Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processor, an information processing method, and a program capable of imparting a reward corresponding to evaluation of a match opponent to a player who participates in a competition.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: An information processor includes: an evaluation setting part for setting evaluation information on the basis of operation of a user who views a game for each of multiple players including a first player and a second player who participate in a competition; and a reward imparting part for imparting a first reward based on evaluation information set to the second player to the first player when the first player beats the second player in a competition match.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] It has been known for some time that in competitions such as e-sports, a winner is determined in a tournament format, and rewards such as prize money awarded to players are determined based on the number of wins. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an online game tournament system in which a tournament is conducted in a tournament format and prize money is determined based on the number of wins, in which participants who participate as players are given an initial level and initial credits, and when a game progresses between the determined opponents and a win or loss is determined, a certain percentage of the loser's credits is transferred to the winner to raise their level by one level, and credits are transferred to the loser, and then a prize money is determined based on the current credits, and the loser's participation in the tournament is recorded as invalid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2007-521059 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a system such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, even though the value of a victory differs between, for example, a first-round victory against a famous player who is highly rated by viewers and is considered a potential winner, and a victory against an unknown player who is poorly rated by viewers and is not well-known, it was difficult to award a player an appropriate reward according to the value of the victory.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a reward to players participating in a competition according to the evaluation of their opponents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an evaluation setting unit that sets evaluation information for each of a plurality of players, including a first player and a second player, participating in a competition based on operations of a user watching the competition, and a reward granting unit that, when the first player wins against the second player in a match of the competition, grants the first player a first reward based on the evaluation information set for the second player. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a reward can be given to a player participating in a competition according to the evaluation of his or her opponent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing system including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an overview of a tournament, in which FIG. 1A shows the state of the tournament at the start of the tournament, and FIG. 1B shows the state of the tournament at the end of the first round. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a player designation screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a player details screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game start screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of functions of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of competition information. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of player information. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an evaluation information setting process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a reward granting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example given to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved from the embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Naturally, the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

[0010] Furthermore, the examples of screens described in this specification and the drawings are merely examples, and the screen configuration and design, content of the displayed information, and GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc. can be freely designed according to the system design specifications and user preferences, and can also be changed as appropriate.

[0011] <About the competition related to this embodiment> The communication system shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as information processing system S) is a communication system including an information processing device (hereinafter referred to as server 10) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system S is a computer system that handles all operations related to the implementation of the competition, and provides competition and other competition-related services to players (individuals or teams) who participate (enter) in the competition, and to users who do not participate in the competition as players but watch (spectate) the players' play. Specifically, it provides players with an environment for playing the competition, and users with an environment for watching the competition and evaluating players.

[0012] A competition is a game, such as a computer game or sport, in which players compete against each other according to certain rules to determine the superiority of their skills or abilities, and includes a tournament in which one or more matches are scheduled to be held. When multiple matches are scheduled to be held, such as in a tournament, the method for determining the winner or ranking may be a tournament (knockout), a league (round-robin), a combination of the tournament and league, or a method derived from these, or other methods. A competition may also consist of a final round and a qualifying round (qualifying tournament) for selecting participants for the final round. When multiple matches are scheduled to be held, this is not limited to multiple matches of one event, but may also include a combination of multiple events of different events. In the competition, players are awarded prize money, additional prizes, and other rewards depending on the final ranking, the results of each match, or the content of the match.

[0013] In this embodiment, an e-sports (electronic sports) tournament (hereinafter referred to as a competition), which is a competitive computer game in which players compete against each other, will be described as an example of a competition. The game genre of e-sports is not particularly limited and may be any game genre. For example, it may be a fighting game, a sports game, a shooting game, a racing game, a puzzle game, a word game, a card game, a board game, a role-playing game, or a simulation game. Furthermore, e-sports may be individual or team competitions. Furthermore, it may be a competition between humans as players, or a competition between humans and a computer (e.g., AI or a robot).

[0014] The e-sports of this embodiment is an online game provided using the information processing system S. Specifically, when a player such as a professional gamer performs an operation (play operation) to play the e-sports competition on the player terminal 11, the player terminal 11 receives data related to the progress of the competition distributed from a server computer (hereinafter referred to as the server 10). The player terminal 11 outputs video and audio corresponding to the received data, and the player progresses the competition while checking the output video and audio. The player terminal 11 also transmits data indicating the player's operation details, such as play operations, to the server 10, and the server 10 transmits data corresponding to the operation details to the player terminal 11. Such data transmission and reception between the server 10 and the player terminal 11 is repeated until the match played by the player is completed.

[0015] The competition of this embodiment is a competition in which multiple players participate, and multiple matches are held within one competition. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the competition of this embodiment is a competition in which eight players (Player A to Player H) participate, and a total of seven matches are held in a knockout tournament format, including a first round, semi-finals, and finals. The player who remains until he has won three tournament matches is declared the winner, and the competition ends. Note that a preliminary round (preliminary league or preliminary tournament) may be organized separately from the main competition (final tournament).

[0016] On the other hand, users who are viewers (spectators) are in a different position from players, and unlike players, they do not participate in a competition or actually play the game, but rather watch the game by viewing video (gameplay video) or the like showing the players playing the game on the user terminal 12. Specifically, the user terminal 12 receives data related to the progress of the competition distributed from the server 10. The user terminal 12 outputs video and audio according to the received data, and the user views the output video and audio.

