Game systems, methods, and programs

Abstract

To provide a new game using position information.SOLUTION: The method (S1) includes a process (S102) of acquiring user actual position information, a process (S104) of acquiring an imaginary world corresponding to an actual world, a process (S110) of specifying an imaginary position region based on the user actual position information among a plurality of regions disposed in the imaginary world, a process (S112) of displaying the imaginary position region, and a process (S120) of specifying a region different from the imaginary position region as an associable region when a first condition is satisfied, wherein the process (S110) of specifying the imaginary position region includes a process (S134) of setting the associable region as the imaginary position region and executing an event associated with the imaginary position region when a second condition relating to a relationship between the user actual position information and the associable region is satisfied, and the first condition includes a user performing an operation for specifying the associable region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a game system, a method, and a program. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a game using position information. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-015230 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] However, new forms of play using position information are in demand. One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a novel game using position information. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0005] To solve the above problems, a game system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a user location acquisition unit that acquires user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition unit that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location unit identification unit that identifies some of the multiple units arranged in the virtual world as virtual location units based on the user real-world location information and associates them with the terminal; a virtual location unit display unit that performs processing to display the virtual location units in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, identifies some of the units other than the virtual location unit as an associateable unit that can become the next virtual location unit. The system includes an associateable area identification unit, wherein the virtual location area identification unit associates the area identified as an associateable area with the terminal as the virtual location area if a second condition is met, which includes conditions relating to the relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associateable area, and at least some of the multiple areas have event information indicating an event progressing in the game associated with them, and the system further includes an event execution unit that executes an event based on the event information when the event information is associated with the area identified as the virtual location area, and the first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associateable area.

[0006] To solve the above problems, a method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method executed by one or more processors, comprising: a user location acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process in which the one or more processors identify a portion of a plurality of areas arranged in the virtual world as a virtual location area based on the user real-world location information and associate it with the terminal; a virtual location area display process in which the one or more processors perform a process for displaying the virtual location area in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, the one or more processors determine a portion of an area other than the virtual location area as follows The first condition includes an associateable partition identification process which identifies an associateable partition that can be designated as a virtual location partition, wherein in the virtual location partition identification process, if one or more processors satisfy a second condition which includes conditions relating to the relationship between the user's real location information and the associateable partition, the one or more processors further execute an event execution process which executes an event based on the event information if at least some of the plurality of partitions are associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and the partition designated as a virtual location partition is associated with the event information, and the first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associateable partition.

[0007] To solve the above problems, a program according to one aspect of the present invention provides one or more processors with: a user location acquisition process that acquires user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition process that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user real-world location information and associates them with the terminal; a virtual location area display process that performs a process for displaying the virtual location areas in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, identifies some of the areas other than the virtual location area as an associateable area that can become the next virtual location area. The first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition, and if the virtual location partition identification process satisfies a second condition which includes a condition relating to the relationship between the user's real location information and the associated partition, the partition identified as the associated partition is associated with the terminal as the virtual location partition, and the one or more processors are further instructed to perform an event execution process which executes an event based on the event information if at least some of the multiple partitions are associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and the partition identified as the virtual location partition is associated with the event information, the first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a novel game that uses location information can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game server according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the flow of the method executed by the game system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of a specific flow of the process for identifying a destination area according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of a specific flow of the process for displaying a virtual world according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a game screen displaying a virtual world according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying information indicating the association between a section and an actual facility according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a screen in which a user inputs user attribute information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of a specific process for displaying a virtual location area according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying the recommended route according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying the game progress of a linked user according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying an associateable area according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of a screen where the virtual corresponding position according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is outside the virtual movable range. [Figure 15] This flowchart shows an example of a specific flow of processing for executing an in-game event according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 16] This flowchart shows an example of a specific process for displaying facility information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying facility information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 18]This is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which property information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is displayed. [Figure 19] This is a flowchart showing the flow of another method executed by the game system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions when acquiring usage certification information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0010] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, the game system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0011] <Overview of Game System 1> The game system 1 is a system that progresses a game using position information. To play the game progressed by the game system 1, a user moves around the real world while carrying a terminal. In the game, among a plurality of sections arranged in a virtual world corresponding to the real world, the section associated with the terminal carried by the user can be updated based on the position of the terminal in the real world.

[0012] For example, an example of a positioning technique adopted by the game system 1 to acquire position information includes a positioning technique using GPS (Global Positioning System). In this case, the game can be played by a terminal provided with a GPS reception function. Note that GPS radio waves are highly likely to be unreceived indoors. Therefore, the positioning technique using GPS is desirably adopted when the outdoors is assumed as the play area of the game progressed by the game system 1. Here, the play area refers to a region in the real world where the game progressed by the game system 1 can be played. The play area may be defined in the game system 1 using a world coordinate system or the like, and may refer to a range that can be positioned by an indoor positioning technique described later.

[0013] If the play area is intended to be indoors, then known indoor positioning technologies (indoor mapping) can be used as the positioning technology.

[0014] For example, when using IMES (Indoor Messaging System) as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple IMES transmitters are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with the ability to receive GPS-compatible radio waves from the IMES transmitters. When using IMES, it becomes possible to obtain location information that takes into account differences such as the floor level.

[0015] Furthermore, for example, when using Wi-Fi (Local Area Network) access points as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple Wi-Fi access points are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a device equipped with the ability to connect to Wi-Fi. However, when using Wi-Fi, it may be difficult to obtain location information that takes into account differences between floors, for example.

[0016] Furthermore, for example, when using beacons as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple beacon transmitters are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a device equipped with the ability to receive radio waves from beacon transmitters (for example, Bluetooth® communication function).

[0017] Furthermore, for example, if multi-dimensional codes are used as another positioning technology, multiple signs displaying the multi-dimensional codes are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with a camera for reading the multi-dimensional codes. Also, for example, if Nearest Field Communication (NFC) is used as another positioning technology, multiple NFC readers are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with NFC communication capabilities.

[0018] The positioning technologies used in game system 1 are not limited to the examples described above. Furthermore, game system 1 may employ a combination of multiple positioning technologies. Additionally, game system 1 may acquire the most accurate location information from among the location information obtained by each of the multiple positioning technologies. For example, since location information obtained using multidimensional codes or NFC is less prone to errors, it may be acquired in priority over location information obtained using other positioning technologies.

[0019] <Configuration of Game System 1> Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of game system 1. As shown in Figure 1, game system 1 includes terminals 10-1, 10-2, ... and game server 30. Unless there is a need to specifically distinguish between terminals 10-1, 10-2, ..., each will simply be referred to as terminal 10. These devices are connected to communicate via a network NW. The network NW includes wireless communication networks such as wireless LAN and mobile data communication. Although Figure 1 shows two terminals 10, the number of terminals 10 included in game system 1 may be one or more. Also, although Figure 1 shows one game server 30, the number of game servers 30 included in game system 1 may be multiple.

[0020] (Hardware configuration of terminal 10) Terminal 10 is a portable device used by a user playing a location-based game, and is capable of acquiring its own location information as location information used in the game. Terminal 10 works in cooperation with the game server 30 to advance the location-based game.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, terminal 10 includes, for example, a processor 11, memory 12, a communication interface 13, an input device 14, a display device 15, and a positioning sensor 16. These components are connected via a bus 19. For example, terminal 10 is a portable terminal. Specific examples of terminal 10 include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablets, portable home game consoles, and wearable devices.

[0022] The processor 11 controls various parts of the terminal 10 by executing programs stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 is composed of integrated circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0023] Memory 12 stores programs executed by the processor 11 and various data used by the processor 11. Memory 12 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a combination thereof.

[0024] The communication interface 13 is an interface that connects to a network NW. The communication interface 13 may be, for example, a communication interface that connects to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or an interface that connects to mobile data communication.

[0025] The input device 14 is a device that accepts user input and consists of, for example, a controller, mouse, touchpad, microphone, or a combination thereof. The display device 15 is a device that displays a screen for progressing the game and consists of, for example, a display.

[0026] The positioning sensor 16 is a sensor for determining the location of the terminal 10. The positioning sensor 16 is a type of sensor that is compatible with the positioning technology used in the game system 1. For example, the positioning sensor 16 may include, but is not limited to, a GPS receiver, a wireless LAN interface, a Bluetooth® interface, a camera, an NFC interface, or some or all of these.

[0027] (Hardware configuration of game server 30) As shown in Figure 1, the game server 30 is a computer that works with the terminal 10 to run a location-based game. The game server 30 includes, for example, a processor 31, memory 32, and a communication interface 33. These components are connected via a bus 39. The processor 31, memory 32, and communication interface 33 will be described in the same way as the components of the same name in the terminal 10, so a detailed explanation will not be repeated.

[0028] (Functional configuration of terminal 10) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of terminal 10. As shown in Figure 2, terminal 10 includes a control unit 110 and a storage unit 130. The control unit 110 is realized by the processor 11 executing a program stored in memory 12. The storage unit 130 is comprised of memory 12.

