Electronic game dispensing device, electronic game dispensing program, and electronic game dispensing method

Abstract

To provide a new setup in which users can lend and borrow a game medium in an electronic game in which the users can possess a game medium within the electronic game and the users can lend and borrow a game medium.SOLUTION: A lending processing section 32 sets a state of a game medium possessed by a first user to a lendable state as a state in which a second user other than the first user can borrow according to an instruction from the first user of an electronic game. A privilege imparting section 34 imparts privilege to the first user according to initiation of a lendable state of a game medium possessed by the first user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic game providing apparatus, an electronic game providing program, and an electronic game providing method. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been proposed an electronic game in which a user can own game media within the electronic game, and the game media can be lent and borrowed between users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic game providing program that allows a first user to use a game medium owned by a second user different from the first user in response to receiving a payment of consideration from the first user of the electronic game. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-116839 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a new mechanism for lending and borrowing game media between users in an electronic game where users can own game media within the electronic game and the game media can be lent and borrowed between users. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The present invention provides an electronic game providing apparatus comprising: a lending processing unit configured to set a state of a game medium, which is an object in an electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lendable state in which the game medium can be borrowed by a second user who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user; and a benefit granting unit configured to grant a benefit to the first user in response to the game medium entering the lendable state.

[0006] Preferably, the reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards the longer the game medium remains in the lending state.

[0007] Preferably, the reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards the more game media available for loan.

[0008] Preferably, the game medium has one or more attributes, and the reward granting unit determines the reward to grant to the first user according to the attributes of the game medium that is available for loan.

[0009] Preferably, the game media includes paid game media obtained by the first user for a fee and free game media obtained by the first user free of charge, and the bonus granting unit grants the first user a more beneficial bonus when the paid game media is available for lending than when the free game media is available for lending.

[0010] Preferably, the reward granting unit further grants the first user a reward in response to the second user borrowing the game medium.

[0011] Preferably, the lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user in response to payment of the fee from the second user.

[0012] Preferably, the consideration increases the longer the second user borrows the game medium.

[0013] Preferably, the electronic game is a turn-based game having multiple turns, which are units of game progression, and the lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user for only a portion of the multiple turns.

[0014] Preferably, the game medium has one or more attributes, and the consideration is determined according to the attributes of the game medium.

[0015] Preferably, the game medium is an NFT.

[0016] Preferably, the lending processing unit changes the state of the game medium from the lendable state to the unlending state, in response to instructions from the first user, so that the second user cannot borrow the game medium.

[0017] Preferably, the lending processing unit sets the set of game media specified by the first user to the lending-available state.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention is an electronic game provision program characterized in that it causes a computer to function as a lending processing unit that sets the state of a game medium, which is an object within an electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lending-available state, in which a second user of the electronic game other than the first user can borrow the game medium; and a reward granting unit that grants a reward to the first user in response to the game medium being in the lending-available state.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention is a method for providing an electronic game, characterized by including: a lending processing step in which a computer changes the state of a game medium, which is an object within the electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lendable state in which a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user, can borrow the game medium; and a benefit granting step in which the computer grants a benefit to the first user in response to the game medium being in the lendable state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, in an electronic game in which users can own game media within the electronic game and lend and borrow the game media between users, a new mechanism for lending and borrowing game media between users can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a schematic configuration diagram of the electronic game providing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a schematic configuration diagram of the electronic game providing server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the content of a game medium DB. [Figure 4] It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the content of a user DB. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the flow of a process of granting a privilege to a first user. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic game providing system 10 according to the present embodiment. The electronic game providing system 10 is configured to include one or more user terminals 12 and an electronic game providing server 14 as an electronic game providing apparatus. The user terminals 12 and the electronic game providing server 14 are communicatively connected to each other via a communication line 16 configured of a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0023] In the electronic game providing system 10, when a user (player) accesses the electronic game providing server 14 using the user terminal 12, an electronic game is provided to the user from the electronic game providing server 14.

[0024] The user terminal 12 may consist of, for example, a stationary or portable game console, a personal computer (PC), a tablet device, or a smartphone, but is not limited to these. The user terminal 12 may be any device that is capable of running the electronic games (hereinafter simply referred to as "electronic games") provided by the electronic game provision server 14.

