Virtual space provision system, virtual space provision program, and virtual space provision method

Abstract

To provide a virtual space provision system that can contribute to increasing the willingness of users to participate in virtual spaces. [Solution] When the viewpoint video from a user avatar participating in the virtual space includes special content being used by another user avatar, and a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar using the special content, the user avatar corresponding to the viewpoint video is moved to the exhibition area where the special content is displayed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual space providing system, a virtual space providing program, and a virtual space providing method for providing a virtual space to a user.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a technique has been proposed for providing a service related to a virtual space represented by spatial data to users such as participants in the virtual space (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, in a service related to a virtual space, although a participant user who participates in the virtual space with his or her own avatar can purchase product contents such as item objects used in the virtual space, these product contents to be purchased can only be sold by specific business operators such as affiliated companies of the administrator who operates and manages the virtual space, and general participant users cannot conduct sales, etc. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to contribute to the improvement of the willingness to participate in the virtual space.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a virtual space providing system, a virtual space providing program, and a virtual space providing method that can contribute to the improvement of the willingness to participate in the virtual space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The virtual space providing system according to claim 1 is A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by providing a user avatar transfer means that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, and a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content, the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined condition can be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded. This feature allows users to offer special content for trading and easily move their avatars to the special area of ​​that content, thereby stimulating trading of specific content and contributing to increased motivation to participate in the virtual space.

[0007] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 2 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, The aforementioned special content is characterized by being created based on user-generated content. This feature allows users to create and trade special content themselves, which can further enhance their motivation to participate in the virtual space.

[0008] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 3 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes regular content provided for transaction by a non-user different from the user, When the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the regular content owned by another user avatar, the system is characterized by having a trading website display means that displays a trading website on the user terminal that allows trading of both the regular content and the special content. This feature will stimulate trading of both regular and special content, further increasing the desire to participate in the virtual space. Furthermore, by conducting the trading of this diverse and large volume of regular and special content on a website rather than in the virtual space, it becomes possible to hold large-scale exhibitions without having to set up a virtual space.

[0009] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 4 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, If the aforementioned special areas include a first special area and a second special area through which the user avatar passes more frequently than the first special area, the user avatar movement means is characterized by prioritizing movement to the second special area over the first special area. This feature allows for improved user convenience after moving to the second special area, prioritizing its accessibility.

[0010] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 5 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, The aforementioned user avatar movement means is characterized by checking whether the special content is in stock, and not moving the user avatar if it is not in stock. This feature prevents problems caused by being unable to acquire special content even after moving.

[0011] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 6 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, When there are multiple special areas, the user avatar movement means is characterized by checking whether the content is in stock and moving the user avatars related to the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to special areas where the content is in stock, with priority given to special areas where the content is in stock. This feature prevents problems arising from the inability to retrieve content due to lack of inventory in the destination's special area.

[0012] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 7 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, The system includes special content information storage means for storing information related to the aforementioned special content, The user avatar movement means is characterized by displaying the information stored in the special content information storage means on the user terminal of the user corresponding to the user avatar before moving the user avatar. This feature allows users to view information about special content in advance, before their user avatar is moved.

[0013] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 8 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, The user terminal is equipped with a list display means capable of displaying a list of the special content included in the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal, The user avatar movement means is characterized by moving the user avatar to the special area of ​​the special content selected in the list displayed on the user terminal by the list display means. This feature allows users to view all special content included in the video without missing anything, and to easily navigate to the special areas of content that interest them.

[0014] The virtual space provisioning system of claim 9 is the virtual space provisioning system of claim 1, When the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal includes the special content, it is characterized by comprising video storage means capable of storing the video. According to this feature, when interesting special content is found, by storing the video including the special content in the video storage means, the special content can be carefully confirmed later.

[0015] The virtual space providing system according to claim 10 is the virtual space providing system according to claim 1, when the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal includes the special content, video recording means capable of recording the video for a predetermined period, reproducing means for reproducing the video recorded by the video recording means, and is provided with, It is characterized in that it is possible to satisfy the predetermined conditions in the video reproduced by the reproducing means. According to this feature, even after the display of the special content on the user terminal has ended, if the user wants to reproduce the video to check the special content and conduct a transaction, it is possible to move to the special area of the special content, thus improving the convenience for the user.

[0016] The virtual space providing system according to claim 11 is the virtual space providing system according to claim 1, when the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal includes the special content held by another user avatar, it is characterized by comprising interest content registration means capable of registering the special content as interest content. According to this feature, by registering the interesting special content as interest content, it becomes possible to carefully confirm the special content later, thus improving the convenience for the user.

[0017] The virtual space providing program according to claim 12 is A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A server computer connected to a user terminal via a communication network, which is capable of data communication with the user, allows the user to operate the user avatar. A virtual space processing means that performs processing related to the virtual space, Transaction-related processing means that performs transaction-related processing related to the transaction of content, including special content made available for transaction by the user, in the virtual space, where the user avatar is available for use. When the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, and a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content, a user avatar movement process is performed that allows the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined condition to move the special content to a special area where the special content can be traded. A means for processing the movement of a user avatar, Make it work It is characterized by the following. This feature allows users to offer special content for trading and easily move their avatars to the special area of ​​that content, thereby stimulating trading of specific content and contributing to increased motivation to participate in the virtual space.

[0018] The method for providing a virtual space according to claim 13 is: A virtual space in which multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, can participate. Using a server computer connected to a communication network A method for providing a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The invention is characterized by including a user avatar movement procedure that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, allows the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded, provided that predetermined conditions for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content are met. This feature allows users to offer special content for trading and easily move their avatars to the special area of ​​that content, thereby stimulating trading of specific content and contributing to increased motivation to participate in the virtual space.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention may have only the inventive features described in the claims of the present invention, or it may have the inventive features described in the claims of the present invention along with other features not described therein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the virtual space provisioning system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the server computer for providing virtual space in the virtual space provision system of Example 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the virtual space server that constitutes the server computer for providing the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the user management server that constitutes the server computer for providing the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the creator item production server that constitutes the server computer for providing the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the point management server that constitutes the server computer for providing the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 7]This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the item trading server that constitutes the server computer for providing the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a user terminal used in the virtual space provision system of Example 1. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the configuration of user data provided by the user management server in Example 1. [Figure 10] (a) is a diagram showing the configuration of creator registrant data provided by the creator item production server of Example 1, and (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of creator data provided by the creator item production server of Example 1. [Figure 11] (a) is a diagram showing the configuration of the review management data provided by the creator item production server of Example 1, (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturing and inventory management data provided by the creator item production server of Example 1, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of the production object data provided by the creator item production server of Example 1. [Figure 12] (a) is a diagram showing the configuration of point data provided by the point management server of Example 1, and (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of withdrawal account data provided by the point management server of Example 1. [Figure 13] This diagram shows the configuration of the transaction management data provided by the item trading server in Example 1. [Figure 14] This diagram shows the operation flow of the virtual space provision system in Example 1. [Figure 15] This figure shows the configuration of the virtual space provided by the virtual space provisioning system of Example 1. [Figure 16] This figure shows the configuration of the personal area of ​​the virtual space provided by the virtual space provisioning system of Example 1. [Figure 17] This figure shows the configuration of the urban area of ​​the virtual space provided by the virtual space provisioning system of Example 1. [Figure 18]This figure shows the park area in the urban area of ​​the virtual space provided by the virtual space provisioning system of Example 1. [Figure 19] This figure shows the configuration of the shopping area in the virtual space provided by the virtual space provisioning system of Example 1. [Figure 20] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing examples of creator items traded in Example 1. [Figure 21] This figure shows the types of items traded in Example 1. [Figure 22] This is a flowchart showing the process of item creation by a user (creator) in Example 1. [Figure 23] This diagram shows the operation of the virtual space provision system in item creation in Example 1. [Figure 24] This figure shows the login page for the creator item creation support site using the creator item creation server of Example 1. [Figure 25] This figure shows the main menu page when logging in from the login page of the creator item creation server in Example 1. [Figure 26] This figure shows the item management page on the creator item production server in Example 1. [Figure 27] This figure shows the item management page on the creator item production server in Example 1. [Figure 28] This figure shows the item creation page on the creator item creation server in Example 1. [Figure 29] This figure shows the My Art List page on the creator item creation server in Example 1. [Figure 30] This figure shows the point management page on the creator item creation server in Example 1. [Figure 31] (a) is a diagram showing the flow of point settlement when a creator item is traded in the virtual space of Example 1, and (b) is a diagram showing the flow of point withdrawal. [Figure 32] This figure shows the types of shops where items can be purchased in the virtual space of Example 1. [Figure 33] This diagram shows the process of opening a tenant shop in the virtual space in Example 1. [Figure 34] This figure shows an example of the top page of the official shop in Example 1. [Figure 35] This figure shows an example of a creator page in the official shop of Example 1. [Figure 36] This figure shows an example of My Shop in Example 1. [Figure 37] This figure shows an example of a tenant shop in Example 1. [Figure 38] This diagram shows the process for purchasing creator items in My Shop in Example 1. [Figure 39] This diagram shows the process by which points are awarded to the creator (user) in Example 1. [Figure 40] This diagram shows the processing flow when withdrawing points in Example 1. [Figure 41] This diagram shows the point settlement process when a creator item is traded in the virtual space of Example 2. [Figure 42] This figure shows the form of transactions in the virtual space of Example 3. [Figure 43] This is a diagram showing the virtual space of Example 4. [Figure 44] Figures (a) to (c) show the screen of a user terminal displaying the viewpoint video from a user avatar participating in the virtual space of Example 4. [Figure 45] Figures (a) to (c) show the screen of a user terminal displaying the viewpoint video from a user avatar participating in the virtual space of Example 4. [Figure 46] Figures (a) and (b) show the screen of a user terminal displaying the viewpoint video from a user avatar participating in the virtual space of Example 4. [Figure 47]This is a flowchart showing menu-related processing on the user terminal in Example 4. [Figure 48] This is a flowchart showing the signage display process in Example 4. [Figure 49] This is an explanatory diagram of the proxy services that can be performed in the virtual space of Example 5. [Figure 50] This is an explanatory diagram of the proxy services that can be performed in the virtual space of Example 5. [Figure 51] This figure shows the sales agency management data in Example 5. [Figure 52] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the substitution configuration of Example 5. [Figure 53] This is a flowchart showing the signage display process in Example 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] [Form 1-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. A special content information display means that displays information related to the special content on the user terminal when the content owned by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, It is characterized by having the following features.

[0022] [Form 1-2] The aforementioned special content is characterized by being created based on user-generated content.

[0023] [Form 1-3] The special content information display means is characterized by displaying information related to the special content on the user terminal in response to the fulfillment of predetermined conditions for the special content or the user avatar possessing the special content.

[0024] [Form 1-4] The information related to the special content is characterized by including at least one of the following: an image of the special content, information about the creator of the special content, and information about the magnitude of the value required for trading the special content.

[0025] [Form 1-5] The information related to the aforementioned special content is characterized by including information on the number of times the special content has been produced or the number of times the special content has been traded.

[0026] [Form 1-6] The information related to the aforementioned special content is characterized by including information on other special content produced by the creator of the said special content.

[0027] [Form 1-7] The special content information display means is characterized by its ability to display movement information for moving to the exhibition area where the special content to be displayed is exhibited.

[0028] [Form 1-8] The special content information display means is characterized by being able to display a list of the special content included in the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal.

[0029] [Form 1-9] The system is characterized by having a video storage means that can store the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal if the video contains the special content.

[0030] [Form 1-10] When the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the special content, a video recording means capable of recording the video for a predetermined period of time is provided. A playback means for playing back the video recorded in the aforementioned video recording means, Equipped with, The present invention is characterized in that the predetermined conditions can be met in the video reproduced by the playback means.

[0031] [Form 1-11] The system is characterized by having an interest content registration means that allows the special content owned by another user's avatar to be registered as interest content when the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes such special content.

[0032] [Form 1-12] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by including a production information display process for displaying information related to the special content on the user terminal when the content owned by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content.

[0033] [Form 1-13] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The present invention is characterized by including a production information display procedure for displaying information related to the special content on the user terminal when the content owned by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content.

[0034] [Form 2-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by providing a user avatar transfer means that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, and a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content, the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined condition can be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded.

[0035] [Form 2-2] The aforementioned special content is characterized by being created based on user-generated content.

[0036] [Form 2-3] The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes regular content provided for transaction by a non-user different from the user, When the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the regular content owned by another user avatar, the system is characterized by having a trading website display means that displays a trading website on the user terminal that allows trading of both the regular content and the special content.

[0037] [Form 2-4] If the aforementioned special areas include a first special area and a second special area through which the user avatar passes more frequently than the first special area, the user avatar movement means is characterized by prioritizing movement to the second special area over the first special area.

[0038] [Form 2-5] The aforementioned user avatar movement means is characterized by checking whether the special content is in stock, and not moving the user avatar if it is not in stock.

[0039] [Form 2-6] When there are multiple special areas, the user avatar movement means is characterized by checking whether the content is in stock and moving the user avatars related to the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to special areas where the content is in stock, with priority given to special areas where the content is in stock.

[0040] [Form 2-7] The system includes special content information storage means for storing information related to the aforementioned special content, The user avatar movement means is characterized by displaying the information stored in the special content information storage means on the user terminal of the user corresponding to the user avatar before moving the user avatar.

[0041] [Form 2-8] The user terminal is equipped with a list display means capable of displaying a list of the special content included in the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal, The user avatar movement means is characterized by moving the user avatar to the special area of ​​the special content selected in the list displayed on the user terminal by the list display means.

[0042] [Form 2-9] The system is characterized by having a video storage means that can store the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal if the video contains the special content.

[0043] [Form 2-10] When the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the special content, a video recording means capable of recording the video for a predetermined period of time is provided. A playback means for playing back the video recorded in the aforementioned video recording means, Equipped with, The present invention is characterized in that the predetermined conditions can be met in the video reproduced by the playback means.

[0044] [Form 2-11] The system is characterized by having an interest content registration means that allows the special content owned by another user avatar to be registered as interest content when the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes such special content.

[0045] [Form 2-12] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by including a user avatar movement process that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, allows the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded, upon fulfillment of predetermined conditions for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content.

[0046] [Form 2-13] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The invention is characterized by including a user avatar movement procedure that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, allows the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded, provided that predetermined conditions for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content are met.

[0047] [Form 3-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by providing information display means that displays at least information relating to the special content on an information display object located in a common area that each of the user avatars in the virtual space can pass through.

[0048] [Form 3-2] The aforementioned special content is characterized by being created based on user-generated content.

[0049] [Form 3-3] The information regarding the special content displayed in the information display object is characterized by including at least one of the following: an image of the special content, information about the creator of the special content, and information about the magnitude of the value required to obtain the special content.

[0050] [Form 3-4] The information relating to the special content displayed in the information display object includes movement information for moving the special content to a special area where it can be traded. The system is characterized by providing a means for moving a user avatar related to the fulfillment of predetermined conditions for the aforementioned movement information to the special area when those predetermined conditions are met.

[0051] [Form 3-5] The information display means is characterized in that it can display information about the special content held by the user avatar when the user avatar holding the special content is located within a predetermined area of ​​the information display object.

[0052] [Form 3-6] The information display means is characterized by identifying the inventory status of the special content owned by the user avatar located within the predetermined area, and not displaying information about the special content when it is out of stock.

[0053] [Form 3-7] The information display means is characterized by determining which user avatar to display information about based on parameters relating to each user avatar when there are multiple user avatars possessing the special content within the predetermined area, and then displaying information relating to the special content possessed by the determined user avatar.

[0054] [Form 3-8] The parameters relating to the user avatar are characterized by including at least one of the distance between the user avatar and the information display object and the movement speed of the user avatar.

[0055] [Form 3-9] The information display means is characterized by determining which user avatar to display information about based on parameters relating to the creator of the special content when there are multiple user avatars possessing the special content within the predetermined area, and then displaying information relating to the special content possessed by the determined user avatar.

[0056] [Form 3-10] The information display means is characterized by determining which user avatar to display information on, based on parameters relating to the user corresponding to the user terminal on which the video including the information display object is output, when there are multiple user avatars possessing the special content within the predetermined area, and then displaying information relating to the special content possessed by the determined user avatar.

[0057] [Form 1-11] The information regarding the aforementioned special content includes images that change over time. The information display means is characterized by displaying a time-series changing image in playback when specific conditions relating to the information display object are met.

[0058] [Form 3-12] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The system is characterized by including an information display process that displays at least information relating to the special content on an information display object located in a common area that each of the user avatars in the virtual space can pass through.

[0059] [Form 3-13] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. The method is characterized by including an information display procedure that displays at least information relating to the special content on an information display object located in a common area that each of the user avatars in the virtual space can pass through.

[0060] [Form 4-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, A first transaction means that enables users assigned to individual areas within the virtual space to conduct transactions of the content, A second transaction means that enables a specific user to conduct transactions of the content in a specific area within a common area that can be used by all users in the virtual space, and in a specific area that each user's user avatar can move around in and visit within the common area. It is characterized by having the following features.

[0061] [Form 4-2] The system includes a special content creation method that enables users to create special content based on creative content they have created, The first and second trading means are characterized by enabling the trading of the special content.

[0062] [Form 4-3] A key feature is that the virtual space within the aforementioned individual domain can be modified by the user assigned to that individual domain.

[0063] [Form 4-4] A key feature is that the virtual space within the specified area can be modified by the specified user.

