the variable n is 5 or greater. If the determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to the process of step SP16. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to the process of step SP24.

[0078] (Step SP16) The control means 56 subtracts 5 from the variable n. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0079] (Step SP18) The control means 56 automatically executes a specific lottery game. For example, the control means 56 randomly selects one character from the group of characters that are the targets of the first lottery game. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP20.

[0080] (Step SP20) The granting means 54 grants the character selected in step SP18 to the player as a reward. For example, the granting means 54 adds the selected character to the owned character information in the player information 50A. Then, the process moves on to the process in step SP22.

[0081] (Step SP22) The process proceeds to step SP14, as it involves repeating the lottery loop.

[0082] (Step SP24) The control means 56 determines whether or not to start a slot increase loop to increase (expand) the number of owned slots. For example, the control means 56 affirms the determination if the variable n is 1 or greater. If the determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to the process of step SP26. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to the process of step SP32.

[0083] (Step SP26) The control means 56 subtracts 1 from the variable n. Then, the process proceeds to step SP28.

[0084] (Step SP28) The granting means 54 automatically increases the player's ownership slots as a reward. For example, the granting means 54 increases (expands) the ownership slots of the owned character information in the player information 50A by 5 slots. Then, the process moves on to the processing of step SP30.

[0085] (Step SP30) The process repeats the frame increase loop, so it proceeds to the process of step SP24.

[0086] (Step SP32) The control means 56 generates a reward notification screen (reward notification message) indicating the character granted in step SP20 and the increase in the number of owned slots in step SP28. This reward notification screen is displayed, for example, when a player logs into the game and opens the reward notification message from the list of received messages.

[0087] Figure 6 shows an example of a reward notification screen 60 according to this embodiment.

[0088] As shown in Figure 6, the reward notification screen 60 is provided with a reward information area 62 and a confirmation button 64. The reward information area 62 displays the rewards awarded to the player upon the expiration of the validity period. For example, the reward information area 62 may display the name and rarity of the character awarded as a result of an automatically executed lottery game, or the number of ownership slots before and after an increase in ownership slots. The confirmation button 64 is a button that notifies the server device 10 that the reward notification message has been confirmed and returns to the received message list screen.

[0089] Then, the process concludes with the series of steps shown in Figure 5.

[0090] <Effects> In this embodiment, the program executes a game in which a player acquires a paid item with an associated validity period through a purchase procedure performed by the player, and the computer functions as a storage means 50 for storing the validity period associated with the paid item owned by the player, a consumption means 52 for automatically consuming the paid item when the validity period has expired, and a reward means 54 for granting a reward related to the game to the player when the paid item has been automatically consumed.

[0091] This configuration ensures that players receive in-game rewards even after the validity period of paid items has expired, thus providing an incentive for them to purchase paid items.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reward is not associated with an expiration period.

[0093] This configuration prevents the management of player information from becoming complicated for game operators, as the rewards given to players do not have an expiration date associated with them.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage means 50 stores the player's player information, and the reward is to modify a portion of the player information to the player's advantage.

[0095] This configuration allows players to continue playing the game even after the validity period of paid items has expired, as some of their player information will be changed to their advantage.

[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, player information includes the ownership limit, which is the maximum number of content items a player can own, and the reward is to increase the ownership limit.

[0097] This configuration allows players to continue playing the game even after the validity period of paid items has expired, as their inventory slots will increase.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the player information includes information indicating whether or not the player is a special member who has paid a fixed fee set at predetermined intervals, and the reward is making the player a special member.

[0099] With this configuration, even if the validity period of paid items expires, players are still considered special members, thus providing them with an incentive to continue playing the game.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, player information includes the current stamina value consumed when performing quests within the game, and the reward is an increase in the current stamina value.

[0101] With this configuration, even if the validity period of a paid item expires, the player's current stamina value will increase, thus providing the player with an incentive to use that current stamina value to play the game.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game includes a lottery game in which the player acquires one or more contents randomly selected from a group of contents subject to lottery, and the reward is one or more contents selected in the lottery game.

[0103] With this configuration, even if the validity period of a paid item expires, the content drawn in the lottery game will still be granted, thus providing players with an incentive to use that content to play the game.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reward is a free item that can be consumed in the game without distinction from paid items.

[0105] With this configuration, even if the validity period of a paid item expires, a free item that can be consumed in the game without distinction from the paid item is provided, thus motivating players to use the free item to play the game.

[0106] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the granting means 54 grants more free items than the amount of paid items that have been automatically consumed.

[0107] With this configuration, even if the validity period of paid items expires, players will automatically receive more free items than the amount of paid items consumed, thus providing an incentive for players to use those free items to play the game.

[0108] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reward is content that can be purchased in the game by consuming paid items.

[0109] With this configuration, even if the validity period of a paid item expires, the player will still be granted purchasable content in the purchased game, thus providing an incentive for the player to use that content to play the game.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rewarding means 54 increases the amount of reward the more paid items are automatically consumed.

[0111] This configuration ensures that players continue playing the game, as they will receive numerous rewards even if the validity period of many paid items they own expires.

[0112] <Variation> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples. That is, designs modified by those skilled in the art to the above-described examples are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the features of the present invention. Furthermore, the elements of the embodiments described above and the modifications described later can be combined to the extent that it is technically possible, and combinations thereof are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the features of the present invention.

[0113] For example, in this embodiment, the consumption means 52 was described as determining whether or not there are any paid items whose validity period has expired at midnight every day, but the determination may also be made at midnight every Monday or at midnight on the 1st of every month, for example.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reward granting means 54 was described as granting a reward when the consumption means 52 determined that the validity period had expired. However, the reward may also be granted when the player confirms the reward notification screen.

[0115] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a case where the granting means 54 grants a reward predetermined by the game operator, it may also grant a reward that has been pre-selected by the player. For example, when a player purchases a paid item, they may pre-select a reward that will be granted when the validity period of the paid item expires.

[0116] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the granting means 54 has been described as increasing the amount of rewards as the amount of paid items automatically consumed increases, but the quality of the rewards may also be increased. For example, the granting means 54 may increase the quality (e.g., rarity) of the content granted in the lottery game or purchase game as the amount of paid items automatically consumed increases.

[0117] Furthermore, while this embodiment primarily describes cases where the content is a character or item, it may also be a weapon, armor, card, avatar, coin, point, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0118] 10...Server device (computer), 12...Terminal device, 50...Storage means, 52...Consumption means, 54...Granting means

Claims

[Claim 1] A program that runs a game in which, through the player's purchase procedure, the player acquires a paid item to which an expiration date is associated; Computers, A storage means for storing the validity period associated with the paid items owned by the aforementioned player. A means of consumption that automatically consumes the paid item upon the expiration of the aforementioned validity period, A means for granting rewards related to the game to the player upon the automatic consumption of the aforementioned paid item, To make it function as program.

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