[0017] Furthermore, users can not only simply watch gameplay videos, but also specify any player and perform various user operations. Specifically, the user terminal 12 transmits data indicating the content of various operations that the user will perform by specifying a player to the server 10, and the server 10 transmits data corresponding to the content of the operations to the user terminal 12. Such data transmission and reception between the server 10 and the user terminal 12 is repeated until the end of the match or competition. Note that the users may include users who only perform user operations without watching the match, that is, users other than viewers.

[0018] The term "designation" refers to the user selecting one or more players from among a plurality of players participating in a tournament or match, and player designation is performed on a player designation screen G1 as shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 3, the player designation screen G1 is a screen on which the user can arbitrarily select a player, and displays a list of information about multiple players participating in a competition or a match. The player designation screen G1 displays information that can identify each player, such as the player's name (or team name), an image such as an icon, and evaluation information (described later). The user can designate a player by, for example, tapping an area on the player designation screen G1 where the information about that player is displayed.

[0019] User operations, i.e., various operations performed by a user by specifying a player, are operations that affect the setting of evaluation information, which will be described later. User operations are operations that can be performed by a user before the end of a match in which a player specified by the user (hereinafter referred to as a "specified player") participates, specifically, before the start of a tournament or each match (in which the player participates), or during the tournament or each match. User operations include, for example, watching a video of a designated player playing, cheering by sending comments, stamps, or voice (cheers) to the designated player, donating a predetermined value such as money to the designated player, and voting by predicting the victory of the designated player. Note that voting includes cases where a predetermined value such as money is bet and a payout is received if the designated player wins, and cases where a payout is simply received without betting a predetermined value such as money (when no payout is received).

[0020] User operations include a first operation that can be performed by consuming a predetermined value and a second operation that can be performed without consuming the predetermined value. For example, a first operation would be when donating a predetermined value, such as money or a predetermined game medium, to a designated player, or when betting a predetermined value, such as money or a predetermined game medium, to vote for a designated player. Furthermore, when sending a comment, a comment that requires consuming a predetermined value would be considered a first operation, while a comment that can be sent without consuming the predetermined value would be considered a second operation. Note that the second operation may not require consuming the predetermined value, but may instead have a limit on the number of times it can be performed. Furthermore, the first operation may be possible by consuming a first value (an example of a predetermined value), and the second operation may be possible by consuming a second value different from the first value. For example, the first value may be a paid medium, and the second value may be a free medium.

[0021] Furthermore, the first operation and the second operation have different degrees of influence on the setting of the evaluation information, which will be described later. That is, the first operation, which requires the consumption of a predetermined value, has a greater influence on the change in the evaluation information than the second operation, which does not require the consumption of a predetermined value, and the rate of change in the evaluation information is relatively larger.

[0022] Values ​​that can be consumed as a predetermined value include, in addition to money, game media such as dedicated currencies and game items that can be used in games held in competitions or other games. Game media includes paid game media that must be purchased by paying a fee or other action to obtain the game media, and free game media that can be obtained as a login bonus or the like without paying a fee. The type and amount of the predetermined value (in the case of money) consumed when performing the first operation may be determined by user selection, or may be determined automatically or randomly regardless of the user's intention. The type and amount of the predetermined value that can be consumed for each tournament or match or for each player may be set in advance. For example, the amount of the predetermined value required may be set relatively high for a highly ranked player who is a potential winner, a player who has advanced to the finals and is close to winning, or a player whose evaluation information (described later) is already high. Furthermore, the amount of the predetermined value required may vary depending on the timing when the user designates a player or the timing when a user operation is performed on the designated player. For example, the amount of the predetermined value required may be set relatively low before the start of the tournament, shortly after the start of the tournament, such as during the preliminary rounds or first round, or before the player has advanced. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, money will be used as an example of the predetermined value.

[0023] The user's operations are performed on a player details screen G2 as shown in FIG. 4, the player details screen G2 is a screen on which the user performs the operations exemplified above for the designated player, and displays information such as the designated player's name, image, and rating information, as well as detailed player information, such as information about the player's profile including rank, attributes, and battle record. The player details screen G2 also displays buttons for accepting user operations that the user can select, such as a normal comment (N comment), a super comment (S comment), a gift, and a vote. When the user taps a button indicating an arbitrary user operation on the player details screen G2, the screen transitions to a comment input screen or an amount input screen (not shown), on which the user can perform a user operation for the designated player. Regarding comments, normal comments, which send messages without consuming a predetermined value, are considered second operations. On the other hand, super comments, which are made by a user consuming a predetermined value to make their comment stand out, normal comments that use stamps obtained by consuming a predetermined value, gifts that offer a player a predetermined value, and voting by betting a predetermined value are considered first operations.

[0024] In this embodiment, evaluation information is set for each player based on the user operation. The evaluation information is an index indicating how highly a player is rated by users. The higher the number of views, the amount of comments or stamps, the number and amount of presents, and the number and amount of votes predicting victory, etc. associated with a player, the higher the player is considered to be rated by users and the higher the evaluation information is set. Specifically, points are calculated based on the evaluation information set for each player, and the calculated points are awarded to each player as evaluation points. Furthermore, because user operations can be accepted before the end of the match, evaluation points may change even while a player is playing a match. Note that evaluation points have exchange value for earned points, which will be described later, but do not have exchange value for rewards, which will be described later.

[0025] In this embodiment, seeding for the tournament of the competition is set based on evaluation information set for each player before the start of the competition. Specifically, seeding is given preferentially to players with high evaluation information, i.e., players with many evaluation points, and tournament pairings are determined based on the seeding. For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), the first to fourth seeds are set in descending order of evaluation points, and the first seed, Player A (4000 points), and the second seed, Player H (3200 points), will not play against each other until the finals. Furthermore, Player A, Player H, the third seed, Player E (2800 points), and the fourth seed, Player D (2400 points), are advantageously paired together to avoid seeded players playing against each other in the first round. Note that seeding may include cases where players are given preferential treatment as opponents, as well as cases where players are exempt from qualifying rounds and the first round.