[0064] [Form 4-5] The system is characterized by having a means for determining a specific user based on evaluation parameters related to the user's transactions.

[0065] [Form 4-6] The system is characterized by providing a region movement means that moves a user avatar located in the aforementioned specific region to the aforementioned individual region in accordance with the fulfillment of specific conditions.

[0066] [Form 4-7] The system is characterized by providing a region movement means that moves a user avatar located in the aforementioned individual region to the aforementioned specific region in accordance with predetermined conditions.

[0067] [Form 4-8] A key feature is that the user avatar can try out the content in the individual domains and the specific domains.

[0068] [Form 4-9] A key feature of this system is that, within the aforementioned individual domain, it is possible to trade the special content created by users other than the user assigned to that individual domain.

[0069] [Form 4-10] A key feature is that, within the aforementioned specific domain, it is possible to trade the special content created by users other than the aforementioned specific user.

[0070] [Form 4-11] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. A first transaction process that enables users assigned to individual areas within the virtual space to conduct transactions of the content, A second transaction process that enables a specific user to conduct a transaction of the content in a specific area within a common area that can be used by all users in the virtual space, and in a specific area that each user's user avatar can move around in and visit within the common area. It is characterized by containing [something].

[0071] [Form 4-12] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. A first transaction procedure that enables users assigned to individual areas within the virtual space to conduct transactions of the content, A second transaction procedure that enables a specific user to conduct a transaction of the content in a specific area within a common area that is accessible to all users in the virtual space, and in a specific area that each user's user avatar can visit by moving within the common area. It is characterized by containing [something].

[0072] [Form 5-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, A special content creation method that enables a user to create special content subject to the aforementioned transaction based on creative content created by the user, When a transaction of the aforementioned special content occurs, if a transaction promotion activity is carried out by a user other than the user who produced the special content in connection with the transaction, a means of rewarding that other user shall be provided, It is characterized by having the following features.

[0073] [Form 5-2] The aforementioned reward is characterized by being a reward usable in the aforementioned virtual space.

[0074] [Form 5-3] The aforementioned reward is characterized by being a reward that can be paid out as money in the real world.

[0075] [Form 5-4] The special content is provided with a target content acceptance means that accepts from the user who created the special content whether or not it is eligible for compensation under the compensation granting means. The reward-granting means is characterized by granting the reward on the condition that the special content accepted by the target content acceptance means for the grant of the reward is traded.

[0076] [Form 5-5] When a transaction of special content has been accepted by the aforementioned target content acceptance means to be eligible for the grant of rewards, the system provides a reward recipient acceptance means to the user who acquired the special content to confirm whether or not they are eligible for the grant of rewards for the transaction promotion activity. The reward-granting means is characterized by granting the reward on the condition that the user is a user who has been accepted as eligible for the reward through the reward recipient acceptance means.

[0077] [Form 5-6] The system is characterized by having a licensing acceptance mechanism that accepts from the user who created the special content that was traded whether or not to grant the rights of a user who has been accepted as eligible for compensation in the aforementioned compensation recipient acceptance mechanism.

[0078] [Form 5-7] The aforementioned reward recipient acceptance mechanism is characterized by determining whether the user who acquired the special content meets the conditions set by the user who produced the special content that was traded, and accepting the user's application to determine whether they are eligible for the reward if they meet the conditions, while not accepting the application if they do not meet the conditions.

[0079] [Form 5-8] The aforementioned reward-granting means is characterized by its ability to grant rewards at different rates depending on the transaction performance of the special content or the performance of the transaction promotion activities.

[0080] [Form 5-9] The system is characterized by generating a specific code that can identify the combination of the special content eligible for the reward and the user eligible for the reward, and identifying the presence or absence of the transaction promotion activity and the user eligible for the reward based on the generated specific code.

[0081] [Form 5-10] The aforementioned transaction promotion activity is characterized by distributing the aforementioned specific code to other users.

[0082] [Form 5-11] The aforementioned transaction promotion activity is characterized by the use of the special content acquired by the user in a viewer avatar corresponding to the user, so that it is included in the viewpoint video from other viewer avatars.

[0083] [Form 5-12] The aforementioned transaction promotion activity is characterized by displaying a transaction promotion item, on which the image of the special content is shown, in such a way that it is included in the viewpoint video from another user's user avatar.

[0084] [Form 5-13] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. A special content creation process that enables the user to create special content subject to the aforementioned transaction based on the creative content created by the user, When a transaction of the aforementioned special content occurs, if there are any transaction promotion activities carried out by a user other than the user who created the special content in connection with the transaction, a reward granting process shall be performed to grant a reward to the other user, It is characterized by containing [something].

[0085] [Form 5-14] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. A special content creation procedure that enables a user to create special content subject to the aforementioned transaction based on creative content created by the user, When a transaction of the aforementioned special content occurs, if a transaction promotion activity is carried out by a user other than the user who created the special content in connection with the transaction, a reward provision procedure is in place to reward the other user, It is characterized by containing [something].

[0086] [Form 6-1] A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The aforementioned users include a first user and a second user whose evaluation value for the transaction is higher than that of the first user. When a transaction of the aforementioned content occurs, the system provides a reward system that grants a reward to the user who performed the transaction-promoting activity in connection with the transaction. The reward-granting means is characterized in that it can grant the reward on the condition that the user who performed the transaction promotion act is the second user.

[0087] [Form 6-2] The aforementioned reward is characterized by being a reward usable in the aforementioned virtual space.

[0088] [Form 6-3] The aforementioned reward is characterized by being a reward that can be paid out as money in the real world.

[0089] [Form 6-4] The system includes a special content creation method that enables users to create special content based on creative content they have created, The content being traded is characterized by including the special content mentioned above.

[0090] [Form 6-5] The aforementioned second user is characterized by being different from the user who created the aforementioned special content.

[0091] [Form 6-6] The special content is provided with a target content acceptance means that accepts from the user who created the special content whether or not it is eligible for compensation under the compensation granting means. The reward-granting means is characterized by granting the reward on the condition that the special content accepted by the target content acceptance means for the grant of the reward is traded.

[0092] [Form 6-7] The system is characterized by having a reward recipient registration mechanism that, when a transaction of special content is accepted by the aforementioned target content acceptance mechanism to be eligible for rewards, accepts whether or not the user who acquired the special content is eligible for rewards through the aforementioned transaction promotion activity, provided that the user is the aforementioned second user.

[0093] [Form 6-8] The system is characterized by having a licensing acceptance mechanism that accepts from the user who produced the special content that was traded whether or not to grant the second user, who has been accepted as eligible for compensation in the aforementioned compensation recipient acceptance mechanism, as an eligible recipient for compensation.

[0094] [Form 6-9] The system is characterized by generating a specific code that can identify the combination of the special content eligible for the aforementioned reward and the second user eligible for the aforementioned reward, and identifying the presence or absence of the transaction promotion activity and the second user eligible for the reward based on the generated specific code.

[0095] [Form 6-10] The second user is a party to an event that takes place in the virtual space, The aforementioned transaction promotion activity is characterized by causing the second user's user avatar to use the aforementioned content at the aforementioned event.

[0096] [Form 6-11] The second user is a party to an event that takes place in the virtual space, The aforementioned transaction promotion activity is characterized by displaying a transaction promotion item, on which an image of the aforementioned content is shown, in a way that it is included in the viewpoint video from the perspective of a user avatar participating in the event.

[0097] [Form 6-12] A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The aforementioned users include a first user and a second user whose evaluation value for the transaction is higher than that of the first user. When a transaction of the aforementioned content occurs, the system includes a reward system that grants a reward to the user who performed the transaction-promoting activity in connection with the transaction. The reward granting process is characterized in that the reward can be granted on the condition that the user who performed the transaction promotion activity is the second user.

[0098] [Form 6-13] A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate in a virtual space, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The aforementioned users include a first user and a second user whose evaluation value for the transaction is higher than that of the first user. The procedure includes a reward system that, when a transaction of the aforementioned content occurs, rewards the user who performed the transaction-promoting activity in connection with the transaction. The reward granting procedure is characterized in that the reward can be granted on the condition that the user who performed the transaction promotion activity is the second user.

[0099] Next, embodiments for implementing the virtual space provision system, virtual space provision program, and virtual space provision method of the present invention will be described below with reference to drawings based on examples. In addition, the same reference numerals will be used for identical or similar components in multiple drawings to avoid redundant explanations. Furthermore, the virtual space provision program according to the present invention may be a program used for the entire system consisting of the server computer and each terminal that constitute the virtual space provision system, as described later, or it may be a program that operates only on some of the devices that constitute the virtual space provision system, such as the server computer and each terminal. Each process and function described below is executed by a program stored in the device on which the process or function is performed.

[0100] Furthermore, this invention is characterized by the fact that users who utilize the virtual space by having their avatars, which are their alter egos, participate in the virtual space, can create items (content) that can be used in the virtual space. However, since the items (content) that are created are not real objects, this invention refers to the process as "production," but these "productions" are synonymous with "manufacturing." [Examples]

[0101] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a virtual space provisioning system in Example 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] As shown in Figure 1, the virtual space provision system of this embodiment mainly consists of a virtual space provision server computer 100 capable of performing various processes to provide a virtual space to each user, and user terminals 200 (200a, 200b, 200c, etc.) used by each user to participate in the virtual space. The virtual space provision server computer 100 and each user terminal 200 are connected to each other via the Internet network N, enabling data communication.

[0103] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, there are multiple users, such as User A, User B, User C, etc., and the user terminal 200 includes user terminals 200a, user terminal 200b, user terminal 200c, etc., which can be used by each of the individual users A, B, C, etc. Note that there are usually multiple users, but there may be one user or four or more users, and the number can be appropriately determined according to the processing capacity of the server computer 100 for providing the virtual space. Hereinafter, users A, B, C, etc. may be collectively referred to as "users," and user terminals 200a, user terminal 200b, user terminal 200c, etc. may be collectively referred to as "user terminal 200," and the server computer may be simply referred to as "server."

[0104] Furthermore, the virtual space server computer 100 is connected to a virtual space administrator terminal 150, which can be operated by the administrator of the operating organization (operating company) that manages the virtual space, via the Internet network N, enabling data communication between them. By accessing the virtual space server computer 100 from the virtual space administrator terminal 150, the execution, stopping, and modification of various processes, functions, and data on the virtual space server computer 100 can be performed remotely.

[0105] The virtual space provisioning server computer 100 in this embodiment is not a single server computer, but is composed of multiple server computers corresponding to individual functions, as shown in Figure 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any of these server computers may be integrated with one or more other server computers, or it may be composed of a single server computer.

[0106] Furthermore, as will be described later, the server computer 100 for providing the virtual space requires high security in order to manage points that represent value usable in the virtual space. Therefore, the example given is that the server computer is owned by the virtual space operating company. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least a portion of these server computers may be configured as server computers of an external company that provides server computer functions, for example, a cloud server computer.

[0107] As shown in Figure 2, the virtual space provision server computer 100 in this embodiment consists of five server computers: a virtual space server 100a, a user management server 100b, a creator item production server 100c, a point management server 100d, and an item trading server 100e.

[0108] The virtual space server 100a is a server that performs processes for constructing a virtual space based on data describing the spatial configuration of the virtual space and various object data placed in the virtual space, as well as processes for reflecting the operations of each user's user terminal 200 in the virtual space.

[0109] The user management server 100b is a server for managing various data of users who use the virtual space, and the creator item creation server is a server that allows users who use the virtual space by having their avatars participate in the virtual space to create creator items, which are special content that can be traded in the virtual space. As will be described later, users who have registered as creators may be simply referred to as creators, and creator items created by registered creators may be referred to as UGC (User Generated Contents).

[0110] The point management server 100d manages various data related to points owned by each user in the virtual space, and is a server that performs processes such as point settlement and point withdrawal.

[0111] Item trading server 100e is a server for managing processing and data related to item trading in the virtual space.

[0112] These virtual space servers 100a, user management server 100b, creator item production server 100c, point management server 100d, and item trading server 100e are connected to the Internet network N via a communication device 110 provided by the virtual space provision server computer 100, so that each server computer can communicate bidirectionally with each terminal that accesses it via the Internet network N.

[0113] In this embodiment, the point management server 100d is a standalone server computer to provide higher security than other server computers on its own. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these point management servers 100d may be integrated with the item trading server 100e, etc. However, as will be described later, the creator item production server 100c is a server where content created by users is uploaded and stored from each user terminal. Therefore, it is preferable to have a separate server computer from the creator item production server 100c, which receives data from an unspecified number of users.

[0114] <Server for virtual space> Figure 3 shows the configuration of the virtual space server 100a used in this embodiment. The virtual space server 100a used in this embodiment 1 is a server computer with relatively good processing power, and as shown in Figure 3, it has a processor (CPU) 101a connected to a data bus 108a, memory (RAM) 102a, storage such as a hard disk 103a, a communication interface (I / F) 104a that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the internet, and an input / output interface (I / F) 105a that can connect to input devices such as a keyboard.

[0115] The storage 103a of the virtual space server 100a stores various data and programs, as shown in Figure 3, in addition to an operating system (server OS) for providing server functions not shown in the diagram. Specifically, it mainly stores a virtual space generation program for generating the virtual space, generated virtual space data, object data used in the virtual space, a viewpoint video control program for controlling the viewpoint video of avatars of users participating in the virtual space, a sound control program for controlling sound within the virtual space, and a comment control program for controlling comments sent and received in the virtual space.

[0116] In this embodiment, an input / output interface (I / F) 105a is provided to enable local operation. However, if remote operation is possible via the communication interface (I / F) 104a, the input / output interface (I / F) 105a may be omitted.

[0117] <User Management Server> Figure 4 shows the configuration of the user management server 100b used in this embodiment. The user management server 100b used in this embodiment is a server computer with relatively good processing power, and as shown in Figure 4, it has a processor (CPU) 101b connected to a data bus 108b, memory (RAM) 102b, storage such as a hard disk 103b, a communication interface (I / F) 104b that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the Internet, and an input / output interface (I / F) 105b to which input devices such as a keyboard can be connected.

[0118] The storage 103b of the user management server 100b stores various data and programs, as shown in Figure 4, in addition to an operating system (server OS) not shown in the diagram. Specifically, it mainly stores user management programs for managing users, user data including data on avatars (user avatars) that serve as the user's digital representation when participating in the virtual space, and owned item data including item object data of items that users own by purchasing them through transactions in the virtual space.

[0119] In this embodiment, an input / output interface (I / F) 105b is provided to enable local operation. However, if remote operation is possible via the communication interface (I / F) 104b, the input / output interface (I / F) 105b may be omitted.

[0120] Figure 9 shows the structure of user data stored in storage 103b. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the user data is associated with a user ID uniquely assigned to each user so that each user can be identified, and includes the user's account name (email address, etc.), authentication information (password, etc.), full avatar data (full avatar data) which is a detailed avatar and therefore has a relatively high rendering load, simplified avatar data (simplified avatar data) which is a simplified avatar and therefore has a relatively low rendering load, personal information such as name and username used in the virtual space, and personal area information that can identify the location of the personal area in the virtual space assigned to the user.

[0121] In this embodiment, full avatar data and simplified avatar data are managed as user data on the user management server 100b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these full avatar data and simplified avatar data may be stored on the user terminal and transmitted from the user terminal to the user management server 100b or the virtual space server 100a when the user joins the virtual space.

[0122] <Creator Item Production Server> Figure 5 shows the configuration of the creator item production server 100c (also called the UGC production server) used in this embodiment. The creator item production server 100c in this embodiment is a server computer with relatively good processing power, and as shown in Figure 5, it has a processor (CPU) 101c connected to a data bus 108c, memory (RAM) 102c, storage such as a hard disk 103c, a communication interface (I / F) 104c that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the internet, and an input / output interface (I / F) 105c to which input devices such as a keyboard can be connected.

[0123] The storage 103c of the creator item production server 100c stores various data and programs, as shown in Figure 5, in addition to an operating system (server OS) for providing server functions not shown in the diagram. Specifically, the system primarily stores the following: a production support program for creators to create creator items; a review and management program for the virtual space operator to review creator items (UGC) created by users; a manufacturing and inventory management program for managing the production of duplicated creator items (UGC) and inventory that has not yet been traded; creator registration data including information about creators such as their profiles and production achievements; creator data including data on creative content used to produce creator items (UGC) such as paintings, illustrations, and logos created by creators; review management data including review information regarding the review of produced creator items (UGC); manufacturing and inventory management data used by the manufacturing and inventory management program for the production and inventory management of creator items (UGC); production object data, which is the object data of the produced creator items (UGC); template object data, which includes template data such as template object data used when producing creator items (UGC); and web page data related to each web page that makes up the production support site, which will be described later.

[0124] In this embodiment, an input / output interface (I / F) 105c is provided to enable local operation. However, if remote operation is possible via the communication interface (I / F) 104c, the input / output interface (I / F) 105c may be omitted.

[0125] Figure 10(a) shows the structure of the creator registrant data in this embodiment. The creator registrant data stores data such as the creator name, user ID, authentication password for identity verification, total number of created items, number of items for sale (number of creator items (UGC) currently on sale), number of items under review (number of creator items (UGC) currently under review), number of creator items (UGC) that have been approved (number of creator items (UGC) that have been approved), and number of creator items (UGC) that have been rejected (number of creator items (UGC) that have been rejected).

