Virtual Space Control Device

Abstract

To provide users with a feeling of performing face-to-face communication in a real space even with a network interposed between the users.SOLUTION: A virtual space control device includes: a context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating a situation in a virtual space related to a user participating the virtual space; a physical information acquisition unit that acquires physical information indicating a state of the user's body for each user; a state determination unit that based on the context information and the physical information as acquired, determines a psychological state of the user in the virtual space; a modification degree setting unit that sets a degree of modification for the determined psychological state of the user; an expression generation unit that based on the set degree of modification, generates expression information indicating an expression obtained by modifying the psychological state of the user; and an output unit that outputs the expression information generated by the expression generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user who is a partner of a first user whose physical information has been acquired among a plurality of users.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual space control Place apparatus. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, systems have been proposed that realize the exchange of information (social signals) for unconsciously and non-verbally perceiving the presence of other people in interactions between users participating in a virtual space (e.g., cyberspace) on a network (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-92990 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology as described above, there is a problem that the information that users receive as social signals is limited, and it has not been possible to provide users with a feeling of interacting face-to-face as in real space.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a virtual space control apparatus and a program that can provide users with a feeling of interacting face-to-face in real space even when the users interact with each other via a network. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is a virtual space control device comprising: a context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating the situation in the virtual space related to a user participating in the virtual space; a body information acquisition unit that acquires body information indicating the physical state of the user for each user; a state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired context information and body information; a modification degree setting unit that sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user; a representation generation unit that generates representation information indicating a modified representation of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification; and an output unit that outputs the representation information generated by the representation generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the body information has been acquired, among a plurality of users.

[0007] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the virtual space control device described above, the context information includes first information indicating predetermined relationships between the users participating in the virtual space, and the state determination unit determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired first information and the physical information.

[0008] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the virtual space control device described above, the context information includes second information indicating relationships that change based on the interactions between the users in the virtual space, and the state determination unit determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired second information and the physical information.

[0009] Furthermore, in the virtual space control device described above, the state determination unit determines the type of the user's psychological state, and the modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the user's psychological state based on the determined type of psychological state.

[0010] Furthermore, in the virtual space control device described above, the state determination unit determines the psychological state of a user group including the plurality of users based on the psychological state of each of the plurality of users, and the representation generation unit generates a representation of the determined psychological state of the user group.

[0011] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the virtual space control device described above further comprises an operation reception unit that receives an operation by the user to set the degree of modification, and the modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the user's psychological state based on the setting operation received by the operation reception unit.

[0012] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the virtual space control device described above, the state determination unit determines the psychological state of the first user and the psychological state of the second user, the modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification for the determined psychological state of the second user based on the psychological state of the first user, the representation generation unit generates second representation information in which the psychological state of the second user is modified based on the set degree of modification, and the output unit outputs the second representation information generated by the representation generation unit to a presentation device used by the first user.

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to acquire contextual information indicating the situation in a virtual space related to a user participating in the virtual space, acquire physical information indicating the physical state of each user, determine the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information and physical information, set the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user, generate expression information indicating the modified expression of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification, and output the generated expression information to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the physical information was acquired, among a plurality of users. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a virtual space control device and a program capable of giving users a sense of interacting face-to-face in real space even when the users are connected to each other via a network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the virtual space service providing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the virtual space service providing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the virtual space service providing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of first information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of second information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a modification degree for a positive psychological state. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a modification degree for a negative psychological state. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display unit according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a modification setting table according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between oxytocin secretion and promotion of social presence. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display unit of a teacher terminal device in a modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display unit of a student terminal device in a modified example. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a virtual space service providing system 1 according to the present embodiment. The virtual space service providing system 1 is configured by connecting a plurality of terminal devices 20 (for example, terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n, where n is a natural number) to each other via a network N. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a computer device such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet, and is a device used by a user U who receives provision of a virtual space service. In the following description, the user U who receives provision of a virtual space service is also referred to as "a user U participating in a virtual space".

[0017] The virtual space service providing system 1 includes a virtual space control device 10 and a service providing device 30.

[0018] The service providing device 30 manages and controls services provided by the virtual space service providing system 1. The service providing device 30 may be configured by a single server device, or may be configured as a distributed virtual server (for example, a cloud server) including a plurality of server devices. The service providing device 30 can present images, sound, vibration, pressure, temperature, odor, and the like to the user U through communication between the terminal devices 20 via the network N. The service providing device 30 transmits social signals between users U by presenting images, sound, vibration, pressure, temperature, odor, and the like corresponding to the psychological state of one user U to other users U.