[0026] As the tournament begins and the start time of each match approaches, information about the match card for that match is displayed on the match start screen G3 as shown in Figure 5, and when the match start time arrives, the screen switches to a match screen (play video distribution screen) not shown and the match begins. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the match start screen G3 displayed at the start of the match displays information for identifying the match and information indicating the match start time, as well as information that can identify each competing player, such as the player's name (or team name), an image such as an icon, and evaluation information set for each player at the start of the match.

[0027] When the match ends, based on the result of the match, all or part of the evaluation points that were given to the second player (e.g., player A), who was the loser, are given to the first player (e.g., player B) as earned points (reward in a broad sense). In addition, the difference between the evaluation points given to the second player and the earned points given to the first player (e.g., evaluation points remaining for the second player) is given to the second player as earned points. In this case, the amount of earned points granted to the second player is set to be less than the amount of earned points granted to the first player. In other words, in the following example, 75% of the evaluation points granted to the second player are granted to the first player as earned points, but it is preferable that this percentage be at least 50%.

[0028] For example, if the first player is awarded 75% of the evaluation points awarded to the second player, then as shown in Figure 2(b), player B, who became the first player in the first match of the first round, will be awarded 3000 points out of the 4000 evaluation points awarded to player A, who became the second player. Meanwhile, player A, who became the second player, will be awarded 1000 points, which is the difference between the evaluation points awarded to him and the points awarded to the first player, and will be eliminated from the tournament and end the competition. Similarly, players D, E, and H, who became the first players in the second to fourth matches of the first round, will be awarded 75% of the evaluation points awarded to their opponents, players C, F, and G, who became the second players. Meanwhile, players C, F, and G, who became the second players, will be awarded the difference in points awarded to the first players as their own points, and will be eliminated from the tournament and end the competition. In this way, even in the same first round match, the points that the winner can earn will differ depending on the evaluation of the defeated opponent. For example, if Player B causes a major upset by defeating Player A, who is highly rated by users and is the number one seed, and is considered a favorite to win, he or she can earn a lot of points according to the evaluation points that Player A had been given.

[0029] When all the matches are over and the winner is decided and the tournament is over, the evaluation points given to the first player W as the winner are converted into earned points and given to the first player W. Each player who participates in the tournament is then awarded a reward, such as money, calculated based on the points earned by each player. The reward may be calculated by setting the reward amount according to the ranking of points earned, or by dividing the reward amount proportionally according to the number of points earned. For example, the total reward amount set for the entire tournament may be divided proportionally according to the points earned by each player to calculate the reward amount to be awarded to each player. The reward here includes both a first reward that is given only to the winner and a second reward that may be given to the loser. In other words, the reward based on the acquired points converted from the evaluation points of the second player who defeated the opponent corresponds to the first reward and second reward of the present invention, and the reward based on the acquired points converted from the evaluation points given to oneself corresponds to the second reward of the present invention.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a reward (corresponding to a third reward) based on the earned points awarded to the designated player designated by the user through a user operation is awarded to the user who designated the designated player. The reward here may be calculated and awarded, for example, X yen for every 100 earned points awarded to the designated player, or, if the earned points awarded to the designated player are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a flat or proportional reward may be awarded. Furthermore, the reward is not limited to monetary rewards, and may be anything that is beneficial to the user who designated the designated player. For example, the reward may enable direct communication with the player, such as a direct message.

[0031] <Configuration of information processing device and user terminal according to this embodiment> Next, the configurations of an information processing device and various terminals according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The information processing device according to this embodiment is configured by a computer that distributes data related to the progress of the competition and manages the competition, specifically a server computer (hereinafter referred to as server 10). The server 10 is an example of a computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, is communicatively connected to a plurality of player terminals 11 and user terminals 12 via a network 14, and together with the player terminals 11 and user terminals 12, forms an information processing system S. The network 14 is a communication network consisting of, for example, the Internet or a mobile communication network, and may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, etc.

[0032] In the information processing system S of this embodiment, with the above configuration, the server 10, the player terminals 11, and the user terminals 12 cooperate to progress the competition. Specifically, part of the competition progress processing (including the progress processing of each match) is performed on the server 10 side, and part of the graphics processing and the like is executed on the player terminals 11 and the user terminals 12. For example, the server 10 side executes a program including certain rules, logic, and algorithms. Meanwhile, the player terminals 11 and the user terminals 12 side synchronize with the server 10 and progress the competition according to the same rules, logic, and algorithms as the program executed on the server 10.