[0126] Although not shown in Figure 10(a), the creator registration data also includes information such as profile data containing the creator's self-introduction text and user avatar images. This information about the creators registered in the creator registration data is used as the information displayed when users interact with creator items (UGC).

[0127] Furthermore, information on the total number of items produced and the number of items currently on sale allows us to identify each creator's production record.

[0128] Figure 10(b) shows the structure of the creator data in this embodiment. The creator data stores data for each creative content uploaded to the creator item production server, associated with the creator ID, as well as data for creator items (UGC) that are in the process of being created and are not yet complete.

[0129] Thus, as will be explained later, creators can upload multiple data files of their creative content to a production support site, and use these uploaded creative contents to produce creator items (UGC). They can also temporarily register creator items (UGC) that are still under production and repeatedly resume production, allowing them to create creator items (UGC) that they are satisfied with.

[0130] Figure 11(a) shows the configuration of the review management data in this embodiment. The review management data stores the date and time of acceptance, review result, review information, creator ID, creator item (UGC) item name, creator item (UGC) category, creator item (UGC) item data (including object data), etc., associated with a review acceptance ID that is uniquely assigned to each review at the time of acceptance.

[0131] From this data, information necessary for the review process can be obtained from the review management data for each creator item (UGC), including the review result (OK or NG) and whether the review has been completed. The review result is notified to the creator based on information such as the creator's email address, which is identified from the creator ID, and can also be checked on the production support site page, as described later.

[0132] Although not shown in Figure 11(a), the review management data for this embodiment also includes descriptive data about the creator's item (UGC) that produced the creator item in question.

[0133] Figure 11(b) shows the configuration of the manufacturing and inventory management data in this embodiment. The manufacturing and inventory management data stores various data such as the creator ID of the creator (user) who produced the creator item (UGC), the start date of sales of the creator item (UGC), the unit price (points), the number of units manufactured (1 lot), the number of units already traded (sold) out of the manufactured items, and the number of units of manufactured items that have not yet been traded.

[0134] From this data, for all creator-generated content (UGC) items, it is possible to identify the creator who made it, items created by the same creator, the availability of each creator-generated content (UGC), and the number of items produced and in stock.

[0135] In this embodiment, the Creator Item ID (UGC-ID), as shown in Figure 11(b), is configured by combining the category ID assigned to the item's category, the lot ID assigned to each lot, and the serial number within that lot. This allows for easy identification of the item's category, lot, etc., from the Creator Item ID (UGC-ID). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of these Creator Item IDs (UGC-IDs) can be determined as appropriate.

[0136] Figure 11(c) shows the structure of the production object data in this embodiment. The production object data stores data such as the creator ID of the creator (user) who created the creator item (UGC), the item name given by the creator, the item category, the item's object data, and the item description data entered by the creator, all associated with the creator item ID (UGC-ID).

[0137] <Point management server> Figure 6 shows the configuration of the point management server 100d used in this embodiment. The point management server 100d in this embodiment is a server computer with relatively good processing power, and as shown in Figure 6, it has a processor (CPU) 101d connected to a data bus 108d, memory (RAM) 102d, storage such as a hard disk 103d, a communication interface (I / F) 104d that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the Internet, and an input / output interface (I / F) 105d that can connect to input devices such as a keyboard.

[0138] As shown in Figure 6, the storage 103d of the point management server 100d stores various data and programs. Specifically, it mainly stores a point management program that manages points, which are the value that can be used to trade services and items in the virtual space; a point purchase program that enables users to acquire (purchase) points with real-world currency; a withdrawal program that enables users to withdraw their points into real-world currency; point data that allows the identification of the points each user owns; and withdrawal account data that allows the identification of the account into which the withdrawal amount is deposited when each user makes a withdrawal.

[0139] In this embodiment, an input / output interface (I / F) 105d is provided to enable local operation. However, if remote operation is possible via the communication interface (I / F) 104d, the input / output interface (I / F) 105d may be omitted.

[0140] Figure 12(a) shows the structure of the point data in this embodiment. The point data stores data such as the number of points owned by the user, the number of points held (which are points earned through the sale of creator items, but whose addition is withheld because the complaint reporting period described later has not yet expired), and the number of points withdrawn, all associated with the user ID.

[0141] In this embodiment, owned points are not distinguished, but for example, points acquired by the user through conversion from cash or points earned through the sale of creator items may be distinguished from non-purchased points granted by the operating company, etc., as benefits, without conversion from cash, and only purchased points may be withdrawn for cash.

[0142] Figure 12(b) shows the structure of the withdrawal account data in this embodiment. The withdrawal account data stores information such as account name, bank name, branch name, and account number, associated with the user ID. In other words, it stores information about accounts that can receive the withdrawal amount and that have been confirmed to belong to the user.

[0143] Furthermore, this withdrawal account information is only required when a user registers as a creator, and is not registered for all users. As shown in Figure 12(b), it is registered only for some users who have registered as creators.

[0144] <Item trading server> Figure 7 shows the configuration of the item trading server 100e used in this embodiment 1. The item trading server 100e in this embodiment is a server computer with relatively good processing power, and as shown in Figure 7, it has a processor (CPU) 101e connected to a data bus 108e, memory (RAM) 102e, storage such as a hard disk 103e, a communication interface (I / F) 104e that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the Internet, and an input / output interface (I / F) 105e to which input devices such as a keyboard can be connected.

[0145] As shown in Figure 7, the storage 103e of the item trading server 100e stores various data and programs. Specifically, it mainly stores a transaction management program that processes transactions related to creator items in the virtual space, a transaction support program that provides various functions to support transactions, such as a function to display information about creator items in the virtual space, an official shop program that provides various functions related to the official shop operated by the virtual space operating company, transaction management data used to manage transactions by the transaction management program, official item data including object data of official items sold in the official shop, creator item data including object data of creator items that have been produced by creators and have become available for sale after passing the review process, and official shop web page data including web page data that constitutes the official shop site.

[0146] In this embodiment, an input / output interface (I / F) 105e is provided to enable local operation. However, if remote operation is possible via the communication interface (I / F) 104e, the configuration may be made without providing the input / output interface (I / F) 105e.

[0147] Figure 13 shows the configuration of the transaction management data in this embodiment. The transaction management data stores data such as the date and time the transaction occurred, the type of item traded (official item or creator item), the creator item ID, the seller's user ID, the buyer's user ID, the transaction amount (points) settled in the transaction, the amount of fees (points) collected in the transaction, whether points were awarded to the creator (done or not), the transaction location where the transaction occurred, and the transaction type (normal or agency as described later in Embodiment 5).

[0148] Although not shown in Figure 13, complaint information is also stored for each transaction. This complaint information includes the date the complaint was made and the content of the complaint, allowing for the identification of whether or not there were any complaints related to each individual transaction.

[0149] <User terminal> Figure 8 shows an example configuration of a user terminal 200 used in the virtual space provision system of this embodiment 1. In this embodiment 1, the user terminal 200 is a smartphone carried by the user or a regular stationary computer (PC) installed by the user at home, etc. As shown in Figure 8, it has a processor (CPU) 201 connected to a data bus 208, memory (RAM) 202, storage 203 such as a hard disk or non-volatile memory, a communication interface (I / F) 204 that enables bidirectional communication via the TCP / IP protocol over the internet, an image processing unit 206 including a graphics processing unit (GPU) to which a display device 210 is connected, and an input / output interface (I / F) 205 to which various input / output devices are connected.

[0150] The display device 210 only needs to be capable of displaying each viewpoint video generated based on virtual space data of the virtual space, which is updated by virtual space update data distributed from the virtual space server 100a, by a user viewpoint video control program included in the user program stored in the storage 203, as described later. If the user terminal 200 is a smartphone, the display of the smartphone is the display device; if the user terminal 200 is a regular computer (PC), the stationary display that makes up the computer (PC) is the display device. These displays are not limited to those that display planar images (2D images); for example, they may also be capable of displaying stereoscopic images (3D images) by displaying right-eye images and left-eye images, such as a head-mounted display (HMD) that can be worn by the user.

[0151] The input / output interface (I / F) 205 is connected to the following input devices: an operation input device 221 consisting of one or more devices that allow the user to perform various operations; an audio input device 222 such as a microphone that can input the user's voice; and an audio output device 223 such as a speaker, earphone, or headphones that can output audio distributed from the virtual space server 100a.

[0152] Furthermore, the audio output device 223 is not a standalone device, but may be integrated with the display device 210, as in the head-mounted display (HMD) described above.

[0153] The operation input device 221 can be any device that allows the user to perform various operations, such as moving the user avatar, zooming, commenting, and gifting. For example, it may consist of at least one of the following: a transparent touch panel formed on the display surface of a smartphone, a keyboard that makes up a computer, a game controller, etc.

[0154] In addition to the above, the operation input device 221 may also include a camera module capable of capturing images of the user and detecting and inputting the user's facial expressions, hand and foot movements, etc., from the captured images of the user, or a motion capture device capable of detecting the user's hand and foot movements, etc.

[0155] The various input / output devices connected to these input / output interfaces (I / F) 205 may be internal or external, and in the case of external devices, they may be connected via wired or wireless connection.

[0156] The storage 203 stores an operating system (OS) for running user terminals 200, such as smartphones and computers, as well as user applications that, when executed by a processor (CPU) 301, etc., provide various user-related functions in the virtual space provision system in cooperation with the virtual space server 100a. The user applications include module programs that provide functions related to the creation and sale of creator items, so that the user applications can provide these functions related to the creation, sale, and agency of creator items. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and functions related to the creation, sale, and agency of creator items may also be provided by separate dedicated applications.

[0157] As shown in Figure 8, the user application includes a user viewpoint video control program that provides the function of generating viewpoint videos to be displayed on the display device 210, a user audio control program that provides the function of outputting audio distributed from the virtual space server 100a from the audio output device 223, a user comment control program that provides functions related to comments, a creator item-related program that provides functions related to the creation and sale of creator items, and user authentication data for authenticating the user's identity when communicating with the virtual space server 100a.

[0158] In this way, by using the user terminal 200 used in the virtual space provision system of this embodiment, users can move and operate their avatars participating in the virtual space, and by changing the viewpoint of the user's avatar, they can change the viewpoint image displayed on the display device 210.

[0159] Furthermore, by using the user application, users on the user terminal 200 can utilize the various functions related to the creation and sale of creator items, which are provided through the collaboration of the user application, the creator item creation server 100c, the point management server 100d, and the item trading server 100e, as described below.

[0160] <Operation of the virtual space distribution system> Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation flow of the virtual space provisioning system in this embodiment.

[0161] First, let's explain the video system. As mentioned above, the virtual space server 100a is capable of providing a virtual space based on the virtual space generation program and the user's avatar data, etc. The actions of each user's avatar are reflected in the actions of the user's avatar by updating the virtual space data, which describes the state of the virtual space, based on the user avatar information transmitted from the user terminal 200.

[0162] Each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b) executes an avatar operation operation process that accepts operations corresponding to each action to be performed by the user's avatar. Then, each user terminal 200 transmits the user's avatar information based on the operations received in the avatar operation operation process to the virtual space server 100a.

[0163] In this way, based on the user avatar information transmitted from each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b), the virtual space server 100a executes a virtual space update process to update the virtual space data, thereby reflecting the user's actions (operations) in each user's avatar within the virtual space.

[0164] Then, after executing a virtual space update data generation process that generates virtual space update data based on the virtual space data before the update and the virtual space data after the update, the generated virtual space update data is distributed to the user terminal 200.

[0165] In the user terminal 200 to which the virtual space update data has been delivered, as shown in Figure 14, the pre-stored virtual space data is updated based on the delivered virtual space update data, and a user-viewpoint video generation process is executed using the updated virtual space data. This generates a user-viewpoint video based on the updated virtual space data, and the generated user-viewpoint video is displayed on each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b) (user-viewpoint video output process).

[0166] Thus, in this embodiment, the viewpoint video of each user participating in the virtual space using a user avatar is generated and displayed on each user's user terminal 200. This avoids the situation where generating these avatar viewpoint videos for each user on the virtual space server 100a would significantly increase the processing load on the virtual space server 100a, preventing many users from participating in the virtual space.

[0167] Next, the audio system will be explained. In each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b), when a user speaks, that voice is input from the voice input device 222. The input voice is then converted into data and sent as performer voice (data) to the virtual space server 100a (user voice input processing).

[0168] The virtual space server 100a generates distributed audio (data) from user voice information received from each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b) (distributed audio generation process), and distributes the generated distributed audio (data) to each user terminal 200 (user terminal 200a, user terminal 200b) (avatar audio distribution process).

[0169] On the user terminal 200, the voice of each user's avatar is output from the audio output device 223, such as a speaker, based on the avatar voice (data) distributed from the virtual space server 100a. As a result, users can perceive it as if their own user avatar is speaking.

[0170] As described above, each user can bring their user avatar, which is their alter ego, into the virtual space and move and operate the user avatar within the virtual space. Furthermore, a viewpoint video of the virtual space as seen from the user avatar is displayed on the user terminal 200, allowing the user to experience what it's like to actually be in the virtual space. In addition, they can interact with other users participating in the virtual space through their avatar, which is their alter ego.

[0171] Furthermore, when each user registers, they can edit their user avatar using a designated avatar editing program to create an avatar (full avatar) with their preferred appearance and other characteristics. These self-edited avatars (full avatars) are registered as their full avatars and are used when participating in the virtual space.

[0172] <Configuration of virtual space> Next, the configuration of the virtual space in this embodiment will be described. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing the virtual space in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 15, the virtual space in this embodiment is centered around an entrance lobby area, which is the entrance space where user avatars participate, and consists of five main areas connected to the entrance lobby area: the arena area, the city area, the personal area, the nature area, and the shopping area. Note that these areas are just examples, and there may be more or fewer areas than these five. It goes without saying that the configuration of the areas may also be different from these.

[0173] As shown in Figure 19, the shopping area is designed to allow users to enjoy shopping by providing multiple tenant shops where they can purchase creator items and other items usable in the virtual space.

[0174] The purpose of placing the shopping area adjacent to the entrance lobby area is to allow visitors to purchase items needed for each area—the arena area, urban area, personal area, and nature area—before proceeding to those areas. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these shopping areas may also be configured to be located within each individual area.

[0175] In this embodiment, the tenant shops are limited to a very small number, and are special areas where only special creators who have registered as creators and have been invited by the operating company based on their sales performance of creator items can exhibit and sell their creator items. They are like shops in a bustling shopping district in the real world where various goods can be purchased.

[0176] These shopping areas are adjacent to the entrance lobby area as described above, making them areas that are very accessible to user avatars participating in the virtual space. Compared to the my-shops set for each user in the personal area described later, the number of these shopping areas is very small. As a result, more user avatars pass through the common area adjacent to the shop area than through the my-shops. This makes it a highly visited area for user avatars and an area where creator item transactions are likely to occur.

[0177] The natural area, for example, has famous places such as lakes and waterfalls, and is an area where the nature of these famous places can be enjoyed.

[0178] The arena area is an area where multiple event venues are provided. For example, it is an area where virtual live performances by special users (performers) registered as performers by the operating company can be held.

[0179] The personal area is an area where a private area assigned to each user is provided by user registration. As shown in Fig. 16, a private area including the user's my-home and my-shop areas is set within the personal area.

[0180] Incidentally, Fig. 16 illustrates a form in which the my-shop area is set within all private areas. However, since these my-shop areas are areas for displaying and selling creator items, they are set within the personal area when the user registers as a creator. Therefore, there are also private areas where the my-shop area is not set.

[0181] The private area in this embodiment is an area assigned to each user, but the entry of other users' user avatars is not restricted. For example, for a private area where the area of the personal shop is not set, in principle, the entry of other users' user avatars is restricted, and the entry of other users' user avatars may be allowed only when the user using the private area permits it.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 17, the urban area has a modern area, a future area, and a past area, so that the flow of time in the city can be enjoyed. In these areas of each era, there are cinemas, museums, etc. of each era, and movies, animation images, etc. of each era can be appreciated and enjoyed.

[0183] In addition, the urban area also has a park area corresponding to the urban park. This park area is an area where events can be held. In the park area, for example, various events such as the street live shown in FIG. 18 can be held. By holding these events, etc., influencers who are highly popular and influential to other users in the virtual space can be born.

[0184] Note that the event is not limited to the street live. For example, it may be a meeting event related to a specific game or anime. In addition, the holding of these events cannot be executed arbitrarily. In order to avoid that the load of the virtual space providing server computer 100 becomes extremely large temporarily and a problem occurs in the system when a large number of user avatars participate and gather, it is necessary to request the operation company in advance to hold the event and receive the setting of the event holding area.

[0185] <Regarding Creator Items (UGC)>

[0186] In this embodiment, not only are official items produced by the operating company and its affiliated company staff available, but registered creators can also create items. In this way, other users can purchase items created by users in the virtual space through trading and use them on their own user avatars.

[0187] Figure 20 shows an example of a creator item (UGC) in this embodiment. For example, as shown in Figure 20(a), if a user purchases a T-shirt, which is an item created by another user (creator), the purchased item is registered as owned item data of the purchasing user in the user management server 100b, allowing the user to enjoy wearing the purchased T-shirt on their avatar.

[0188] Furthermore, for example, if an item created by another user (creator) is a hat, as shown in Figure 20(b), then, just like with a T-shirt, the user can enjoy having their avatar wear the purchased hat.

[0189] Figure 21 shows the types of items that can be purchased in this embodiment. In this embodiment, there are two types of items that users can purchase: official items produced by the operating company or its affiliated company staff, and creator items (UGC) produced by users who have registered as creators.

