Game program, method, and information processing device

Abstract

To provide a game program capable of maintaining enjoyment of the game without placing an excessive load on a server in a game receiving information related to sleep of each user.SOLUTION: There is provided a game program which is executed by a computer comprising a processor. The game program performs: a step of receiving an operation input from a user; A step of setting a first time at which a game is to progress and making a predetermined notification at the first time when the operation input is not received before the first time arrives; a step (S513) of changing a state of the notification based on the operation input of the user and accessing a server to progress the game; and a step of distributing second times at which the computers of respective users are to access the server to progress the game.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a game program, a method, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known technologies for measuring sleep. For example, by having a user wear a wristwatch-type device, the device can determine whether the user is in light sleep, deep sleep, or REM sleep based on the output of a motion sensor. This allows the time-dependent changes in each sleep stage to be recorded.

[0003] Data measured while the user is asleep is also reflected in game programs. Patent Document 1 describes that when the user's sleep is measured and it is determined that the user has woken up, sleep information such as total sleep time is sent to a server and reflected in the game. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016 / 021235 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, users often set alarms and wake up at the exact time they are supposed to ring. Furthermore, alarms are often set to convenient times like 7:00 or 7:30. If sleep information is sent simultaneously from each user's device to the server at such times, excessive server access may occur, potentially causing the server to crash or other abnormal situations, which could adversely affect game operation. This creates the need to secure excessive server processing resources to withstand the excessive access.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for maintaining the interest of a game that receives information about each user's sleep while avoiding placing an excessive load on the server. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, a game program to be executed by a computer including a processor is provided, the game program causing the processor to perform the following steps: accepting an operation input from a user, setting a first time at which a game is to be progressed, and if the operation input is not received before the first time, issuing a predetermined notification at the first time, changing the state of the notification based on the operation input from the user and accessing a server to progress the game, and distributing second times at which the computers of the users access the server to progress the game.

[0008] According to one embodiment, a method for causing a computer including a processor to execute a game is provided, the method including the steps of: receiving an operational input from a user; setting a first time at which the game is to be progressed, and if the operational input is not received before the first time, issuing a predetermined notification at the first time; changing the state of the notification based on the operational input from the user and accessing a server to progress the game; and distributing second times at which the computers of the users access the server to progress the game.

[0009] According to one embodiment, an information processing device is provided that includes a control unit, the control unit performing the following steps: accepting an operation input from a user, setting a first time at which a game is to be progressed, and issuing a predetermined notification at the first time if the operation input is not received before the first time arrives, changing the state of the notification based on the operation input from the user and accessing a server to progress the game, and distributing second times at which the computers of the users access the server to progress the game. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, in a game that receives information about each user's sleep, it is possible to maintain the interest of the game while avoiding placing an excessive load on the server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a game system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram of a terminal device 10 constituting a game system 1 of a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a server 20. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing the data structures of a user information database 281 and server processing capacity information 282 stored in the server 20. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of distributing second times at which each user actually accesses the server and progresses in the game, based on an operational input from the user. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the terminal device 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0013] First Embodiment <1. Overall game system configuration> 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the game system 1. In the game system 1, the server receives sleep information of each user and progresses the game.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices (terminal device 10A and terminal device 10B are shown in FIG. 1; hereinafter, they may be collectively referred to as "terminal devices 10") and a server 20. The terminal devices 10 and the server 20 are connected for communication via a network 80. In addition, in this embodiment, each device (terminal device, server, etc.) can also be regarded as an information processing device. That is, a collection of devices can be regarded as a single "information processing device," and the game system 1 may be formed as a collection of multiple devices. The manner in which multiple functions required to realize the game system 1 according to this embodiment are allocated to one or multiple pieces of hardware can be determined appropriately in consideration of the processing capacity of each piece of hardware and / or the specifications required for the game system 1.

[0015] The terminal device 10 is a device operated by each user. The terminal device 10 is realized by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet compatible with a mobile communication system. Alternatively, the terminal device 10 may be, for example, a stationary personal computer (PC), a laptop PC, or a dedicated game console. The terminal device 10 may also function as a head-mounted display, for example, a transparent, non-transparent, or see-through head-mounted display. For example, the terminal device 10 may function as a mobile terminal when not functioning as a head-mounted display, and may function as a head-mounted display when worn on a goggle-type device. In this case, the terminal device 10 can switch between a mode functioning as a mobile terminal and a mode functioning as a head-mounted display. In the mode functioning as a head-mounted display, the terminal device 10 detects the movement of the user's head using a motion sensor built into the terminal device 10 and updates the display image in conjunction with the movement of the user's head.

[0016] 1, the terminal device 10 includes a communication IF (Interface) 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, a memory 15, a storage unit 16, and a processor 19. The server 20 includes a communication IF 22, an input / output IF 23, a memory 25, a storage 26, and a processor 29.

[0017] The terminal device 10 is communicatively connected to the server 20 via a network 80. The terminal device 10 is connected to the network 80 by communicating with communication devices such as a wireless base station 81 conforming to communication standards such as 5G and LTE (Long Term Evolution), and a wireless LAN router 82 conforming to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11.

[0018] The communication IF 12 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with external devices. The input device 13 is an input device (e.g., a touch panel, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, etc.) for receiving input operations from a user. The output device 14 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, etc.) for presenting information to a user. The memory 15 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by the programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage unit 16 is a storage device for saving data, such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The processor 19 is hardware for executing an instruction set written in a program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0019] As shown in the figure, the terminal device 10 is connected to a game controller 11A via a wired or wireless connection. A user can play a game by operating the game controller 11A. The terminal device 10 may be capable of communicating with multiple game controllers 11A. For example, multiple users can play a game using a single terminal device 10. The game controller 11 may also have a structure that is detachable from the terminal device 10. The game controller 11 may be a single device that can be held in both hands of the user, or may be composed of two devices that are held in each hand of the user. For example, the game controller 11 may have a gyro sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like, and may detect the user's body movements (e.g., hand movements) when the user is holding the game controller 11.

[0020] As shown in the figure, the terminal device 10 is connected to one or more sleep measuring devices via a wired or wireless connection. The sleep measuring devices 11B and 11C are devices for acquiring information about the sleep of the user of the terminal device 10. FIG. 1 shows two sleep measuring devices, the sleep measuring device 11B and the sleep measuring device 11C. Hereinafter, the sleep measuring devices may be collectively referred to as the "sleep measuring device 11B, etc." The sleep measuring devices 11B and 11C are wearable devices that are worn on the user's body, such as wristwatches, rings, or eye masks, and include a motion sensor such as a gyro sensor. The sleep measuring devices 11B and 11C may also be devices that are placed on a mattress or pillow where the user sleeps. The terminal device 10 and the sleep measuring device 11B or the sleep measuring device 11C may be the same device. That is, the terminal device 10 may also function as a sleep measuring device.