[0029] (Configuration of the control unit 110) As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 110 includes a user location acquisition unit 111, a virtual world acquisition unit 112, a virtual location area identification unit 113, a virtual location area display unit 114, a virtual corresponding location display unit 115, a destination area identification unit 116, an associated area identification unit 117, an NPC location area identification unit 118, an NPC location display unit 119, and an event execution unit 120. The control unit 110 also includes a user attribute information acquisition unit 121, a highlighted facility identification unit 122, a highlighting unit 123, a usage history information acquisition unit 124, a game effect application unit 125, and a specific facility information acquisition unit 126.

[0030] The user location acquisition unit 111 acquires user real-world location information, which indicates the location of the user's terminal 10 in the real world. Hereinafter, the real-world location will be referred to as "real-world location." For example, the user location acquisition unit 111 can acquire user real-world location information using the positioning sensor 16 and the positioning technology employed in the game system 1. Specific examples of positioning technology have been described above, so a detailed explanation will not be repeated.

[0031] The virtual world acquisition unit 112 acquires a virtual world that corresponds to the real world. The "virtual world" is the world within a game. In one embodiment of the present invention, it corresponds to the real world. For a virtual world to correspond to the real world means that it is a world based on the arrangement, structure, etc., of objects (e.g., buildings, corridors, etc.) that actually exist in at least a part of the real world. For example, the virtual world may be a world that mimics map information of the real world (including maps inside buildings), or a world associated with the location information of real objects. More specifically, the virtual world may be generated based on, for example, an outdoor space or an indoor space in the real world. Furthermore, the virtual world may be a three-dimensional space or a two-dimensional plane.

[0032] For example, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 may acquire virtual world information indicating the virtual world from the game server 30. The virtual world information is the information indicating the virtual world as described above. For example, the virtual world information may include information indicating the correspondence between a position in the virtual world (hereinafter referred to as "virtual position") and a real position, the position of each section, the position of the inter-section paths connecting each section, the virtual position corresponding to an existing object, etc. An inter-section path is a path connecting sections, and when simply referred to as "path," it refers to the entire path from one section to another (i.e., including sections passed through in between). Information indicating the correspondence between virtual positions and real positions includes, for example, information that associates the position of at least a part of the virtual world, such as a virtual section, with the latitude and longitude of the real position. For example, inter-section paths may be arranged to correspond to real-world passages that are passable in the real world (e.g., outdoor roads, indoor passages, etc.), or they may be arranged independently of real-world passages. When multiple sections are arranged such that adjacent sections share a boundary, the arrangement of inter-section paths is not necessarily required.

[0033] The virtual location area identification unit 113 identifies some of the multiple areas placed in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user's real-world location information and associates them with the terminal 10. Hereinafter, the virtual location areas identified based on the user's real-world location information will be referred to as "virtual location areas corresponding to the user," "user's virtual location areas," etc. A "section" is a part of the virtual world that is separated from the surrounding areas. For example, in a game where a game medium (e.g., a Sugoroku piece) is moved, an example would be a place where the player stops during movement (e.g., a square on the Sugoroku board). Multiple sections are set in the virtual world, and adjacent sections may be far apart with inter-section paths connecting them, or they may be touching with no inter-section paths. Furthermore, a section is not necessarily limited to an area with a physical area, and may be defined as a point in the virtual world. Also, the size of a section is not limited; for example, it may be as small as one dot displayed on the screen.

[0034] "Game medium" refers to the medium used to advance a game. Specific examples of game medium include characters that appear in the game, various items used in the game (e.g., cards, properties, etc., described later), and in-game currency (e.g., money, described later). Furthermore, game medium is a unit that a user can possess. A possessable unit is, for example, the smallest unit used for consumption or acquisition. "Possessed by a user" means associated with the user. It may also mean that the game medium is associated with the user and is exclusively available to that user. The act of allowing a user to possess game medium is also called "granting it to the user." In other words, game medium is possessed by a user when it is granted to them. The modes of possession include, for example, permanent possession until consumed by the user, and temporary possession through rental, etc. The act of putting something into a state of possession by a user is also called granting it to the user.

[0035] The virtual location partition associated with terminal 10 may be one or multiple. If there are multiple virtual location partitions associated with terminal 10, the associated partitions described later may be identified based on each of the multiple virtual location partitions.

[0036] Furthermore, if the virtual location partition identification unit 113 satisfies the second condition, which includes conditions regarding the relationship between the user's actual location information and the associable partition, it associates the partition identified as an associable partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition. Note that the associable partition is a partition identified when the first condition is met. The associable partition and the first condition will be described later.

[0037] The "second condition" is a condition for associating a partition identified as an associateable partition with the user's terminal 10 as a virtual location partition. The second condition includes a condition relating to the relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associateable partition. The "relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associateable partition" could be, for example, the positional relationship between the virtual location corresponding to the user's real-world location (hereinafter also referred to as "the user's virtual location") and the location of the associateable partition. In this case, the condition could be, for example, that the distance between the user's virtual location and the location of the associateable partition is within a predetermined range. Also, for example, the "relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associateable partition" could be the positional relationship between the user's real-world location and the real-world location corresponding to the location of the associateable partition. The real-world location of an object, etc., existing in the virtual world such as an associateable partition is, for example, the real-world location indicated by the world coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) associated with the object, etc. In this case, the condition could be, for example, that the distance between the user's real-world location and the real-world location corresponding to the associateable partition is within a predetermined range. Also, in this case, for example, the real-world location may be associated with an associateable partition set up in the virtual world. Hereinafter, the "relationship between user's actual location information and the area that can be associated with it" will be referred to as "conditions related to location relationships."

[0038] The second condition may include other conditions different from those relating to spatial relationships. Such other conditions may include, for example, conditions that require user action. For example, such other conditions may include the user performing an action to approve the designation of a partition that is an associateable partition as a virtual location partition.

[0039] The virtual location area display unit 114 performs processing to make the virtual location area visible. Furthermore, the virtual location area display unit 114 performs processing to make the virtual location areas corresponding to other users associated with the user visible. This allows the user to know the virtual location areas corresponding to other users associated with them. The virtual correspondence location display unit 115 performs processing to display, in a visible manner, the virtual correspondence location, which is a location in the virtual world where at least one of the partitions and the inter-partition paths pre-configured in the virtual world is located, and which is identified based on the user's real-world location information. This makes it easier for the user to recognize where their real-world location corresponds on the partitions and inter-partition paths. Hereinafter, "virtual correspondence location identified based on user's real-world location information" will also be referred to as "user's virtual correspondence location".

[0040] The destination area identification unit 116 identifies some of the areas among several areas as the destination area. The destination area identification unit 116 also associates the area identified as the destination area with the terminal 10. When an opponent is associated with a user, the destination area is identified in a way that is common to both the user and the opponent. The opponent may be an NPC (non-player character) or another user.

[0041] Here, other users do not necessarily have to be associated with the user as opponents; they may also be associated as users who cooperate without competing (hereinafter referred to as "cooperative users"). A cooperative user is a user who can perform cooperative processes with the user in the game. Examples of cooperative processes include, but are not limited to, the display of each other's virtual location areas, or the process where one user's past virtual location areas affect the progress of the other user's game. Furthermore, both the user and the cooperative user may play the game with an NPC as their opponent. Also, the area identified as the destination area between the user and the cooperative user may be the same or different. In addition, a cooperative user may be associated with the user by inputting the identification information of the user they wish to cooperate with, reading a multidimensional code displayed on the terminal 10 of the user they wish to cooperate with, etc. Furthermore, a group of cooperative users may be formed by multiple users who cooperate with each other. For example, if a certain user sets two other users to be cooperative users, a group of three cooperative users may be formed consisting of that user and the two other users.

[0042] Furthermore, the destination section identification unit 116 may identify a destination section from among multiple sections according to a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule used to identify the destination section will be described later.

[0043] If the first condition is met, the associationable partition identification unit 117 identifies a portion of the partitions other than the virtual location partition as an associationable partition that can be designated as the next virtual location partition.

[0044] The "first condition" is a condition for identifying a portion of a section of a section separate from the virtual location section as an associateable section that can be associated with terminal 10 as a virtual location section. This makes it possible to provide a new game that requires the user to move and operate in the real world so that the associateable section becomes a virtual location section. The first condition may also include an operation by the user to identify the associateable section. An example of a first condition that includes a user operation to identify an associateable section is for the user to perform an operation to draw one number from several numbers and identify one number in response to that operation. In this case, the associateable section identification unit 117 identifies the associateable section based on the drawn number. This increases the enjoyment of performing an operation to identify an associateable section because the user does not know which section will become the associateable section until they draw the number. For example, if the game is modeled after a board game, operations such as rolling dice or spinning a roulette wheel in the game may be used to draw numbers (hereinafter, tools used to draw numbers such as dice and roulette wheels are referred to as "dice, etc.").

[0045] Furthermore, for example, the identification of a potentially associable section may be based on a numerical value identified by a method other than a lottery. For example, a code for inputting a numerical value obtained by the user outside of this game (e.g., a reward obtained through a real-world purchase) may be registered in the game system 1. In this case, the operation for the user included in the first condition to identify a potentially associable section is the operation for inputting that numerical value.