[0019] The virtual space control device 10 controls the state and degree of images, sound, vibration, pressure, temperature, odor, and the like presented to each user U according to the relationship between users U and the context of the service provided by the service providing device 30.

[0020] As an example in the present embodiment, the virtual space service providing system 1 provides a competitive game service in a virtual space. A plurality of users U participate in this virtual space. In this example, among the users U, a first user U01 and a second user U02 are competing against each other. The first user U01 uses terminal device 20-1 of terminal devices 20. The second user U02 uses terminal device 20-2 of terminal devices 20. The first terminal device 20-1 used by the first user U01 displays the status of the second user U02. The second terminal device 20-2 used by the second user U02 displays the status of the first user U01. In other words, each terminal device 20 displays the status of the other user U. The virtual space control device 10 modifies the psychological state of user U based on the relationship between users U and the context of the service (in this example, the progress of a competitive game), and presents the modified expression to the other user U.

[0021] The following describes the specific functional configuration of the virtual space service provision system 1. Figure 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment.

[0022] [Functional Configuration of Terminal Devices] The figure shows the first terminal device 20-1 and the second terminal device 20-2 of the terminal device 20. Since both terminal devices 20 have the same configuration, they will be collectively referred to as terminal device 20 unless otherwise specified in the following description.

[0023] The terminal device 20 includes a communication unit 21, an operation acquisition unit 22, an imaging unit 23, a body information detection unit 24, a display unit 25, and a sensory presentation unit 26. The communication unit 21 is equipped with a wireless (or wired) interface and a network controller, and performs bidirectional information communication with the service provider device 30 via network N (not shown). The operation acquisition unit 22 is equipped with, for example, a keyboard, gamepad, joystick, mouse, touch panel, etc., and acquires operations performed by user U. The operation acquisition unit 22 outputs the acquired operations to the service provision device 30 via the communication unit 21. The imaging unit 23, for example, is equipped with a video camera and captures the user U's facial expressions, gaze, and posture. The imaging unit 23 outputs the captured images to the service provision device 30 via the communication unit 21.

[0024] The body information detection unit 24 includes, for example, a body temperature sensor, a respiration sensor, a heart rate sensor, a skin potential sensor, a blood pressure sensor, etc., and acquires the body information 54 of user U. The body information detection unit 24 outputs the acquired body information 54 to the service provision device 30 via the communication unit 21. The body information detection unit 24 acquires the body information 54 of user U with a sufficiently fast sampling period (for example, several tens to several hundreds of milliseconds). By utilizing the body information 54 of user U acquired with a sufficiently fast sampling period, the virtual space service provision system 1 can transmit social signals between users U in a manner comparable to face-to-face interaction. Furthermore, the body information detection unit 24 may output the facial expression, gaze, and posture of user U included in the image captured by the imaging unit 23 as body information 54 to the service provision device 30.

[0025] The display unit 25, for example, is equipped with a liquid crystal display and displays images output from the service provision device 30 via the communication unit 21.

[0026] The sensory presentation unit 26 includes, for example, a speaker, a blower, a vibration generator, a pressurizing device that applies pressure to a part of the user U's body, a temperature / cold sensation presentation device, a fragrance generator, etc. Based on instructions provided from the service provision device 30 via the communication unit 21, it presents information that evokes senses such as sight, touch, force, hearing, and smell to the user U. In the following description, presenting information that evokes senses to the user U is also referred to as presenting sensations to the user U.

[0027] The body information detection unit 24 and the sensory presentation unit 26 may be configured as functions of an external device connected to the terminal device 20, or as functions built into the terminal device 20. Furthermore, some of the multiple terminal devices 20 may not be equipped with the aforementioned body information detection unit 24 and sensory presentation unit 26.

[0028] [Functional Configuration of Service Provisioning Equipment] The service provider 30 manages and controls the services that the virtual space service provider system 1 provides to user U. In one example of this embodiment, the service provider 30 manages information of participating user U in a competitive game, manages billing, matches opponents, displays game images, manages game progress, controls the match status, determines the match result, and so on.