[0021] A user may use two or more sleep measurement devices simultaneously. For example, a user may wear two wristwatch-type sleep measurement devices, or a user may wear a wristwatch-type sleep measurement device and use a smartphone as a sleep measurement device. This allows the user's body movements while sleeping to be detected using a gyro sensor or the like. By accumulating sensing results obtained by various sensors while the user is sleeping, it is possible to determine whether the user is asleep, in a light sleep state, a deep sleep state, REM sleep, or non-REM sleep. In this way, the quality of the user's sleep can be evaluated by distinguishing the waveforms of REM sleep and non-REM sleep. For example, the REM sleep and non-REM sleep cycles for good quality sleep are preset, and the quality of the user's sleep can be evaluated by comparing the waveforms of the REM sleep and non-REM sleep during the user's sleep.

[0022] Furthermore, the terminal device 10 detects that the user has gone to bed (for example, lay down in bed) and fallen asleep after going to bed, based on the output of a motion sensor such as the sleep measuring device 11B. Furthermore, the terminal device 10 can determine whether the user has performed an input operation on the terminal device 10 or whether the user has viewed information displayed on the display 132 of the terminal device 10 after going to bed and before falling asleep. In other words, it can determine whether a user who is about to go to sleep has operated the terminal device 10 before going to sleep.

[0023] Furthermore, sleep measuring devices that are expected to be used in advance in the game system 1 are managed in a so-called whitelist format. When receiving data from a sleep measuring device 11B that is not managed by the game system 1, the server 20 may not receive sleep information from the sleep measuring device 11B that the server 20 cannot identify, or may perform subsequent processing using parameters for the unidentifiable sleep measuring device 11B.

[0024] Furthermore, differences in the types of sleep measurement devices do not necessarily mean different devices. That is, even if sleep measurement devices have the same device configuration, the game system 1 may manage them as different sleep measurement devices depending on the type of software or application used before transmitting the sleep information to the server 20. For example, even if the same sleep measurement device 11B is used to detect sleep information, different "sleep measurement device IDs" can be used to process the sleep information and different "sleep measurement device IDs" can be used to process the sleep information. In this way, managing different "sleep measurement device IDs" depending on the combination of device type as the device configuration and the application used enables more flexible generation of sleep information, thereby fully enhancing the enjoyment of games that adapt to different sleep states.

[0025] The server 20 manages information about each user, including game characters, game items, and amounts of virtual currency owned by each user (including those given to the user free of charge and those given to the user for a fee), information about the first time set by each user at which the game is to be played, and sleep information about each user measured by a sleep measurement device.

[0026] The server 20 also manages information related to the processing capacity of the server. The information related to the processing capacity of the server includes the upper limit of the number of simultaneous accesses that the server can process and the predicted number of simultaneous accesses at each time. The predicted number of simultaneous accesses at each time is calculated based on a first time set by each user at which the game is to be progressed. The information related to the processing capacity of the server may also include information related to the threshold of the server's memory usage rate, the threshold of the CPU usage rate, and the like.

[0027] The communication IF 22 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the server 20 can communicate with external devices. The input / output IF 23 functions as an interface with an input device for receiving input operations from a user and an output device for presenting information to the user. The memory 25 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by the programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage 26 is a storage device for saving data, such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The processor 29 is hardware for executing an instruction set written in a program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0028] <1.1 Configuration of the terminal device 10> FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a terminal device 10 constituting the game system 1 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes multiple antennas (antenna 111, antenna 112), wireless communication units (first wireless communication unit 121, second wireless communication unit 122) corresponding to the respective antennas, an operation reception unit 130 (including a touch-sensitive device 131 and a display 132), an audio processing unit 140, a microphone 141, a speaker 142, a position information sensor 150, a camera 160, a motion sensor 170, a storage unit 180, and a control unit 190. The terminal device 10 also has functions and configurations not specifically shown in FIG. 2 (e.g., a battery for storing power, a power supply circuit for controlling the supply of power from the battery to each circuit, etc.). As shown in FIG. 2, the blocks included in the terminal device 10 are electrically connected by a bus or the like.

[0029] The antenna 111 emits a signal emitted by the terminal device 10 as a radio wave. The antenna 111 also receives a radio wave from space and provides the received signal to the first radio communication unit 121.

[0030] The antenna 112 emits a signal emitted by the terminal device 10 as a radio wave. The antenna 112 also receives a radio wave from space and provides the received signal to the second radio communication unit 122.

[0031] The first wireless communication unit 121 performs modulation / demodulation processing and the like for transmitting and receiving signals via the antenna 111 so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with other wireless devices. The second wireless communication unit 122 performs modulation / demodulation processing and the like for transmitting and receiving signals via the antenna 112 so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with other wireless devices. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 are communication modules including a tuner, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) calculation circuit, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) calculation circuit, a high-frequency circuit, etc. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 perform modulation / demodulation and frequency conversion of wireless signals transmitted and received by the terminal device 10, and provide the received signals to the control unit 190.

[0032] Operation reception unit 130 has a mechanism for receiving input operations from the user. Specifically, operation reception unit 130 is configured as a touch screen and includes touch-sensitive device 131 and display 132. Touch-sensitive device 131 receives input operations from the user of terminal device 10. Touch-sensitive device 131 detects the user's touch position on the touch panel, for example, by using a capacitive touch panel. Touch-sensitive device 131 outputs a signal indicating the user's touch position detected by the touch panel to control unit 190 as an input operation.

[0033] Display 132 displays data such as images, videos, and text under the control of control unit 190. Display 132 is realized by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0034] The audio processing unit 140 modulates and demodulates audio signals. The audio processing unit 140 modulates a signal provided from the microphone 141 and provides the modulated signal to the control unit 190. The audio processing unit 140 also provides the audio signal to the speaker 142. The audio processing unit 140 is realized, for example, by a processor for audio processing. The microphone 141 accepts audio input and provides an audio signal corresponding to the audio input to the audio processing unit 140. The speaker 142 converts the audio signal provided from the audio processing unit 140 into audio and outputs the audio to the outside of the terminal device 10.

[0035] The position information sensor 150 is a sensor that detects the position of the terminal device 10, and is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module. A GPS module is a receiving device used in a satellite positioning system. A satellite positioning system receives signals from at least three or four satellites, and detects the current position of the terminal device 10 equipped with the GPS module based on the received signals. For example, in the game system 1, if the positions of users who are registered as friends can be referenced, the terminal device 10 can display a list of friends who are near the user on the display 132.

[0036] The camera 160 is a device that receives light with a light receiving element and outputs the received light as a captured image. The camera 160 is, for example, a depth camera that can detect the distance from the camera 160 to a subject being photographed.

[0037] The motion sensor 170 includes an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, etc., and detects the movement of the terminal device 10 and outputs the sensing result. For example, by placing the terminal device 10 on a mattress or the like of a bed on which a user sleeps, if the sleeping user moves on the mattress, the movement can be detected. By using the sensing result, it can be determined whether the user is asleep or awake, and whether the sleeping user is in light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, non-REM sleep, etc.

[0038] Storage unit 180 is configured with, for example, a flash memory, and stores data and programs used by terminal device 10. In one aspect, storage unit 180 stores user information 181.