[0025] The user terminal 12 includes a communication interface for communicating with the electronic game provision server 14 via a communication line 16, an input interface for receiving user commands, a display for displaying various screens (especially the game screen of an electronic game), memory for storing data, and a processor for executing various processes.

[0026] The electronic game provision server 14 is composed of, for example, a server computer, but is not limited to that. The electronic game provision server 14 can be any device that can provide the electronic games described below to users. The electronic game provision server 14 may be implemented by a single computer, or by the cooperation of multiple computers.

[0027] The electronic game according to this embodiment is a game in which users can own game media within the electronic game and lend and borrow game media among users. The game media may be anything that the user can use. Game media that users can own within the electronic game (hereinafter simply referred to as "game media") are objects within the electronic game, such as in-game points, in-game currency, and various objects (e.g., cards, characters, items). However, the game media is not limited to the above, and may be anything that users can own within the electronic game and has a certain value within the electronic game (in other words, has value that allows users to lend and borrow it among users).

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the electronic game provision server 14.

[0029] The communication interface 20 consists of components such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication interface 20 performs the function of communicating with the user terminal 12 via the communication line 16.

[0030] Memory 22 is composed of components such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 22 stores electronic game provision programs for operating various parts of the electronic game provision server 14. The electronic game provision programs can also be stored on a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or CD-ROM. The electronic game provision server 14 can read and execute electronic game provision programs from such storage media. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, memory 22 stores a game medium DB (Data Base) 24 and a user DB 26.

[0031] Figure 3 shows an example of the contents of the Game Media DB24. The Game Media DB24 is a database that stores information about game media that a user can own within an electronic game. As shown in Figure 3, the Game Media DB24 has a Game Media ID that uniquely identifies a game medium, and the attributes of that game medium are associated with each other.

[0032] In this embodiment, each game medium has one or more attributes. These attributes are not limited to these, but include, for example, the rarity of the game medium (its value within the electronic game), paid / free information indicating whether the game medium is paid or free, and the price of the game medium if it is paid.

[0033] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the game medium may include not only cards and characters, but also in-game points or in-game currency. For example, if there are multiple types of in-game points or in-game currency with different values ​​(for example, normal points obtainable through normal game progression and special points obtainable under special conditions), then in the game medium DB24, an attribute representing its value (rarity in the example in Figure 3) may be associated with each type of in-game point or in-game currency.

[0034] Game media can be divided into two types: paid game media, which users can obtain by paying a price such as money (i.e., obtainable for a fee), and free game media, which users can obtain for free. Methods of obtaining paid game media include, for example, purchasing from an online shop or through paid random draws (such as gacha). Methods of obtaining free game media include receiving them as a gift when starting a new electronic game, or through free random draws. However, the methods of obtaining game media are not limited to these, and any method of acquisition is acceptable.

[0035] The game media used in the electronic game of this embodiment (especially cards, characters, items, etc.) should be NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). An NFT is digital data with a certificate of authenticity or ownership certificate, whose counterfeiting is prevented by technologies such as blockchain. Furthermore, each NFT is assigned a unique serial number, making it possible to uniquely identify it. By using NFTs for the game media, it becomes possible, for example, to buy and sell game media between users with peace of mind.

[0036] Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of the User DB 26. The User DB 26 is a database that stores information about users registered with the electronic game provision server 14 (in other words, users registered as players of electronic games). As shown in Figure 4, the User DB 26 associates the following with each other: a User ID that uniquely identifies the user, a Game Medium ID of the game medium owned (acquired) by the user in the electronic game, and, if the game medium is in-game points or in-game currency, the amount owned. The User ID is assigned to the user by the processor 28, described later, when the user registers with the electronic game provision server 14. In addition, authentication information (such as a password) necessary for the user to log in to the electronic game is associated with each User ID in the User DB 26.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, in the user database 26, each game medium owned by a user is associated with the following information: availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, the lending start time indicating the time when the game medium became available for lending if it is available for lending, the user ID of the lending user if the game medium is lent to another user, the amount lent if the lent game medium is in-game points or in-game currency, and the lending start time indicating the time when the game medium was lent to the lending user. The methods for registering and referencing this information in the user database 26 will be described later.

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, the processor 28 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a programmable logic device. The processor 28 may not consist of a single processing unit, but rather of multiple processing units located in physically separate locations working together. The processor 28 performs the functions of a game progress processing unit 30, a lending processing unit 32, and a bonus granting unit 34 based on the electronic game provision program stored in the memory 22.