[0190] Furthermore, in this embodiment, commissioned items created by a registered creator at the request of other users will also be treated as creator items (UGC). This is because the creator is the user, only the seller is different. In this form, the sale from the creator to the client is considered the primary sale, and the client then sells to other users as a secondary sale. In this case, the fees for the primary sale and the secondary sale may be different, as described later.

[0191] In this embodiment, official items can only be purchased using points at the official shop described later, and no profits are returned to the creators. In other words, in this embodiment, official items cannot be displayed or purchased at user-operated My Shops or tenant shops, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it may be possible to make it possible to purchase official items at tenant shops, or in the case of My Shops, it may be possible to make it possible to purchase official items only at My Shops operated by users who operate tenant shops.

[0192] On the other hand, creator items (UGC) can be purchased not only at official shops but also at My Shops and tenant shops. However, My Shops and tenant shops are limited to creator items (UGC) made by the users who operate those My Shops or tenant shops.

[0193] In the case of these creator items (UGC), the profits (points) from the points used to purchase the creator items (UGC), after deducting the fees described later, are returned to the user who is the creator. Users can earn revenue in the virtual space by selling these creator items (UGC), and by providing this means of earning revenue in the virtual space, the motivation to participate in the virtual space can be significantly increased.

[0194] Next, we will explain the process by which user-generated content (UGC) is created, using Figure 22 and a T-shirt as an example item. Note that each process in these steps is made possible by the functions of the creator item creation support site (see Figure 24) provided by the creator item creation server 100c, as will be described later.

[0195] Creators (users) first create the artwork (creative content) to be used in item production, such as drawings, illustrations, and logos. This can be done by drawing on paper or creating it on a computer or tablet.

[0196] For example, in the case of the T-shirt shown in Figure 20(a), an illustration of the outline of a cat would suffice.

[0197] Next, upload the created artwork (creative content) to the creator item creation server 100c. If you created the artwork on paper, you can scan or camera it into a computer, digitize it, and then upload it.

[0198] Next, you need to purchase a template object for the new item you want to create. For example, if you want to create a T-shirt, you should purchase a T-shirt template object.

[0199] Thus, in this embodiment, a template object is used because it is extremely difficult for users to create objects that can be worn by avatars in a 3D virtual space, as this requires advanced knowledge of the structure of the virtual space and the specifications of the programs used to render it. Therefore, by providing users with a base template object, the operating company makes it possible for users to easily create creator items (UGC) without having to acquire advanced knowledge of the virtual space or virtual space rendering programs.

[0200] In this embodiment, the template object is provided on a paid basis to prevent its unnecessary use by users. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and some or all of the template object may be provided free of charge.

[0201] After purchasing the template object, the creator (user) selects and pastes the art to be pasted onto the template object from the art (creative content) that has already been uploaded.

[0202] Then, the creator edits the position, size, angle, etc. of the created art pasted onto the template object according to their preferences to complete the creator item (UGC).

[0203] When the creator item (UGC) is completed, request a review of the completed creator item (UGC).

[0204] In response to this review request, the creator item (UGC) is reviewed by the review staff of the operating company, etc.

[0205] If the review result is determined to be NG, for example, because the illustration contains an image that can be identified as an individual's face, an image that can be identified as a famous person or a famous character, etc., the reason for the NG, etc. will be notified to the creator (user). Therefore, the creator (user) can modify the creator item (UGC) based on the notified reason to eliminate the reason, create a revised version, and request a review of the revised version again.

[0206] In this embodiment, as described above, an example of a form in which it is determined that the review is NG if the illustration contains an image that can be identified as an individual's face, an image that can be identified as a famous person or a famous character, etc. is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by self-reporting the use of avatars or mascot designs, etc. (hereinafter abbreviated as other people's IP) of so-called V-tubers and other talents that have become famous through video distribution by avatars, etc., the review may be approved. In this case, the operating company may collect the usage fee for other people's IP on behalf of the sales of the creator item (UGC) for which the review was approved.

[0207] Furthermore, the above self-declaration format should include requesting whether or not the creator is using another person's IP address, and if so, which talent the IP address belongs to, when submitting a request for review of a creator item (UGC).

[0208] Furthermore, these third-party IPs are not limited to those of talents belonging to the operating company, but may also include those of talents belonging to other companies different from the operating company, for a certain period such as during a tie-up with the other company. In this case, the usage fees should be paid to the other company from the usage fees collected on behalf of the operating company.

[0209] Furthermore, the review results for each submitted creator item (UGC) can also be checked on the creator item production support site described below.

[0210] On the other hand, if the review result is OK, the necessary sales information such as the item name, item description, and selling price for the creator item (UGC) that was approved will be registered.

[0211] Then, the number of items to be produced (number of copies) in one lot is specified, and production points corresponding to the number of items produced are paid. Upon payment of these production points, a Creator Item ID (UGC-ID) is assigned to each Creator Item (UGC) produced, and by registering it in the manufacturing and inventory management data in association with the Creator Item ID (UGC-ID), it is added as a sales item in the official shop and sales begin.

[0212] Furthermore, creators (users) will be able to display and sell their Creator Item IDs (UGC-IDs) in their own shops or tenant shops, within the limits of the number of items produced (copies) per lot.

[0213] Next, using Figure 23, we will explain the processes executed in the virtual space provision server computer 100 and user terminal 200 that constitute the virtual space provision system of the present invention in the process of creating the above-mentioned creator items (UGC).

[0214] First, on the user terminal 200, an art creation process is executed to allow the user to create art (creative content). As mentioned above, if the user creates art (creative content) on paper, the art creation process will execute a process to digitize the art (creative content) created on paper and import it.

[0215] Then, an upload process is executed to upload the created art (creative content) data to the creator item production server 100c. Note that during the art production process, it is not necessary to log in to the creator item production support site on the creator item production server 100c. However, when performing the upload process, it is necessary to log in to the creator item production support site beforehand. By logging in in this way, the data transmitted from the user terminal 200 is accompanied by a creator ID, which is information that identifies the creator. This allows the creator item production server 100c, upon receiving the various data, to identify the creator (user) operating the user terminal 200 that sent the data. Note that the creator ID attached to the transmitted data will not be mentioned in the following explanation.

[0216] The art (creative content) data uploaded (sent) through this upload process is stored as uploaded data in the creator data on the creator item production server 100c (Figure 10b).

[0217] Next, if a creator wants to produce an item using the uploaded art (creative content), they can perform a new creation operation, which will trigger a template data acquisition process to obtain (purchase) a template for the item they want to create.

[0218] In this template data acquisition process, the item type information of the template selected on the user terminal 200 is sent to the creator item production server 100c. For example, if the selected template is a T-shirt, item type information that identifies it as a T-shirt is sent.

[0219] Upon receiving item type information, the creator item production server 100c identifies the number of points required for purchase of the item type template identified from the received item type information, specifically the T-shirt template, and sends a payment request for the identified number of points to the point management server 100d. Furthermore, the user ID stored in the creator registration data (see Figure 10(a)) is added to the payment request along with the received creator ID, allowing the point management server 100d to identify the number of points owned by the creator.

[0220] Upon receiving a payment request, the point management server 100d executes the point payment process. Specifically, if it is possible to subtract the requested points from the number of points owned by the creator identified as described above, the server subtracts the points and updates the number of points owned, then sends a message to the creator item production server 100c indicating that the payment has been completed. If it is not possible to subtract the requested points from the number of points owned, the server sends a message to the creator item production server 100c indicating that the payment was not possible.

[0221] If the point management server 100d receives confirmation that the payment has been completed, it sends the template data to the user terminal 200. However, if the payment result is received confirmation that the payment was unsuccessful, the creator item production server 100c sends information to the user terminal 200 indicating that the user does not have enough points to complete the payment and therefore cannot obtain the template data. As a result, the user terminal 200 displays an error message indicating that the user does not have enough points to complete the payment and that they need to increase their points.

[0222] Upon receiving template data from the creator item production server 100c, the user terminal 200 executes a "My Art Selection" process to select the artwork (creative content) to be attached to the template data.

[0223] In the My Art selection process, a My Art data request is sent to the creator item creation server 100c to retrieve information on all the art (My Art) that has already been uploaded to the creator item creation server 100c.

[0224] In response to receiving this My Art Data request, the creator item production server 100c identifies all uploaded data registered in the creator data in association with the creator ID received along with the My Art Data request, and returns My Art Data to the user terminal 200 to make all of these uploaded data selectable.

[0225] On the user terminal 200, based on the received My Art data, all uploaded artworks that have already been uploaded are displayed for selection, and the selection of artwork is accepted (My Art Selection Process).

[0226] Then, when an artwork selection is accepted during the My Art Selection process, the selected artwork is placed in the default position set on the template T-shirt, with the default size and angle.

[0227] Then, users edit the position, size, and angle of the placed artwork to complete the creator item (UGC) (item editing process).

[0228] On the user terminal 200, following the item editing process, the review request process is executed in response to the user's request for review, and the created creator item (UGC) data is sent to the creator item creation server 100c.

[0229] Furthermore, in this review request process, information such as the item name and description of the created item will be accepted, and the created item data, including this item name and other information, will be generated and transmitted.

[0230] Then, upon receipt of the production item data, the review target registration process is executed on the creator item production server 100c. In this review target registration process, a review acceptance ID is issued, and each piece of data, such as item data included in the production item data, is registered as review management data in association with the issued review acceptance ID (see Figure 11(a)).

[0231] Creators will be in a waiting state until the review process is complete.

[0232] The review process may be carried out, for example, by executing the review process on a virtual space administrator terminal 150 that can be operated by a review officer at the operating organization that manages the virtual space. When the review results are received from the virtual space administrator terminal 150, the review results are registered in the review management data, and a review result process is executed to notify the creator who produced the creator item (UGC) that was the subject of the review that the review results have been issued.

[0233] Upon receiving the notification, the creator logs into the creator item production support site and selects the item management menu (see Figure 25), which will be described later. In other words, the user terminal 200 executes an item management operation process that accepts the item management menu operation.

[0234] In response to the selection operation in this item management menu, the user terminal 200 sends a request to the creator item production server 100c to retrieve item management information.

[0235] The creator item production server 100c responds to the receipt of an item management information retrieval request by sending back item management information, including the review results (item management information transmission process).

[0236] Then, upon receiving item management information, the user terminal 200 executes an item management information display process, allowing the user to select an item for which the review has been completed and confirm the review result for that item.

[0237] If the review result is negative, the item should be edited and modified as described above, such as by deleting the content that was deemed negative in accordance with the review result, and then the request for review should be submitted again.

[0238] On the other hand, if the review result is OK, the user terminal 200 executes an item production instruction operation by performing a production instruction operation to instruct the production of the item. In this item production instruction operation, the number of items to be produced as one lot is accepted, as well as the item description, sales start date, and unit price for sale, etc. An item production request containing the accepted information is sent to the creator item production server 100c.

[0239] In response to the receipt of an item production request, the creator item production server 100c executes the item production process. In this item production process, first, the number of points required for the number of items to be produced as included in the received item production request is identified, and a payment request for the identified number of points is sent to the point management server 100d. At this time, as with the template payment request, the user ID is added and sent, allowing the point management server 100d to identify the number of points owned by the creator.

[0240] Upon receiving the payment request, the point management server 100d subtracts the received points from the specified number of points owned and executes a point payment process to return the payment result. If the subtraction from the number of points owned is completed, a message indicating that the payment has been completed is returned as the payment result. If the number of points cannot be subtracted due to insufficient points owned, information indicating that the payment could not be made is returned as the payment result.

[0241] Upon receiving a payment result indicating that payment has been made, the creator item production server 100c, as described above, assigns a creator item ID (UGC-ID) to each produced creator item (UGC) and executes a production item registration process to register the items in the production and inventory management data in association with the said creator item ID (UGC-ID).

[0242] Although not shown in Figure 23, if the payment result indicates that payment is not possible, a message indicating that production is not possible due to insufficient points will be displayed on the user terminal 200.

[0243] In this embodiment, it is not confirmed in advance whether the creator possesses the necessary points to produce the item. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When determining the number of items to produce in one lot, the number of points the creator possesses at that time may be identified and displayed in advance, and the number of items to be produced may be limited to the displayed number of points, thereby preventing payment failures.

[0244] <Creator Item Production Support Site> Figures 24 to 30 show the various web pages of the creator item creation support site provided by the creator item creation server 100c of this embodiment.

[0245] In this invention, creators can create creator items (UGC) on a web-based website, without the need for creators to operate user avatars in a virtual space, without the use of user programs (apps) that allow user avatars to participate in the virtual space, and without installing any special apps on the user terminal 200.

[0246] As described above, providing the function for creating creator items (UGC) on a website is preferable because, compared to, for example, integrating the function for creating creator items (UGC) into a user program (app), it eliminates the need to update the user program (app) every time there is a change such as the addition of items that can be created, and it reduces the frequency of updates to the user program (app), which has a very complex configuration for providing functions related to the rendering of virtual space and the amount of data in the program (app) is very large. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a creator (user) may use the user program (app) to create creator items (UGC) using a user avatar in the private area of ​​the personal area, or a dedicated program (app) for creating creator items (UGC) may be used separately from the user program (app).

[0247] Figure 24 shows the login page for the creator item production support site (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as the production support site). The login page has input fields for the creator ID and password for identity verification. By entering the creator ID and password in the respective input fields and selecting the "OK" input field, the creator ID and password are verified and the user can log in.

[0248] The URL to the login page is included as a link within the user program (app). By selecting this link, the browser program installed in the user program (app), or the browser program (app) set as the default browser on the user terminal 200, will be launched, and the login page will be displayed.

[0249] Furthermore, at the bottom of the login page, there is an input field for users who have not yet registered as creators to register. By selecting this input field, users can proceed to the creator registration page.

[0250] When you log in to the production support site, the top page shown in Figure 25 will be displayed. The icon and name of the logged-in creator will be displayed in the upper left corner of the screen.

[0251] On the left side of the homepage, several menus are displayed for selection and input. In this example, as shown in Figure 25, the following menus are provided: "Item Management," "Item Creation," "My Art List," "Sales Management," "Analytics," "Point Management," and "Contact Us."

[0252] When the creator selects an item from the "Item Management" menu, the item management page shown in Figure 26 will be displayed.

[0253] As shown in Figure 26, the item management page displays a list of all creator items (UGC) created by the logged-in creator, including creator items (UGC) that are currently under review.

[0254] In the example shown in Figure 26, two types of hoodies are listed as items currently for sale, and one type of T-shirt that has been completed and submitted for review is listed as a creator item (UGC).

[0255] Each item in the list displays an image of the item along with a status indicator such as "On Sale," "Sold Out," "Under Review," or "Review Completed," making it easy to understand the status of each item.

[0256] The item section also displays the creator item ID (UGC-ID), stock quantity, item name, and unit price for each item, as well as the artwork used for that item and the template (base asset). Note that if the item is a set of a hoodie and a hat, multiple templates (base assets) may be displayed as the template (base asset).

[0257] At the far right of the item list, sales information, including this week's sales and cumulative sales, is displayed, allowing you to check the sales status.

[0258] Furthermore, a "Detailed Settings" selection input field is provided at the far right of the item field. By selecting this "Detailed Settings" input field, detailed information about the item corresponding to the item field (information on changes in sales over time) will be displayed, and more detailed settings can be configured, such as settings related to sales agency services, which will be described later.

[0259] Furthermore, for T-shirts, which are items that have completed the review process, the "Check Product Information" selection field is displayed because the review is complete. However, the Creator Item ID (UGC-ID) is not displayed because it has not yet been assigned, and the stock quantity is also displayed as "0".

[0260] Then, by selecting the "Check product information" option, a detailed product information page will be displayed, showing the review results and other product details, allowing the creator to review the review results.

[0261] Furthermore, the product information details page, which is not illustrated, includes an input field that allows users to move to an editing page where items can be edited, and, if approved, fields for entering the product name, product description, and lot size required for sale, as well as an input field for selecting "production instructions."

[0262] Furthermore, in the upper right corner of the item management page in this embodiment, there is a selection input field for "Create New Item." When this selection input field is selected, a sub-window for selecting the template to be created is displayed, as shown in Figure 27, allowing for quick selection of a template.

[0263] Furthermore, while it is possible to create items by selecting a template by selecting the "Create Item" menu on the left side of the screen, selecting the "Create Item" menu will display a list page of items currently under creation (not shown in the image), and it will be necessary to select the "Create New Item" option on that list page.

[0264] If you select a template in the sub-window shown in Figure 27, the item creation page shown in Figure 28 will be displayed.

[0265] The item creation page in this embodiment displays information such as the type, image, and name of the selected template. The template can be modified by selecting the "Change" option displayed alongside this information.

[0266] Below the information display for these templates, there is an art information window where art information is displayed. In this art information window, you can delete, change, and select art to place on the template. Selecting the "trash" input field in the art information window will delete any art that has already been placed. Selecting the "△" or "▽" input fields next to the "trash" will display other art that has been placed. Selecting the "+" input field in the art information window will display a list of uploaded art, from which you can select and add art to place.