[0039] User information 181 is information about a user in a game based on a game program. The user information includes information for identifying the user, the user's name, game items owned by the user, information about a first time set by each user at which the game is to progress, and sleep information about each user measured by sleep measuring device 11B or the like.

[0040] The terminal device 10 communicates with the sleep measuring devices 11B, etc. via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi, and receives sensing results from the sleep measuring devices 11B, etc. Note that the sleep measuring devices 11B, etc. may be compatible with communication standards for mobile communication systems such as 5G, and may transmit sensing results to the server 20 without using short-range wireless communication. The terminal device 10 may receive the sensing results of the sleep measuring devices 11B, etc. from the server 20 that has received the sensing results from the sleep measuring devices 11B, etc., and generate and store sleep information using the received sensing results.

[0041] The control unit 190 reads a program stored in the storage unit 180 and executes instructions included in the program to control the operation of the terminal device 10. The control unit 190 is, for example, an application processor. By operating in accordance with the program, the control unit 190 fulfills the functions of an input operation reception unit 191, a transmission / reception unit 192, a data processing unit 193, a notification control unit 194, and a first time setting unit 195.

[0042] Input operation reception unit 191 performs processing to receive a user's input operation on an input device such as touch-sensitive device 131. Based on information about the coordinates where the user has touched touch-sensitive device 131 with a finger or the like, input operation reception unit 191 determines the type of operation, such as whether the user's operation is a flick operation, a tap operation, or a drag (swipe) operation.

[0043] The transmission / reception unit 192 performs processing for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive data to and from external devices such as the server 20, the game controller 11A, and the sleep measuring device 11B in accordance with a communication protocol.

[0044] The data processing unit 193 performs calculations on data that the terminal device 10 has received as input in accordance with a program, and outputs the calculation results to a memory or the like.

[0045] The notification control unit 194 performs processing to present information to the user. The notification control unit 194 performs processing to display a display image on the display 132, processing to output audio to the speaker 142, processing to cause the camera 160 to generate vibrations, etc.

[0046] The first time setting unit 195 accepts an operation from the user to set a first time at which the game is to be progressed. For example, the first time setting unit is an alarm setting unit, and the user sets the planned wake-up time as the first time. When the first time arrives, the terminal device 10 sounds an alarm, and when the user stops the alarm, the terminal device 10 determines that the user has woken up and generates sleep information to be transmitted to the server 20. When the server 20 receives the sleep information from the terminal device 10, it progresses the game.

[0047] The alarm setting unit here may be realized by a program that each device (terminal device 10, server 20) constituting the game system 1 uses to provide a game to a user. When the alarm setting unit is realized by a program running on the server 20, the user may be able to operate the alarm setting unit of the server 20 via the terminal device 10. This allows the user to set a first time in the game system 1 and progress through the game. Also, for example, the alarm setting unit may be incorporated into an application that is installed on the terminal device 10 and can be linked with the game system 1. In this case, the user can set the first time not by an alarm function provided as a function of the OS (Operating System) of the terminal device 10, but by an alarm setting unit that constitutes an application for providing a game by the game system 1 to the user on the terminal device 10. The game system 1 accepts an operation related to the first time from the alarm setting unit and progresses the game.

[0048] <1.2 Functional configuration of server 20> 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 20 functions as a communication unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a control unit 203.

[0049] The communication unit 201 performs processing for the server 20 to communicate with external devices.

[0050] The storage unit 202 stores data and programs used by the server 20. The storage unit 202 stores a user information database 281, server processing capacity information 282, and the like.

[0051] The user information database 281 is a database for storing information about each user in a game based on a game program, as will be described in detail later.

[0052] The server processing capacity information 282 is information relating to the processing capacity of the server for progressing the game, as will be described in detail later.

[0053] The control unit 203 performs functions shown as various modules by the processor of the server 20 performing processes according to the programs.

[0054] The operation content acquisition module 2041 acquires the operation content of the user. For example, the operation content acquisition module 2041 acquires, as the operation content of the user, which game unit the user has designated as the target of game play.

[0055] The reception control module 2042 controls the process by which the server 20 receives signals from external devices in accordance with a communication protocol.

[0056] The transmission control module 2043 controls the process in which the server 20 transmits signals to external devices in accordance with a communication protocol.

[0057] The first time reception module 2044 receives, from the terminal device 10, information regarding the first time set by each user at which the game is to proceed. For example, suppose that a user sets the planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) as the first time. The terminal device 10 activates the alarm based on the alarm activation time, receives operation input from the user, and transmits first information to the server 20 in response to the operation input. The server 20 progresses the game based on the first information. That is, the server 20 receives information regarding the progress of the game from each user's terminal device 10 based on the operation input of each user at the alarm activation time set by each user.

[0058] The operation input here refers to an operation to confirm the first information, such as an operation for the user to wake up and end the sleep measurement. The operation input may be an operation to stop a ringing alarm, or an operation to wake up before the alarm sounds and end the sleep measurement. If there is no operation input before the first time arrives, the alarm sounds at the first time. Furthermore, if the terminal device 10 receives an operation input before the first time arrives, the alarm does not sound at the first time and ends the sleep measurement.

[0059] The first information here is time-based information, such as the user's sleep information. The terminal device 10 confirms the sleep information by receiving an operation input from the user to wake up and end the sleep measurement. The terminal device 10 then transmits the confirmed sleep information to the server 20, and the server 20 randomly selects an object based on the confirmed sleep information and grants it to the user.

[0060] The second time determination module 2045 determines a second time at which the game will proceed on the server 20, based on a user's operation input. The second time determination module 2045 determines a second time for each user so as to distribute the timing at which each user's terminal device 10 actually accesses the server 20. This distributes the timing at which each terminal device 10 accesses the server 20. In this embodiment, in which the game proceeds by accepting sleep information from each user, the second time is a time that triggers the game to proceed. For example, the second time may be "the time of operation input when the terminal device 10 accepts the user's operation input before the alarm sounds (e.g., within a predetermined time before the alarm sounds)." The user may wake up and operate the terminal device 10 before the alarm sounds. The second time may also be "the time at which the user stops the alarm and confirms the sleep information." The server 20 proceeds with the user's game based on the "time at which the user stops the alarm and confirms the sleep information." The second time may also be the time when the terminal device 10 collects the sleep information and transmits it to the server 20. Alternatively, the second time may be the time when the server 20 receives the sleep information from the terminal device 10, and the server 20 may proceed with the game based on these times. In the following description, the second time will be described based on the time when the server receives the sleep information.

[0061] The second time may arrive after the first time. At the first time, the terminal device 10 sounds an alarm and accepts operation input from the user. In response to accepting the operation input, the terminal device 10 generates information for progressing the game. At the second time, the terminal device 10 transmits information for progressing the game to the server 20, and progresses the game. Note that with regard to "(i) Distributing the setting of the first time among each user" described below, the second time is substantially the same as the first time.