[0039] The game progress processing unit 30 executes processes to advance the electronic game. First, when a user accesses the electronic game provision server 14 from the user terminal 12, the game progress processing unit 30 executes an authentication process to authenticate the user. For example, the game progress processing unit 30 displays a screen on the user terminal 12's display for the user to enter their user ID and password. When the user enters their user ID and password on this screen, the user ID and password are sent from the user terminal 12 to the electronic game provision server 14. The game progress processing unit 30 authenticates the user based on the received user ID and password, as well as the information registered in the user DB 26. If the user cannot be authenticated through the authentication process, the game progress processing unit 30 does not provide the electronic game to that user.

[0040] The lending processing unit 32 processes the game media owned by the user of the electronic game to be in a lendable state, meaning that it can be borrowed by other users other than the user in question. Hereinafter, in this specification, the user who lends out the game media will be referred to as the first user, and a user other than the first user who lends (borrows) the game media owned by the first user will be referred to as the second user.

[0041] The lending processing unit 32, in response to instructions from the first user, makes the game media owned by the first user available for lending.

[0042] Specifically, the lending processing unit 32 refers to the user DB 26 and displays a list of game media owned by the first user on the display unit of the first user's user terminal 12. The first user refers to this list on their user terminal 12 and specifies the game media they wish to lend. If the game media to be lent is in-game points or in-game currency, the user also specifies the amount (e.g., number of points) they wish to lend. Upon receiving the specification of the game media to be lent, the user terminal 12 sends lending instruction information regarding that game media to the electronic game provision server 14. The lending instruction information is information that associates the first user's user ID with the game media ID of the game media designated by the first user as lent. If the game media is in-game points or in-game currency, the lending instruction information is further associated with information indicating the amount specified by the first user.

[0043] When the lending processing unit 32 receives lending instruction information from the first user's user terminal 12, it sets the game medium of the first user indicated by the lending instruction information to a lending-available state. Specifically, the lending processing unit 32 sets the lending availability information for the combination of user ID and game medium ID indicated by the lending instruction information to "Available" in the user DB 26. Furthermore, if the game medium indicated by the lending instruction information is in-game points or in-game currency, the lending processing unit 32 sets the lending availability information for the combination of user ID and game medium ID indicated by the lending instruction information to the amount indicated by the lending instruction information (for example, 200 points). The game medium becomes available for lending when the lending availability information is set to "Available" or an available amount. In addition, the lending processing unit 32 sets the lending start time for the combination of user ID and game medium ID indicated by the lending instruction information to the time the lending instruction information was received.

[0044] The lending processing unit 32 may make a set of game media specified by the first user available for lending. For example, there are games in which a user selects a set of game media (for example, a deck consisting of five game media) from multiple game media (in this case, characters or cards, etc.) that they own, and plays using the selected set of game media. In such games, the combination of multiple game media may be important. This is just one example, but in such cases, it can be meaningful to make a set of game media available for lending. When making a set of game media available for lending, the lending instruction information includes multiple game media IDs and information indicating that they are a set, and the lending processing unit 32 simply needs to treat the multiple game media included in the lending instruction information as a set.

[0045] The lending processing unit 32 notifies other users that the first user's game media has become available for lending. For example, it displays on the display of the user terminal 12 of a user who is currently playing an electronic game that the first user's game media has become available for lending. Specifically, in response to a user's request, the lending processing unit 32 displays a list of currently available game media on the display of that user's user terminal 12. The lending processing unit 32 can identify game media in the user DB 26 that have "Available" or a lendable quantity set in the lending availability information as currently available game media.

[0046] The lending processing unit 32 may, in response to instructions from the first user, change the status of the game media owned by the first user from a lendable state to an unlending state, which means that other users (second users) cannot borrow the game media.

[0047] Specifically, the first user specifies, on the user terminal 12, a game medium that they own, is available for rental, but which they wish to change to an unavailable state. Upon receiving the specification of a game medium to be changed to an unavailable state, the user terminal 12 sends rental suspension information regarding that game medium to the electronic game provision server 14. The rental suspension information is information that associates the first user's user ID with the game medium ID of the game medium that the first user has specified as unavailable for rental.