[0046] Furthermore, the first condition may not include any operation by the user to identify an associateable area. An example of a first condition that does not include any user operation to identify an associateable area is that an area identified as an associateable area is associated with terminal 10 as a virtual location area. For example, if the game is modeled after a board game, arriving at the next square is one aspect of the first condition. In other words, in this aspect, when a certain square is arrived at, the next square may be automatically identified (without user operation) according to a predetermined rule. Examples of such predetermined rules include a lottery or designation by the operator. In this aspect, the identification of the first associateable area may also be performed according to the same rules as the predetermined rule, in response to the start of the game. The identification of the first associateable area means, for example, in the case of a game modeled after a board game, identifying the associateable area (square) that can be reached after the start.

[0047] The "process of associating with terminal 10" refers to the process that enables the game system 1 to identify and refer to terminal 10. For example, this could include the process of obtaining identification information for terminal 10. Furthermore, the obtained identification information for terminal 10 may be appropriately associated with other information used by the game system 1. For example, in the process of associating a section with terminal 10, as described later, the section and the identification information for terminal 10 are associated.

[0048] "The process of associating a partition with terminal 10 as a virtual location partition" means making it possible to identify that a certain partition is a virtual location partition of a certain terminal 10 in a process that references a virtual location partition. For example, the process of associating a partition with terminal 10 as a virtual location partition may simply be a process that associates the partition with terminal 10. Alternatively, for example, the process of associating a partition with terminal 10 as a virtual location partition may include a process that further associates an attribute indicating that it is a virtual location partition with the partition associated with terminal 10. Furthermore, "associating a partition that has been identified as an associateable partition with terminal 10 as a virtual location partition when the second condition is met" means updating the partition that was associated with terminal 10 before the second condition was met to a partition that has been identified as an associateable partition as a virtual location partition.

[0049] Furthermore, the associateable partition identification unit 117 can execute the process of identifying the next associateable partition in response to the virtual location partition identification unit 113 associating an associateable partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition. As a result, when the user moves to an associateable partition, the next associateable partition is set, increasing the user's enjoyment of moving virtual location partitions to associateable partitions.

[0050] Furthermore, the association-possible section identification unit 117 identifies the destination section as an association-possible section if the third condition is met. The "third condition" is the condition for identifying the destination section as an association-possible section. For example, if the first condition uses a number selected by lottery from among several numbers to identify an association-possible section, the third condition is that the number selected by lottery corresponds to the destination section, which is the association-possible section to be identified. More specifically, for example, if the game is modeled after a board game, this could be the case if the dice roll results in a number that is exactly the right number to reach the destination.

[0051] The NPC location area identification unit 118 identifies an NPC location area that is part of a group of areas and is associated with an NPC that has been pre-associated as the user's opponent. Furthermore, if the fourth condition is met, the NPC location area identification unit 118 associates a part of an area other than the NPC location area with the NPC as the next NPC location area. Furthermore, if the fifth condition is met, the NPC location area identification unit 118 identifies the destination area as the NPC location area.

[0052] Here, the "fourth condition" refers to the condition for associating a portion of a section, separate from the NPC location section, with the next NPC location section. For example, the fourth condition could be to randomly select one number from a set of numbers. In this case, the section determined based on that number becomes the next NPC location section. For example, if the game is modeled after a board game, a number could be randomly selected, and the next NPC location section could be determined based on that number.

[0053] If, based on the numerical value, multiple sections can be set as NPC location sections, then one of those sections may be designated as the next NPC location section according to a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule used to designate an NPC location section may include, for example, a lottery, selecting the event described later that is most advantageous to the NPC, or selecting the section closest to the destination section. For example, if a 3 is rolled on the dice and the path branches, resulting in multiple spaces three spaces ahead, then one of those spaces may be designated as the NPC location section by lottery or other means.

[0054] Furthermore, the "fifth condition" is the condition for identifying the destination area as the NPC location area. For example, if the fourth condition involves using a number selected by lottery from multiple numbers to identify the NPC location area, the fifth condition would be that the number selected by lottery corresponds to the destination area where the identified NPC location area is located. More specifically, for example, if the game is modeled after a board game, this could involve rolling a number that is exactly the distance to the destination.

[0055] The NPC location display unit 119 performs processing to display the NPC location area in a visible manner.

[0056] The event execution unit 120 has event information associated with at least some of the multiple sections, indicating an event progressing within the game. When event information is associated with a section identified as a virtual location section, the unit executes an event based on that event information. An event may include, for example, a process that affects the progress of the game, or a process related to a facility in the real world. A process included in an event that affects the progress of the game may be, for example, a process that has an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game, or a process that has an effect that is disadvantageous. For example, this could be a change in a parameter used to progress the game. This change may be advantageous to the progress of the game, or it may be disadvantageous. This parameter may be the amount of in-game currency mentioned above, or, for example, a parameter used to acquire game media such as items in the game (for example, the amount of money one has, as described later). This process may also include, for example, the granting of game media that affects the progress of the game (for example, cards, as described later). A process included in an event that is related to a facility in the real world may include, for example, the display of facility information, as described later.

[0057] Furthermore, for example, an event may have a favorable effect on the game's progress depending on whether the destination area is identified as a virtual location area. This allows users to enjoy playing a game where they choose virtual location areas as destinations to gain favorable effects on the game's progress. If a common destination area is set with an opponent NPC, the event may have a favorable effect on the game's progress for the user or NPC corresponding to the areas identified as destination areas in a predetermined order among the virtual location areas and NPC location areas. Also, if a common destination area is set with another user who is an opponent, the event may have a favorable effect on the game's progress for the user or the other user who is an opponent, corresponding to the areas identified as destination areas in a predetermined order among the user's virtual location areas and the other user's virtual location areas. For example, an event may include an event that has a favorable effect on the game's progress for a user when their virtual location area is the first to be identified as a destination area among the user and their opponent. Furthermore, in this case, the event may also include events that have some effect (a favorable or unfavorable effect) on the progress of the game for the opponent. On the other hand, for example, the event may include events that have a favorable effect on the progress of the game for the opponent if the opponent's virtual location area is first identified as the destination area. Furthermore, in this case, the event may also include events that have some effect (a favorable or unfavorable effect) on the progress of the game for the user.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, an event may be one that, when a section among multiple sections that previously corresponded to another user's virtual location section is identified as the virtual location section corresponding to the user, it may have an effect that is advantageous to the user's game progression. Here, "other users" may be other users associated as opponents, or they may be the linked users mentioned above. This can give users an incentive to make sections that previously corresponded to other users associated with them their own virtual location section. It can also give users the enjoyment of cooperating with other users.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, an event may display facility information associated with a section. The event execution unit 120 executes a process to display facility information associated with a section when a section identified as an associateable section is associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location section. At least some of the sections among the multiple sections are associated with facility information about facilities that exist in the real world. This makes it possible to provide a game that can offer users information about facilities that exist in the real world.

[0060] Here, "facility information" refers to information about facilities that exist in the real world. Examples of facilities include shops, public facilities, etc. Facility information may include the name of the facility, the type of facility, the location of the facility, the contact information of the facility, advertisements about the facility, and information about benefits that make using the facility advantageous. By including advertising information in the facility information, advertisements for facilities that exist in the real world can be provided to the user. In addition, facilities can provide advertisements for themselves to the user.

[0061] Each piece of information included in the facility information may have different conditions for accepting input. This input includes new input and input to modify existing information. For example, the user making the input may be different. For example, advertisements may be entered by the facility operator, while other information such as name, type, location, and contact information may be entered by the game operator. Also, for example, the conditions for acceptance may also be the time period for acceptance. For example, advertisements may be accepted at any time, while the acceptance of information other than advertisements may be limited to a predetermined period. For example, if one aspect of this game is implemented for a limited period, advertisements may be changeable at any time during that period, while other information may only be accepted until the start of that period. Furthermore, each piece of information included in the facility information may have different conditions for being displayed by the event execution unit 120. For example, information indicating advertisements may be displayed conditionally upon payment of a fee by the facility.

[0062] Furthermore, the event may also provide users with special offer information included in the facility information associated with the section. The event execution unit 120 executes a process to provide users with special offer information included in the facility information associated with a section that has been identified as an associateable section, in response to the section being associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location section. As a result, user satisfaction may improve because the section that has become a virtual location section is associated with facility information containing special offer information.

[0063] Here, "benefit information" refers to information that makes the use of a facility more advantageous. Making the use of a facility more advantageous includes, for example, a reduction in the usage fee of the facility, a reduction in the price required to purchase goods if the facility is a store, or the provision of prizes from the facility to the user. Examples of reductions include discounts and fixed-amount reductions. One form of benefit information may also be called a "coupon." Examples of processing for providing benefit information to a user include processing to display information indicating the right to receive the benefit on the user's terminal, and processing to display a one-dimensional code, multi-dimensional code, etc., necessary for exercising the benefit on the user's terminal.

[0064] Furthermore, the event execution unit 120 changes the content of the reward information based on the content of the usage history information. Details of the usage history information will be described later. As a result, since rewards can be obtained based on usage history, users can be motivated to use the facilities before playing the game. Also, since rewards can be provided to users, users can be motivated to use the facilities after the rewards have been provided.