[0033] The server 10 is an example of an "information processing device" of the present invention, and is a computer that performs various information processing related to the progress of the competition, such as generating and transmitting and receiving data necessary for the progress of the competition. More specifically, in this embodiment, it is an SNS server. The server 10 may be configured as a single computer or multiple computers distributed in parallel. The server 10 may also be a server computer for an ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, a series of information processing steps related to the progress of the competition (excluding information input and display) are executed by the server 10, and the player terminals 11 and user terminals 12 only need to input information to be transferred to the server 10 and display information distributed from the server 10.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the server 10 has, as hardware devices, a processor 21, a memory 22, a communication interface 23, and a storage 24, which are electrically connected via a bus 25. In addition, the server 10 has installed thereon, as software, an operating system (OS) and a dedicated program for processing information related to the competition. These programs correspond to the "programs" of the present invention. When the processor 21 operates in accordance with the programs, the server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention and executes a series of processes related to the progress of the competition. The program of the present invention may be acquired by reading it from a computer-readable recording medium, or may be acquired (downloaded) via a network 14 such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0035] The processor 21 may be configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Controller Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0036] The memory 22 may be configured by semiconductor memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0037] The communication interface 23 may be configured by, for example, a network interface card, a communication interface board, etc. The standard of data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a 3G to 5G or later generation mobile communication system, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0038] The storage 24 may be configured with a flash memory, a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disc (FD), a magneto-optical disc (MO disc), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a secure digital card (SD card), a universal serial bus memory (USB memory), or the like. The storage 24 may be built into the server 10 or may be attached to the server main body in an external format. The storage 24 may also be configured with an external computer (e.g., a database server) communicably connected to the server main body. Note that a distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain may be used as a technology for recording various data in order to avoid unauthorized data tampering, etc.

[0039] The server 10 distributes information necessary for the progress of the competition to each player and each user, and also collects and stores information from each player and each user. The information stored by the server 10 includes information about the competition, information about each player, and information about each user. The server 10 also performs various other information processing related to the progress of the competition.

[0040] The player terminal 11 is a client terminal operated by a player to play a competition, and the user terminal 12 is a client terminal operated by a user to watch a competition, evaluate players, etc. The player terminals 11 and user terminals 12 are configured by, for example, personal computers, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet terminals, game consoles, television sets capable of inputting information, wearable terminals, etc. Note that, for convenience of illustration, two player terminals 11 and three user terminals 12 are shown in FIG. 1, but of course, in reality, the number of player terminals 11 and user terminals 12 will be equal to the number of players and users.

[0041] The player terminal 11 and the user terminal 12 receive data from the server 10, and display images (video) represented by the data on the display of the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12 or on a display device such as a TV connected to the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12, and output audio from a speaker or the like. That is, in this embodiment, the player terminal 11 and the user terminal 12 function as a display unit and an audio output unit. For example, the player terminal 11 displays a match start screen G3 (FIG. 5), a match screen (not shown), and the like. Furthermore, the user terminal 12 displays a player designation screen G1 (FIG. 3), a player details screen G2 (FIG. 4), a match start screen G3 (FIG. 5), and the like, in addition to the match screen (not shown).

[0042] Furthermore, the player terminal 11 and the user terminal 12 accept player or user operations performed during the competition and transmit information corresponding to the operation content to the server 10. For example, a player performs play operations, etc. for playing the competition on the player terminal 11 and transmits information based on those operations to the server 10. Meanwhile, a user performs various user operations, etc., on the user terminal 12 by designating an arbitrary player from among multiple players participating in the competition and transmits information based on those operations to the server 10. In addition to the above operations, players and users appropriately perform operations on the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12 that are necessary to enjoy the services provided by the information processing system S of this embodiment.

[0043] <Functions of the information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention> The configuration of the server 10, which is an information processing device according to this embodiment, will be explained again from the functional standpoint. 6, the server 10 has a memory unit 30, an information acquisition unit 31, a display control unit 32, an evaluation setting unit 33, a seed setting unit 34, a point granting unit 35, a reward granting unit 36, and a competition control unit 37. Of these, the memory unit 30 is realized by the memory 22 or the storage 24, and the other functional units are realized by cooperation between the hardware devices that make up the server 10 and programs installed on the server 10. Note that if the server 10 is made up of multiple computers, the above functions may be distributed so that each of the multiple computers performs a different function. Each functional unit will be described in detail below.

[0044] (Storage part) The storage unit 30 stores various information necessary for the progress of the competition. Specifically, it stores information about the competition, information about players, information about users, etc. It also stores various other information.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, information relating to the competition (competition information) is stored for each competition, with various information linked to identification information (such as an identification ID) that identifies each competition. For example, tournament information items include information indicating the name (title) of the tournament, duration, prize money, remuneration, competition content, players, viewers, and tournament results. Information indicating prize money includes information such as the prize amount awarded to players based on their ranking. Information indicating remuneration includes information such as the total amount of remuneration awarded to players based on their earned points. Information indicating competition content includes information for identifying the competitions held in the tournament. Information indicating players includes information for identifying players participating in the tournament. Information indicating viewers includes information for identifying the number of viewers of the tournament and information for identifying the viewers. Information indicating tournament results includes information such as the winner of the tournament, the winners and losers of each match, and the scores of each match (including progress).

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, information about a player (player information) is stored for each player, with various information linked to identification information (identification ID, account name, etc.) that identifies each player. For example, player information items include information indicating the player's attributes such as the player's name, player rank, team, etc., game record, evaluation points, acquired points, reward, prize money, etc. Information indicating game record includes information indicating the player's past competition history, such as the number of tournaments participated in, the number of matches, tournament results, and match results. Information indicating evaluation points includes information indicating the amount of points awarded based on user operations and the points award history, etc. Information indicating acquired points includes information indicating the amount of points awarded based on match results and the points award history, etc. Information indicating rewards includes information indicating the amount of rewards awarded based on acquired points after the end of a competition and the points award history, etc. Prize money includes information indicating the amount of prize money awarded based on the player's ranking after the end of a competition. Note that the player information may also include information other than the above, such as the player's personal information, such as contact information.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 9, information about users (user information) is stored for each user, with various information linked to identification information (identification ID, account name, etc.) that identifies each user. For example, items of user information include information indicating attributes, viewing history, operation history, predetermined value, rewards, etc. Information indicating viewing history includes information indicating the tournaments or matches within the tournaments watched by the user. Information indicating operation history includes information for identifying a designated player designated by the user and information indicating the content of user operations performed on the designated player (including the amount of predetermined value consumed, etc.). Information indicating predetermined value includes information indicating the type, amount, and consumption history of the predetermined value owned. Information indicating rewards includes information indicating the type, amount, and reward history of rewards awarded to the designated player based on the points earned after the tournament ends. Note that the user information may also include information other than the above, such as personal information of the user, such as contact information, and a billing history indicating the number of times and amount of charges made to obtain predetermined value.