[0062] For example, the terminal device 10 is a device capable of measuring a user's sleep, and the server 20 performs a lottery process based on the user's sleep information. Assume that the user sets a planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) as a first time. In this case, the terminal device 10 sounds the alarm at the first time. The terminal device 10 accepts an operation input from the user to stop the alarm. In response to the operation input, the terminal device 10 determines that the user has woken up. Based on the operation input (in response to determining that the user has woken up), the terminal device 10 determines the sleep information to be transmitted to the server 20. The terminal device 10 does not communicate with the server 20 at the first time, but communicates with the server 20 at a second time after the first time and transmits the determined sleep information. The server 20 performs a lottery process based on the sleep information.

[0063] In one aspect, the second time determination module 2045 determines the second time based on information related to the first time. For example, if the number of users who have set the same time as the first time exceeds the upper limit of the number of simultaneous accesses to the server, the second time determination module 2045 predicts that concentrated access to the server will occur at the first time, and randomly delays the first times set by each user to determine the second time at which each user's terminal device 10 will actually access the server and progress with the game.

[0064] The server 20 may predict access concentration at a predetermined time based on past history information, rather than on information regarding the first time actually set by each user, and determine the second time to be set in each user's terminal device 10 so as to distribute the actual access times from each user's terminal device 10. For example, the first time may be the alarm activation time. The server 20 extracts a trend from past history information that "many people set their alarms to 7:00 on weekdays to play the game." The server 20 predicts that access concentration may occur at 7:00 on weekdays, determines the access times from each user's terminal device 10 so as to distribute the access times of each user who set 7:00 as the first time, and causes each user's terminal device 10 to store information about the access times. The terminal device 10 may also store history information of past accesses from the server 20, and cause each terminal device 10 to predict the time when access concentration will occur. Each terminal device 10 may predict the time when access will be concentrated, and may randomly determine the time when each terminal device 10 will access the server 20 in order to avoid such concentration.

[0065] Furthermore, the time before and after the second time may not affect the progress of the game. For example, in this embodiment in which the game progresses by accepting each user's sleep information, if two users who set their alarms to 7:00 (the first time) and wake up are randomly delayed in their actual access times (the second time) to 1 second and 3 seconds later than 7:00, respectively, the sleep information is aggregated and the game progresses with 7:00 as the wake-up time, regardless of whether it is before or after the second time. Note that with regard to "(A) Distributing the setting of the first time among users" described below, the second time is essentially the time when the user sets and finalizes the sleep information, so the time before and after the second time may affect the progress of the game.

[0066] The game progression module 2046 communicates between the server 20 and the terminal device 10 and progresses each user's game play based on the sleep information of each user received from the terminal device 10 of each user. For example, the game progression module 2046 progresses the game play by lottery determining game objects such as characters and items to appear in the user's game play. The determined characters, items, etc. may appear in the game play rather than being owned by each user. This allows users to have experiences such as discovering new game characters based on the sleep information. In addition, the game progression module 2046 may draw game objects such as characters and items and grant them to users by lottery. For example, at a second time set in each user's terminal device 10, the game progression module 2046 receives information on sleep duration and sleep quality from each terminal device 10 as each user's sleep information, and draws and grants items, etc., based on each user's sleep information. Here, by changing the lottery algorithm according to each user's sleep information, such as changing the lottery table used in the lottery or the number of draws, the progress of the game when the user wakes up can be changed, providing the user with enjoyment when they wake up.

[0067] <2 Data Structure> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the data structures of the user information database 281 and the server processing capacity information 282 stored in the server 20. As shown in FIG.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 4, each record in the user information database 281 includes an item "user ID," an item "user name," an item "owned items," an item "information at first time," an item "sleep information," etc.

[0069] The item "user ID" is information that identifies each user.

[0070] The item "user name" is the name set by the user.

[0071] The "Owned Items" item is information about game items owned by the user. Game items are, for example, awarded to users by lottery drawn by the server 20 based on each user's sleep information. This item also includes information such as the type and number of each game item.

[0072] The item "information about the first time" is information about the time set by each user when the game is to be played. For example, the first time is the planned wake-up time set by the user (the time when the alarm goes off). This item also includes date information for each first time.

[0073] The item "sleep information" is information about each user's sleep measured by a sleep measurement device. The sleep information includes information such as date information, bedtime, wake-up time, and sleep quality.

[0074] Each record of the server processing capacity information 282 includes an item "upper limit of number of simultaneous accesses" and an item "predicted number of simultaneous accesses at each time".

[0075] The "Maximum number of simultaneous accesses" item is the maximum number of simultaneous accesses that the server can handle in order to progress the game. If the actual number of simultaneous accesses exceeds this maximum due to concentrated access, it may adversely affect the progress of the game, such as increasing the load on the server or slowing down response. For this reason, resources such as the server's computing power may be variably increased or decreased based on the predicted number of accesses.

[0076] The item "Predicted number of simultaneous accesses at each time" is the number of simultaneous accesses at each time predicted based on the first time set by each user. For example, a user sets the first time as the scheduled wake-up time (alarm activation time) every minute. The server 20 predicts that the number of simultaneous accesses to the server 20 from each terminal device 10 at each time will be the same as the number of users who set that time as the first time (alarm activation time). This item also includes the user IDs of the users who set each time as the first time.

[0077] If the predicted number of simultaneous accesses at a predetermined time (e.g., 7:00 in FIG. 4) exceeds the server's upper limit for the number of simultaneous accesses, the server 20 determines that the number of accesses at that time exceeds the server's processing capacity and that it is necessary to distribute the actual access times of each user. In this case, the server 20 distributes the second times at which each user actually accesses the server and progresses the game, based on the operation input of each user. For example, the server 20 determines the second time by randomly delaying the first time.

[0078] Here, the processing capacity of a server is explained using the upper limit of the number of simultaneous accesses as an example, but it is not limited to this. For example, the threshold of the server's memory usage rate, the threshold of the CPU usage rate, etc. may be used as the standard of the server's processing capacity.

[0079] <Operation> 5 is a flowchart showing a process of progressing the game by distributing the second times at which each user actually accesses the server and progresses the game. The terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20, transmits the user's sleep information to the server 20, and reflects the sleep information in the game.

[0080] In step S511, the terminal device 10 receives an operation input from the user. For example, the operation input is an operation by the user to stop an alarm and confirm sleep information.

[0081] In step S512, the terminal device 10 accepts an operation from the user to set a first time when the game is to be progressed, and if there is no operation input before the first time arrives, performs a predetermined notification at the first time. For example, if the user sets the planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) as the first time, and if there is no operation indicating that the user has woken up before the first time arrives, the alarm sounds at the first time.

[0082] In step S513, the terminal device 10 confirms the first information, changes the notification state, and accesses the server to proceed with the game based on the user's operation input. For example, when the terminal device 10 receives an operation input from the user to stop the alarm, the terminal device 10 stops the alarm, ends the measurement of the user's sleep information, and tally the sleep information to be used in the lottery process.

[0083] In step S521, the server 20 distributes the second times at which each user's computer accesses the server to progress the game. Specifically, the server 20 distributes the second times by one of the following processes.

[0084] (A) Processing to delay the first time After receiving an operation input from a user, the server 20 distributes the second time by distributing the timing of accessing the server to each of the multiple users.