[0048] When the lending processing unit 32 receives lending suspension information from the first user's user terminal 12, it sets the game media of the first user indicated by the lending suspension information to an unavailable state. Specifically, the lending processing unit 32 sets the lending eligibility information for the combination of user ID and game media ID indicated by the lending suspension information to "No" in the user DB 26 (see Figure 4). Setting the lending eligibility information to "No" makes the game media unavailable for lending.

[0049] If the game media indicated by the loan suspension information from the user terminal 12 is currently on loan to a second user (details described later), the loan processing unit 32 should not put the game media into an unavailable state (continue lending the game media to the second user).

[0050] Furthermore, once a game medium owned by the first user becomes available for loan, the first user will no longer be able to use that game medium until it becomes unavailable for loan.

[0051] The lending processing unit 32, in response to instructions from the second user, lends to the second user any game media owned by the first user that is available for lending, thereby putting it into a lending state.

[0052] Specifically, the second user specifies the game medium they wish to borrow from among the game mediums available for loan on their user terminal 12. If the game medium they wish to borrow is in-game points or in-game currency, they also specify the amount they wish to borrow. Upon receiving the specification of the game medium the user terminal 12 wishes to borrow, it transmits borrowing instruction information regarding that game medium to the electronic game provision server 14. The borrowing instruction information is information that associates the second user's user ID, the user ID of the first user who owns the game medium specified by the second user, and the game medium ID of that game medium. If the game medium is in-game points or in-game currency, the borrowing instruction information is further associated with information indicating the amount specified by the second user.

[0053] When the lending processing unit 32 receives borrowing instruction information from the second user's user terminal 12, it sets the first user's game medium indicated by the borrowing instruction information to a lending state. Specifically, in the user DB 26, the lending processing unit 32 sets the recipient user for the combination of the first user's user ID and game medium ID indicated by the borrowing instruction information to the user ID of the second user indicated by the borrowing instruction information. Once the second user's user ID is set as the recipient user, the game medium is put into a lending state. Furthermore, if the game medium indicated by the borrowing instruction information is in-game points or in-game currency, the lending processing unit 32 sets the amount to be lent for the combination of the first user's user ID and game medium ID indicated by the borrowing instruction information to the amount indicated by the borrowing instruction information (for example, 100 points). In addition, the lending processing unit 32 sets the start time of lending for the combination of the first user's user ID and game medium ID indicated by the borrowing instruction information to the time the borrowing instruction information was received.

[0054] A second user who borrows the game media may use it until they return it. If the game media is currently on loan, the first user may not use it while it remains available for loan.

[0055] The second user can pre-determine the period for which they will borrow a game medium that is available for loan. In this case, the loan instruction information includes the loan end time specified by the second user. If the loan instruction information includes a loan end time, the loan processing unit 32 further associates the loan end time indicated in the loan instruction information with the combination of the first user's user ID and game medium ID indicated in the loan instruction information in the user DB 26. As a result, when the loan end time arrives, the game medium that was in loan status is automatically returned to the first user.

[0056] The second user may freely set the period for which they borrow the game medium. For example, if the electronic game is a turn-based game with multiple turns, which are the units of game progression, the second user may borrow the game medium for only a portion of those turns (for example, only one turn). In other words, the lending processing unit 32 can lend the game medium to the second user for only a portion of the multiple turns that the electronic game has. This allows the second user to borrow a powerful character from the first user for only a few turns while reducing the cost of borrowing the game medium. The second user is not necessarily required to pre-determine the period for which they will borrow the game medium.

[0057] The lending processing unit 32 may lend the game media owned by the first user to the second user in response to payment from the second user. In this case, the second user may pay the fee when borrowing the game media (i.e., when sending borrowing instruction information from the user terminal 12 to the electronic game provision server 14), or may pay the fee when returning the game media.

[0058] The fee paid by the second user to borrow the game media should increase the longer the second user borrows the game media. The lending processing unit 32 can obtain the period the second user has borrowed the game media by calculating the difference between the lending start time of the game media stored in the user DB 26 and the lending end time specified by the second user or the time when the second user returns the game media.

[0059] Furthermore, the fee paid by a second user to borrow a game medium should be determined according to the attributes of the game medium. The lending processing unit 32 can identify the attributes of the game medium by referring to the game medium DB 24. For example, the higher the rarity of the game medium, the higher the fee for borrowing it should be. Also, if the game medium is paid for, the fee for borrowing it should be higher than if it were free. Alternatively, the higher the price of the game medium, the higher the fee for borrowing it should be.