[0029] The service provision device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a user information management unit 32, and a context determination unit 33 as its functional units. The communication unit 31 is equipped with a wireless (or wired) interface and a network controller, and performs bidirectional information communication with each terminal device 20 via the network N (not shown). The user information management unit 32 manages information about users U who participate in the services provided by the virtual space service provision system 1. For example, the user information management unit 32 acquires the relationships between users U who participate in the virtual space and stores the acquired relationships as first information 51. The first piece of information 51 is information whose content is not updated after user U joins the virtual space service provision system 1 (for example, by logging into the system or starting service provision) and while the service is being provided. In other words, the first piece of information 51 is information that indicates predetermined relationships between users participating in the virtual space. Here, the predetermined relationships between users U include situations where users U are friends with each other in real life, or where users U are not acquaintances and have no relationship with each other in real life. In addition to friendship, the relationships between users U also include various social relationships such as boss and subordinate, teacher and student, etc. Furthermore, the first information 51 only needs to be information whose content is not updated while the service is being provided, but it may be updated before the start of service provision or after the end of service provision. For example, if the real-world relationships between users U change, the first information 51 may be updated based on the changed relationships. Furthermore, the first piece of information 51 may include not only information indicating the relationships between specific users U, but also information indicating social rules based on general human relationships and psychological tendencies. For example, the first piece of information 51 may be information indicating psychological tendencies such as "there is a power imbalance between users U," such as between a boss and a subordinate.

[0030] The context determination unit 33 determines the context of the user U's relationships in the services provided by the virtual space service provision system 1. The context determination unit 33 stores the determined context as second information 52. These first pieces of information 51 and second pieces of information 52 are collectively referred to as contextual information 53. Contextual information 53 is information that indicates the situation in the virtual space related to user U.

[0031] Here, the context of user U in the service refers to the background circumstances, situation, context, and relationship within the service provided by the virtual space service provision system 1. Contextual information 53 is information that indicates the background circumstances, situation, context, and relationship between users U and situations that may influence the psychological state of users U, among other background information, circumstances, and relationships within the services provided by the virtual space service provision system 1. The context may change after user U joins the virtual space service provision system 1, for example, after logging into the system or while the service is being provided. The second information 52 changes (for example, in real time) based on the context within the virtual space. In this example, context refers to the meaning of each scene, which changes in various ways as the game progresses (for example, whether it is a situation where one should remain calm, a situation where one should increase their excitement, or a situation where one should cooperate with one another). Furthermore, the context of the interrelationship between users U refers to the combination of the contexts of individual users U in a group of users U. For example, the context of the interrelationship between user U 1 (user U01) and user U 2 (user U02) refers to a situation where, in a competitive game, one user U (user 1 U01) is dominant and the other user U (user 2 U02) is at a disadvantage.

[0032] [Functional Configuration of Virtual Space Control Device] The virtual space control device 10 comprises a control unit 11 and a storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 includes a hard disk or semiconductor memory and stores programs and data. The control unit 11 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and performs various processes based on the programs stored in the storage unit 12.

[0033] The control unit 11 includes, as its functional units, a context information acquisition unit 111, a body information acquisition unit 112, a state determination unit 113, a modification degree setting unit 114, an operation reception unit 115, an expression generation unit 116, and an output unit 117.

[0034] The context information acquisition unit 111 acquires context information 53 from the service provision device 30. As described above, the context information 53 includes first information 51 that indicates the relationships between users U participating in the virtual space. In other words, the context information acquisition unit 111 acquires first information 51, which indicates the relationships between users U participating in the virtual space, as context information 53.

[0035] Furthermore, contextual information 53 may include the second information 52 described above. This second information 52 is information that changes based on the context within the virtual space. In this case, the context information acquisition unit 111 acquires first information 51, which indicates the relationships between users U participating in the virtual space, and second information 52, which indicates the context of the relationships between users U, as context information 53.

[0036] The physical information acquisition unit 112 acquires physical information 54 from the service provision device 30. As described above, the physical information 54 is information acquired from user U by the physical information detection unit 24 of each terminal device 20. The service provision device 30 acquires the physical information 54 of each user U from each terminal device 20. As a result, the service provision device 30 collects physical information 54 for each user U. In one example of this embodiment, the service provision device 30 collects the physical information 54 of the first user U01 and the physical information 54 of the second user U02. In other words, the body information acquisition unit 112 acquires body information 54 indicating the physical condition of each user U.

[0037] The state determination unit 113 determines the psychological state of user U in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information 53 and physical information 54. Here, the psychological state of user U refers, for example, to whether or not they are concentrating, whether or not they are calm, whether or not they are excited, whether or not they are interested, whether or not they are aggressive towards other users U, whether or not they feel a sense of solidarity with other users U, etc. The method used by the state determination unit 113 to determine the psychological state may be any known method.