[0048] (Information acquisition department) The information acquisition unit 31 corresponds to the reception unit of the present invention, and acquires information (data) based on operations performed by players and users on the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12 by communicating with the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12. The information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 includes, for example, information based on play operations performed by players to play the competition, and information based on user operations performed by users specifying any player. The information based on user operations includes information based on a first operation that can be performed by consuming a predetermined value, and information based on a second operation that can be performed without consuming a predetermined value. In addition to the above information, the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 also includes information based on various selections, designations, instructions, requests, commands, permission or denial, registration, and other input operations performed by players or users during, before, and after the competition.

[0049] (Display control unit) The display control unit 32 controls the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12 to display various information necessary for the progress of the competition on the screen of the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12. Specifically, the display control unit 32 generates display data for displaying results of information processing by the evaluation setting unit 33, the seed setting unit 34, the point granting unit 35, the reward granting unit 36, the competition control unit 37, etc. (described later), and transmits the generated display data to the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12 via the network 14. For example, the display control unit 32 distributes match videos to the player terminal 11 and the user terminal 12 by displaying a match start screen G3 (FIG. 5) and a match screen, etc., that reflect the results of information processing by the competition control unit 37, on the player terminal 11 and the user terminal 12. The display control unit 32 also displays a player designation screen G1 (FIG. 3), a player details screen G2 (FIG. 4), etc. on the user terminal 12.

[0050] (Evaluation Setting Department) The evaluation setting unit 33 sets evaluation information for each of the multiple players participating in the competition based on user operations. Specifically, the evaluation setting unit 33 changes the evaluation information set for each player based on the content of information based on user operations acquired by the information acquisition unit 31, the timing of acquisition, etc., and stores the changed evaluation information in association with each player in the storage unit 30. At this time, if the user operation is a first operation performed by consuming a predetermined value, the degree of influence on the evaluation information is made greater than if the user operation is a second operation performed without consuming a predetermined value, resulting in a greater change in the evaluation information.

[0051] (Seed setting section) The seed setting unit 34 sets seeds for the tournament of the competition based on evaluation information set for multiple players. Specifically, before the start of the competition, the seed setting unit 34 ranks or ranks the players based on the evaluation information set for each player, and associates the rankings or ranks with the players and stores them in the storage unit 30. Then, the tournament pairings are determined based on the set seeds.

[0052] (Points Assignment Department) The point granting unit 35 grants points (evaluation points) to multiple players based on the evaluation information set for each of the multiple players. Specifically, the amount of evaluation points to be granted is determined based on the evaluation information set for each player, and the determined evaluation points are associated with each player and stored in the storage unit 30, updating the player information, thereby granting evaluation points to the players.

[0053] Furthermore, when the first player beats the second player, the point granting unit 35 grants at least some of the evaluation points granted to the second player as acquired points to the first player. Specifically, based on the match result, the point granting unit 35 disassociates some or all of the evaluation points associated with the second player, converts the disassociated evaluation points into acquired points, associates them with the first player, and stores them in the storage unit 30. Then, by updating the player information of the first player and the second player, some or all of the evaluation points owned by the second player are granted to the first player as acquired points. At this time, the number of points transferred from the second player to the first player may be determined based on the content of the match, or may be determined for each tournament or match. For example, if the victory or defeat is decided by a large margin or in a short time, more points may be transferred. Furthermore, more points may be transferred in the finals than in the preliminary rounds, in the semifinals than in the first rounds, and in the finals than in the semifinals.

[0054] Furthermore, if the first player wins against the second player and there is no next opponent among the multiple players for the first player, that is, if the first player wins the competition, the point awarding unit 35 awards the evaluation points awarded to the first player as acquired points to the first player. Specifically, the point awarding unit 35 converts the evaluation points awarded to the first player into acquired points and updates the player information stored in the storage unit 30 to award the acquired points to the first player.

[0055] Furthermore, when the first player wins against the second player, the point awarding unit 35 awards to the second player, as earned points, the difference between the evaluation points awarded to the second player and the earned points awarded to the first player from among the evaluation points awarded to the second player. Specifically, based on the match result, the point awarding unit 35 disassociates some or all of the evaluation points associated with the second player, transfers the disassociated evaluation points to the first player, converts the remaining evaluation points into earned points, and updates the player information of the second player stored in the storage unit 30, thereby awarding the earned points to the second player.

[0056] (Reward Division) When a first player beats a second player in a competitive match, the reward granting unit 36 ​​grants the first player a reward (corresponding to a first reward) based on evaluation information set for the second player. In this embodiment, the reward granted to the first player is calculated based on the points earned by the second player due to the first player's victory over the second player. Specifically, the reward amount (amount in the case of money) to be granted is calculated based on the points earned by each first player, and the calculated reward is associated with the first player and stored in the storage unit 30 to update the player information, thereby granting the reward to the first player. In this case, for example, the total amount of rewards to be granted to players who participated in the entire competitive tournament may be determined in advance, and the reward amount to be granted to each player may be calculated by dividing the total amount of reward proportionally based on the points earned by each player.