[0065] Furthermore, the event also includes enabling the acquisition of game media (for example, properties, as described later). Methods for acquiring game media include, for example, exchanging it for the consumption of parameters associated with the user (for example, a decrease in the amount of money, as described later). When the event is associated with a section, the event execution unit 120 executes an event to enable the user to acquire game media in response to the section identified as an associateable section being associated with terminal 10 as a virtual location section.

[0066] The user attribute information acquisition unit 121 acquires user attribute information that indicates the user's attributes. Here, "user attribute information" refers to information that indicates the user's attributes associated with information that identifies the user. Examples of user attributes include gender, age, and areas of interest. Information indicating areas of interest may be information selected from multiple options indicating the type of field, such as fashion or sports.

[0067] User attribute information may be obtained through user input, from the user's play history in game system 1, or from the usage history of other software on terminal 10. One way to obtain information from the user's play history is, for example, based on facilities the user has visited in the real world. Specifically, the facilities the user has visited may be identified based on the history of virtual locations corresponding to the user's real-world location, and user attribute information may be obtained from facility information corresponding to those facilities. For example, if the user has a history of visiting shoe and clothing stores, the user may be associated with fashion attributes. One way to obtain information from the usage history of other software is, for example, settings the user has made in other software, search history entered into search software, and purchase history in e-commerce.

[0068] The facility highlighting unit 122 identifies a facility to be highlighted from among multiple facilities based on user attribute information. The highlighting unit 123 performs processing to highlight the facility to be highlighted. This allows the user to be informed about real-world facilities that are relevant to their attributes.

[0069] The usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires usage history information that shows the user's usage history of the facility. Here, "usage history information" refers to information that shows the user's usage history of the facility. For example, this may include the number of times the facility has been used in the past, the amount paid to the facility, purchase history if the facility is a store, and usage certificate information that shows the contents of documents issued by the facility that prove the user has paid the price.

[0070] The game effect granting unit 125 executes processing to provide an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game, in response to the acquisition of usage history information by the usage history information acquisition unit 124, or based on the content indicated by said usage proof information. Here, "usage proof information" refers to information that indicates the content of a document that proves that the user has paid the fee. Examples of such documents include receipts and invoices. The document may be on paper or in electronic form. The usage proof information only needs to be information that indicates the content of said document. If the document is in electronic form, the usage proof information may be at least a part of said electronic information, as long as it includes content that proves the user has paid the fee. Also, if the document is on paper, the usage proof information may be at least a part of the electronic data obtained by scanning, photographing, etc., that includes content that proves the user has paid the fee. This makes it possible to motivate users who have used the facility, including paying the fee, to play the game.

[0071] The specific facility information acquisition unit 126 acquires specific facility information that indicates some of the facilities identified by the user from among multiple facilities. This specific facility information is referenced in a predetermined rule used by the destination area identification unit 116 when identifying a destination area from among multiple areas. In one embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined rule used when identifying a destination area is such that the area associated with the facility information corresponding to the specific facility information is identified as the destination area with priority over other areas. This increases the probability that the area desired by the user will become the destination area, thereby improving user satisfaction. Furthermore, for example, if a user plans to go to a facility, identifying that facility increases the probability that the area corresponding to that facility will become the destination area in the game, thus improving convenience.

[0072] A specific example of a predetermined rule that designates a section associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information as the destination section with priority over other sections is a rule in which the destination section is selected by lottery from multiple sections, and the probability of a section associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information being selected as the destination section is set higher than the probability of other sections being selected. Furthermore, the predetermined rule may be a rule other than a lottery. For example, it may be a rule that a section associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information is always designated as the destination section. In this case, it may also be a rule that the destination section immediately after the start of the game is always designated as a section associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information. For example, in a mode in which other destination sections are selected each time a destination section is reached (the destination section becomes a virtual location section), a section associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information may be designated as the destination section in predetermined turns, such as the 2nd and 5th turns.

[0073] (Information stored in memory unit 130) For example, the memory unit 130 stores linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and transfer data. Linked user information is information that indicates linked users associated with the user using terminal 10. Virtual world information, event information, and facility information are information common to the same play area. Transfer data is information associated with the user using terminal 10 and is referenced when the user finishes playing the game and then resumes playing.

[0074] Furthermore, the memory unit 130 stores various types of information (not shown) that the control unit 110 updates in accordance with the progress of the game. This information includes user real-world location information, virtual location area, NPC location area, destination area, usage history information, etc. The information may also include information indicating the game medium associated with the user, the game medium associated with the NPC, etc., in accordance with the progress of the game. The aforementioned transfer data may include this information at the end of the game.

[0075] (Functional configuration of game server 30) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the game server 30. As shown in Figure 3, the game server 30 includes a control unit 310 and a storage unit 330. The control unit 310 is realized by the processor 31 executing a program stored in the memory 32. The storage unit 330 is comprised of the memory 32.

[0076] (Configuration of the control unit 310) As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 310 includes a virtual world association unit 311. The virtual world association unit 311 associates each of the terminals 10 of multiple users with the virtual world. By performing the functions of each of the above-described functional blocks on each terminal 10, each of the multiple users' terminals 10 is associated with a virtual location area specified for that terminal 10. For example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate the terminal 10 with the virtual world in response to the terminal 10 receiving an operation from a user to start a game. Alternatively, for example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate the terminal 10 with the virtual world on the condition that the terminal 10 is located in the play area of ​​the game in which the game system 1 is running. Here, "the terminal 10 is located in the play area" may mean that the user's real-world location information is included in a predetermined area of ​​the real world that is set up as the play area. Alternatively, "the terminal 10 is located in the play area" may mean that the user's real-world location information has been acquired by the user location acquisition unit 111 using indoor positioning technology. Furthermore, if there are multiple play areas for the game in which game system 1 is running, terminal 10 may be associated with the virtual world corresponding to the play area where terminal 10 is located.

[0077] Furthermore, there is an upper limit on the number of terminals that the virtual world association unit 311 can associate with a single virtual world. This prevents the number of users playing games using a single virtual world from becoming excessive, compared to the case where there is no upper limit on the number of terminals 10 associated with a single virtual world. Consequently, it prevents the number of users in the real world corresponding to that virtual world from becoming excessive.

[0078] Furthermore, there is an upper limit on the number of terminals 10 associated with a single destination area. This prevents an excessive number of users heading to an area for a single purpose compared to a case where there is no upper limit on the number of terminals 10 associated with a single destination area. Thus, it prevents an excessive number of users in the location corresponding to that destination area in the real world, as well as an excessive number of users heading to that location.

[0079] (Information stored in memory unit 330) For example, the memory unit 330 stores terminal information, linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and transfer data. Terminal information is information about terminals associated with a virtual world. For example, terminal information may include identification information for each terminal 10 associated with the virtual world, and / or identification information for users using each terminal 10. As for linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and transfer data, these are as described above, so a detailed explanation will not be repeated. Linked user information, usage history information, and transfer data are synchronized with information of the same name stored in the memory unit 130 of terminal 10. Virtual world information, event information, and facility information are information common to the play area.

[0080] <An example of a game> One example of a game in which Game System 1 operates is a game modeled after a board game where players move between multiple sections placed in a virtual world, aiming for a destination section. A user playing this game moves their virtual location section in the virtual world towards the destination section by carrying terminal 10 and moving within a play area in the real world. The play area in the real world may, but is not limited to, a complex commercial facility containing multiple facilities. The game may be a turn-based game played by multiple people. A user's opponents may be an NPC, another user, or both. The number of opponents a user faces may be one or multiple.

[0081] Assets are associated with users and opponents as the game progresses. Hereinafter, "assets associated with a user" will be referred to as "assets owned by the user." Assets are, for example, the sum of the amount of money a user has and the value of properties (e.g., purchase price). "Money" is an example of in-game currency associated with a user, and is consumed, for example, to purchase properties (for example, the amount of money associated with the user decreases). "Properties" are an example of game assets, and their price and rate of return are associated with them depending on the type of property. Properties are also associated with users when certain conditions are met. For example, one of the conditions for a property to be associated with a user is to complete a certain task in the game, in which case the property may be awarded as a reward. Another example of a condition for a property to be associated with a user is to reduce the amount of money a user has by the price associated with the property (consuming money).

[0082] A property is associated with at least some of the plots within a group of plots. For example, a property may have the names of information related to facilities included in a mixed-use commercial complex (e.g., facility name, products sold at the real-world facility, etc.). In this case, for example, the property information indicating the property may be included in the facility information associated with the plot. The property information includes at least the name of the property, the price associated with the property, and the rate of return. Properties associated with a plot can be purchased with the funds held by a user who considers that plot as a virtual location plot. Also, by owning a property, the amount of funds held by the user increases by the amount of the return at predetermined times. The return is calculated based on the price and rate of return of the property. Furthermore, the property is considered an asset with a value based on its price.

[0083] As users progress through the game, items are associated with them. Items are examples of game media that have the effect of giving players an advantage in the game. For example, items are sometimes referred to as "cards," but are not limited to these. Examples of items include, but are not limited to, cards that increase the number of dice rolled at once, cards that allow players to associate other sections with playable sections regardless of dice rolls, and cards that increase the rewards received when reaching a destination section.

[0084] For example, the destination area is identified at the start of the game. The destination area is common to both the user and their opponent.