[0085] For example, the server 20 randomly delays a first time set by each user to determine a second time. The first time is the planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) set by the user, and the server 20 predicts the number of simultaneous accesses at each time based on the number of users who set each time as an alarm activation time. The server 20 also compares the predicted number of simultaneous accesses at each time with the server's upper limit for the number of simultaneous accesses to identify a first time at which the predicted number of simultaneous accesses exceeds the upper limit, and randomly delays the first time to determine a second time. The terminal device 10 does not communicate with the server 20 at the time the user stops the alarm, but waits a short time before communicating with the server 20 at a second time. Here, the terminal device 10 needs to perform a compilation process of sleep information to be transmitted to the server 20 for communication purposes. However, the compilation process of the sleep information may also be performed a short time later, or the compilation of the sleep information may be performed first and communication with the server 20 may begin at the second time.

[0086] For example, if the number of users who set 7:00 as the alarm activation time (first time) exceeds the upper limit of the number of simultaneous accesses to the server, the server 20 predicts that a concentration of accesses will occur at 7:00, and determines a time that is a random number of seconds between 0 and 5 seconds later than 7:00 as each user's actual access time (second time), thereby dispersing the access times of each user.

[0087] The terminal device 10 may output at least one of video, still images, and audio during the interval from the first time to the second time. For example, if an alarm sounds at 7:00 and the user stops the alarm, the terminal device 10 plays video to the user during the interval until the second time without communicating with the server 20. The terminal device 10 may also output at least one of video, still images, and audio depending on the length of the interval from the first time to the second time. For example, the terminal device 10 plays a three-second video to a user whose waiting time is three seconds, and plays a five-second audio to a user whose waiting time is five seconds.

[0088] In this way, by knowing in advance the time at which each user intends to play the game, and predicting the concentration of accesses to the server, and randomly delaying the time at which the game is intended to play, it is possible to distribute the time at which each user actually accesses the server and plays the game. Furthermore, by playing content such as video to the user during the waiting time between the time at which the game is intended to play and the time at which the server is actually accessed and the game is played, the user can effectively utilize their time rather than simply waiting, thereby maintaining the interest of the game. Here, the first time is randomly delayed and the second time is set for each user. However, without being limited to delays, the second time may be set to a time earlier than the first time, even if the second time is the time set as an alarm by each user (first time), thereby dispersing the timing at which each user's terminal device 10 accesses the server 20.

[0089] (a) A process for distributing the first time setting among users The server 20 sets the first time in the terminal device 10 based on the result of distributing the first time for making a predetermined notification among the users.

[0090] For example, the first time is a planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) set by the user, and when the user sets the alarm activation time, the server 20 accepts an operation from the user to specify the alarm activation time. If the time specified by the user is a time when concentrated access is predicted to occur, the server 20 presents a time that is close to the time specified by the user and when concentrated access is predicted not to occur to the user of the terminal device 10 as a recommended alarm activation time. The terminal device 10 sets the recommended alarm activation time as the first time, presents the setting result to the user, and accepts an operation from the user to approve the change to the first time. The terminal device 10 may also accept an operation from the user to set the recommended alarm activation time as the first time.

[0091] For example, suppose a user specifies 7:00 as the desired alarm activation time (first time). In this case, server 20 predicts that concentrated access to the server will occur at 7:00 based on the information on the alarm activation times specified by each user, and presents 6:59 or 7:01 to the user as the recommended alarm activation time.

[0092] Furthermore, when a user sets a candidate time as the first time and progresses the game, the server 20 executes a different game progression than when the candidate time is not set as the first time. For example, the game progression when the candidate time is set as the first time may be changed compared to when another time is set as the first time, for example, the game progression may be made more advantageous to the user. Making the game progression more advantageous to the user may include granting a benefit such as a game object, making a predetermined game unit (also called a quest) playable, changing the difficulty level of a predetermined game unit (lowering the difficulty level to make it easier to complete and easier to obtain a reward for completing the game unit), and so on. For example, the server 20 presents 6:59 or 7:01 to the user as a recommended alarm activation time, and notifies the user that a benefit will be granted (e.g., a game object such as a rare item will be granted) if the user sets 6:59 or 7:01 as the alarm activation time and accesses the server 20.

[0093] Furthermore, the terminal device 10 senses the user's sleeping state. When the user sets a first time based on the distribution result, the terminal device 10 issues a predetermined notification based on the sensing result of the user's sleeping state, even though the first time has been set. Then, the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 by accepting an operation input from the user in response to the predetermined notification.

[0094] For example, the terminal device 10 sounds the alarm at a time when the user is likely to wake up (when the user is in light sleep) even though the alarm activation time is set based on the measurement result of the user's sleep state. When the terminal device 10 receives an operation to stop the alarm from the user, it accesses the server 20.

[0095] In this way, the setting of the time to progress in the game is given a game-like quality, which increases the interest level. Also, by presenting a time when there is little possibility of access concentration, the user is encouraged to set that time as the access time, which prevents access concentration to the server.

[0096] (c) Processing to set the time when the treasure chest is opened as the second time The terminal device 10 transmits second information indicating that it has received a user operation input to the server 20, and the server 20 determines a waiting time, which may differ for each user who has received the second information, and transmits the determined waiting time to each user's terminal device 10 for presentation.

[0097] Furthermore, the terminal device 10 updates information indicating the waiting time as time passes and presents it to the user, does not accept a predetermined operation from the user to access the server 20 until the waiting time has passed, and accepts a predetermined operation from the user to access the server 20 in response to the passage of the elapsed time.

[0098] For example, the first time is assumed to be a scheduled wake-up time (alarm activation time) set by the user. After the user wakes up at the first time and turns off the alarm, the terminal device 10 transmits only the second information (information indicating that the user has woken up) instead of transmitting the first information (sleep information) to the server 20, and the server 20 displays to the user an item (such as a treasure chest) associated with a game object that can be used in progressing the game. Here, the item (treasure chest) is determined without using the first information and is information indicating a right to be granted some game object by accepting an operation to open the treasure chest from the user. The time at which each user opens the treasure chest is set as the second time. In other words, when each user opens the treasure chest, the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 to transmit the sleep information and performs a lottery process for a game object. The information indicating the right also sets a period during which an operation to open the treasure chest from the user will not be accepted. The terminal device 10 displays an indication of the timing at which the period expires and an operation to open the treasure chest from the user will be accepted. The terminal device 10 sets the timing at which the user can open the treasure box, and displays the remaining time until that timing arrives.

[0099] Note that the server 20 may be notified in response to a user's operation on the terminal device 10 to stop an alarm based on the first time, and the server 20 may then grant the user a treasure chest representing the right. In other words, at the first time, the server 20 does not perform a lottery for a game object, but instead grants the user a treasure chest representing the right, and upon receiving a user's operation to open the treasure chest, the terminal device 10 transmits a notice of acceptance of the operation to the server 20, and the server 20 performs a lottery for a game object.