[0057] The reward granting unit 36 ​​also grants each player a reward (corresponding to a second reward) calculated based on the earned points granted to each player. That is, a reward is also granted to a second player who lost to the first player if the second player has earned points. Specifically, the amount of reward to be granted is determined based on the earned points granted to each player, and the determined reward is associated with the player and stored in the storage unit 30 to update the player information, thereby granting the reward to the player. Note that, as with the above, the reward amount to be granted to each player may be calculated by dividing the total reward amount proportionally.

[0058] Furthermore, the reward granting unit 36 ​​grants a reward (corresponding to a third reward) calculated based on the earned points granted to the designated player designated by the user through a user operation to the user who designated the designated player. Specifically, the reward granting unit 36 ​​determines the amount of reward to be granted to the user who designated the player through a user operation based on the earned points granted to each player, associates the determined reward with the user, stores the determined reward in the storage unit 30, and updates the user information, thereby granting the reward to the user.

[0059] (Sports Control Department) The competition control unit 37 executes information processing necessary for the progress of the competition and progresses the competition in accordance with various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31. Specifically, the competition control unit 37 starts a match and performs effects in accordance with operations, such as moving game media such as characters in accordance with operations performed by the player during the match. The competition control unit 37 also changes parameter settings of the game media in accordance with the progress of the match. For example, if the competition content is a fighting game, the information acquisition unit 31 controls the character operated by the player to move or attack other characters. When an attack by a character hits another character, the information acquisition unit 31 decreases parameters associated with the other character, such as the stamina, based on parameters such as the character's attack power and the other character's defense power.

[0060] The above has described the configurations of the server 10, the player terminal 11, and the user terminal 12. Generally, the server 10, the player terminal 11, and the user terminal 12 have various functions other than those described above, but here, only the characteristic functions that produce the effects in the information processing system S of the present invention will be described, and illustrations and descriptions of other known functions will be omitted.

[0061] <Information processing flow according to one embodiment of the present invention> Next, the flow of information processing (hereinafter referred to as information processing flow) executed in the information processing system S configured as described above will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. The information processing flow employs the information processing method of the present invention and is realized by using the information processing system S functioning as a computer system. In other words, each step in the information processing flow corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention. Note that the information processing flow described below is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the order in which steps are performed may be changed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0062] (Information processing flow) This information processing flow is the core of the present invention, including evaluation information setting processing and reward granting processing, and is started when a competition is held, and proceeds, for example, along the flow shown in FIG. In the following description, the winner of each match will be referred to as the first player, the loser of each match as the second player, and the winner of the tournament will be referred to as the first player W. In addition, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where evaluation information for each player is set before the start of the tournament, but evaluation information may be set at any time before the matches in which the target player is participating have ended and the winners and losers of each match have been determined.

[0063] 10, first, the server 10, which is a computer, executes an evaluation information setting process (S101), and determines the seed and tournament combinations of each player based on the evaluation points assigned to each player as evaluation information (S102). Details of the evaluation information setting process will be described later.

[0064] Next, the server 10 starts the match according to the determined combinations (S103), and after the match ends with the winner and loser determined (S104), executes a reward granting process (S105). Details of the reward granting process will be described later.

[0065] If the server 10 determines that the winner has been decided and all the matches making up the tournament have ended (S106: YES), it ends the competition (S107) and ends the processing. On the other hand, if the server 10 determines that all the matches have not yet ended (S106: NO), it returns to the processing of S103. The above is an example of the information processing flow of the present invention.

[0066] (Evaluation information setting process) Next, an example of the evaluation information setting process will be described with reference to FIG. The evaluation information setting process is a procedure executed by the server 10 (mainly the evaluation setting unit 33 and the point assigning unit 35), and is the process executed in step S101 of the information processing flow. Specifically, it is a process of setting evaluation information for each player participating in the competition based on user operations.

[0067] 11, first, the server 10, which is a computer, generates display data for displaying information about a player that can be specified by a user from among multiple players participating in the competition, and transmits the generated display data to the user terminal 12 of the user, thereby displaying a player specification screen G1 (FIG. 3) on the user terminal 12 (S201). Then, the server 10 acquires information based on an operation performed by the user to specify a player through communication with the user terminal 12, and accepts the specification of a player (S202). Then, the server 10 generates display data for displaying detailed information about the specified player, and transmits the generated display data to the user terminal 12 of the user, thereby displaying a player details screen G2 (FIG. 4) on the user terminal 12 (S203).

[0068] Next, when the server 10 determines that the user operation performed by the user on the player details screen G2 is a first operation (S204: YES), it causes the user to consume the predetermined value by canceling the association of the predetermined value with the user or a predetermined consumption amount, among the predetermined value stored in association with the user, and reducing the amount of predetermined value owned by the user (S205).On the other hand, when the server 10 determines that the content of the user operation is not the first operation (S204: NO), that is, when it determines that it is a second operation, it proceeds to the next process without consuming the predetermined value.

[0069] Then, the server 10 sets evaluation information for each player based on user operation (S206), and stores the amount of evaluation points determined based on the set evaluation information in association with each player, thereby granting evaluation points to each player (S207), and ends the processing. The above is an example of the evaluation information setting process.