[0085] During the user's turn, a dice-like lottery process is executed in response to the user's "roll the dice" action, and this lottery process determines the "number of spaces the user can move to." The user's virtual location space can then be updated to any of the associated spaces that can be reached by traversing the spaces along the path, starting from that space and moving through the spaces determined by the "number of spaces the user can move to."

[0086] When a user's virtual location area is updated, events associated with that area are executed. Examples of events include increases or decreases in the amount of money and / or items the user possesses in the game, the option to purchase or not purchase a property associated with that area, and the provision of coupons usable at real-world facilities associated with that area. Note that events are not limited to these, and other specific examples of events are as described above.

[0087] During the opponent's turn, their virtual location area is updated. Furthermore, the occurrence of events and property purchases related to the update of the opponent's virtual location area are explained in the same way as the user's virtual location area update.

[0088] An event that provides a favorable effect on the game's progress is executed for the first user or opponent to reach the destination area.

[0089] When either the user or their opponent reaches a destination area, the user decides whether to identify a new destination area or end the game. However, the game may continue until a predetermined number of turns are completed, regardless of whether a destination area is reached. At the end of the game, the rankings between the user and their opponent are determined by their assets.

[0090] Furthermore, assets and items acquired as the game progresses are saved as transfer data. For example, if a user plays the game again, they can start the game using the transfer data saved at the end of the previous game. This allows users to revisit a play area and play the game using the in-game assets and items acquired during their previous visit, thus increasing their motivation to revisit the play area.

[0091] For example, if a playable period is set for when a game can be played in a play area, rankings among multiple users who played the game may be determined based on their assets at the end of the playable period. Users may be rewarded with rewards usable in the real-world play area according to their ranking.

[0092] <Processing of Game System 1> Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of method S1 executed by game system 1. As shown in Figure 4, method S1 includes steps S100 to S158 executed by terminal 10 and steps S200 to S208 executed by game server 30. Below, the processing flow will be explained using an example where the play area is located within a multi-purpose commercial facility.

[0093] In step S100, the control unit 110 of terminal 10 receives an operation from the user to start the game. In step S102, the user location acquisition unit 111 acquires the user's actual location information. For example, the user location acquisition unit 111 may use the indoor positioning technology described above. The control unit 110 also sends a game start request to the game server 30. The game start request may include identification information of terminal 10, the user's current location information, etc.

[0094] In step S200, the virtual world association unit 311 of the game server 30 associates terminal 10 with the virtual world. For example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate terminal 10 with a virtual world corresponding to a complex commercial facility that includes the user's current location information if adding 1 to the number of terminals already associated (hereinafter referred to as "number of participants") does not exceed the upper limit (i.e., the number of participants does not exceed the upper limit). The control unit 310 also transmits information necessary to play the game to terminal 10 associated with the virtual world. For example, the information necessary to start the game includes virtual world information, event information, and facility information. If terminal 10 already has this information (for example, if it has played the game in the past), the control unit 310 does not necessarily have to transmit this information to terminal 10.

[0095] Furthermore, if a user applies to participate but the number of participants exceeds the limit, the control unit 310 may inform the user that they cannot participate in the game due to the participant limit by sending information to the terminal 10. Hereafter, the act of sending any information to the terminal 10 to the user will simply be referred to as "informing the user." Also, if the number of participants exceeds the limit, the control unit 310 may allow users to reserve their participation in the game. Participation reservations may be made without user intervention or based on user intervention. Furthermore, the control unit 310 may store the terminal 10 of a user who has made a participation reservation in association with the reservation order, and when the number of participants falls below the limit, it may inform the user that they can now participate according to the reservation order. Furthermore, the process of associating the terminal 10 that has become available to participate with the virtual world may be performed without user intervention or based on user intervention. Note that whether the number of participants has fallen below the limit may be determined based on the decrease in the number of participants. A decrease in the number of participants may occur if the terminal 10 associated with the virtual world terminates the game, if there is no activity in the shopping complex for a certain period of time, or if the terminal 10 moves outside the shopping complex. This can reduce the likelihood of the shopping complex becoming excessively crowded with users playing the game.

[0096] In step S104, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 of terminal 10 acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world. For example, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 may acquire virtual world information, event information, and facility information transmitted from the game server 30. For example, the location of each section included in the virtual world information may correspond to a point on a real-world corridor within the complex commercial facility. Also, for example, the inter-section routes connecting each section included in the virtual world may correspond to real-world corridors within the complex commercial facility. Furthermore, for example, the virtual world information may include facility information corresponding to each real-world facility within the complex commercial facility, and this facility information may be associated with sections around the virtual location of the facility indicated by the facility information.

[0097] In step S106, the destination area identification unit 116 of terminal 10 identifies some of the multiple areas placed in the virtual world as the destination area. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific flow of the process of identifying the destination area. As shown in Figure 5, step S106 includes steps S1060 to S1064.

[0098] In step S1060, the destination area identification unit 116 identifies a destination area as a candidate from among multiple areas, where the number of terminals that have designated that area as their destination area is less than the upper limit. For example, the number of terminals that have designated each area as their destination area may be obtained by querying the game server 30. Alternatively, information indicating the area where the number of terminals is less than the upper limit may be obtained by querying the game server 30. This reduces the likelihood of a facility becoming excessively congested by users who have designated the area associated with that facility as their destination area.

[0099] In step S1062 of Figure 5, the specific facility information acquisition unit 126 acquires specific facility information identified by the user from among multiple facilities. For example, the user may have previously identified one or more facilities in a commercial complex where they are considering purchasing goods. The specific facility information may also include facilities identified as facilities to be highlighted based on user attribute information.

[0100] In step S1064, the destination area identification unit 116 identifies a destination area from among the candidate destination areas based on a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule in this embodiment stipulates that areas associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information are given priority over other areas. Furthermore, if the specific facility information includes multiple facilities, the predetermined rule may also include a rule that prioritizes areas associated with facilities that the user has not yet visited during this visit to the commercial complex.

[0101] Furthermore, another form of the prescribed rule for identifying a destination area from among the candidate destination areas may include a rule that prioritizes areas associated with each of the multiple facilities that have not yet been identified as destination areas for the current visit to the commercial complex. This allows users to more reliably visit the multiple facilities they plan to visit while enjoying playing the game.

[0102] The destination area identification unit 116 associates the area it has identified as a destination area with terminal 10. Hereinafter, "associating the area identified as a destination area with terminal 10" will be referred to as "associating the destination area with terminal 10." The destination area identification unit 116 transmits the identified destination area to the game server 30. The control unit 310 of the game server 30 associates the destination area with terminal 10. The control unit 310 may also update the number of terminals that have the area as their destination area. This concludes the explanation of the process of identifying a destination area in step S106.

[0103] In step S202 of Figure 4, the control unit 110 of the game server 30 executes a process to manage the upper limit of destination areas in response to the process (S106) by terminal 10 to identify a destination area. The process to manage the upper limit of destination areas includes sending information to terminal 10, based on an inquiry from terminal 10, such as the number of terminals that designate each area as a destination area and information indicating areas where the number of terminals is less than the upper limit. The process to manage the upper limit of destination areas also includes associating terminal 10 with the destination area sent from terminal 10, and updating the number of terminals that designate that area as a destination area.

[0104] In step S108, the control unit 110 displays the virtual world on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific flow of the process of displaying the virtual world. As shown in Figure 6, step S108 includes steps S1080 to S1086.

[0105] In step S1080, the control unit 110 displays on the display device 15, based on virtual world information, multiple partitions located in the virtual world, routes between partitions, facility areas corresponding to real-world facilities, etc.

[0106] Figure 7 shows an example of a game screen displaying a virtual world. Screen example G1 shown in Figure 7 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G1 includes areas G11, G12, G13, and operators G13-G19. Area G11 includes the character, level, and amount of money associated with the user in the game. The character is used to distinguish the user's virtual location area from the NPC location area and the virtual location area of ​​the linked user on the game screen. Therefore, it is desirable that the character be different from the characters of the NPC and the linked user. The character may be set based on user actions, or it may be set in advance without user actions. Note that the character does not necessarily have to be set, and may be substituted with text, shapes, etc. The level is an example of a parameter associated with the user, and may produce advantageous effects corresponding to the level as the game progresses. Also, the level may increase as the game progresses. In-game currency is an example of a parameter associated with the user, and is a parameter that can be consumed in exchange for acquiring game media such as cards and assets, which will be described later.

[0107] Area G12 includes multiple sections P1-P11 placed in the virtual world, a path R11 passing through these sections, and facility areas Q1-Q17. Although not shown in the diagram, facility areas Q1-Q17 may have information about the corresponding facilities in the real world (e.g., name, type, etc.) superimposed on them. Furthermore, sections P1-P11 placed in the virtual world are classified into multiple types according to the associated event information. Sections P1-P11 may have different display modes depending on their type. In area G12, sections P1-3 with diagonal lines, gray sections P5-P8, and outlined sections P9-P11 are of different types. For example, section types may include, but are not limited to, sections associated with event information that increases the amount of money, sections associated with event information that decreases the amount of money, sections associated with event information that grants cards, sections associated with event information that allows the purchase of property, etc.