[0100] Furthermore, objects have different aspects depending on their rarity. For example, treasure chests come in normal, silver, and gold varieties, which correspond to different rarities. At a first time, the server 20 determines the type of treasure chest (normal, silver, or gold) by lottery without using sleep information, and grants each user the determined type of treasure chest. Thereafter, when each user opens the treasure chest, a game object is selected by lottery based on the sleep information and the type of treasure chest.

[0101] In this way, instead of performing a process that places a load on the server, such as drawing a lottery for a game object based on sleep information at a first time, objects such as treasure chests are provided, and the timing at which each user opens the treasure chest is set as the actual access time. This distributes the access times of each user to the server, and draws a lottery for a game object based on sleep information at the timing at which the treasure chest is opened, thereby reducing the communication load between the terminal device and the server. Furthermore, providing objects with different aspects can create expectations in users and increase interest.

[0102] (d) Processing to play different types of sounds as alarm sounds depending on the time The terminal device 10 issues a specific notification based on the arrival of a first time in accordance with the elapsed time since the first time. The server 20 grants a benefit to the user when it receives an operation input from the user to access the server to progress in the game based on the timing of issuing the specific notification.

[0103] For example, the terminal device 10 continues to sound a first type of alarm sound when sounding the first type of alarm sound based on the first time, while sounding a second type of alarm sound (different from the first type of alarm sound) based on the second time, so as to prompt the user to perform an operation to stop the alarm at the second time. Here, accepting an operation to stop the second type of alarm sound is more advantageous to the user than accepting an operation to stop the first type of alarm sound.

[0104] Compared to the first type of alarm sound, the second type of alarm sound may be a sound that prompts the user to stop the alarm at a specific timing. For example, the first type of alarm sound is a sound that is continuously output (e.g., a sound such as "ji-ji-ji-ji" that is output for a certain period of time), while the second type of alarm sound may be an intermittent sound (e.g., a sound that is output from a silent state at a specific timing). For example, the first time is the planned wake-up time (alarm activation time) set by the user, and at the first time, the terminal device 10 sounds the first type of alarm sound and accesses the server 20 when the user wants to stop the alarm sound. Furthermore, the second type of alarm sound is a sound that is different from the first type of alarm sound, for example, including a "beep" sound and another sound. When the server 20 receives an operation to stop the alarm from the user while the second type of alarm sound is being played on the terminal device 10, it accesses the server 20 at that timing to draw a game object and awards a game object (such as a rare item) that is more advantageous to the user than when the operation to stop the first type of alarm sound is received. Alternatively, the first and second types of alarm sounds may both be the voice of a specific game character (for example, the cry of a virtual character), while the content of the voice (such as a message) may differ between the first and second types, and the second type of voice may be a voice suggesting the occurrence of a game unit such as a quest (for example, an event has occurred in which there is an opportunity to fight a specific character (such as the appearance of a formidable enemy "XX")).

[0105] In addition, the timing at which a specific sound appears in the audio is made different for each user. For example, for users who have set the alarm activation time to 7:00, an alarm sound with a "beep" sound in the first half is played for some users, and an alarm sound with a "beep" sound in the second half is played for other users.

[0106] In this way, by playing sound at the time when the user wants to progress in the game as set by the user, and actually accessing the server to progress the game in response to the timing when the user's operation to stop the sound is accepted, it is possible to distribute the time when each user accesses the server. Also, by prompting the user to stop playing the predetermined sound, it is possible to give a game-like quality to the setting of the time when the user wants to progress in the game, thereby increasing the enjoyment of the game.

[0107] In step S521, the server 20 distributes the second times at which the terminal devices 10 of each user access the server to progress the game by any of the above processes, and then notifies the terminal devices 10 of each user of information related to the second times. The terminal devices 10 of each user each hold the information about the second times notified by the server 20. This allows the terminal devices 10 to perform processing based on the second times (such as transmitting sleep information).

[0108] In step S514, the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 at a second time and transmits the first information to the server 20. For example, the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20 at a second time that is random seconds later than the first time and transmits the user's sleep information to the server 20.

[0109] In step S522, the server 20 randomly selects a game object (item, etc.) based on the first information and grants it to the user. For example, the server 20 randomly selects a game object based on the total sleeping time of the user, and the longer the total sleeping time, the more advantageous the item granted to the user.

[0110] In step S515, the server 20 receives the item to be granted in step S522.

[0111] In step S523, the server 20 updates each database.

[0112] Through the above series of processes, in a game that receives information about the sleep of each user, the interest of the game is maintained while preventing excessive load from being placed on the server.

[0113] <4 Screen example> FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the terminal device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0114] The example screen (A) in Figure 6 shows a situation in which the time (first time) at which the user intends to proceed with the game is randomly delayed and the time (second time) at which the server is actually accessed to proceed with the game is determined.

[0115] As shown in the screen example (A), the terminal device 10 displays on the display 132 a user name display section 132A, a current time display section 132B, a video playback button 132C, and a notification display section 132G.

[0116] The user name display section 132A is an area that displays the user name of each user.

[0117] The current time display section 132B is an area that displays the time when each screen example is displayed. In screen example (A), the user sets the alarm activation time as the first time, and the current time is the time when the user wakes up due to the activation of the alarm.

[0118] The notification display section 132G is an area that notifies the user of the control content for dispersing the timing of accessing the server. In the example screen (A), the terminal device 10 notifies the user that it will not communicate with the server at a first time, but will access the server at a second time that is randomly later than the first time to hold a lottery. In addition, the terminal device 10 notifies the user in the notification display section 132G that it is possible to play videos or the like while waiting for the lottery.

[0119] The video playback button 132C is an area where the terminal device 10 accepts an operation from the user to play a video.

[0120] This randomly delays the time at which each user intends to progress in the game, and distributes the time at which each user actually accesses the server to progress in the game. Also, by playing content such as video to the user during the waiting time between the time at which the user intends to progress in the game and the time at which the user actually accesses the server and progresses in the game, the user can make effective use of the time rather than simply waiting, thereby maintaining the interest of the game.

[0121] Screen example (B) shows a situation in which recommended access times are presented to the user.

[0122] In the screen example (B), the current time display section 132B shows the time before the user goes to bed, which is the first time when the alarm activation time is set.

[0123] The notification display unit 132G presents at least one of the candidate times as a recommended access time to the user. When the user specifies 7:00 as the desired alarm activation time, the terminal device 10 presents 7:01 to the user as a recommended alarm activation time. The terminal device 10 also notifies the user that an advantageous rare item will be awarded if the user sets 7:01 as the access time and accesses the server to progress in the game.

[0124] The alarm setting button 132D is an area for the terminal device 10 to accept, from the user, an operation to set the recommended access time as the first time.

[0125] This allows the setting of the time to progress in the game to have a game-like quality, increasing interest. Also, by presenting a time when there is little possibility of concentrated access, the user is encouraged to set that time as the access time, thereby preventing concentrated access to the server.

[0126] The example screen (C) shows a situation in which the right to acquire a game object (treasure chest) is granted to the user at the first time point without a lottery for the game object being held.