[0060] The reward granting unit 34 grants rewards to users of the electronic game. The rewards granted by the reward granting unit 34 can be of any kind, but for example, they should be rewards that give the user an advantage within the electronic game.

[0061] In particular, in this embodiment, the reward granting unit 34 grants a reward to the first user in response to the game media owned by the first user becoming available for lending. In other words, the reward granting unit 34 grants a reward to the first user in response to the lending availability information set to "available" or the amount available for lending in the user DB 26 for the combination of the first user's user ID and the game media ID of the game media owned by the first user. It should be noted that here, the reward granting unit 34 grants a reward to the first user in response to the game media becoming available for lending, not in response to the game media being actually lent to the second user (i.e., the game media becoming available for lending).

[0062] The timing at which the reward granting unit 34 grants the reward to the first user may be set as appropriate by the administrator of the electronic game provision server 14 or the like. For example, the reward granting unit 34 may grant the reward to the first user when the first user's game media becomes available for lending, or it may grant the reward to the first user periodically as long as the first user's game media is available for lending, or it may grant the reward to the first user when the first user's game media changes from available for lending to unavailable for lending (i.e., when lending is stopped).

[0063] The reward granting unit 34 should grant the first user more beneficial rewards the longer the game media owned by the first user is available for lending. The reward granting unit 34 can obtain the period during which the game media is available for lending by the difference between the start time of lending of the game media stored in the user DB 26 and the time at which the reward is granted. More beneficial rewards are not limited to these, but include, for example, rewards that give the first user a greater advantage in the electronic game (e.g., more powerful cards or characters, or more in-game points or in-game currency). If the reward granting unit 34 periodically grants rewards to the first user as long as the first user's game media is available for lending, even if the rewards granted at multiple reward granting opportunities are the same, the longer the period during which the game media is available for lending, the more opportunities the first user will have to receive rewards, and as a result, the user will receive more beneficial rewards. Therefore, providing the first user with benefits periodically as long as their game media is available for rental means that the longer the first user's game media is available for rental, the more beneficial the benefits they will receive.

[0064] Furthermore, the reward granting unit 34 should grant the first user more beneficial rewards the more game media the first user has available for lending. The reward granting unit 34 can identify the number of game media that the first user has made available for lending by referring to the user DB 26. Note that, if the game media are in-game points or in-game currency, granting the first user more beneficial rewards the more game media the first user has available for lending includes granting the first user more beneficial rewards the larger the amount of in-game points or in-game currency the first user has made available for lending.

[0065] Furthermore, the reward granting unit 34 may determine the rewards to be granted to the first user according to the attributes of the game media that the first user has made available for loan. The reward granting unit 34 can identify the attributes of the game media that the first user has made available for loan by referring to the game media DB 24. For example, the reward granting unit 34 should grant the first user more beneficial rewards the higher the rarity of the game media that the first user has made available for loan. Also, if the game media that the first user has made available for loan is paid, the reward granting unit 34 should grant the first user more beneficial rewards than if the game media that the first user has made available for loan is free. Alternatively, the reward granting unit 34 should grant the first user more beneficial rewards the higher the price of the game media that the first user has made available for loan.

[0066] The reward granting unit 34 may determine the reward to grant to the first user based on at least two combinations of the following: the period during which the first user's game media is available for loan, the number of the first user's game media that are available for loan, and the attributes of the first user's game media that are available for loan.

[0067] The reward granting unit 34 may grant further rewards to the first user in accordance with the fact that the second user borrows the game media owned by the first user after it has become available for lending. In other words, the reward granting unit 34 may grant rewards to the first user in accordance with the fact that the second user's user ID has been set as the borrowing user for the combination of the first user's user ID and the game media ID of the first user's game media that was available for lending in the user DB 26.

[0068] The outline of the electronic game provision system 10 according to this embodiment is as described above. According to the electronic game provision system 10, the first user can obtain benefits by making their own game media available for lending. This can encourage the first user to make their game media available for lending, thereby stimulating the lending and borrowing of game media within the electronic game.

[0069] The following describes the process of granting benefits to the first user, following the flowchart shown in Figure 5.