[0038] The modification level setting unit 114 sets the degree of modification to the determined user U's psychological state. Here, the degree of modification to the psychological state is, for example, an indicator that shows whether to increase or suppress the level of excitement of an excited user U. In this embodiment, setting rules indicating the degree of modification applied to each psychological state are predetermined. The modification degree setting unit 114 sets the degree of modification applied to the user U's psychological state based on the predetermined setting rules. In the following explanation, the degree of modification to a psychological state will also be referred to as the "degree of modification."

[0039] The operation acquisition unit 22 of the terminal device 20 may have a function to accept a setting operation for the degree of modification (modification level) by the user U. In this case, the operation reception unit 115 accepts the setting operation for the degree of modification by the user U acquired by the operation acquisition unit 22. The modification level setting unit 114 sets the degree of modification for the user U's psychological state based on the setting operation received by the operation reception unit 115. The modification level setting unit 114 may be configured to set the modification level for the user U's psychological state by modifying the modification level according to predetermined setting rules based on the setting operation received by the operation reception unit 115. Furthermore, the operation acquisition unit 22 of the terminal device 20 may not have a function to accept modification level setting operations by user U. In this case, the modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level for user U's psychological state based on predetermined setting rules, without relying on modification level setting operations by user U.

[0040] The expression generation unit 116 generates expression information that shows an expression of the user U's psychological state based on the set level of modification. Here, the expression information is information that shows the user U's psychological state and is presented to the display unit 25 and sensory presentation unit 26 of the terminal device 20 of the other party to the user U. For example, representational information includes information derived from images, sounds, vibrations, pressure, temperature, and smells.

[0041] The output unit 117 outputs the representation information generated by the representation generation unit 116 to the terminal device 20 (i.e., the presentation device) used by the second user U02, who is the counterpart of the first user U01 from whom the physical information 54 was acquired, via the communication unit 31 of the service provision device 30.

[0042] In this embodiment, the virtual space control device 10, the terminal device 20, and the service provision device 30 have been described as being independent of each other, but this is not limited to this. For example, the service provision device 30 may include the functions of the virtual space control device 10. Also, the terminal device 20 may have some (or all) of the functions of the service provision device 30 or the virtual space control device 10.

[0043] [Operation Flow of Virtual Space Service Provisioning System 1] Next, with reference to Figure 3, the operation flow of the virtual space service provision system 1 will be explained.

[0044] Figure 3 shows an example of the operation flow of the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment. Here, we will explain using the case where the first user U01 and the second user U02 participate as opponents in a competitive game provided as a service by the service provision device 30 as an example.

[0045] The service provider 30 provides a competitive game service to the first terminal device 20-1 used by the first user U01 and the second terminal device 20-2 used by the second user U02. The user information management unit 32 of the service provision device 30 generates first information 51 indicating the relationship between users U, based on the attribute information of user U associated with the accounts of first user U01 and second user U02.

[0046] Figure 4 shows an example of the first information 51 of this embodiment. In this example, the first user U01 and the second user U02 have a relationship as friends in real life.

[0047] The context determination unit 33 of the service provision device 30 determines the context of the competitive game being provided and generates second information 52.

[0048] Figure 5 shows an example of the second information 52 in this embodiment. In this example, the second information 52 of the first user U01 indicates that U01 is playing a game against the second user U02 and is winning against the second user U02. The second information 52 of the second user U02 indicates that U02 is playing a game against the first user U01 and is losing against the first user U01. Furthermore, the context determination unit 33 updates the second information 52 as the context changes (for example, the progress of the game). Context, for example in a competitive game where players compete for points, can change not only based on wins and losses, but also on changes in the degree of wins and losses. For instance, if user U is losing 0-2, and then user U is losing 1-2, user U's psychological state changes, and therefore the context can be said to have changed. In other words, contextual information 53 is information that indicates the situation within the virtual space related to user U participating in the virtual space. Contextual information 53 changes due to various changes in the situation within the virtual space.

[0049] (Step S10) Returning to Figure 3, the context information acquisition unit 111 acquires the first information 51 and the second information 52 as context information 53. As described above, the first information 51 indicates that the first user U01 and the second user U02 have a relationship in which they are friends in real life. The second information 52 indicates that the first user U01 is winning and the second user U02 is losing. The context information acquisition unit 111 is described as acquiring the first information 51 and the second information 52 as context information 53, but is not limited to this. For example, the context information acquisition unit 111 may acquire either the first information 51 or the second information 52 as context information 53.