[0267] The right-hand area of ​​the item creation page is an image display area where the creator's (user's) avatar is shown wearing the item under construction. As shown in Figure 28, this image display area displays an X-position guide to change the X-position of the artwork to be placed, a Y-position guide to change the Y-position of the artwork to be placed, an X-scale guide to change the size in the X direction (horizontal direction), a Y-scale guide to change the size in the Y direction (horizontal direction), a rotation guide to adjust the placement angle, a transparency guide to adjust the transparency, a repeat menu for repeating the placement of the artwork, and a texture menu for changing the texture.

[0268] The position of the placed artwork can be changed using the X position guide and Y position guide, the size of the placed artwork can be changed using the X scale guide and Y scale guide, and the angle of the placed artwork can be changed using the rotation guide.

[0269] Furthermore, the transparency guide allows you to change the transparency of the artwork you place. To change the texture, select the texture menu, then select an available texture from the texture list menu. To duplicate and repeat the artwork, simply set the position for the duplicate in the repeat menu.

[0270] Furthermore, below the image display area on the item creation page, there are input fields for selecting "Save Temporarily" and "Complete." If the "Save Temporarily" input field is selected, the item in progress will be stored as data for the item being created in the creator data shown in Figure 10(b), and as mentioned above, you can restart the creation process by selecting the "Create Item" menu. If the "Complete" input field is selected, you can request a review by proceeding to the review request page.

[0271] When a creator selects an option from the "My Art List" menu, the My Art List page shown in Figure 29 is displayed.

[0272] As shown in Figure 29, the My Art List page in this embodiment displays a list of art (creative content) that the logged-in creator has already uploaded. By selecting the pencil icon displayed for each piece of art (creative content), the corresponding piece of art (creative content) can be edited.

[0273] Furthermore, below the image display of each artwork, a small icon representing the item type (T-shirt) and a number are shown, indicating how much of each artwork is used on which types of items, allowing users to check the usage status of each piece.

[0274] Additionally, a sort menu is provided in the upper right corner of the My Art List page. You can change the display order of the artwork by selecting from various sort options such as upload date and usage count.

[0275] When a creator selects the "Sales Management" menu, the Sales Management page (not shown in the diagram) is displayed. On the Sales Management page, the total number of sales and total sales points for all creator items (UGC) are aggregated and displayed, and the inventory, sales, and sales points for each creator item (UGC) are displayed. Based on these sales and inventory figures, it is possible to add items by issuing production instructions.

[0276] When a creator selects and enters information from the "Analytics" menu, an analytics page (not shown in the diagram) containing analytical information about the purchase of each creator item (UGC) is displayed.

[0277] When a creator selects and enters information from the "Point Management" menu, the point management page shown in Figure 30 is displayed.

[0278] The points management page in this embodiment displays the current number of points held and the number of points scheduled to be awarded after the complaint reporting period has elapsed, as well as a section for selecting a "withdrawal site" to proceed to in order to withdraw the points in cash.

[0279] When a creator selects the "Inquiry" option, a menu for selecting the type of inquiry and an inquiry form page where they can enter the inquiry details will be displayed, allowing them to make inquiries such as those related to the review process.

[0280] <How points are used> Figure 31(a) shows how points are used in this embodiment. In the virtual space of this embodiment, users can use points for transactions such as purchasing items, in order to facilitate such transactions.

[0281] As shown in Figure 31(a), users receive points by paying a fee to the operating company. However, in some cases, points may be awarded free of charge as a benefit by the operating company when users register for the virtual space.

[0282] These points can be purchased and awarded through the user program (app) via a points purchase website, which is accessed by selecting the "Purchase Points" menu (not shown in the illustration).

[0283] Users enter the number of points they wish to purchase on the points purchase site and complete the purchase operation. The payment is then processed using the payment method specified on the site, such as credit card payment or QR code payment, and the purchased points are added to the user's points balance on the points management server 100d. In this way, the points that have been granted to the user by the operating company through payment with real-world cash become available for use in the virtual space.

[0284] As mentioned earlier, users can register as creators and then create and sell creator items (UGC).

[0285] When a user's creator item (UGC) is purchased, the operating company awards the creator of the UGC a point total equal to the number of points obtained by the purchase minus the operating company's commission, after a predetermined period has elapsed since the purchase.

[0286] Furthermore, when a creator accumulates points through the sale of creator items (UGC) as described above, the creator can request a withdrawal from the operating company, as shown in Figure 31(b). Specifically, by performing the prescribed withdrawal operation on the aforementioned withdrawal site, the operating company will transfer cash corresponding to the specified number of points within the range of the points the creator possesses to the creator's account registered in the withdrawal account data of the point management server 100d, thereby converting the points into real-world cash. Note that a withdrawal fee will be deducted from the amount transferred to the account.

[0287] Figure 32 shows the characteristics of the shop where various items can be purchased in this embodiment.

[0288] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 32, shops are mainly distinguished into official shops located on websites outside the virtual space and operated and managed by the operating company, and My Shops and tenant shops operated and managed by creators within the virtual space.

[0289] As mentioned earlier, the official shop sells official items, and as shown in Figure 34, it also has creator pages where all of each creator's user-generated content (UGC) is displayed, allowing users to purchase all items.

[0290] Thus, the official shop needs to make all creator-created items (UGC) available for purchase, not just official items, in order to be fair to all creators, resulting in a massive number of items. Therefore, if these vast items were to be displayed and made available for purchase in a virtual space, it would require an enormous amount of space in that virtual space, and the time and effort required to find and purchase items would be excessive. For this reason, the shop is structured as a web page (site) rather than a virtual space. By selling items on a web page (site) in this way, users can quickly find and purchase the items they wish to buy, improving user convenience.

[0291] These official shops (websites) are operated by the virtual space operating company or its affiliated companies. Therefore, only the operating company or its affiliated companies can edit the official shops (websites), and even the creators themselves cannot edit their individual creator pages on the official shops (websites). Furthermore, each creator page is automatically generated based on information about the creator and the creator items (UGC) created by them.

[0292] Furthermore, since the official shop is a website composed of web pages, user avatars participating in the virtual space cannot pass through or visit it (avatar passage frequency is 0). However, since users can visit it using a browser on user terminal 200, the shop itself has a relatively high frequency of user visits.

[0293] Figure 34 shows the top page of the official shop in this embodiment. The top page of the official shop has a search input section in the upper left corner of the page, and in the left area of ​​the page, the item categories and the names of each item type included in the displayed category and the names of the items corresponding to those types are displayed hierarchically.

[0294] The search input section allows users to search by item category, item name, creator name, or creator item (UGC) product name, as well as by conditions such as items within a certain point range or items released within the last week.

[0295] Furthermore, a pull-down menu icon is provided at the far right of the search input area. By selecting this icon, a list of recently searched words will be displayed in a sub-window. This eliminates the need to re-enter information when searching for products that were recently searched for, thus improving user convenience.

[0296] Furthermore, official items are marked with an icon indicating that they are official items, and creator items (UGC) are marked with an icon indicating that they are creator items (UGC).

[0297] Furthermore, the official shop's top page includes an "All" option to display all items, and display selection menus for "Official Only" and "UGC Only" to display either official items or creator items (UGC). Selecting "All" will display all official items and creator items (UGC). Selecting "Official Only" will display only official items, and the official item details page (not shown in the diagram) will be displayed, showing more detailed information about official items. Selecting "Creator Items (UGC)" will display only creator items (UGC), and the creator item details page (not shown in the diagram) will be displayed, showing more detailed information about creator items (UGC).

[0298] Additionally, the homepage may include a link to the creator registration page to encourage creators to register. Furthermore, a menu may be provided for reporting similar items or other issues related to the items being sold. In this way, problems arising from the purchase of problematic items can be prevented before they are bought.

[0299] Figure 35 shows the creator page of this embodiment. The creator page of this embodiment displays the creator's icon and name, as well as a message from the creator.

[0300] On the left side of the page, the categories of items created by the creators are displayed, along with the number of items created in each category. This allows users to estimate the types of items a creator specializes in based on the number of items produced.

[0301] Figure 35 shows an example of the page displayed when no category is selected. In this case, newly arrived items that have been on sale for a short period of time are listed at the top of the page as popular items, ordered from most to least popular. At the bottom of the page, all items created by creators are listed as popular items, ordered from most to least popular.

[0302] If a user finds an item they wish to purchase on one of these creator pages, they can select the item and be directed to a purchase page where details such as the number of points required for purchase, the number of items for sale, the number of items in stock, and an item description are displayed, allowing them to understand the item's details before making a purchase.

[0303] Returning to Figure 32, as mentioned earlier, My Shop is an area set up within the private area when a user registers as a creator, and the creator themselves can edit (customize) the shop's layout, item placement, etc.

[0304] Furthermore, in My Shop, only creator items (UGC) created by the creator operating the My Shop can be displayed and sold, and in this embodiment 1, creator items (UGC) created by other creators cannot be displayed or sold.

[0305] Furthermore, since My Shop is located within the personal area of ​​the virtual space and within the private domain of each individual creator, it is a shop with a relatively low pass-through frequency (display frequency on user terminal 200), which is the frequency at which another user's avatar passes through the vicinity of My Shop, causing My Shop to enter the viewpoint area of ​​that avatar.

[0306] Examples of these My Shop configurations are shown in Figure 35. My Shop is an area where creators can display and sell creator items (UGC) that are in stock and available for sale, just like a physical store in the real world. Not only creators (users), but also avatars of other users can move into this area, and users can view the displayed items from the perspective of their own avatars.

[0307] Within My Shop, it is possible to place display stands, hanger racks, and other items for displaying creator items (UGC). These display stands, hanger racks, and other saleable items can be purchased by creators using their points when customizing My Shop. Furthermore, the operating company may provide a certain number of these saleable items free of charge, with any additional items requiring the purchase of points.

[0308] In this embodiment, the display objects exhibited in My Shop are not the creator items (UGC) themselves, but rather objects created specifically for display based on the creator items (UGC). These display objects are only objects that capture the shape, such as the external form, of the creator items (UGC), and therefore cannot be used (worn) by the user's avatar.

[0309] Therefore, when a user tries on a creator item (UGC) in My Shop, they select a display object and perform the prescribed try-on operation. This updates the display object to the actual creator item (UGC), making it possible to try it on. Alternatively, this update from display objects to creator items (UGC) can be performed automatically by selecting the display object, without requiring any user action.

[0310] Please note that trying on items is only possible within the My Shop area. If the user's avatar moves outside the My Shop area, the try-on will be automatically canceled, and the avatar will automatically return to its state before trying on the items. The creator items (UGC) that were tried on will also be placed back in their original display location as display objects.

[0311] In this embodiment, since the display object corresponds one-to-one with the corresponding creator item (UGC), it is not possible for multiple user avatars to try on the same creator item (UGC) corresponding to the same display object simultaneously. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the display object for temporary try-on may be duplicated to allow multiple user avatars to try it on simultaneously.

[0312] Furthermore, within My Shop, even if the user's avatar does not move to the display location of the display object, if the display object is included in the view from the user's avatar's perspective within My Shop, the user can select the display object with a cursor or similar, and the image of the selected product, item name, price, and other detailed information will be displayed in a comment-like format.

[0313] Furthermore, the items created by creators are not limited to items that user avatars can wear, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and hats. There may also be content such as stamps and signatures. Therefore, a virtual terminal has been installed to allow such content to be sold in the My Shop. User avatars visiting the My Shop can purchase stamps, signatures, and other similar content through this virtual terminal.

[0314] Furthermore, the virtual terminal allows users to check the inventory status of each creator item (UGC) displayed in their shop, and also to instruct the production of additional creator items (UGC) from the virtual terminal. This improves the convenience for creators, as they can instruct additional production without having to log in to the creator item production support site each time.

[0315] Returning to Figure 32, as mentioned earlier, tenant shops are special areas where only special creators invited by the operating company based on their sales performance of creator items (UGC) can exhibit and sell their creator items. These special creators themselves can edit (customize) the shop layout and the placement of items.

[0316] In this embodiment, we illustrate a form in which users can edit (customize) both their own shop and tenant shops, but the content that can be edited (customized) differs between the two. Specifically, tenant shops allow for the placement of more decorative and larger objects than personal shops, enabling a more effective appeal to other users, and thus offering greater freedom in editing (customizing) the virtual space in tenant shops than in personal shops.

[0317] In tenant shops, only creator-generated content (UGC) items created by special creators can be sold, and official items cannot be sold, just like in My Shop. If official items were to be sold in tenant shops and My Shop, it would be necessary to make the object data of the official items available in order to enable the try-on feature described above. In this case, the creators would be responsible for managing this object data of the official items, and depending on how this object data of the official items is handled, there is a possibility that the official items may be used inappropriately. Therefore, in this embodiment, official items cannot be sold in tenant shops or My Shop.

[0318] In this embodiment, the size of the tenant shop is exemplified as being unchangeable by the creator operating the tenant shop. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if a creator operating a tenant shop has relatively few creator items (UGC) available compared to the size of the invited tenant shop and the number of product shelf objects, and is unable to fill the entire sales area, the creator may be able to change the size of the tenant shop according to the number of creator items (UGC) to be sold in the tenant shop.

[0319] Alternatively, instead of allowing creators to change the size of the tenant shops, or in addition to allowing them to change the size of the tenant shops, creators may be allowed to fill the space of the tenant shops by placing objects other than those for sale.

[0320] Furthermore, instead of allowing tenant shops to change their size as described above, when an operating company invites a special creator, it may be possible to make the number of creator items (UGC) that a creator can prepare for sale one of the recommendation criteria, so that the number of creator items (UGC) that a creator can prepare for sale does not become relatively small compared to the capacity of the tenant shop.

[0321] Furthermore, since tenant shops occupy a very limited number of areas within the shopping area adjacent to the entrance lobby area in the virtual space, they are considered areas with a higher pass-through frequency (display frequency on user terminal 200), meaning that more user avatars pass through the area near the shops than the individual user shops mentioned above, resulting in the tenant shops entering the user avatar's viewpoint area more frequently. Therefore, they are areas that user avatars are more likely to visit than individual shops.

[0322] Figure 33 shows the process by which a creator opens a shop in a tenant store as a special creator in this embodiment.

[0323] First, the operating company selects potential tenant shops based on their creator level value. The creator level value is an evaluation value calculated using parameters such as the total number of creator items (UGC) produced, the total number of creator items (UGC) sold, the number of rejected applications, and the number of complaints. A higher creator level value indicates greater achievements in creator items (UGC).

[0324] The operating company will notify each selected creator of their selection and encourage them to apply for the lottery. Creators who receive the notification can then check the designated tenant shops within a specified period and apply at the shops.

[0325] After a specified period, the operating company will conduct a lottery for all applicants and notify them of the results. Winners who receive the notification can customize their tenant shop using store templates, etc. A virtual tenant shop space will be set up within the winner's My Space for remodeling their tent shop.

[0326] In this way, after customizing the tenant shop, sales can begin in the shop. Furthermore, the winning creator can decide on the content of the creator items (UGC) to be displayed in the tenant shop, as well as the opening and closing times.

[0327] Figure 36 shows an example of a tenant shop in this embodiment. Compared to a My Shop, a tenant shop has a larger area, and is characterized by the fact that it can display a larger number of creator items (UGC), but the display format is almost the same as in a My Shop. Therefore, in a tenant shop as well, by selecting an object to display and performing a try-on operation, visiting users can try on each displayed creator item (UGC) with their own user avatar. Note that, as with My Shops, these try-ons are only possible within the area of ​​the tenant shop.

[0328] When a user avatar is located within a tenant shop, if there are display objects within the user avatar's viewpoint, the user can select the display object, just like in My Shop, to view the corresponding creator item (UGC) image, item name, unit price, etc., which will be displayed in the same way as comments.

[0329] Furthermore, just like in My Shop, tenant shops are equipped with virtual terminals, where users corresponding to their visiting user avatars can purchase content other than items. Additionally, special creators can check the inventory of creator items (UGC) and issue production instructions.

[0330] <Processing related to purchasing items in My Shop> Figure 38 shows the processes executed in the virtual space system of this embodiment when a creator item (UGC) is purchased in My Shop.

[0331] As mentioned above, when a user purchases creator items (UGC) in My Shop, they must first try on the item and then perform the required purchase request operation for the item they wish to buy.

[0332] In response to this purchase request, the user terminal 200 sends a confirmation request to the item trading server 100e along with the creator item (UGC) ID assigned to the object data of the display object or creator item (UGC) that is the target of the purchase request (purchase request item confirmation operation).

[0333] Furthermore, in Figure 38, each piece of data transmitted from the user terminal 200 to the item trading server 100e is accompanied by the user ID of the user who has logged into the virtual space and is participating with a user avatar, thereby allowing the user operating the sending user terminal 200 to be identified.

[0334] In response to the confirmation request, the item trading server 100e identifies the item data, such as the unit price and product description of the creator item (UGC) that the user wishes to purchase, based on the received creator item (UGC) ID (purchase candidate item data identification process), and returns the identified item data as the item to be purchased.

[0335] Upon receiving the purchase request item data, the user terminal 200 displays information such as the unit price and product description based on the received purchase request item data (purchase request item display process).

[0336] Then, on the screen displaying information such as unit price and product description, when a purchase operation is received to confirm the user's intention to purchase, a purchase request is sent to the item trading server 100e (item purchase operation process).

[0337] Upon receiving this purchase request, the item trading server 100e sends a payment request to the point management server 100d, which includes the number of points equivalent to the unit price of the desired item and the user ID received along with the purchase request, using the points owned by the user who wishes to make the purchase (point payment request processing).