[0070] (Reward granting process) Next, an example of the reward granting process will be described with reference to FIG. The reward granting process is a procedure executed by the server 10 (mainly the reward granting unit 36 ​​and the point granting unit 35), and is the process executed in step S105 of the above information processing flow. Specifically, it is a process of granting a reward to a first player who has defeated a second player in a competitive match, based on the evaluation information set for the second player. Furthermore, when a competitive tournament is over, it is a process of granting rewards based on the results of the competitive tournament to players who participated in the competitive tournament and users who performed user operations.

[0071] 12, first, when the first player wins against the second player as a result of the match, the server 10, which is a computer, disassociates some or all of the evaluation points associated with the second player, converts the disassociated evaluation points into earned points, associates them with the first player, and stores them in the storage unit 30, thereby granting at least some of the evaluation points granted to the second player as earned points to the first player (S301).Then, the server 10 converts the remaining evaluation points still associated with the second player into earned points and stores them in the storage unit 30, thereby granting to the second player, as earned points, the difference between the evaluation points granted to the second player and the points granted to the first player as earned points (S302).

[0072] Then, when the server 10 determines that a winner has been decided and all matches constituting the tournament have ended (S303: YES), it converts the evaluation points granted to the first player W, who is the winner, into earned points and stores them in the storage unit 30, thereby granting the evaluation points granted to the first player W as earned points to the first player W (S304). Note that when the server 10 determines that all matches have not yet ended (S303: NO), it simply ends the process.

[0073] Next, the server 10 calculates a reward amount to be awarded to each player based on the earned points awarded to each player (S305), and awards the reward to each player by storing the calculated reward amount in the storage unit 30 in association with the first player (S306). The server 10 also calculates a reward amount to be awarded to the user who designated the designated player based on the earned points awarded to the player designated by the user (S307), and awards the reward to the user by storing the calculated reward amount in association with the user in the storage unit 30 (S308). The above is an example of the reward granting process.

[0074] <Other embodiments> Up to this point, we have explained the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention using specific examples, but the above embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and other embodiments may also be considered.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention, but this is not limited to this, and some of the functions of the server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 12. For example, some or all of the functions of the evaluation setting unit 33, the point granting unit 35, the reward granting unit 36, or the competition control unit 37 may be provided in the player terminal 11 or the user terminal 12.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the tournament information, player information, user information, etc. are stored in the server 10, but it is also possible to provide a separate database server (not shown) and store all of the information in that database server, or to store the information on the player terminal 11 or user terminal 12 side.

[0077] In the above embodiment, users can generally enjoy all functions free of charge. However, some functions may be limited and available for a specified usage fee. Furthermore, various other conditions may be set for paying users who have paid a specified usage fee to give them an advantage when watching the game. For example, paying users may be able to watch gameplay videos shot from special angles (e.g., angles specialized for a specified player) or specially edited videos, depending on the amount of their fee. The usage fee may be a pay-as-you-go system, or may be a subscription-like system in which a one-time payment is valid for the user for a certain period of time (e.g., one month or one year).

[0078] <Summary> The main features of the information processing device, information processing method, and program according to the above-described embodiment are as follows.

[0079] [1] The information processing device according to this embodiment includes an evaluation setting unit that sets evaluation information for each of a plurality of players, including a first player and a second player, participating in the competition based on the operation of a user watching the competition, and a reward granting unit that grants a first reward to the first player based on the evaluation information set for the second player when the first player wins against the second player in a match of the competition. According to the above information processing device, a first player who defeats a second player is awarded a reward based on the evaluation information of the second player, so that players participating in the competition can be awarded rewards according to the evaluations of their opponents.

[0080] [2] In the above information processing device, the evaluation setting unit sets evaluation information based on an operation received before the end of the match. This allows players participating in a competition to be given more appropriate rewards according to the evaluations received by the end of the match from their opponents.

[0081] [3] The information processing device has a reception unit that can receive from a user a first operation that can be performed by consuming a predetermined value and a second operation that can be performed without consuming a predetermined value, and the evaluation setting unit increases the influence on the evaluation information when the operation is the first operation compared to when the operation is the second operation. This makes it easier for user operations performed by consuming a specified value to be reflected in each player's evaluation information, allowing players participating in a competition to be awarded more appropriate rewards based on the evaluations of their opponents.

[0082] [4] The competition is held in the form of a tournament, and the information processing device further includes a seed setting unit that sets seeds in the tournament based on evaluation information set for a plurality of players. This allows the seed to be determined based on the operations performed by the user, so that players participating in the competition can be awarded rewards based on the evaluation of their opponents, and the competition itself can be made even more exciting.

[0083] [5] The information processing device has a point granting unit that grants points to multiple players based on evaluation information set for each of the multiple players, and when the first player wins against the second player, the point granting unit grants at least a portion of the points granted to the second player to the first player as earned points. This clarifies the evaluation of each player and the reward given to the winning player, making it possible to give more appropriate rewards to players participating in the competition according to the evaluation of their opponents.

[0084] [6] In the above-mentioned information processing device, when the first player wins against the second player and there is no next opponent among the multiple players, the point granting unit grants the points granted to the first player as earned points to the first player. As a result, the winning first player is awarded points based on the evaluation information of the second player as well as points based on the first player's own evaluation information, allowing players participating in the competition to be awarded more appropriate rewards based on the evaluations of their opponents and increasing players' motivation to compete.

[0085] [7] In the above-mentioned information processing device, when the first player wins against the second player, the point granting unit grants to the second player, as earned points, the difference between the points granted to the second player and the acquired points granted to the first player from among the points granted to the second player. This means that even if a second player faces a strong opponent and loses, he or she may still be awarded points based on the evaluation information about himself or herself as a reward, which allows players participating in the competition to be awarded more appropriate rewards according to the evaluations of their opponents and also increases the players' motivation to compete.