[0050] (Step S20) The physical information acquisition unit 112 acquires physical information 54 for the first user U01 and the second user U02, indicating the physical condition of user U. In this example, the physical information 54 indicates that both the first user U01 and the second user U02 are sweating more than normal.

[0051] (Step S30) The state determination unit 113 determines the psychological state of user U in the virtual space based on the acquired context information 53 and physical information 54. In this example, the state determination unit 113 determines that for the first user U01, he is winning the game and sweating a lot, so he is in a superior position to his opponent and is excited. The state determination unit 113 determines that for the second user U02, he is losing the game and sweating a lot, so he is in a inferior position to his opponent and is excited (for example, anxious).

[0052] The state determination unit 113 may also determine the type of psychological state of user U. Here, the type of psychological state refers to, for example, whether it is a positive or negative psychological state. In this example, the state determination unit 113 determines whether user U's psychological state is positive or negative.

[0053] (Step S40) The modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level for the determined psychological state of user U. In addition, the state determination unit 113 may determine the type of psychological state of user U. In this case, the modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level for user U's psychological state based on the type of psychological state determined by the state determination unit 113. Here, with reference to Figures 6 and 7, we will describe an example of the degree of modification on psychological state.

[0054] Figure 6 shows an example of the degree of modification for a positive psychological state. When User U's psychological state is positive, a higher degree of modification (in the + direction in the figure) results in an expression that emphasizes positivity, while a lower degree of modification (in the - direction in the figure) results in an expression that suppresses positivity. Here, a positive psychological state refers to a psychological state that is likely to cause empathetic or altruistic behavior among Users U. For example, a positive psychological state includes psychological states such as feeling happy or joyful.

[0055] Figure 7 shows an example of the degree of modification for negative psychological states. When user U's psychological state is negative, a higher degree of modification (in the + direction in the figure) results in an expression that emphasizes the negativity, while a lower degree of modification (in the - direction in the figure) results in an expression that suppresses the negativity. Here, a negative psychological state refers to a psychological state that makes it difficult for users U to engage in empathetic or altruistic behavior. For example, negative psychological states include sadness, frustration, and boredom.

[0056] Note that the magnitude and direction of the degree of modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 are examples only and are not limited to them. For example, if user U's psychological state is negative, a lower degree of modification may result in an expression that emphasizes the negativity. With this configuration, the direction of the degree of psychological state and the direction of the degree of modification can be aligned whether user U's psychological state is positive or negative.

[0057] In this example, the first user U01 and the second user U02 are friends in real life, and therefore it is assumed that they understand each other's personalities well. Consequently, given the relationship between the first user U01 and the second user U02, if the level of excitement increases due to interactions between users U during a game or the game results (e.g., winning or losing), it can be expected that the empathy and altruism between users U will be further enhanced. In this case, the modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level by increasing the modification level of the user U's psychological state (for example, if user U is excited, the level of excitement will increase). For example, the modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level so that positivity increases when user U's psychological state is positive, and negativity increases when user U's psychological state is negative. By setting the level of modification in this way, the virtual space service provision system 1 can express the psychological state of user U in an emphatic manner. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the social signals transmitted to the other user U become more emphasized, which can promote empathy and altruistic behavior between users U.

[0058] On the other hand, depending on the combination of users U, there may be cases where their real-world relationships are weak (for example, no real-world relationships at all). In the case of combinations of users U with weak real-world relationships, the level of excitement may increase due to interactions and the results of wins and losses during the competitive game, which may conversely decrease empathy and altruism among the users U (for example, increased aggression towards opponents). In this case, the virtual space control device 10 sets the level of modification to be lower (for example, if a user U is excited, the level of excitement is suppressed). As an example, the modification level setting unit 114 sets the modification level so that the positivity decreases when user U's psychological state is positive, and so that the negativity decreases when user U's psychological state is negative. By setting the level of modification in this way, the virtual space service provision system 1 can express the psychological state of user U in a subdued manner. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the social signals transmitted to the other user U are suppressed, and empathy and altruistic behavior between users U can be promoted.

[0059] The modification level setting unit 114 may also set the modification level so that the positivity increases when user U's psychological state is positive, and so that the negativity decreases when user U's psychological state is negative. By setting the level of modification in this way, the virtual space service provision system 1 can express the psychological state of user U in a more positive way. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the social signals transmitted to the other user U become more positive, and empathy and altruistic behavior between users U can be promoted.