[0127] In screen example (C), the user sets the alarm activation time as the first time, and the current time is the time when the user is woken up by the activation of the alarm.

[0128] The server 20 displays on the notification display unit 132G that a treasure chest has been awarded to the user at a first time. The server 20 determines the timing for opening the treasure chest as a second time. When the second time arrives, the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 by accepting an operation to open the treasure chest from the user, or by the arrival of the second time without accepting an operation to open the treasure chest. The terminal device 10 notifies on the notification display unit 132G that a lottery for a game object will be held by opening the treasure chest, and the treasure chest has a different form, and in the example screen (C), notifies that the treasure chest to be awarded to the user is a gold treasure chest.

[0129] The open treasure chest button 132E is an area for the terminal device 10 to accept, from the user, an operation to open the treasure chest and draw for an item. In this area, the waiting time until the second time arrives is displayed.

[0130] This allows the timing of opening the treasure chest to be the actual access time, distributing the access times of each user to the server and reducing the communication load between the terminal device and the server. Also, by providing objects with different aspects, it is possible to create a sense of anticipation in the user and increase interest.

[0131] Screen example (D) shows the situation where the timing to stop the audio is determined as the actual access time.

[0132] In screen example (D), the user sets the alarm activation time as the first time, and the current time is the time when the user is woken up by the activation of the alarm.

[0133] The notification display unit 132G notifies the user that the alarm sound is a voice made up of different sounds, and that when the alarm sound is stopped, the server is accessed and the game progresses, and if the alarm is stopped while a "beep" sound is being played, the user will win an advantageous item.

[0134] The alarm stop button 132F is an area where the terminal device 10 receives an operation to stop the alarm sound from the user.

[0135] This allows the timing for stopping the sound to be the actual access time, and distributes the access times of each user to the server. Also, by prompting the user to stop the playback of a specific sound, the setting of the time at which the game is to progress can be made more game-like, thereby increasing the enjoyment of the game.

[0136] <Summary> The matters described in the above embodiments can be summarized as follows.

[0137] (1) After the alarm goes off and the user stops it, the sleep information is not immediately transmitted to the server, but rather it waits a random number of seconds for each user before transmitting. During this time, the device displays an animation for each user indicating that the sleep information is being analyzed or transmitted to the server. For example, it waits a random number of seconds between 0 and 5 seconds from the alarm time before transmitting. This reduces the load on the server per second.

[0138] (2) It is assumed that each user often sets an alarm at a convenient time. If stopping the alarm will result in a process being performed on the server 20, each user is encouraged to set the alarm at a time other than the convenient time. For example, by shifting the time at which the alarm sounds, each user is given an incentive to progress in the game (such as gaining a specific parameter increase effect for the character, becoming less susceptible to abnormal conditions, or receiving a special benefit). This allows the alarms to be set at various times from each user's terminal device 10, without being excessively concentrated around convenient times.

[0139] (3) When an alarm sounds on the device and the user stops it, the device does not send all of the sleep information to the server, but instead sends data to the server indicating that the user has woken up. The information indicating that the user has woken up is a small amount of data compared to the information on the sleep measurement results. The server receives the data indicating that the user has woken up from the device, but does not immediately receive the sleep measurement results from the device, thereby reducing the load. Instead of performing game processing (e.g., lottery processing) using the sleep information at the time of waking up on the server, the server presents the user with information (e.g., presented to the user in the form of a treasure chest) indicating the right to obtain a game object through lottery. The treasure chest can be opened after a certain period of time has passed (the game object cannot be obtained until the certain period of time has passed, regardless of the information indicating the right). The device accepts an operation (operation exercising the right) by the user as if opening a treasure chest based on the right, and transmits the sleep measurement results to the server at that time.

[0140] (4) Add a gamification element to the alarm sound. In addition to the normal alarm sound, a different type of alarm sound is prepared in advance. The terminal can gain an advantage in the game by stopping the alarm at the timing of the different type of alarm sound instead of the normal alarm sound. Here, the timing of the different type of alarm sound may be set to vary depending on the user. This allows the timing of access to the server from each terminal to be distributed.

[0141] <Modification> In the above description, an example has been described in which the server 20 performs the lottery process based on the confirmed sleep information, but the lottery process may also be performed based on the sleep information before confirmation. For example, the following modified examples are introduced.

[0142] The terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 to progress the game before the arrival of the first time for making the specified notification, receives third information for progressing the game from the server 20, and accepts the user's operation input accompanying the specified notification, thereby progressing the game on the terminal device 10 based on the third information without accessing the server 20.

[0143] Furthermore, the terminal device 10 receives an operation from the user to start going to bed or falling asleep, and in response to the operation, accesses the server 20 before the first time arrives.

[0144] (1) In order to measure information related to the user's sleep, the user's terminal device 10 receives an operation to start sleep measurement (for example, displaying a button to start sleep measurement) from the user. Upon receiving the operation, the terminal device 10 notifies the server 20 that an operation to start sleep measurement has been performed, and the server 20 performs a lottery process.

[0145] At this time, the server 20 stores the lottery results in advance according to the pattern of the measurement results of the information related to the user's sleep. Before the time for the user to wake up arrives, the server 20 transmits information on the lottery results for these multiple patterns to the terminal device 10 in advance. When the terminal device 10 receives an operation from the user indicating that the user has woken up (such as pressing a button to end sleep measurement), it determines which of the patterns the user has woken up in, and performs processing such as granting a game object in accordance with the sleep measurement results, depending on the determination result, without accessing the server 20.

[0146] The terminal device 10 transmits the sleep state measurement results to the server 20, which stores information on the sleep state measurement results of each user and determines the game objects, etc. to be assigned to each user based on the pattern of the sleep state measurement results, and updates information about each user (information on game objects owned, etc.).

[0147] (2) While the terminal device 10 is measuring information about the user's sleep (from when the user goes to bed until the user wakes up), the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20 at regular intervals and transmits the information about the sleep to the server 20. The server 20 responds to the terminal device 10 in advance with the results of a lottery process, etc. For example, if information about sleep time is used as sleep information, and the longer the sleep time, more lotteries are held and game objects are awarded to the user, the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20 and executes a predetermined lottery process, for example, every time one hour of sleep time has passed before the user stops the alarm and the sleep time is determined. As a result, by the time the user wakes up, most of the lottery process has already been executed, and information about the lottery results from the server 20 has already been stored in the terminal device 10.

[0148] When an operation to end measurement of information related to sleep is performed on the terminal device 10 (when an operation to wake up is performed), the terminal device 10 determines whether it is necessary to communicate with the server 20 again. For example, if the terminal device 10 has not transmitted sufficient information for the server 20 to perform a lottery process based on the sleep information, the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20 again. Here, if no further communication is necessary, the terminal device 10 does not communicate with the server 20, and displays the results of the process (lottery process, etc.) performed by the server 20 to progress the game.