[0070] In step S10, the game progress processing unit 30 authenticates the user who accessed the system using the user terminal 12. After authenticating the user, the game progress processing unit 30 begins providing the electronic game.

[0071] In step S12, the lending processing unit 32 makes the game media owned by the first user available for lending in response to instructions from the first user. Specifically, the lending processing unit 32 sets the lending availability information in the user DB 26 to "available" or an available quantity for the combination of the first user's user ID and the game media ID of the game media instructed by the first user. Step S12 corresponds to the lending processing step.

[0072] In step S14, the reward granting unit 34 grants a reward to the first user. Step S14 corresponds to the reward granting step.

[0073] In step S16, the lending processing unit 32 determines whether the game medium that became available for lending in step S12 has been borrowed by the second user. If the game medium has been borrowed by the second user, specifically, if the electronic game provision server 14 receives borrowing instruction information from the second user's user terminal 12, and the lending processing unit 32 determines in the user DB 26 that the recipient user for the combination of the first user's user ID and game medium ID indicated by the borrowing instruction information is the second user's user ID indicated by the borrowing instruction information, the process proceeds to step S18. If the game medium has not been borrowed by the second user, in other words, if the electronic game provision server 14 does not receive borrowing instruction information from the second user's user terminal 12, the process terminates.

[0074] In step S18, the reward granting unit 34 grants further rewards to the first user.

[0075] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0076] [Structure of the invention] [Configuration 1] A lending processing unit that sets the state of a game medium, which is an object within the electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lending-available state, which means that a second user of the electronic game other than the first user can borrow the game medium. A reward granting unit grants a reward to the first user in response to the game medium becoming available for lending, An electronic game providing device characterized by comprising the following features. [Configuration 2] The reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards the longer the game medium remains in the lending state. The electronic game providing device according to configuration 1, characterized in that it is a device that provides electronic games. [Configuration 3] The reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards as the number of game media available for loan increases. An electronic game providing device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized by the above. [Structure 4] The aforementioned game medium has one or more attributes, The reward granting unit determines the reward to be granted to the first user according to the attributes of the game medium that is available for loan. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized by the above. [Composition 5] The aforementioned game media includes paid game media obtained by the first user for a fee, and free game media obtained by the first user free of charge. The reward granting unit grants the first user a more beneficial reward when the paid game medium is available for loan than when the free game medium is available for loan. The electronic game providing device according to configuration 4, characterized by the features described above. [Composition 6] The aforementioned benefit granting unit further grants benefits to the first user in accordance with the fact that the second user has borrowed the game medium. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that it is a device that provides electronic games. [Composition 7] The lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user in response to payment of the fee from the second user. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized by the above. [Structure 8] The aforementioned consideration increases the longer the second user borrows the game medium. The electronic game providing device according to configuration 7, characterized by the features described above. [Composition 9] The aforementioned electronic game is a turn-based game having multiple turns, which are the units of game progression. The lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user only for some of the turns out of a total of turns. The electronic game providing device according to configuration 8, characterized by the features described above. [Configuration 10] The aforementioned game medium has one or more attributes, The aforementioned consideration is determined according to the attributes possessed by the game medium. An electronic game providing device according to any one of the configurations 7 to 9, characterized in that it is an electronic game providing device. [Composition 11] The aforementioned game medium is an NFT. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that it is a device that provides electronic games. [Composition 12] The lending processing unit, in response to instructions from the first user, changes the state of the game medium from the lendable state to the unlending state, which means that the second user cannot borrow the game medium. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, characterized by the features described herein. [Composition 13] The lending processing unit sets the set of game media specified by the first user to the lending-available state. An electronic game providing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, characterized by the features described herein. [Composition 14] Computers, A lending processing unit that sets the state of a game medium, which is an object within the electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lending-available state, which means that a second user of the electronic game other than the first user can borrow the game medium. A reward granting unit grants a reward to the first user in response to the game medium becoming available for lending, An electronic game provision program characterized by functioning as such. [Composition 15] A lending process step in which a computer changes the state of a game medium, which is an object within the electronic game owned by a first user of the electronic game, to a lending-available state, which means that a second user of the electronic game other than the first user can borrow the game medium. A reward granting step in which the computer grants a reward to the first user in response to the game medium becoming available for loan, A method for providing electronic games, characterized by including the following: [Explanation of Symbols]

[0077] 10 Electronic game provision system, 12 User terminal, 14 Electronic game provision server, 16 Communication line, 20 Communication interface, 22 Memory, 24 Game media DB, 26 User DB, 28 Processor, 30 Game progress processing unit, 32 Loan processing unit, 34 Bonus granting unit.