[0060] Figure 8 shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 25 of this embodiment. The figure shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 25 of the second terminal device 20-2 used by the second user U02. The display unit 25 displays a game image P1, a user image P2, and a modification level setting image P3. Game image P1 is a game image of a competitive game provided by the service provider device 30. User image P2 is an image showing the status of the opponent of the second user U02 (in this example, the first user U01). This user image P2 is an image that has been modified by the virtual space control device 10 from an image captured by the imaging unit 23 of the first terminal device 20-1 used by the first user U01. The modification level setting image P3 is an image used by user U to set the modification level. The modification level setting image P3 displays an operation image P4 (for example, a slider). User U sets the modification level of user image P2 by manipulating the operation image P4.

[0061] The modification level setting image P3 may include a first modification level setting image P3-1 and a second modification level setting image P3-2. The first modification level setting image P3-1 is an image used to perform modification level setting operations for positive psychological states using the first operation image P4-1. The second modification level setting image P3-2 is an image used to perform modification level setting operations for negative psychological states using the second operation image P4-2. User U can set the degree of modification for each type of psychological state (e.g., positive psychological state, negative psychological state) by individually manipulating the first operation image P4-1 and the second operation image P4-2.

[0062] The modification level setting unit 114 stores the result of setting the modification level for user U's psychological state as described above in the modification level setting table 55.

[0063] Figure 9 shows an example of the modification setting table 55 in this embodiment. In this example, the modification degree setting unit 114 stores the type of psychological state, the modification degree, the modification degree adjustment value, and the adjusted modification degree for each user U in the modification setting table 55. In this modification setting table 55, the modification degree is the modification degree set based on the psychological state of user U determined based on contextual information 53 and physical information 54, and predetermined setting rules. The modification degree adjustment value is a value that adjusts the modification degree based on the setting operation received by the operation reception unit 115. The adjusted modification degree is the modification degree obtained by performing a calculation with the modification degree adjustment value on the modification degree. In the example shown in the figure, the adjusted modification degree is obtained by adding the modification degree adjustment value (i.e., the value set by user U's operation) to the modification degree (i.e., the value set based on user U's psychological state and predetermined setting rules). Furthermore, by fixing the modifier adjustment value to 0 (zero), the modifier level and the adjusted modifier level will match, making it possible to create a configuration that does not accept modifier adjustment operations.

[0064] (Step S50) Returning to Figure 3, the representation generation unit 116 generates representation information (in this example, user image P2) based on the modification level set in step S40.

[0065] (Step S60) The output unit 117 outputs the representation information (for example, user image P2) generated in step S50 to the terminal device 20 via the service provision device 30. The display unit 25 of the terminal device 20 displays the user image P2 shown in Figure 8.

[0066] As described above, the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment transmits social signals between users U by presenting the psychological state of user U to the other user U through images, sounds, vibrations, pressure, temperature, smells, etc. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, it is possible to give user U a stronger sense of interacting face-to-face in real space compared to when communication is done solely through images.

[0067] Experiments conducted with actual user U revealed that presenting user U's psychological state to the other user U through images, sounds, vibrations, pressure, temperature, and smells increased the amount of oxytocin secreted by user U compared to when only images were used.

[0068] Figure 10 shows an example of the relationship between oxytocin secretion and the enhancement of social presence. The figure shows the rate of change in oxytocin secretion before and after gameplay (e.g., online battle) between users U in a virtual space. On the horizontal axis of the figure, BL represents offline battle (BL), NF represents online battle (when the psychological state of user U is not presented to the opponent), VF represents online battle (when the psychological state of user U (e.g., an image showing user U's facial expression) is presented to the opponent), and VBF represents online battle (when the psychological state of user U (e.g., an image showing user U's facial expression and an image showing user U's heart rate) is presented to the opponent). The virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment showed that when the psychological state of user U is presented to the opponent, oxytocin secretion is enhanced compared to when the psychological state of user U is not presented to the opponent. Furthermore, in the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment, it was shown that when VBF (i.e., an image showing user U's facial expression and an image showing user U's heart rate) was presented to the other party, the amount of oxytocin secreted by the other party user U was greater than when VF (i.e., an image showing user U's facial expression) was presented. In other words, it was shown that when presenting user U's psychological state as representational information to another user U, a greater variety of information indicating user U's psychological state promotes oxytocin secretion. Oxytocin is also known as the "bonding hormone," and its secretion level can objectively represent the strength of the bond felt between users U. In other words, it has been objectively demonstrated that the virtual space service provision system 1, configured as described above, can encourage empathy and altruistic behavior towards others.