[0338] Upon receiving a payment request, the point management server 100d, if the number of points owned in the point data associated with the user ID included in the received payment request is equal to or greater than the number of points for the item's unit price, updates the number of points owned by subtracting the number of points for the item's unit price from the number of points owned and returns a payment completion result. If the number of points owned is less than the number of points for the item's unit price, it returns a payment failure result without updating the points owned.

[0339] When the item trading server 100e receives a payment result indicating that payment is not possible, it sends a payment failure notification (not shown in the diagram) to the user terminal 200, so that the fact that payment is not possible is displayed on the user terminal 200.

[0340] On the other hand, upon receiving the payment result that payment has been completed, the item transaction server 100e performs a My Shop data update process, which involves sending information to the virtual space server 100a to update the My Shop's virtual space data in order to remove the display object of the purchased creator item (UGC) from the My Shop's display.

[0341] Then, after executing a purchase history registration process to register the purchase history of the paid creator item (UGC) (date and time, creator item (UGC) ID, seller, buyer, transaction amount (P), fees, etc.) in the transaction management data, a usage permission notification including the creator item (UGC) ID and user ID of the purchased creator item (UGC) is sent to the user management server 100b (usage permission notification process), and a purchase completion notification is sent back to the user terminal 200 (purchase completion notification process).

[0342] Upon receiving this purchase completion notification, the user terminal 200 will display a message indicating that the purchase is complete and the creator item (UGC) is available for use (creator item purchase completion notification process).

[0343] Furthermore, the user management server 100b, upon receiving the permission notification, registers the creator item (UGC) identified from the creator item (UGC) ID included in the permission notification as an item owned by the receiving user ID in the owned item data (owned item data update process).

[0344] Furthermore, while the above explains the purchase of Creator Item (UGC) IDs in My Shop, the same process is performed for purchases in Tenant Shops.

[0345] <Points awarded for item purchases> Figure 39 shows the process related to awarding points to the creator who produced a user-generated content (UGC) item when the UGC item is purchased.

[0346] In this embodiment, when a creator item (UGC) is purchased, points are not awarded to the creator who created the UGC. As mentioned above, points are awarded on a predetermined award date in the month in which a certain complaint reporting period has elapsed. Therefore, the process shown in Figure 39 is a process that is executed on the award date.

[0347] As in this embodiment, setting a complaint reporting period and withholding the granting of points during that period is preferable because it prevents problems such as the points already granted being consumed and becoming unrecoverable if the trading of creator items (UGC) is prohibited due to a complaint report after the points have been granted, and also prevents an increase in processing load caused by performing the granting process after each transaction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and points corresponding to the transaction may be granted to the creator promptly after the transaction without setting a complaint reporting period.

[0348] First, the item trading server 100e identifies all transactions that are eligible for point accrual, that is, transactions for which "Not yet" is registered in the point accrual item data because point accrual has not yet been performed (point accrual eligible data identification process).

[0349] Next, for each transaction identified in the point-granting data identification process, a complaint-related data identification process is performed to determine whether or not a complaint has been reported. Transactions identified as having received a complaint are excluded from point accrual (complaint-related data exclusion process). Points will be awarded for excluded transactions according to the results of the operating company's review of the complaint.

[0350] Then, for transactions that were not excluded, that is, transactions for which no complaints were reported during the complaint reporting period, the number of points to be awarded is calculated for each transaction by subtracting the number of commission points from the transaction points, and after aggregating the number of points to be awarded for each creator who is the seller (point award calculation process), a point award instruction including the aggregated number of points and the user ID of the creator to whom the points are awarded is sent to the point management server 100d (point award instruction process).

[0351] Upon receiving a point granting instruction, the point management server 100d adds the received points to the number of points stored in the point data associated with the user ID included in the point granting instruction (point addition process), and notifies each user that points have been added (point addition notification process).

[0352] In this way, creators can produce creator items (UGC), and by selling these creator items (UGC) to other users, they can increase the number of points they own.

[0353] <Withdrawal of owned points> Figure 40 shows the process for when a creator (user) withdraws points they have accumulated through the sale of creator items (UGC). While Figure 40 illustrates a scenario where the user is logged into the user program (app) and uses its withdrawal function, the present invention is not limited to this. Dedicated withdrawal apps may also be used, or the withdrawal may be performed by navigating to the aforementioned "withdrawal site."

[0354] First, when withdrawing funds, the user performs a point verification operation on the user terminal 200 to confirm the number of points they currently possess. Upon receiving this point verification operation, the user terminal 200 sends a point verification request, including the user ID, to the point management server 100d (point verification operation process).

[0355] In response to receiving a request to confirm owned points, the point management server 100d identifies the number of owned points that the user possesses from the owned points data stored in the point data associated with the received user ID (owned points identification process), and sends back an owned points notification that includes the identified number of owned points (owned points notification process).

[0356] Upon receiving a notification of owned points, the user terminal 200 displays the number of points owned and indicates that it is possible to withdraw points within the range of owned points and above a certain number of points (owned points notification processing).

[0357] These point display sections include a withdrawal point acceptance section for accepting the number of points to be withdrawn. Users enter the desired number of points into the withdrawal point acceptance section and then perform a withdrawal operation by selecting "Withdrawal" in the corresponding "Withdrawal Point Acceptance" section. When the user terminal 200 receives these withdrawal operations, it sends a withdrawal request including the accepted number of points to be withdrawn and the user ID to the point management server 100d (withdrawal operation processing).

[0358] Upon receiving a withdrawal request, the point management server 100d determines whether or not the received number of points can be withdrawn based on the number of points held in the point data corresponding to the received user ID (withdrawal eligibility determination process).

[0359] If a withdrawal is not possible because the number of points held is less than the number of points to be withdrawn, a withdrawal failure notification will be sent, and the fact that the withdrawal is not possible will be displayed on the user terminal 200. On the other hand, if a withdrawal is possible because the number of points held is equal to or greater than the number of points to be withdrawn, the withdrawal account of the user will be identified from the withdrawal account data based on the user ID (account information identification process), and a transfer instruction will be sent to the financial institution of the identified account, instructing them to transfer an amount corresponding to the number of points to be withdrawn, minus a prescribed fee, to the identified account (transfer instruction process).

[0360] Then, the number of points to be withdrawn is subtracted from the number of points held (point deduction process), and a withdrawal completion notification including the number of points held after the deduction is sent back (withdrawal completion notification process).

[0361] Upon receiving this withdrawal completion notification, the user terminal 200 displays a message indicating that the withdrawal has been completed, along with the updated number of points held as included in the withdrawal completion notification (withdrawal completion notification process). [Examples]

[0362] Next, Example 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 41.

[0363] A key feature of this second embodiment is that the points consist of two types: general points that cannot be withdrawn as cash and special points that can be withdrawn as cash.

[0364] In other words, in the aforementioned Embodiment 1, there is only one type of point, and the points awarded to creators and the points usable for trading items are the same, whereas in Embodiment 2, the points awarded to creators (general points) and the points usable for trading items (special points) are different.

[0365] As shown in Figure 41, general points are points that users can purchase from the operating company using real-world cash (payment), similar to the points in Example 1, and general points can be used to purchase official items and creator items (UGC).

[0366] The general points in this embodiment 2 cannot be withdrawn for cash or exchanged for special points, and can only be used in the virtual space. Therefore, like the points in embodiment 1, they have no expiration date and will not become invalid over time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the validity period may be set to be sufficiently longer than that of special points (for example, 6 months or 1 year).

[0367] Furthermore, if an expiration date is set for general points, the expiration date will be determined based on the date the general points were purchased or converted from special points.

[0368] On the other hand, the special points in this embodiment 2 are points awarded to creators for the purchase of creator items (UGC), and can be converted to general points and withdrawn for cash. An expiration date (for example, 3 months) is set from the date of award, and instead of becoming invalid after the expiration date, they are automatically converted to general points.

[0369] Furthermore, when converting to general points, it is advisable to notify the creator if there are any special points whose expiration date is approaching.

[0370] In this way, by converting the points awarded to creators for the purchase of creator items (UGC) into special points that can be converted into cash, it becomes possible to increase the motivation to become a creator and produce creator items (UGC), and security can be strengthened by focusing on the special points that can be converted into cash, making it easier to implement security measures.

[0371] Furthermore, when withdrawing special points, if there are special points with different expiration dates, it is preferable to prioritize withdrawing the special points with the nearest expiration date. [Examples]

[0372] Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 42.

[0373] The distinguishing feature of this third embodiment is that it grants a sublicense, which is permission to use, the creator item (UGC) purchased by the user. In other words, while the aforementioned first embodiment results in the user owning the creator item (UGC) as a purchased item, this third embodiment grants a sublicense, which is the right to use the creator item (UGC) in a virtual space, rather than ownership.

[0374] As shown in Figure 42, in the virtual space provision system of this embodiment 3, creators (users) can create creator items (UGC) usable in the virtual space, submit them to official shops, etc., after review, and thereby grant the virtual space administrator (the company operating the virtual space) permission to use the creator items (UGC), including permission to use the creator items (UGC) within the virtual space. In other words, by submitting the items, the creator grants the virtual space administrator the right (license) to use the submitted creator items (UGC).

[0375] The administrator (operating company) of a virtual space to which the right to use creator items (UGC) has been granted a license can sell the right to use creator items (UGC) (sublicense) to general users other than creators. General users can purchase the right to use (sublicense) using points, which are the in-game currency usable within the virtual space. When a general user purchases the right to use (sublicense), the virtual space administrator grants the user permission to use the creator items (UGC) in the virtual space. As a result, users who have purchased the right to use (sublicense) can use the creator items (UGC) in the virtual space on their user avatars, etc.

[0376] Furthermore, if the administrator (operating company) of the virtual space sells usage rights (sublicenses) to general users, they will award points calculated based on the sales amount, etc., to the creator as compensation for granting permission for the use of creator items (UGC).

[0377] In other words, the points awarded to the creator in this embodiment 3 are compensation for granting permission to use creator items (UGC), and not compensation for the sale of creator items (UGC).

[0378] In this embodiment 3, the points awarded to the creator were described as being the same as those in embodiment 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as mentioned above, the points awarded to the creator may be the special points of embodiment 2.

[0379] Furthermore, as in this embodiment 3, when the transaction involves the right to use (sublicense) a creator item (UGC) rather than the creator item itself, creators may be notified by displaying information that identifies the commission to be paid to the operating company in the sale of the right to use (sublicense) (either the commission itself, or the unit price of the right to use (sublicense) and the number of points the creator can earn (the difference being the commission)) for each individual item, for example on the item management page of the creator item production support site. In this way, creators can know in advance the number of points (special points) they can actually earn from the sale of the right to use (sublicense) for each creator item (UGC).

[0380] Furthermore, these fees may be adjusted according to evaluation values ​​such as the creator level mentioned above. In cases where fees differ for individual creators, notifying creators of their fees in a way that allows them to identify their fees allows creators to easily understand their exact fees and can also motivate them to improve their creator level. [Examples]

[0381] Figure 43 shows an example of a city area, which is a common area in the virtual space of this embodiment 4. A key feature of this embodiment 4 is that, in general areas other than My Shop or tenant shops, information about creator items (UGC) purchased and used by users can be easily viewed by other users.

[0382] In other words, in the system of Embodiment 1 described above, when an exhibit object or creator item (UGC) is included within the viewpoint area of ​​a user avatar visiting My Shop or a tenant shop, the system has a function that displays information about the creator item (UGC), such as its image, item name, and unit price, through a predetermined operation on the user terminal 200. However, this function was not provided outside of My Shop and tenant shops. In contrast, in Embodiment 4, even outside of My Shop and tenant shops, when a creator item (UGC) used by a user avatar through purchase is included within the viewpoint area of ​​another user avatar, information about the creator item (UGC), such as its image, item name, and unit price, can be displayed in the same way as in My Shop and tenant shops.

[0383] As shown in Figure 43, on a road in an urban area, user avatar AT1 is using (wearing) the purchased official item 301, a black shirt; user avatar AT2 is using (wearing) the creator item (UGC), a white hoodie 302; user avatar AT3 is using (wearing) the creator item (UGC), a cap 303; and user avatar AT0 is not using (wearing) any official items or creator items (UGC).

[0384] On the sides of the passageway, multiple information display objects 401 and 402 are provided on both sides of the road, displaying various information. These information display objects 401 and 402 are subjected to the signage display processing shown in Figure 48 on the virtual space server 100a, so that, for example, information about creator items (UGC) used (worn) by user avatars AT2 and AT3 passing in front of the information display objects 401 and 402 can be displayed.

[0385] In the following example, we will explain using an image as an example, which is a viewpoint video from the perspective of the user avatar AT0 and is displayed on the user terminal 200 of the user who is operating the user avatar AT0.

[0386] Figure 44 is a viewpoint video from the perspective of user avatar AT0. As can be seen, roads in urban areas are common areas that all user avatars can travel through, so multiple user avatars other than AT0 are also traveling through them.

[0387] On the user terminal 200, the viewpoint video is displayed by a user program (virtual space application) as shown in Figure 44, and a menu bar is displayed below the display area of ​​these viewpoint videos, showing menus corresponding to various functions.

[0388] These menu bars come in multiple types, such as MI, M2, M3, M4, etc., and can be switched between by a predetermined menu switching operation on the user terminal 200.

[0389] The M1 menu bar mainly contains menus for operating the user's avatar, the M2 menu bar contains menus related to items, the M3 menu bar contains menus related to points, and the M4 menu contains menus related to the avatar being used.

[0390] MI's menu bar includes menus for controlling the user avatar, corresponding to the avatar's actions (hand movements, foot movements (movement), viewpoint direction (head direction), etc.).

[0391] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 44, the M2 menu bar includes the following menus: "Item Enlargement," "UGC List," "Capture," "Playback," and "Add to Favorites."

[0392] When the "Enlarge Item" menu is selected, as described later, it becomes possible to select items included in the displayed screen. Selecting an item will display an item information window 501, where a larger image of the item will be displayed, allowing for a detailed view of the item's appearance.

[0393] When the "UGC List" menu is selected, the "UGC List" menu display is inverted to indicate that the menu has been selected, and a list of items (both official and UGC) included in the displayed video (not shown) is displayed on the screen of the display device 210.

[0394] Specifically, in the case of Figure 44(a), the three items included in the displayed video—official item 301, and creator items (UGC) 302 and 303—are displayed in a list.

[0395] This list displays information such as whether the item is official or UGC, the item name, the creator name, the price, and the number of items in stock. Selecting a creator name in the displayed list will show a window similar to the creator information display window 502 described later.

[0396] Furthermore, if you select to display any of the items shown in the displayed list (excluding the creator's name), and the selected item is a creator item (UGC), a window similar to the one described in 513 below will appear, allowing you to purchase the selected item. On the other hand, if the selected item is an official item, the official shop website will be displayed, allowing you to purchase the official item from that official shop.

[0397] When the "Capture" menu is selected, the virtual space data used to generate the currently displayed video is stored. Based on this stored virtual space data, the displayed video can be generated and displayed again, and the "Item Enlargement" menu can be selected in this display to show the item information display windows 501, 511, and 521 described later.

[0398] When the "Playback" menu is selected, the user can view a point-of-view video from a time rewind. In other words, on the user terminal 200, if the currently displayed point-of-view video includes creator items (UGC) 302 and 303, as shown in Figure 44, the virtual space data used to generate the video is automatically stored for a certain period, and images older than that period are deleted, allowing the user to view a point-of-view video from a time rewind for a limited period.

[0399] In other words, in the example shown in Figure 44, for example, if user avatar AT2, which is using (wearing) creator item (UGC) 302, passes by user avatar AT0, the user of user avatar AT0 may become interested in creator item (UGC) 302. In this case, the user would no longer be able to see creator item (UGC) 302. However, in this embodiment 4, if the user becomes interested in creator item (UGC) 302, they can select the "Playback" menu to display the video before they passed by user avatar AT2. In this display, they can select the item in the video by selecting the "Item Enlargement" menu to display the item information display windows 501, 511, and 521, which will be described later.

[0400] When you select the "Add to Favorites" menu, you can register items included in the displayed video as favorite items by selecting them, and you can check the registered items later. Note that you can also register items as favorites from videos displayed in "Capture" or "Playback" by selecting them.

[0401] Next, we will explain how to use the "Item Enlargement" menu mentioned above. For example, if a user controlling user avatar AT0 is interested in the creator items (UGC) being used (worn) by user avatar AT2 in the viewpoint video of user avatar AT0 displayed on user terminal 200, the user can switch menus on user terminal 200 to display the M2 menu bar, and then select the "Item Enlargement" menu using the cursor or touch panel.

[0402] In this way, when the "Item Enlargement" menu is selected, the display inverts, indicating that the "Item Enlargement" menu has been selected, and allowing the user to select the item to enlarge within the displayed image.

[0403] When selecting these items, for example, if a user is interested in the hoodie 302 that their user avatar AT2 is using (wearing), they can simply select the hoodie 302 using a cursor or touch panel operation.

[0404] In this embodiment 4, if the user avatar AT0 itself were to select an item by touching (interacting with) an item worn by another user avatar, it would likely cause problems with other users. Therefore, the item is selected using a cursor or touch panel operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the usage of these items, the selection of these items may be performed by the user avatar AT0 itself touching (interacting with) the item.

[0405] Depending on the selection of the hoodie 302, an item information display window 501 is displayed, as shown in Figure 44(b), which includes an enlarged image of the selected item, an icon indicating that it is UGC, and the creator's name and creator's image. In this embodiment 4, the form of the item information display window 501 is similar to that of the comment window where avatar conversations are displayed, in order to avoid causing any discomfort to the user as much as possible. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the form of the window on which these enlarged images of items are displayed can be determined as appropriate.