Claims

1. A processor that can access a user database associated with a user, a game medium which is an object within an electronic game owned by the user, and lending availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, The aforementioned processor, In the user database, a lending processing unit sets the value of the lending availability information associated with the game medium owned by the first user of the electronic game to a value indicating that the game medium is available for lending to a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user. A reward granting unit that, when the game medium is in the lending-available state, refers to the user database and grants a reward to the first user, It functions as, The reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards the longer the game medium remains in the lending state. An electronic game providing device characterized by the following features.

2. A processor that can access a user database associated with a user, a game medium which is an object within an electronic game owned by the user, and lending availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, The aforementioned processor, In the user database, a lending processing unit sets the value of the lending availability information associated with the game medium owned by the first user of the electronic game to a value indicating that the game medium is available for lending to a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user. A reward granting unit that, when the game medium is in the lending-available state, refers to the user database and grants a reward to the first user, It functions as, The reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards as the number of game media available for loan increases. An electronic game providing device characterized by the following features.

3. A processor that can access a user database associated with a user, a game medium which is an object within an electronic game owned by the user, and lending availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, The aforementioned processor, In the user database, a lending processing unit sets the value of the lending availability information associated with the game medium owned by the first user of the electronic game to a value indicating that the game medium is available for lending to a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user. A reward granting unit that, when the game medium is in the lending-available state, refers to the user database and grants a reward to the first user, It functions as, The aforementioned game medium has one or more attributes, The reward granting unit determines the reward to be granted to the first user according to the attributes of the game medium that is in a lendable state. An electronic game providing device characterized by the following features.

4. The aforementioned game media includes paid game media obtained by the first user for a fee, and free game media obtained by the first user free of charge. The reward granting unit grants the first user a more beneficial reward when the paid game medium is available for lending than when the free game medium is available for lending. The electronic game providing device according to feature 3.

5. The aforementioned benefit granting unit further grants benefits to the first user in accordance with the fact that the second user has borrowed the game medium. The electronic game providing device according to feature 1.

6. The lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user in response to payment of the fee from the second user. The electronic game providing device according to feature 1.

7. The aforementioned consideration increases the longer the second user borrows the game medium. The electronic game providing device according to feature 6.

8. The aforementioned electronic game is a turn-based game having multiple turns, which are the units of game progression. The lending processing unit lends the game medium to the second user only for some of the turns out of a total of turns. The electronic game providing device according to feature 7.

9. The aforementioned game medium has one or more attributes, The aforementioned consideration is determined according to the attributes possessed by the game medium. The electronic game providing device according to feature 6.

10. The aforementioned game medium is NFT. The electronic game providing device according to feature 1.

11. The lending processing unit, in response to instructions from the first user, changes the state of the game medium from the lendable state to the unlending state, which means that the second user cannot borrow the game medium. The electronic game providing device according to feature 1.

12. The lending processing unit sets the set of game media specified by the first user to the lending-available state. The electronic game providing device according to feature 1.

13. A computer that can access a user database associated with a user, a game medium which is an object within an electronic game owned by the user, and lending availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, In the user database, a lending processing unit sets the value of the lending availability information associated with the game medium owned by the first user of the electronic game to a value indicating that the game medium is available for lending to a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user. A reward granting unit that, when the game medium is in the lending-available state, refers to the user database and grants a reward to the first user, To make it function as, The reward granting unit grants the first user more beneficial rewards the longer the game medium remains in the lending state. An electronic game provision program characterized by the following features.

14. A computer that can access a user database associated with a user, a game medium which is an object in an electronic game owned by the user, and lending availability information indicating whether the game medium is available for lending, provides a lending processing step in the user database to set the value of the lending availability information associated with the game medium owned by a first user of the electronic game to a value indicating that a second user, who is a user of the electronic game other than the first user, can borrow the game medium. The computer refers to the user database and grants a benefit to the first user when the game medium is in the lending state; Includes, In the reward granting step, the computer grants the first user a more beneficial reward the longer the game medium remains in the lending state. A method for providing electronic games characterized by the features described herein.

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