[0069] Furthermore, the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment transmits the psychological state of user U to the other user U according to the relationship and context between the users U. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, even when users U interact via a network N, it is possible to give users U the feeling that they are having a face-to-face interaction in real space.

[0070] Furthermore, the virtual space service provision system 1 of this embodiment includes a modification degree setting unit 114 that sets the degree of modification to the psychological state of user U. Based on the degree of modification set by the modification degree setting unit 114, the virtual space service provision system 1 presents to the other user U an expression information (for example, a user image P2) that shows a modified expression of user U's psychological state. With the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the psychological state of the other user U can be conveyed to the other user U in a way that is either emphasized or suppressed depending on the relationship and context between the users U. Therefore, for example, if there are signs of aggressive behavior or cyberbullying that could become problematic in the network society N, depending on the relationship and context of user U, it is possible to suppress user U's psychological state and communicate it to the other user U, thereby preventing the behavior from escalating into a problematic situation. Furthermore, for example, if two users feel that they are enjoying each other's company due to their relationship or context, emphasizing and communicating the psychological state of one user to the other user can encourage empathy and altruistic behavior.

[0071] [Differentiation] The embodiments described above explain the case in which the virtual space service provision system 1 provides a competitive game, but the content of the service is not limited to this. The virtual space service provision system 1 may, for example, provide a virtual classroom service in which a teacher and multiple students participate.

[0072] Figure 11 shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 25 of the teacher's terminal device 20-4 in a modified example. Figure 12 shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 25 of the student terminal device 20-3 in a modified example. In this modified virtual classroom service, students use student terminal devices 20-3, and teachers use teacher terminal devices 20-4 to conduct lessons. In the following description, students will also be referred to as first users U01, and teachers as second users U02. In this example, there are multiple first users U01 (i.e., students), and each first user U01 uses a student terminal device 20-3. There is also one second user U02 (i.e., a teacher), and second user U02 uses a teacher terminal device 20-4. In other words, in this modified example, the terminal device 20 consists of one teacher terminal device 20-4 and multiple student terminal devices 20-3.

[0073] As shown in Figure 11, the teacher's terminal device 20-4 displays images (first user images P5) of multiple first users U01 (i.e., students). Each first user image P5 is associated with a user state presentation image P6 that indicates the psychological state of the first user U01. The user state presentation image P6 is an image that shows the degree of student concentration in the lesson as the psychological state of the user U. For example, the user state presentation image P6 shows the degree of concentration in the lesson using a horizontal bar graph.

[0074] As shown in Figure 12, the student terminal device 20-3 displays an image of the second user U02 (i.e., the teacher) (second user image P7). This second user image P7 is an image in which facial expressions and attitudes are generated by the expression generation unit 116. The degree of modification of the expression in the second user image P7 is set based on the determination result of the state determination unit 113, which determines the degree of the student's concentration on the lesson. In other words, in this modified example, the degree of modification of the teacher's facial expressions and attitudes shown in the second user image P7 changes according to the degree of the student's concentration on the lesson. For example, if the state determination unit 113 determines that the students are highly focused on the lesson, the second user image P7 is modified to emphasize the positive aspects of the teacher's facial expression and attitude. Furthermore, if the state determination unit 113 determines that the students' level of concentration in the lesson is low, the second user image P7 is modified in a way that either suppresses positivity or emphasizes negativity regarding the teacher's facial expressions and attitude.

[0075] In other words, the state determination unit 113 determines the psychological state of the first user U01 (for example, a student) and the psychological state of the second user U02 (for example, a teacher). The modification level setting unit 114 sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the second user U02 based on the psychological state of the first user U01. The representation generation unit 116 generates a second user image P7 (second representation information) in which the psychological state of the second user U02 is modified based on the set degree of modification. The output unit 117 outputs the second user image P7 (second representation information) generated by the representation generation unit 116 to the terminal device 20 (display device) used by the first user U01.

[0076] According to the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the psychological states of users U participating via the network N can be transmitted bidirectionally. Therefore, even when users U interact via the network N, it is possible to give them the feeling that they are having a face-to-face interaction in real space. Furthermore, with the virtual space service provision system 1 configured in this way, the psychological state of the other user U can be communicated bidirectionally to the other user U, while emphasizing or suppressing it depending on the relationship and context between the users U.