[0086] [8] In the above information processing device, the reward granting unit grants the player a second reward based on the acquired points granted to the player. This clarifies the rewards given to players, making it possible to give more appropriate rewards to players participating in a competition in accordance with the evaluation of their opponents.

[0087] [9] In the information processing device, the reward granting unit grants a third reward based on the earned points granted to the designated player designated by the user through an operation, to the user who designated the designated player. This provides an incentive for users to designate players, as there is a possibility that the user may receive a reward depending on the match results of the player designated by the user, and as a result, players are evaluated objectively, reflecting the operations of many users. This allows players participating in a competition to receive more appropriate rewards according to the evaluations of their opponents.

[0088]

[10] In the information processing method of this embodiment, a computer sets evaluation information for each of multiple players, including a first player and a second player, participating in the competition based on the operations of a user watching the competition, and when the first player beats the second player in a match of the competition, the computer awards the first player a first reward based on the evaluation information set for the second player. According to the above information processing method, a first player who defeats a second player is awarded a reward based on the evaluation information of the second player, so that players participating in the competition can be awarded rewards according to the evaluations of their opponents.

[0089]

[11] The program of this embodiment causes a computer to set evaluation information for each of multiple players, including a first player and a second player, participating in the competition based on the operations of a user watching the competition, and when the first player beats the second player in a competition match, causes the computer to award a first reward to the first player based on the evaluation information set for the second player. According to the above program, a first player who defeats a second player is awarded a reward based on the evaluation information of the second player, so that players participating in the competition can be awarded rewards according to the evaluations of their opponents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10 Servers 11 Player terminal 12 User terminal 14 Network 21 processors 22 Memory 23 Communication Interface 24 Storage 25 Bus 30 Storage section 31 Information Acquisition Department 32 Display control unit 33 Evaluation Setting Section 34 Seed Setting Section 35 Points Awarding Department 36 Reward Division 37 Competition Control Department G1 Player Selection Screen G2 Player Details Screen G3 Match Start Screen S Information Processing System

Claims

1. A method for displaying a first screen for designating a player from among a plurality of players, including a first player and a second player, on a user terminal to which information about a competition in which the plurality of players, including a first player and a second player, is distributed; at least one of a first operation that can be performed by consuming a predetermined value and a second operation that can be performed without consuming a predetermined value can be accepted from a user terminal for a player designated via the first screen; displaying points set based on at least one of the first operation and the second operation accepted for each of the first player and the second player on a second screen that displays information about a match in which the first player and the second player compete against each other; granting at least a portion of the points set for the second player as acquired points to the first player according to the result of the game in which the first player and the second player compete against each other, and granting the second player a difference between the points set for the second player and acquired points granted to the first player from among the points set for the second player as acquired points, thereby updating the points of each player; At the time when the tournament ends or when the players are eliminated from the tournament, a reward is given to each player based on the points set for each player. Information processing device.

2. A processor displays a first screen for designating a player from among a plurality of players, including a first player and a second player, on a user terminal to which information about a competition in which the plurality of players, including the first player and the second player, is distributed; the processor is capable of accepting, from the user terminal, at least one of a first operation that can be executed by consuming a predetermined value for a player designated via the first screen and a second operation that can be executed without consuming the predetermined value; a processor causes a second screen displaying information about a match between the first player and the second player to display points set based on at least one of the first operation and the second operation accepted for each of the first player and the second player; a processor grants at least a portion of the points set for the second player to the first player as acquired points according to the result of a game in which the first player and the second player compete against each other, and grants the second player a difference between the points set for the second player and acquired points that have been granted to the first player from among the points set for the second player as acquired points, thereby updating the points of each player; a processor awarding a reward to each player based on points set for each player at the time when the competition ends or the player is eliminated from the competition; Information processing methods.

3. A computer to which information about a competition in which multiple players including a first player and a second player participate is distributed, displaying a first screen for designating a player from among the plurality of players; at least one of a first operation that can be performed by consuming a predetermined value and a second operation that can be performed without consuming a predetermined value can be accepted for a player designated via the first screen; executing a process of displaying points set based on at least one of the first operation and the second operation accepted for each of the first player and the second player on a second screen that displays information about a match in which the first player and the second player compete against each other; Depending on the result of the game in which the first player and the second player compete against each other, at least a part of the points set to the second player are granted to the first player as acquired points, and a difference between the points set to the second player and the acquired points granted to the first player from among the points set to the second player is granted to the second player as acquired points, thereby updating the points of each player; When the tournament ends or when a player is eliminated from the tournament, a reward is awarded to each player based on the points set for each player. program.

4. A system comprising a server and a user terminal, The server displaying a first screen for designating a player from among the plurality of players on the user terminal to which information about a competition in which a plurality of players including a first player and a second player participate is distributed; at least one of a first operation that can be executed by consuming a predetermined value and a second operation that can be executed without consuming a predetermined value can be accepted from the user terminal for a player designated via the first screen; displaying points set based on at least one of the first operation and the second operation accepted for each of the first player and the second player on a second screen that displays information about a match in which the first player and the second player compete against each other; granting at least a portion of the points set for the second player as acquired points to the first player according to the result of the game in which the first player and the second player compete against each other, and granting the second player a difference between the points set for the second player and acquired points granted to the first player from among the points set for the second player as acquired points, thereby updating the points of each player; At the time when the tournament ends or when the players are eliminated from the tournament, a reward is given to each player based on the points set for each player. system.

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