[0406] In the item information display window 501, the user can select between the enlarged item image and the creator name or creator image. If the creator name or creator image is selected, the creator information display window 502 will be displayed, as shown in Figure 44(c), which will show a menu that displays information about the creator who created the creator item (UGC).

[0407] In this embodiment 4, the creator information display window 502 displays the following menus as shown in Figure 44(c): "Profile," "List of Items for Sale," "Go to My Shop," "Go to Tenant Shop," and "Add to Featured Items." Note that the "Go to Tenant Shop" menu is displayed only if the creator operates a tenant shop; it is not displayed if the creator does not operate a tenant shop.

[0408] Selecting the "Profile" menu will display the creator's profile. Selecting the "Items for Sale" menu will display a list of creator items (UGC) currently for sale by the creator (not shown in the diagram). Selecting the "Go to My Shop" menu will immediately move the user avatar AT0 to the creator's My Shop. Selecting the "Go to Tenant Shop" menu will immediately move the user avatar AT0 to the creator's Tenant Shop. Selecting the "Add to Featured List" menu will register the creator as a featured creator for the user corresponding to the user avatar AT0.

[0409] When the user selects the "Go to My Shop" menu or the "Go to Tenant Shop" menu, the location of each shop within the virtual space is identified from the creator ID and user ID, and an immediate move request is sent from the item trading server 100e, which is responsible for the above-mentioned display functions, to the virtual space server 100a. As a result, the user avatar AT0 is immediately moved to My Shop or Tenant Shop without the user avatar AT0 having to perform any movement actions, making it possible to try on and purchase the creator item (UGC) in My Shop or Tenant Shop, thereby effectively increasing sales opportunities for creator items (UGC).

[0410] Furthermore, while this embodiment 4 illustrates a configuration with the five menu items described above, the content and number of these menu items can be determined as appropriate.

[0411] In the item information display window 501, as shown in Figure 45(a), if an enlarged item image is selected, the item details will be displayed in the item details window 503.

[0412] In the item details window 503, as shown in Figure 45(a), information such as the creator item (UGC) name, item description, stock quantity, and price (unit price) is displayed, along with a "Purchase" menu.

[0413] If a user wishes to purchase an item after reviewing the item description and price in the item details window 503 without trying it on, they can select the "Purchase" menu. This will display a purchase confirmation screen (not shown), where they can select the "Confirm" menu to purchase the creator item (UGC).

[0414] Furthermore, when selecting an item while the "Item Enlargement" menu is inverted, if the creator item (UGC) 302 used (worn) by the user avatar AT2 is not displayed on the information display object 401 as described above, selecting the creator item (UGC) 302 displayed on the information display object 401 will display the same item information display window 511, creator information display window 512, and item details window 513 as when the creator item (UGC) 302 is selected, as shown in Figures 44(b) and 44(c).

[0415] In this way, even when selecting a creator item (UGC) 302 displayed on the information display object 401, the same item information display window 511, creator information display window 512, and item details window 513 are displayed as when selecting a creator item (UGC) 302. This prevents problems that may occur when selecting an item, such as when the user avatar AT0 accidentally touches the user avatar that is using (wearing) the item due to an operational error.

[0416] Furthermore, when selecting an item while the "Item Enlargement" menu is inverted, if the official item 301 used (worn) by the user avatar AT1 is selected, as shown in Figure 46(b), an item information display window 521 will be displayed, which includes an official icon indicating that the item is an official item, along with an enlarged image of the official item.

[0417] As shown in Figure 46(b), this item information display window 521 includes a display of the price (unit price) of the official item, as well as a menu display for "Go to Official Shop" to show the official shop (official website) where the official item can be purchased via the browser.

[0418] Thus, in this embodiment 4, if a user who has checked the image and price of an official item wishes to purchase the official item, they can select the "Go to Official Shop" menu and purchase the official item on the official shop website without having to perform operations such as logging in to the official shop. In this embodiment 4, the official item is purchased through the official shop, but the present invention is not limited to this, and these official items may also be made available for purchase by selecting the image of the official item in the item information display window 521, similar to the case of creator items (UGC) 302, which displays a purchase screen.

[0419] Furthermore, in the situation shown in 46(a), if the user selects to display the creator item (UGC) 303 or the information display object 402 on which the information of the creator item (UGC) 303 is displayed, the item information display window 511, the creator information display window 512, and the item details window 513 corresponding to the creator item (UGC) 303 will be displayed, just as when the creator item (UGC) 302 is selected or when the display of the information display object 401 is selected.

[0420] <Menu-related processing on user terminal 200> Figure 47 shows the menu-related processing performed in the user terminal 200 of this embodiment 4, and the menu-related processing will be explained below using Figure 47. Note that in the user terminal 200, the menu-related processing is performed as one of several processes executed in parallel; therefore, other processes are also executed concurrently.

[0421] In the menu-related processing of this embodiment 4, first, the menu display operation acceptance processing (step S0) is executed.

[0422] In the menu display operation reception process, the menu bar is switched and displayed in the order M1→M2→M3→M4…→M1 based on whether or not a menu switching operation has been performed. When the M1 menu bar is displayed, the menu-related processing corresponding to M1 is executed; when the M2 menu bar is displayed, the menu-related processing shown in Figure 47 corresponding to M2 is executed; when the M3 menu bar is displayed, the menu-related processing corresponding to M3 is executed; when the M4 menu bar is displayed, the menu-related processing corresponding to M4 is executed; and when the Mx menu bar is displayed, the menu-related processing corresponding to Mx is executed.

[0423] When the M2 menu bar is displayed, the determination processes in steps S1 to S6 are executed as shown in Figure 47 to monitor whether or not a selection operation for each menu displayed on the menu bar has been accepted and whether or not a menu switching operation has been performed.

[0424] If the "Item Expansion" menu is selected, the process in steps S11 to S13 is executed when the result is determined to be Yes in step S1, and then the process returns to the determination process in steps S1 to S6.

[0425] In step S11, a target selection acceptance process is executed, which accepts the selection of items to be displayed in the item information display windows 501, 511, and 521, which include enlarged images of the items.

[0426] Then, when an item selection is accepted during the target selection acceptance process, the target information acquisition process is executed to obtain information about the selected item. In the target information acquisition process, the creator item ID (UGC-ID) of the selected item or the item ID of the official item is identified and obtained by sending it to the identified creator item production server 100c.

[0427] Then, the system executes an acquired information display process that displays information about the items acquired in the target information acquisition process and accepts operations on the displayed information. In this acquired information display process, item information display windows 501, 511, and 521, creator information display windows 502 and 512, and item details windows 503 and 513 are displayed, and operations on the display within each window are accepted.

[0428] On the other hand, if the "UGC List" menu is selected, the result in step S2 is determined to be Yes, and the processes in steps S21 to S23 are executed, resulting in a list of all items included in the currently displayed viewpoint video.

[0429] In step S21, a process is executed to identify all items included in the currently displayed viewpoint video.

[0430] In step S22, a UGC information acquisition process is executed in which information about each item identified in the displayed UGC identification process is obtained by sending the creator item ID (UGC-ID) of each identified item and the item ID of the official item to the creator item production server 100c.

[0431] Then, in step S23, an item list is generated based on the information of each item obtained in the UGC information acquisition process, the generated item list is displayed, and the system accepts operations on the display and performs the corresponding operations (UGC list display process).

[0432] Furthermore, if the "Capture" menu is selected, the process proceeds to step S31 after determining "Yes" in step S3, and a capture process is executed to store the virtual space data used to generate the currently displayed video. Note that in Figure 47, in order to simplify the processing flow, branching flows such as the selection of menus like "Enlarge Item" or "Add to Favorites" in the captured image displayed during the capture process are not shown, but as mentioned above, the "Enlarge Item" function can also be used in the captured image.

[0433] Furthermore, if the "Playback" menu is selected, the system will proceed to step S41 if it is determined to be "Yes" in step S4, and the playback process will be executed.

[0434] In this playback process, it is first determined whether or not there is a memory of playable virtual space data. If there is no memory of virtual space data, playback is notified. In this embodiment 4, as mentioned above, virtual space data used to generate the video is automatically stored for a certain period of time only if creator items (UGC) are included in the viewpoint video, so there may be cases where there is no memory of virtual space data.

[0435] Thus, enabling playback only when creator items (UGC) are included in the viewpoint video is preferable because it avoids the need to store virtual space data used to generate the video for a certain period of time, which would increase the amount of data to be stored and the processing load. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and playback based on the storage of virtual space data for a certain period of time may be performed at all times.

[0436] If virtual space data is stored, a video from a certain period prior is generated and displayed based on that storage. It is preferable to display a time axis manipulation bar that allows the user to adjust the display timeline, enabling them to quickly view the point in time where they want to reconfirm an item.

[0437] Note that in Figure 47, in order to simplify the processing flow, the branching flow such as the selection of menus like "Enlarge Item" and "Add to Favorites" in the playback video displayed during the playback process is not illustrated. However, as mentioned above, the "Enlarge Item" function is also available in the playback video.

[0438] Furthermore, if the "Add to Favorites" menu is selected, the process proceeds to step S51 when "Yes" is determined in step S5, and the "Add to Favorites" process is executed.

[0439] The favorites registration process accepts the selection of items included in the displayed viewpoint video, and the item ID of the selected item is registered as a favorite item.

[0440] <Signage display processing> Figure 48 shows the signage display processing performed on the user terminal 200 in this embodiment 4, and the signage display processing will be described below using Figure 48. In this embodiment 4, the signage display processing is shown as being performed on the individual user terminal 200 where the viewpoint video is generated, in order to distribute the processing load. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these signage display processes may also be performed on the virtual space server 100a.

[0441] Furthermore, although the signage display processing shown in Figure 48 is executed for each information display object, the present invention is not limited to this, and these processes may be executed collectively for multiple information display objects.

[0442] In the signage display processing, first, it is determined whether or not information related to creator items (UGC) (UGC information) is currently being displayed on the information display objects 401 and 402 included in the viewpoint video (step S101).

[0443] If UGC information, such as images of creator items (UGC), is not currently being displayed, the process proceeds to step S104. However, if UGC information is currently being displayed, the process identifies the creator item (UGC) to be displayed that corresponds to the displayed UGC information, and determines whether the identified creator item (UGC) is located within the display area, specifically, whether the user avatar AB02 using (wearing) the identified creator item (UGC) is located within the display area (step S102).

[0444] If a creator item (UGC) corresponding to the currently displayed UGC information exists within the area corresponding to the display, the display of the UGC information continues, and the process proceeds to step S104. However, if no creator item (UGC) to be displayed exists, the process proceeds to step S103, the display on the information display object is cleared, and then the process proceeds to step S104. In this way, when a creator item (UGC) exists within the area corresponding to the display set on the information display object, that is, when a creator item (UGC) is in the vicinity of the information display object, such as when a user avatar wearing the creator item (UGC) passes in front of the information display object, the UGC information of the creator item (UGC) is displayed on the information display object.

[0445] Step 104 determines whether or not a creator item (UGC) exists within the corresponding area that corresponds to the display set for the information display object, specifically whether or not a user avatar is using (wearing) a creator item (UGC) within the corresponding area.

[0446] If no creator items (UGC) exist within the corresponding area, the process proceeds to step S109, where an announcement information display process is executed to display announcement information, such as an announcement for an official item, on the information display object, and then the process returns to step 104.

[0447] On the other hand, if creator items (UGC) exist within the target area, the process proceeds to step S105 to identify all creator items (UGC) present within the target area.

[0448] Then, a process is executed to determine which creator items (UGC) from the identified creator items (UGC) will be included in the UGC information to be displayed.

[0449] In this process for determining which UGC to display, if only one creator item (UGC) is identified in step S105, the UGC information to be displayed is determined to be that uniquely identified creator item (UGC). On the other hand, if multiple creator items (UGC) are identified in step S105, the UGC information to be displayed is determined based on the display target determination parameters aggregated for each creator item (UGC), as shown in Figure 48.

[0450] In this embodiment 4, the parameters for determining the display target are based on the presence or absence of stock, the distance between the information display object and the creator item (UGC), the movement speed of the user avatar using (wearing) the creator item (UGC), whether the user of the user terminal 200 displaying the viewpoint video is of the same type as the item registered in their favorites, and the creator level value of the creator of the creator item (UGC). However, the importance of each of these items reflected in the parameters for determining the display target differs. Specifically, as shown in Figure 48, the order of importance is: availability > distance > movement speed > same type as favorites > creator level. For example, if an item is in stock, 1 is multiplied by its importance of 5; distances are identified as 1, 0.5, etc., and the identified distance value is multiplied by 4; movement speeds are identified as 1 if slower than a certain speed, and as 0.5 if faster than a certain speed, and the identified movement value is multiplied by 3; if it is the same type as a favorite, 1 is identified and multiplied by 2; and if the creator level is above a certain threshold, 1 is identified and multiplied by 1, and these values ​​are added to the parameters used to determine the item to be displayed.

[0451] Then, after the display of the UGC information of the creator item (UGC) determined in the UGC determination process in step S107 is started in the information display object (step S108), the process returns to step S101.

[0452] Therefore, in this embodiment 4, UGC information takes precedence over public announcements and is displayed on the information display object, and even if multiple creator items (UGC) exist within the corresponding area, the creator items (UGC) to be displayed can be appropriately selected.

[0453] In this embodiment 4, when multiple creator items (UGC) exist within the corresponding area, the example shows a configuration in which only the UGC information of one of the creator items (UGC) is displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the UGC information of each creator item (UGC) present within these corresponding areas may be switched and displayed.

[0454] Furthermore, when displaying an item's video as UGC information in an information display object, it may be possible to allow the user to play the video back and forth through user interaction, thereby enabling the user to repeatedly view the video and review the item's information within the information display object. [Examples]

[0455] Figure 49 shows the features of this embodiment 5. The key feature of this embodiment 5 is that users who purchase creator items (UGC) can receive compensation for acting as agents for their sales.

[0456] In other words, in Examples 1-4, when creator items (UGC) are purchased, only the creator of the creator item (UGC) is given points (specific points) as compensation. For example, as with user avatar AT2 in Example 4, even if other users see the creator item (UGC) worn by user avatar AT2 and purchase it, the user of user avatar AT2 is not given compensation. Therefore, it is difficult to expand the active use of these purchased creator items (UGC). In contrast, in Example 5, if a user who purchases these creator items (UGC) registers on behalf of another user, they can receive compensation for their proxy purchase if the item is purchased in connection with the proxy purchase. This expands the active use of purchased creator items (UGC), revitalizes the trading of creator items (UGC), and as a result, can increase the willingness to participate in the virtual space and enhance interest.

[0457] The proxy service in this embodiment 5 will be explained in detail below using Figure 49. In this embodiment 5, the person performing the proxy service must first purchase the creator item (UGC) that they are going to proxy. In other words, the creator item (UGC) is something that the person purchases because they think it is a good item, and this naturally encourages other users to purchase it as well. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, in cases where a creator of a creator item (UGC) requests a proxy service, the user performing the proxy service may be able to do so without purchasing the item themselves.

[0458] In this embodiment 5, the present invention exemplifies a sales promotion activity in which sales are handled on behalf of others. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may take other forms, such as the agent acting as a spokesperson and promoting the product without actually "selling." In such cases, the advertising and promotion activities may not be carried out by the user avatar of the advertising and promotional agent, but may be carried out using signage in a virtual space, or by holding events or distributing videos in a virtual space. Any method of advertising and promotion is acceptable.

[0459] Furthermore, as described above, in a system where an agent conducts advertising and promotion without actually selling the products, and the creators themselves are primarily responsible for selling creator items (UGC), it would be appropriate to return a portion of the sales of the creator items (UGC) related to the advertising and promotion to the users who conducted the advertising and promotion as compensation corresponding to the advertising and promotion.

[0460] Furthermore, as described above, when advertising and promotion are conducted by users, it is also possible to provide notification that the creator items (UGC) being advertised or promoted are being identified by users in a way that makes it easy for them to identify them as such, for example, by adding an icon to the thumbnail.

[0461] As shown in Figure 49, when user P purchases a creator item (UGC) such as a black cat silhouette shirt, if, for example, user P checks the "Register on behalf of" menu in the item details window 503 in Example 4 and selects "Purchase," user P will be registered on behalf of the creator item (UGC).

[0462] In this embodiment 5, as described above, the application for proxy registration is shown as being performed at the time of purchase. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these applications for proxy registration may also be performed, for example, after purchase from the owned item information display screen (not shown).

[0463] Then, when user P is walking through an urban area wearing the black cat silhouette shirt that user P purchased, user Q sees the black cat silhouette shirt and, as shown in Example 4, displays the item information display window 501 and the item details window 503 from the black cat silhouette shirt and purchases the creator item (UGC). In this case, the operating company deducts the agency fee from the number of points that user Q paid for the purchase (in the case of Example 3, the purchase of a sublicense), and the remaining amount is given to user P as compensation for the agency service, and user P's agency record is updated. Therefore, the creator of the purchased creator item (UGC) is given points as sales points, minus the agency fee in addition to the operating company's fee.

[0464] In this embodiment 5, not all creator items (UGC) are subject to proxy services. Instead, creators can select which items they want to be proxyed and register them as such. In other words, creators can prevent proxy services from being granted for items they do not want to be proxyed by not registering them as such.