[0077] Furthermore, in the virtual space control device 10 of this modified example, the state determination unit 113 may determine the psychological state of a group of users including multiple users U based on the psychological state of each of the multiple users U. For example, if the concentration levels of multiple students are all high, the overall concentration level of the user group (in this example, a group of students from one class) is considered high, and the psychological state of the user group is determined accordingly. Furthermore, if the concentration levels of multiple students are low, or if there is a large variation in concentration levels, the overall concentration level of the user group (in this example, a group of students from one class) is considered low, and the psychological state of the user group is determined accordingly. In this case, the expression generation unit 116 may be configured to generate an expression of the psychological state of the determined user U group. For example, if the state determination unit 113 determines that the overall level of concentration in the class is high, the second user image P7 will be modified to emphasize positivity in the teacher's facial expressions and attitude.

[0078] The aforementioned competitive games and virtual classrooms are merely examples of services that the virtual space service provision system 1 can provide, and are not limited to these. For example, the virtual space service provision system 1 can be configured to provide services such as a remote conferencing system using virtual space, or e-sports involving multiple users U.

[0079] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The configurations described in each of the above embodiments may also be combined.

[0080] Furthermore, each component of the device in the above embodiment may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or it may be implemented by memory and a microprocessor.

[0081] Furthermore, each component of each device may consist of memory and a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and its functions may be realized by loading and executing a program into memory to realize the functions of each component of each device.

[0082] Alternatively, programs for realizing the functions of each part of each device may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the programs recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed to perform processing by the parts of the control unit. The term "computer system" here includes hardware such as the operating system and peripheral devices.

[0083] Furthermore, "computer system" shall also include the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is being used. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. In addition, "computer-readable recording media" also includes those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. Moreover, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be able to realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 1...Virtual space service provision system, 10...Virtual space control device, 20...Terminal device, 30...Service provision device, 111...Context information acquisition unit, 112...Body information acquisition unit, 113...State determination unit, 114...Modification level setting unit, 115...Operation reception unit, 116...Expression generation unit, 117...Output unit

Claims

1. A context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating the user's status in a service provided in a virtual space, A body information acquisition unit that acquires body information indicating the physical condition of the user for each user, A state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information and physical information, A modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user, An expression generation unit generates expression information that shows the modified expression of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification, The system includes an output unit that outputs the expression information generated by the expression generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the physical information was acquired, among a plurality of users, The contextual information includes first information that indicates predetermined relationships between the users participating in the virtual space, The state determination unit determines the user's psychological state within the virtual space based on the acquired first information and physical information. Virtual space control device.

2. A context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating the user's status in a service provided in a virtual space, A body information acquisition unit that acquires body information indicating the physical condition of the user for each user, A state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information and physical information, A modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user, An expression generation unit generates expression information that shows the modified expression of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification, The system includes an output unit that outputs the expression information generated by the expression generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the physical information was acquired, among a plurality of users, The contextual information includes second information that shows the relationship that changes based on the interaction between the users in the virtual space, The state determination unit determines the user's psychological state within the virtual space based on the acquired second information and physical information. Virtual space control device.

3. A context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating the user's status in a service provided in a virtual space, A body information acquisition unit that acquires body information indicating the physical condition of the user for each user, A state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information and physical information, A modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user, An expression generation unit generates expression information that shows the modified expression of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification, The system includes an output unit that outputs the expression information generated by the expression generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the physical information was acquired, among a plurality of users, The state determination unit determines the psychological state of the user group including the multiple users based on the psychological state of each of the multiple users, The expression generation unit generates an expression of the psychological state of the determined user group. Virtual space control device.

4. A context information acquisition unit that acquires context information indicating the user's status in a service provided in a virtual space, A body information acquisition unit that acquires body information indicating the physical condition of the user for each user, A state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the user in the virtual space based on the acquired contextual information and physical information, A modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the user, An expression generation unit generates expression information that shows the modified expression of the user's psychological state based on the set degree of modification, The system includes an output unit that outputs the expression information generated by the expression generation unit to a presentation device used by a second user, who is the counterpart of the first user from whom the physical information was acquired, among a plurality of users, The state determination unit determines the psychological state of the first user and the psychological state of the second user, respectively. The modification degree setting unit sets the degree of modification to the determined psychological state of the second user based on the psychological state of the first user. The expression generation unit generates a second expression information in which the psychological state of the second user is modified based on the set degree of modification. The output unit outputs the second representation information generated by the representation generation unit to the presentation device used by the first user. Virtual space control device.

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