[0149] (3) Because the user is likely to wake up when the alarm sounds, the terminal device 10 and the server 20 begin communicating with each other a predetermined time before the alarm sounds (e.g., 30 minutes before). The server 20 receives a signal from the terminal device 10 and performs a lottery. Here, in order to distribute the load, communication is performed between each terminal device 10 and the server 20 in sequence for each user's identification information (user ID). That is, the timing at which the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20 is specified in association with the user ID. If the user does not wake up when the alarm sounds (the user does not operate the terminal device 10), the terminal device 10 discards the lottery result for that user, and a lottery is performed again at the time the user actually wakes up, for communication between the terminal device 10 and the server 20.

[0150] When an operation to end measurement of information related to sleep is performed on the terminal device 10 (when an operation to wake up is performed), the terminal device 10 determines whether it is necessary to communicate with the server 20 again. For example, if the terminal device 10 has not transmitted sufficient information for the server 20 to perform a lottery process based on the sleep information, the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 20 again. Here, if no further communication is necessary, the terminal device 10 does not communicate with the server 20, and displays the results of the process (lottery process, etc.) performed by the server 20 to progress the game.

[0151] (4) If the device can measure whether the user is in deep sleep, it will sound an alarm if it detects that the user is in light sleep. This allows the device to stagger the wake-up times of each user regardless of the alarm time set by the user.

[0152] (5) After the user stops the alarm on the device, they can play the mini-game. Since the time it takes to finish playing the mini-game varies from user to user, by accessing the server from the device after playing the mini-game, it is possible to prevent excessive concentration of access to the server.

[0153] (6) The alarm time is not set by the user, but is presented to each user by the game based on the game program. For example, a user can set the alarm to go off after sleeping for eight hours from now. This allows different wake-up times for different users, reducing the communication load on the server. Users can also ensure they get enough sleep and get a good night's sleep.

[0154] <Additional Notes> The matters described in the above embodiments will be supplemented below.

[0155] (Appendix 1) A game program to be executed by a computer having a processor, the game program causing the processor to perform the following steps: receiving operation input from a user (S511); setting a first time at which the game is to progress, and if no operation input is made before the first time arrives, issuing a predetermined notification at the first time (S512); changing the status of the notification based on the user's operation input and accessing a server to progress the game (S513); and distributing second times at which each user's computer accesses the server to progress the game (S521).

[0156] (Appendix 2) A game program as described in (Appendix 1), wherein accessing a server to progress the game includes determining game objects to appear in the user's gameplay by processing based on first information that is determined by accepting user operation input, and associating information about the determined game objects with the user and storing it in the server (S522).

[0157] (Appendix 3) A game program as described in (Appendix 2), in which accessing a server to progress the game includes determining timing information by accepting user input, and determining a game object to be associated with the user by performing a lottery process on the server using the determined timing information as first information.

[0158] (Appendix 4) A game program as described in (Appendix 3), wherein the first time is set as the time to sound an alarm, and accessing the server to progress the game includes accepting an operation to wake up as a user input, and by accepting the operation to wake up, determining information regarding the user's sleep as timekeeping information.

[0159] (Appendix 5) A game program described in any one of (Appendix 2) to (Appendix 4), wherein in the distributing step, the second time is distributed by distributing the timing of accessing the server after receiving user operation input for each of multiple users.

[0160] (Appendix 6) In the distributing step, second information indicating that the user's operation input has been accepted is transmitted to the server, and the server determines a waiting time, which may vary for each user who has accepted the second information, and transmits the determined waiting time to each user's computer; The game program according to any one of (Supplementary Note 1) to (Supplementary Note 5), wherein, in the distributing step, information indicating a waiting time is presented to the user.

[0161] (Appendix 7) A game program as described in (Appendix 6), wherein in the distribution step, information indicating the waiting time is updated over time and presented to the user, and a predetermined operation to access the server is not accepted from the user until the waiting time has elapsed, and a predetermined operation to access the server is accepted from the user in response to the waiting time having elapsed.

[0162] (Appendix 8) A game program described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 7), which includes, in the distributing step, setting the first time in the computer based on the results of distributing the setting of the first time for making a specified notification among each user.

[0163] (Appendix 9) A game program as described in (Appendix 8), wherein in the distribution step, the results of distributing the first time settings among each user are presented to the computer user, and the changed first time is set by receiving an operation from the user to approve the change to the first time.

[0164] (Appendix 10) A game program as described in (Appendix 8), further comprising: a step of sensing the user's sleeping state; in a step of making a predetermined notification, setting a first time based on the distributed results; making a predetermined notification based on the sensing results of the user's sleeping state even though the first time has been set; and in a step of accessing, accessing the server by accepting operation input from the user in response to the predetermined notification.

[0165] (Appendix 11) A game program described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 10), wherein in the distributing step, a specific notification is made depending on the time elapsed since the first time, for a predetermined notification based on the arrival of a first time.

[0166] (Appendix 12) A game program as described in (Appendix 11), in which, in the distributing step, a benefit is granted to the user when an operational input to access the server to progress the game is received from the user based on the timing of a specific notification.

[0167] (Appendix 13) A game program as described in (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 12), in which, in the distributing step, a server is accessed to progress the game before the arrival of a first time for making a specified notification, third information for progressing the game from the server is received, and user operation input accompanying the specified notification is accepted, thereby progressing the game on a computer based on the third information without accessing the server.

[0168] (Appendix 14) A game program as described in (Appendix 13), which accepts an operation from a user to start going to bed or falling asleep, and in response to the operation, accesses the server before the first time arrives. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 10A, 10B Terminal device, 11A Game controller, 11B Sleep measurement device, 12 Communication IF, 13 Input device, 14 Output device, 15 Memory, 16 Storage unit, 19 Processor, 20 Server, 22 Communication IF, 23 Input / output IF, 25 Memory, 26 Storage, 29 Processor, 80 Network, 81 Wireless base station, 82 Wireless LAN base station, 130 Operation reception unit (touch screen), 132 Display, 181 User information, 281 User information database, 282 Server processing capacity information.

Claims

1. A system having a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users and a server that manages information of the plurality of users, The plurality of terminal devices include A means for receiving operation input from each user; means for setting a first time at which a game is to be progressed, and for notifying the player by sound at the first time if the operational input is not performed before the first time arrives; a means for changing a state of the notification based on an operation input by the user in response to the notification, and for accessing the server in order to progress the game based on a timing of receiving the operation input; Equipped with The server, A system comprising: a means for causing a timing at which a sound appears in the notification to differ for each user operating the terminal device for the plurality of terminal devices in which the first time is set.

2. the server includes a means for granting a privilege to the user when the operation input is received from the user based on a timing for issuing a specific notification; 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the specific notification is a specific notification that is made to the terminal device depending on the time that has elapsed since the first time.

3. A method implemented in a system having a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users and a server managing information of the plurality of users, The plurality of terminal devices include Set a first time at which the game is to proceed; if there is no operation input from each user before the first time arrives, a notification is given by sound at the first time; receiving an operation input from each user in response to the notification; changing a state of the notification based on an operation input by the user in response to the notification, and accessing the server to progress the game based on a timing of receiving the operation input; The server, A method for causing a timing at which a sound appears in the notification to differ for each user operating the terminal device, for each of the plurality of terminal devices in which the first time is set.

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