[0465] Furthermore, regarding the registration of creator items (UGC) that are subject to the above-mentioned proxy service, it would be possible to enable each creator to perform this action for each individual creator item (UGC) on the item management page of a creator item production support site, for example.

[0466] Furthermore, in this embodiment 5, even if the purchasing user (buyer) applies for proxy registration, the creator can decide whether or not to allow proxy registration, or set conditions for permitting proxy registration.

[0467] If creators unconditionally allow registration of proxy services from buyers who are unlikely to actively perform the service, the number of registered users could become extremely large, potentially creating a burden for management. Therefore, they can, for example, use their past performance as a reference to determine whether a buyer is likely to actively perform the service, and only allow registration of proxy services from buyers who appear likely to do so.

[0468] Specifically, as shown in Figure 50, if the buyer is an influencer with a large track record of proxy services, registration for proxy services can be permitted, while if the buyer is a general user with little experience in proxy services, registration for proxy services can be denied.

[0469] Furthermore, instead of denying registration for proxy services by general users with limited experience, if such registration is permitted, the fees may be differentiated, for example, by lowering the fees for general users with limited experience while increasing the fees for influencers with extensive experience.

[0470] Furthermore, regarding the operation of granting permission for these proxy registrations, a menu called "Proxy Management" should be added to the menu of the creator item production support site, for example, directly below the "Point Management" menu. On the proxy management page displayed when selecting this "Proxy Management" menu, creators should be able to check the proxy performance of users who have applied for proxy services and then proceed with the process.

[0471] Furthermore, regarding the permission for these proxy registrations, if there are many applicants for proxy registration, the operation of granting permission may become a burden on creators. Therefore, in this embodiment 5, creators can set proxy conditions for each creator item (UGC), and when purchasing a creator item (UGC), a proxy application is possible only if the set proxy conditions are met. These proxy conditions can be set on the item management page, similar to the selection of the creator item (UGC) to be proxyed.

[0472] <Data for sales agency management> Figure 51 shows the sales agency management data in the item trading server 100e of this embodiment 5.

[0473] As shown in Figure 51, the sales agency management data for this embodiment 5 stores data such as whether agency is possible, agency conditions, agency 1 and its referral code, agency 2 and its referral code, ... agency n and its referral code, associated with the creator item ID (UGC-ID). The agency data also includes the agency fee.

[0474] When a creator item (UGC) is purchased and an application is submitted on behalf of the user, and the application is approved by the creator, the user ID of the purchaser who submitted the application will be stored in the account of the agent corresponding to the creator item (UGC), and the referral code issued to the purchaser who submitted the application will also be registered.

[0475] Since the referral code is unique for each creator item (UGC), even if the agent is the same, the referral code can be used to identify the user ID and fee of the agent, as well as the creator item ID (UGC-ID).

[0476] In other words, creator items (UGC) purchased by proxy will be assigned a referral code, and based on these referral codes, it will be possible to identify whether a proxy is involved and to identify the proxy's user ID.

[0477] Specifically, for example, as in Example 4, if a creator item (UGC) is selected by selecting it through the "Item Expansion" menu, targeting creator items (UGC) that the purchaser is using (wearing), the referral code attached to the creator item (UGC) through proxy registration is also identified, and when the purchase is made, information including the referral code is sent to the item transaction server 100e, thereby awarding the proxy fee to the user who performed the proxy registration.

[0478] <Type of agency> Figure 52 shows the form of proxy activity in this embodiment 5. In this embodiment 5, as mentioned above, it is possible to register on behalf of users who have purchased creator items (UGC), and by performing proxy activities, users can receive points from the operating company.

[0479] As mentioned earlier, one form of this proxy activity is to use (wear) purchased creator items (UGC) in a virtual space and move around in common areas such as city areas, allowing other users to see the creator items (UGC) they have purchased. In this case, the actual usage status of the creator items (UGC) can be shown to other users, which is likely to increase their desire to purchase.

[0480] However, in the case of using (wearing) creator items (UGC), it is necessary to actually purchase the creator items (UGC). However, for example, if the user is a user with a large track record of acting as an agent for influencers, as shown in Figure 52(c), the creator items (UGC) may be introduced using panels K or posters that introduce the creator items (UGC), for example, at live events held by influencers, without the user actually using (wearing) the creator items (UGC). Furthermore, it is preferable that the creator items (UGC) displayed on panels K or posters are displayed in the same way as the UGC information displayed on the information display object.

[0481] Alternatively, the service may be implemented by placing panels K and posters in My Shop or tenant shops, as shown in Figure 52(c).

[0482] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 52(d), the proxy service may be performed by distributing the referral code issued to the proxy through proxy registration.

[0483] In addition, in the aforementioned Examples 1 to 4, it is not permitted to display and sell creator items (UGC) of other creators in My Shop or tenant shops. However, in this example, if proxy registration is performed, it is possible to display and sell the proxy-registered creator items (UGC), as shown in Figure 52(c).

[0484] In this case, when exhibiting, it is preferable to negotiate with the creators in advance regarding the number of user-generated content (UGC) items to be exhibited.

[0485] Next, as described above, we will explain the process when a creator's item (UGC) displayed in My Shop by another creator is purchased, using Figure 53.

[0486] Note that the explanation of the parts that are the same as purchasing Creator Items (UGC) in My Shop as shown in Figure 38 will be omitted, and only the differences will be explained.

[0487] The purchase request sent during the item purchase operation process includes the aforementioned referral code.

[0488] Upon receiving this purchase request, the item trading server 100e executes a proxy item determination process to determine whether the item to be purchased is a user-generated content (UGC) item that is subject to proxy service.

[0489] Whether or not a user-generated content (UGC) item is eligible for this service is determined by whether or not a referral code is included in the received purchase request.

[0490] If the item is not a creator item (UGC) eligible for proxy purchase, it is processed in the same way as shown in Figure 38. On the other hand, if the item is a creator item (UGC) eligible for proxy purchase, a point verification process is performed to confirm whether the remaining balance of the user's points is sufficient to pay the unit price of the creator item (UGC) being purchased.

[0491] In this point ownership verification process, a verification request including the purchaser's user ID is sent to the point management server 100d. Verification is then performed by the point ownership identification process executed by the point management server 100d, and the points are returned via a verification response. If the verification response is OK, payment is possible; if the verification response is NG, payment is not possible.

[0492] If the confirmation response is NG, the same process as in the payment failure shown in Figure 38 is performed. On the other hand, if the confirmation response is OK, the payment request is sent to the point management server 100d and the payment is executed by the point payment process, as in the case of Figure 38.

[0493] Furthermore, in point payment processing, not only the product points awarded to the creator but also the agent points awarded to the agent are identified. As mentioned above, the awarding of these identified product points and agent points is withheld until the complaint reporting period has elapsed, and the withheld product points and agent points are awarded on a designated day in the month in which the complaint reporting period has elapsed.

[0494] Furthermore, after the execution of the permission notification process, which sends a permission notification to authorize the use of the purchased creator item (UGC), the item trading server 100e executes a proxy condition determination process to determine whether the purchaser has met the proxy conditions.

[0495] If the purchaser does not meet the proxy conditions, a normal purchase management notification is sent to the user terminal 200, as in Figure 38. However, if the purchaser does meet the proxy conditions, a purchase management notification including an instruction to display the proxy acceptance display is sent to the user terminal 200, and the proxy application acceptance is performed in the purchase completion display shown in the creator item purchase completion notification process.

[0496] If an operation is performed by a user on behalf of another user, the proxy operation acceptance process sends a proxy registration request to the item trading server 100e, registers the buyer as the proxy for the purchased item in the sales proxy management data, issues a referral code, and notifies the buyer of the issued referral code.

[0497] As described above, when a creator item (UGC) is purchased in My Shop, the system is configured to accept the proxy registration after the purchase. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the acceptance of these proxy registrations may be performed at the same time as the purchase operation.

[0498] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any changes or additions that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are also included.

[0499] For example, the above embodiment illustrates a form in which both official items and creator items (UGC) can be purchased as items, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may consist of either official items or creator items (UGC) alone.

[0500] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates a configuration in which the user avatar participates in the virtual space from the entrance lobby area, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a user logs into the virtual space via a user program, they may be able to directly participate in their home or shop.

[0501] Furthermore, although not included in the above embodiment, a function may be provided for users who operate tenant shops that allows them to instantly move between their home or shop and the tenant shop. Similarly, a function may be provided that allows a user avatar visiting a shop to instantly move to a tenant shop, and a function may be provided that allows a user avatar visiting a tenant shop to instantly move to a shop.

[0502] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the predetermined conditions for creator items (UGC), which are special content, or for user avatars using said creator items (UGC) are that a selection operation has been performed on the creator items (UGC) included in the viewpoint video on the user terminal 200 or on the user avatar using (wearing) said creator items (UGC). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these predetermined conditions may be conditions other than the above selection operation, for example, the user avatar corresponding to the viewpoint video touching the creator items (UGC) or the user avatar using (wearing) said creator items (UGC). These predetermined conditions can be appropriately determined according to the specifications of the user terminal 200 used.

[0503] Specifically, for example, the following may be set as predetermined conditions. (1) Temporarily register user avatars that are using (wearing) creator items (UGC) as a list, and then perform a selection operation on the user avatars temporarily registered in that list or the creator items (UGC) that those user avatars are using (wearing). (2) Approaching within a certain distance of a user avatar that is using (wearing) a creator item (UGC), even without "touching" it. (3) Staring intently for a certain period of time at a user avatar that is using (wearing) creator items (UGC). (4) Continuously interacting with or approaching a user avatar that is using (wearing) creator items (UGC) over a certain period of time. (5) For example, artificial intelligence can be used to monitor the conversation of user avatars and use creator items (UGC) as a topic of conversation.

[0504] Furthermore, the content and items displayed in the item information display windows 501, 511, and 521, the creator information display windows 502, 512, and the item details windows 503 and 513 in the above-described embodiment 4 are not limited to the content of embodiment 4, and may include content and items other than those exemplified in embodiment 4, or may not include some of the content and items exemplified in embodiment 4.

[0505] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 4, an example was given in which creator items (UGC) can be purchased without trying them on by displaying item details windows 503 and 513. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when purchasing creator items (UGC), it may be necessary to move from the creator information display windows 502 and 512 to My Shop or Tenant Shop to try them on before purchasing. Alternatively, the item details windows 503 and 513 may be made available to confirm whether the user avatar has tried on the creator item (UGC) they wish to purchase.

[0506] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 4, if an immediate move to My Shop or a tenant shop is performed, the location before the immediate move may be stored, and the immediate move to the stored location before the immediate move may be made possible.

[0507] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment 4 illustrates a configuration in which the M2 menu functions described above can be used anywhere in the virtual space, the present invention is not limited to this, and these M2 menu functions may be enabled only in specific locations within the virtual space, or conversely, disabled in specific locations, such as the arena.

[0508] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates a configuration that includes both a private shop and tenant shops, the present invention is not limited thereto. It may also include only one of the two, or a configuration that does not have either a private shop or tenant shops (official shop only).

[0509] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates points as a form of value usable for purchasing items in a virtual space, the present invention is not limited thereto, and these forms of value may be coins or the like.

[0510] Furthermore, in Example 2, an exchange rate other than 1:1 may be established for the exchange of special points and general points. In such cases, to prevent confusion between special points and general points, the name of general points may be changed to, for example, "coins" as described above.

[0511] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 2, by selecting the "Add to Favorites" menu from the menu bar M2 displayed on the user terminal 200, an example was given in which items included in the displayed video can be registered as favorite items, and the items registered as favorite items can be checked later. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and items registered as favorite items may be made available for purchase by performing a predetermined operation (for example, selecting the "Purchase" menu as shown in Figure 45) when checking them.

[0512] Furthermore, for items registered as favorite items, the inventory count may be shared between the user terminal 200 and the creator item production server 100c through periodic communication, and information regarding the inventory count of the item may be made available to the user terminal 200. In this way, it becomes easier for users to understand the inventory status of their favorite items.

[0513] Furthermore, while the above Examples 1 to 5 illustrate the present invention, these Examples 1 to 5 may be implemented individually or in combination. Implementing multiple examples includes combining two, three, four, or all five of Examples 1 to 5.

[0514] Furthermore, the special content in this invention does not necessarily have to be user-generated content (UGC), but rather any content that has been registered as a transactional item by a user, regardless of the entity that created it.

[0515] Furthermore, while the above embodiments illustrate a configuration in which a user terminal displays a viewpoint video of a user avatar corresponding to the user, the present invention is not limited thereto. These viewpoint videos may also include a video showing the user avatar from a position behind it, or an overhead view from a position above the user avatar.

[0516] Furthermore, while the above embodiments illustrate forms that target items actually worn (used) by the user avatar, the present invention is not limited thereto. These items may also be items owned by the user corresponding to the user avatar, rather than items actually worn (used) by the user avatar.

[0517] Furthermore, while the embodiments described above illustrate a configuration in which both a personal home and a personal shop are present in the personal area, as shown in Figure 16, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the personal area may consist only of a personal shop (personal area = personal shop).

[0518] Furthermore, while Embodiment 5 illustrates a form in which special points that can be converted into cash are awarded to users who register as agents (sales promotion activities) as an agent fee, the present invention is not limited to this, and general points that cannot be converted into cash may be awarded as these agent fees.

[0519] Furthermore, while the embodiments described above illustrate content transactions as sales (purchases) and sales agency services (promotion, advertising), the present invention is not limited to these. These content transactions may also be in forms other than sales (purchases) and sales agency services (promotion, advertising), such as paid or free lending (rentals).

[0520] Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, the mode of movement to My Shop or Tenant Shop, which are special areas where special content such as creator items (UGC) can be purchased, is illustrated as instantaneous movement without any movement of the user avatar or display of progress during movement. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the user avatar may move automatically by walking or running, or a so-called loading screen may be inserted, and the user may be moved to an area where movement by walking or other means is impossible, with the screen darkening. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0521] 100 server computers for providing virtual space 100a Server for virtual space 100b User Management Server 100c Creator Item Production Server 100d Point Management Server 100e Item Trading Server 110 Communication equipment 150 Virtual Space Administrator Terminal 200 user terminals 401 Information Display Object

Claims

1. A virtual space provision system that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A user terminal capable of at least the operation required to operate the user avatar, A server computer connected to the user terminal via a communication network, capable of performing at least processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, It includes at least, The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. A virtual space provision system characterized by comprising a user avatar movement means that, when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, and a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content, the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined condition can be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded.

2. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that the special content is content produced based on creative content created by the user.

3. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes regular content provided for transaction by a non-user different from the user, The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, further comprising a trading website display means for displaying a trading website on the user terminal that allows trading of both the regular content and the special content when the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal includes the regular content owned by another user avatar.

4. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the special area includes a first special area and a second special area through which the user avatar passes more frequently than the first special area, the user avatar movement means moves the avatar to the second special area with priority.

5. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that the user avatar movement means checks whether the special content is in stock, and if it is not in stock, does not move the user avatar.

6. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when there are multiple special areas, the user avatar movement means checks whether the content is in stock and moves the user avatars related to the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to special areas where the content is in stock, with priority given to special areas where the content is in stock.

7. The system includes special content information storage means for storing information related to the aforementioned special content, The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that the user avatar movement means displays the information stored in the special content information storage means on the user terminal of the user corresponding to the user avatar before moving the user avatar.

8. The user terminal is equipped with a list display means capable of displaying a list of the special content included in the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal, The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that the user avatar movement means moves the user avatar to the special area of ​​the special content selected in the list displayed on the user terminal by the list display means.

9. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, further comprising video storage means capable of storing the video when the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the special content.

10. When the video of the virtual space output by the user terminal includes the special content, a video recording means capable of recording the video for a predetermined period of time is provided. A playback means for playing back the video recorded in the aforementioned video recording means, Equipped with, The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is possible to satisfy the predetermined conditions in the video reproduced by the playback means.

11. The virtual space provision system according to claim 1, further comprising interest content registration means that allows registration of special content owned by other user avatars when the video of the virtual space output on the user terminal includes such special content.

12. A virtual space provision program that provides a virtual space in which multiple user avatars corresponding to each user can participate, A server computer connected to a user terminal via a communication network, which is capable of data communication with the user, allows the user to operate the user avatar. A virtual space processing means that performs processing related to the virtual space, Transaction-related processing means that performs transaction-related processing related to the transaction of content, including special content made available for transaction by the user, in the virtual space, where the user avatar is available for use. A user avatar movement processing means that performs user avatar movement processing when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, and when a predetermined condition is met for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content, the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined condition can be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded. A virtual space provision program characterized by its ability to function in this way.

13. A method for providing a virtual space that allows multiple user avatars, each corresponding to a different user, to participate, using a server computer connected to a communication network, A user terminal is connected via a communication network to a server computer capable of performing at least the processing related to the virtual space and transaction-related processing related to the trading of content usable by the user avatar in the virtual space, and the user terminal is capable of performing operations to operate the user avatar, and the video of the virtual space is capable of outputting. The content subject to the aforementioned transaction includes special content made available for transaction by the user. A method for providing a virtual space, characterized in that when the content held by the user avatar participating in the virtual space includes the special content, a user avatar movement procedure is included that allows the user avatar involved in the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions to be moved to a special area where the special content can be traded, upon fulfillment of predetermined conditions for the special content or the user avatar holding the special content.

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