[0108] Area G13 represents the entire virtual world area corresponding to the entire real-world mixed-use commercial facility. In example screen G1, the entire virtual world area includes virtual floors corresponding to the real-world basement (B1), ground floor (1F) through floors 1-4 (4F) of the mixed-use commercial facility. Area G12 displays part or all of one of the virtual floors. The virtual floors displayed in area G12 may scroll in any direction or switch to different virtual floors depending on at least one of the user's virtual location and / or the user's real-world location, or in response to user actions.

[0109] Operators G13 "Dice" and G14 "Cards" accept user input to advance the game. Details of these will be described later.

[0110] Operator G15 accepts an operation to invoke a communication function between linked users (e.g., sending and receiving messages). Operator G16 accepts an operation to invoke a function to view a list of facilities included in the commercial complex. Operator G17 accepts an operation to invoke a function to view floor maps for each floor. Operator G18 accepts an operation to invoke a function to view coupons (an example of special offer information) granted to the user. Operator G19 accepts an operation to invoke a function to view facility usage history information.

[0111] Here, area G12 may also display information indicating the association between a section and a real-world facility. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying information indicating the association between a section and a real-world facility. Screen example G2 shown in Figure 8 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G2 schematically shows a part of the virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. In screen example G2, white arrow-shaped figures indicating the association between a section and a real-world facility are displayed. For example, figure a21 is an arrow shape that starts at section P22 and ends at facility area Q22. In other words, a real-world facility corresponding to facility area Q22 is associated with section P22. Furthermore, the association between sections and real-world facilities is not limited to one-to-one; for example, multiple real-world facilities may be associated with a certain section, and multiple sections may be associated with a certain real-world facility. For example, figures a22 and a23 are both arrow shapes that start at section P26 and end at different facility areas Q25 and Q26, respectively. In other words, for section P26, two different real-world facilities corresponding to facility areas Q25 and Q26 are associated.

[0112] In step S1082 of Figure 6, the user attribute information acquisition unit 121 acquires user attribute information. For example, the user attribute information acquisition unit 121 may acquire user attribute information entered by the user. Figure 9 shows an example of a screen in which the user enters user attribute information. The example screen G3 shown in Figure 9 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. The example screen G3 accepts user input for "areas of interest" as user attributes. For example, the user selects an area as an "area of ​​interest" by performing an operation on one of the areas G31_1 to G31_13 corresponding to each area. For example, the shaded areas G31_1 "Amusement", G31_4 "Services", and G31_9 "Goods" indicate the areas selected by the user. When an operation on the operator G32 is accepted, the "areas of interest" selected by the user are stored in the storage unit 130.

[0113] Note that the example screen G3 is not limited to being displayed in step S1082, but may also be displayed at any point between steps S100 and S108, for example, before accepting the game start operation in step S100. In this case, in step S1082, the user attribute information acquisition unit 121 acquires user attribute information already entered by the user by reading it from the storage unit 130. However, as mentioned above, user attribute information is not limited to being entered by the user, and may be acquired by other methods.

[0114] In step S1084 of Figure 6, the facility highlighting unit 122 identifies a facility to be highlighted from among multiple facilities based on user attribute information. For example, the user attribute information acquisition unit 121 may identify facilities to be highlighted that correspond to the "areas of interest" included in the user attribute information from among multiple facilities. The type of each facility can be obtained by referring to facility information.

[0115] In step S1086, the highlighting unit 123 executes a process to highlight the facility to be highlighted. For example, a specific example of the highlighting process is to overlay a highlighting object onto the facility area corresponding to the facility to be highlighted. For example, in the example screen G1 shown in Figure 7, highlighting objects E1 and E2 are overlaid on facility areas Q5 and Q8, respectively. As a result, the facilities corresponding to facility areas Q5 and Q8 are highlighted more than other facilities. Other specific examples of the highlighting process include making the fill color of the facility area, the color of the frame surrounding the facility area, the thickness of the frame, etc. different from other facility areas, and making the font, size, and formatting of the text overlaid on the facility area different from other facility areas. However, the highlighting process is not limited to the examples described above. Also, in the example screen G1, if an operation on a highlighted facility is received, information about that facility may be displayed. This concludes the explanation of the process of displaying the virtual world in step S108.

[0116] In step S110 of Figure 4, the virtual location area identification unit 113 of terminal 10 identifies one of several areas placed in the virtual world as a virtual location area based on the user's real-world location information. The virtual location area identified in step S110 is identified as the user's starting point. If there are multiple areas that satisfy the conditions for identifying the user's starting point, one of them may be determined, for example, by lottery. The virtual location area identification unit 113 also associates the area identified as a virtual location area with terminal 10. Hereinafter, "associating the area identified as a virtual location area with terminal 10" will be referred to as "associating the virtual location area with terminal 10". The virtual location area identification unit 113 also transmits the identified virtual location area to the game server 30. In step S204, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 associates the virtual location area with terminal 10.

[0117] In step S112, the virtual location area display unit 114 performs processing to make the virtual location area visible. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific flow of the processing to make the virtual location area visible (hereinafter simply referred to as "the processing to display the virtual location area"). As shown in Figure 10, step S112 includes steps S1120 to S1122.

[0118] In step S1120, the virtual location area display unit 114 displays the user's virtual location area in the virtual world. For example, in the example screen G1 shown in Figure 7, character U1 is displayed within a speech bubble-shaped figure pointing to area P4. Furthermore, character U1 is the same as the character included in area G11 and corresponds to the user using the terminal 10. In other words, in the example screen G1, it is visually clear that area P4 is the user's virtual location area.

[0119] In step S1122, the control unit 110 calculates a recommended route from among the routes that can be taken from the user's virtual location area to the destination area, and displays the calculated recommended route. The recommended route is the route that is recommended to the user from among the routes that can be taken from the virtual location area to the destination area. The recommended route may be the shortest route from the virtual location area to the destination area. The "shortest route" may be the route with the shortest length (distance), or it may be the route with the fewest number of areas included.

[0120] Figure 11 shows an example of a screen displaying a recommended route. The example screen G4 shown in Figure 11 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Example screen G4 schematically shows a part of the virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of example screen G1. In example screen G4, the character U1 associated with the user is superimposed on section P22. In other words, the user's virtual location section is section P22. Also, the object G41 indicating the destination section is superimposed on section P28. In other words, the destination section corresponding to the user is section P28. The recommended route R41 is the shortest route from section P22, which is the virtual location section, to section P28, which is the destination section.

[0121] In example screen G4, there is another shortest route from section P22 to section P28 (a route that passes through P22, P25, P26, P27, and P28 in sequence). When multiple shortest routes exist, the route that passes through the most of the highlighted facilities mentioned above may be preferentially displayed as the recommended route R41. Alternatively, even if a route is not the shortest route, if it meets certain conditions compared to the shortest route, the route that passes through the most highlighted facilities may be displayed as the recommended route R31. Examples of these conditions include, for example, the difference in the number of sections included on the shortest route being within a threshold (e.g., within 2), or the percentage difference in length (distance) from the shortest route being within a threshold (e.g., within 10%).

[0122] In step S1124, the virtual location area display unit 114 displays the virtual location area of ​​the linked user. For example, the virtual location area of ​​the linked user may be obtained by querying the game server 30. Also, the character associated with the linked user may be obtained by querying the game server 30. For example, in step S204 of Figure 4, the control unit 110 of the game server 30 sends the virtual location area of ​​the linked user, the character associated with the linked user, etc., to the terminal 10 in response to the inquiry from the terminal 10. Note that the process of displaying the virtual location area of ​​the linked user can be executed repeatedly at any time. For example, the virtual location area of ​​the linked user may be periodically sent from the game server 30 to the terminal 10 to update its display position. Also, the virtual location area of ​​the linked user may be sent from the game server 30 to the terminal 10 to update its display position in response to the virtual location area being updated.

[0123] For example, in the example screen G1 shown in Figure 7, character U2 is displayed within a speech bubble-shaped figure pointing to section P11. In other words, in example screen G1, section P11 is indicated as the virtual location section of the linked user.

[0124] Furthermore, the control unit 110 may display the game progress of the linked user in response to user operations. User operations may include, for example, operations on character U2 corresponding to the linked user, but are not limited to this. The game progress of the linked user may also include the progress of a game being played between the linked user and an NPC on the terminal 10 used by the linked user. The game progress of the linked user can be obtained by querying the game server 30. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying the game progress of the linked user. Screen example G5 shown in Figure 12 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G5 schematically shows a part of the virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. In screen example G5, area G51 is displayed in response to user operations on the linked user's character U2. Area G51 includes the game progress of linked users, including the linked user's name in the game, "xxx President," the in-game time elapsed since the linked user started the game, "5 years," and the assets the linked user possesses as they progress through the game, "100.01 billion yen." The in-game time may be defined based on the number of turns, for example, 12 turns equaling 1 year, but is not limited to this.

[0125] Furthermore, game progress information for linked users is not limited to user actions; it may also be displayed at predetermined times (for example, at the start of the game). This allows users visiting a shopping complex to recognize linked users who are currently playing the game in the same complex. This concludes the explanation of the process for displaying virtual location areas in step S112.

[0126] In step S114 of Figure 4, the NPC location area identification unit 118 identifies one of several areas placed in the virtual world as the NPC location area. The NPC location area identified in step S114 is also called the NPC's starting point. For example, the NPC's starting point may be the same as or different from the user's starting point. If it is different from the user's starting point, the NPC's starting point may be determined by lottery from among several areas, but is not limited to this.

[0127] In step S116, the NPC location display unit 119 performs processing to make the NPC location area visible. For example, in the example screen G1 shown in Figure 7, the icon UN representing the NPC is displayed within a speech bubble-shaped figure pointing to area P11. Note that in the example screen G1, the area P4 (the NPC's starting point) indicated by the icon UN is the same as the area P4 (the user's starting point) indicated by the character U1 corresponding to the user.

[0128] From step S118 in Figure 4, processing related to the user's turn begins. During the user's turn, the user's virtual position area is updated based on the user's actions, and events are executed. In the example flow in Figure 4, the processing is shown in the order of user's turn, then NPC's turn, but this order is not limited to this, and the reverse order is also acceptable. Furthermore, instead of having separate turns for each user and NPC and processing them in order, each user may be able to proceed with the game regardless of the progress of the game by other users or NPCs who are opponents.

[0129] In step S118, the control unit 110 determines whether the dice roll result has been determined based on the user's operation. Determining the dice roll result based on the user's operation is one example of the first condition being met. For example, in the example screen G1 shown in Figure 7, when the user operates the operator G13 "Dice", a lottery process simulating dice rolling is executed, and one integer value from 1 to 6, which are the numbers on the dice, is determined. Also, in the example screen G1, when the user operates the operator G14 "Card", a list of cards owned by the user may be displayed. For example, if the user owns a "card that increases the number of dice rolled at once", and performs an operation to select that card from the card list, a lottery process simulating rolling multiple dice may be executed. For example, if a card that makes two dice to roll is selected, one integer value from 2 to 12, which are the sum of the numbers on the two dice, is determined. Until the result of the dice roll is determined (in other words, until the user performs an operation to determine the result of the dice roll), step S118 is judged as No, and step S118 is repeated.

[0130] If the answer in step S118 is "Yes", the next step S120 is executed. In step S120, the associateable partition identification unit 117 identifies one or more partitions that can be reached by traversing the partitions along the path by the number of spaces indicated by the dice roll, starting from the virtual location partition, as associateable partitions. The associateable partition identification unit 117 also displays the identified associateable partitions. Furthermore, if the destination partition is included in the one or more reachable partitions (an example of when the third condition is met), the destination partition is identified as one of the associateable partitions.

[0131] Figure 13 shows an example of a screen displaying the associated partitions. Screen example G6 shown in Figure 13 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G6 schematically shows a part of the virtual world that can be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. In screen example G6, character U1 is superimposed on partition P22. In other words, the user's virtual location partition is partition P22. If the die roll is determined to be "2", then partitions P24 and P26, which can be reached by traversing two partitions on the path R21 starting from partition P22, are identified as associated partitions. Furthermore, partitions P24 and P26 are marked with dashed circles to indicate that they are associated partitions. By visualizing the dashed circles, the user can recognize that partitions P24 and P26 are associated partitions that can be reached next. Note that the display method indicating that a partition is associated is not limited to marking with a dashed circle, but may be other display methods.

[0132] In step S122 of Figure 4, the user location acquisition unit 111 acquires the user's current location information and determines whether or not the current location information has been updated. If the user does not move in the real world, it is determined to be No, and step S122 is repeated. If the user moves in the real world, it is determined to be Yes, and the next step S124 is executed.

[0133] In step S124, the virtual corresponding location display unit 115 executes a process to display the user's virtual corresponding location. In the example screen G6 shown in Figure 13, the virtual location u1_1 pointed to by icon U1_1 corresponds to the user's current location. The virtual corresponding location u1_2 pointed to by icon U1_2 indicates the location closest to virtual location u1_1 on the route R21.

[0134] Here, icon U1_1 moves in screen example G6 as the user moves in the real world. Icon U1_2 also moves along path R21 as icon U1_1 moves. Character U1 may also move to other sections as icon U1_2 moves. Specifically, character U1 does not move if the section closest to virtual corresponding position u1_2 on path R21 does not change. If that closest section changes, character U1 moves to that closest section. For example, if icon U1_2 moves from section P22 to P23 as the user moves in the real world, character U1 will continue to be superimposed on section P22 as long as the distance of virtual corresponding position u1_2 from section P22 is less than the distance to section P23. When the distance to section P23 becomes less than the distance of virtual corresponding position u1_2 from section P22, character U1 moves from section P22 to section P23. However, the movement of character U1 to another section in this manner does not mean that the user's virtual location section has moved. The virtual location section moves to a new section when character U1 is superimposed on an associated section, and when the approval operation described later is accepted. Here, the approval operation becomes acceptable when character U1 is superimposed on an associated section, and is not acceptable when character U1 is superimposed on a section other than an associated section. Also, the target for determining the distance to each section in order to decide whether to move character U1 is not limited to virtual corresponding position u1_2, but may also be virtual position u1_1. Note that the superimposition of character U1, which represents the virtual corresponding position u1_2 corresponding to the virtual position u1_1 corresponding to the user's real position, on an associated section is an example of the "conditions concerning the relationship between user real position information and associated sections" included in the second condition.

[0135] Thus, the user's virtual position u1_1 is not necessarily located on the route R21. Therefore, by displaying character U1, icon U1_1 indicating virtual position u1_1, and icon U1_2 indicating virtual corresponding position u1_2 together, the user can more easily understand where their virtual corresponding position (or virtual position) corresponds on the route R21. Note that the display device 15 only needs to display character U1 and icon U1_2 indicating virtual corresponding position u1_2, and icon U1_1 indicating the user's virtual position u1_1 does not necessarily need to be displayed.

[0136] Furthermore, as the user moves in the real world, the user's virtual location may move outside the range from the user's virtual location area to the associated area (hereinafter referred to as the "virtual movement range"). Even in this case, the virtual location area will not change until "Yes" is determined in step S126, which will be described later. For example, Figure 14 shows an example of a screen where the virtual location has moved outside the virtual movement range. Screen example G7 shown in Figure 14 is an example of a screen that has changed from screen example G6 shown in Figure 13. In screen example G7, the user's virtual location has moved from virtual location u1_1 to virtual location u1_3 due to the user's movement in the real world. Accordingly, the icon U1_1 representing virtual location u1_3 and the icon U1_2 representing virtual location u1_4 have also moved. In addition, character U1 is superimposed on area P27, which is closest to virtual location u1_4 on the route R21. Note that area P27 is not an associated area, so the operation to approve it cannot be accepted, and at this point the virtual location area remains area P22. Furthermore, if the virtual corresponding position goes outside the virtual movable range, character U1 may remain within the virtual movable range. For example, character U1 may remain superimposed on the closest section within the virtual movable range from the virtual corresponding position. For example, in screen example G7, the virtual movable range is P23, P24, P25, and P26, which are within two dice rolls from the virtual position section P22. Suppose the user moves, causing the virtual corresponding position to move from virtual position section P22 through sections P23, P24, and P27 to u1_4 shown in Figure 14. In this case, icon U1_2 moves along path R21 to the virtual corresponding position u1_4, but character U1 remains stopped on section P24, which is closest to the virtual corresponding position u1_4. Also, for example, if the user's virtual corresponding position u1_4 moves more than a threshold away from the virtual movable range, character U1 may be hidden. In this case, the character U1 of the linked user may also be hidden on the linked user's terminal 10. In this case, a recovery route for returning to the movable range from the user's virtual corresponding position may also be displayed.

[0137] In step S126 of Figure 4, the virtual location area identification unit 113 determines whether the distance in the virtual world between the location of any associated area and the user's virtual corresponding location is within a predetermined range. Alternatively, the virtual location area identification unit 113 may make a determination based on the distance in the real world instead of the distance in the virtual world, as described above. In this case, the virtual location area identification unit 113 determines whether the distance between the real-world location corresponding to the location of any associated area and the user's real-world location is within a predetermined range. The virtual location area identification unit 113 also determines whether an approval operation has been performed by the user. In this embodiment, the condition "the distance is within a predetermined range AND an approval operation is performed" is an example of the second condition, and in step S126, if this condition is met, the determination is "Yes".

[0138] For example, in the example screen G6 shown in Figure 13, if character U1 is superimposed on section P24, which is one of the associateable sections (i.e., the distance between section P24 and the virtual corresponding position u1_2 is within a predetermined range), then the operator G61 "Arrival," which accepts the operation to approve, may be displayed in an operable state on the example screen G6. Note that "displayed in an operable state" may mean that operator G61, which was displayed in an unoperable state, changes to an operable state, or that operator G41, which was hidden, becomes visible. When the user operates operator G61, it is determined to be Yes in step S126. In other words, when character U1 is superimposed on an associateable section (an example of the "conditions regarding the relationship between user real-world location information and associateable sections" is satisfied) and operator G61 is operated (an example of an operation to approve is performed), then an example of the second condition in this embodiment is satisfied.

[0139] In step S128 of Figure 4, the virtual location partition identification unit 113 associates the associateable partition that was the subject of the user-approved operation in step S126 with the terminal 10 as a new virtual location partition. For example, in the example screen G6 shown in Figure 13, partition P24, which was the subject of the "approved operation" for operator G61, becomes the new virtual location partition. In other words, the user's virtual location partition is updated.

[0140] In step S130, the virtual position area display unit 114 executes a process to display the updated virtual position area. Details of the process for displaying the virtual position area are as described with reference to Figure 10. As a result, for example, in the example screen G6 shown in Figure 13, the display position of character U1 is updated from area P22 to area P24 (S1120). When updating the display position of character U1, an animation of character U1 moving from area P2 to area P4 may be displayed, but is not limited to this. In addition, in response to the update of the virtual position area, a recommended route R41 as shown in the example screen G4 of Figure 11 is newly calculated and displayed (S1122). As mentioned above, among the "process for displaying the virtual position area" shown in Figure 10, the process for updating the display of the linked user's virtual position area (S1124) may be updated at any time regardless of the update of the user's virtual position area.

[0141] In step S132 of Figure 4, the virtual location area identification unit 113 determines whether the user's virtual location area is the destination area. If it is determined to be Yes in step S132, steps S150 and later described later are executed. If it is determined to be No in step S132, the next step S134 is executed.

[0142] In step S134, the event execution unit 120 refers to event information associated with the user's virtual location area and executes an event that affects the progress of the game (hereinafter referred to as an in-game event). Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific flow of the process for executing an in-game event. As shown in Figure 15, step S134 includes steps S1340 to S1344.

[0143] In step S1340, the event execution unit 120 determines whether the user's virtual location partition was previously the virtual location partition of a linked user. This determination may be made by referring to the history of linked users' virtual location partitions obtained from the game server 30, or by querying the game server 30.

[0144] If No is determined in step S1340, step S1342 is executed. In step S1342, the event execution unit 120 executes a game event based on the event information associated with the user's virtual location area. For example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location area is "increase the amount of money held", an event may be executed in which the amount of money held increases by an amount determined by a lottery process based on the user's operation from among multiple increase amount options. Alternatively, for example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location area is "decrease the amount of money held", an event may be executed in which the amount of money held decreases by an amount determined by a lottery process based on the user's operation from among multiple decrease amount options. Furthermore, for example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location area is "assign a card", an event may be executed in which a card determined by a lottery process based on the user's operation from among multiple types of cards is assigned to the user.

[0145] If Yes is determined in step S1340, step S1344 is executed. In step S1344, the event execution unit 120 applies an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game to the event executed based on the event information associated with the user's virtual location section. For example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location section is "increase the amount of money held", the lottery process may be performed after further increasing each of the multiple increase amount options, or the increase amount determined by the lottery process may be further increased. Also, for example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location section is "decrease the amount of money held", the lottery process may be performed after decreasing each of the multiple decrease amount options, or the decrease amount determined by the lottery process may be decreased. Furthermore, the effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game may be, in place of or in addition to the event indicated by the event information associated with the virtual location section, a discount on the purchase price of property, the acquisition of a new card, etc., but is not limited to these. Furthermore, in step S1344, the event execution unit 120 may also exert an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game for the linked user whose area was previously a virtual location area. For example, an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game for the linked user may be, but is not limited to, "increasing the amount of money they have" or "being able to acquire new cards".

[0146] Furthermore, there may be an upper limit on the number of locations that have previously served as a linked user's virtual location (for example, up to 20 per linked user, or up to 20 in total for multiple linked users). Also, there may be a time limit on the period during which locations that have previously served as a linked user's virtual location are remembered (for example, up to 10 days after becoming a virtual location). In addition, the shorter the time between a location previously serving as a linked user's virtual location and the current user becoming that location, the more advantageous events may be executed in the game. For example, the shorter the period, the greater the increase in money or the smaller the decrease in money. This will increase the incentive for users to visit the complex again. This concludes the explanation of the process for executing game events in step S134.

[0147] In step S136 of Figure 4, the event execution unit 120 refers to the facility information associated with the user's virtual location area and executes a process to display the facility information. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of the process for displaying facility information. As shown in Figure 16, step S136 includes steps S1360 to S1368.

[0148] In step S1360, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires user usage history information related to the facility indicated by the facility information associated with the virtual location area. Specific examples of usage history information and acquisition methods are as described above.

[0149] In step S1362, the event execution unit 120 modifies the content of the benefit information included in the facility information associated with the virtual location area based on the content of the usage history information. For example, suppose the facility information associated with the virtual location area includes a coupon usable at the facility indicated by the facility information (e.g., the right to purchase goods at a discount) as benefit information. In this case, for example, the content of the coupon may be modified to be more beneficial to the user as the number of visits to the facility indicated by the usage history information increases. Specific examples of modifications to be more beneficial to the user include, but are not limited to, increasing the discount rate of the coupon or increasing the number of products eligible for the coupon. Note that the content of the benefit information does not necessarily have to be changed depending on the usage history information. For example, if the number of visits to the facility is below a threshold (e.g., 3 times), the content of the coupon does not need to be changed.

[0150] In step S1364, the event execution unit 120 displays basic facility information included in the facility information associated with the user's virtual location area. In this embodiment, "basic facility information" refers to basic information about the facility, such as the facility name, facility type, facility location, and facility contact information. The basic information may be information entered by facility personnel, or by the game operator, the management of the complex commercial facility, etc.

[0151] In step S1366, the event execution unit 120 displays the facility's advertising information included in the facility information associated with the virtual location area. The facility's advertising information may, for example, be information entered by facility personnel. Furthermore, the facility's advertising information may be updatable by facility personnel.

[0152] In step S1368, the event execution unit 120 provides the user with a benefit by displaying the benefit information included in the facility information. If the benefit information has been changed based on the usage history information, the changed benefit information will be displayed.

[0153] Figure 17 shows an example of a screen displaying facility information. Screen example G8 shown in Figure 17 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G8 schematically shows facility information displayed in response to the identification of the user's virtual location area. Screen example G8 includes areas G81 to G84. Area G81 shows basic facility information. Areas G82 and G84 show advertising information. Area G83 shows special offer information. The user may be able to enjoy special offers by having a one-dimensional code contained in area G83 read by a reader in the facility. Area G83 may include not only one-dimensional codes but also multi-dimensional codes. Furthermore, area G83 does not necessarily have to contain one-dimensional codes or multi-dimensional codes; in that case, the user may be able to enjoy special offers by presenting area G83 to the facility staff. In addition, information indicating area G83 (e.g., a coupon image) may be saved in terminal 10 based on user operation (e.g., tapping area G83).

[0154] If multiple facilities are associated with a virtual location area, the facility information for one of the facilities determined by lottery or other means may be displayed as shown in screen example G8. Alternatively, the facility information for each of the multiple facilities may be displayed by splitting the screen.

[0155] As shown in example screen G8, a facility can display advertisements for its products to the user. Furthermore, as shown in example screen G8, the user can learn about products and services of nearby facilities through advertisements. This concludes the explanation of the process for displaying facility information in step S136.

[0156] In step S138 of Figure 4, the event execution unit 120 displays property information included in the facility information associated with the user's virtual location area. As mentioned above, the property information includes, for example, the name of the property, the price and rate of return associated with the property. The control unit 110 then executes a process to have the user purchase the property indicated by the displayed property information, based on the user's operation. When a user purchases a property, it means that the user acquires the property by spending the amount of money they possess equal to the price associated with that property.

[0157] Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying property information. Screen example G9 shown in Figure 18 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G9 schematically shows property information displayed in response to the identification of the user's virtual location area. Screen example G9 includes areas G91 to G93 and G94_1 to G94_4. Area G91 includes the user's character U1, the amount of money the user has, etc., and is explained in the same way as area G11 of screen example G1. Area G92 shows basic facility information. Area G93 shows advertising information for the facility. Areas G94_1 to G94_4 show properties. For example, the name of the property shown in area G94_1 is the name of the product sold at the facility "Store A", "Product AA". In addition, the property "Product AA" has a price of "99,990,000 yen" and a profit margin of "500%". Areas G94_2 to G94_4 are explained in the same way. The property name, quantity, price, and profit margin may be configurable by facility personnel. By allowing facility personnel to configure the property names shown in example screen G9, facilities can present facility-related information to users. Furthermore, users can learn more about nearby facilities through the properties themselves.

[0158] Furthermore, if multiple facilities are associated with a virtual location area, the user may be able to select which facility information to purchase the property associated with.

[0159] For example, when a user operation on area G94_1 is received, a process is executed to allow the user to purchase the property "Product AAA" (for example, reducing the amount of money the user has by the price of property "Product AA" and allowing the user to own property "Product AA"). The user can then consider which property to purchase, or whether to purchase any property, by comparing the current amount of money in area G91 with the prices of each property in areas G94_1 to G94_4. For example, if the user purchases property "Product AA", a process is executed at a predetermined time to increase the amount of money the user has by 500% of the price of 99,999,000 yen as revenue. The predetermined time may be, for example, the end of a predetermined number of turns, the end of the game, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0160] Note that the order in which the steps of executing the game event (S134), displaying facility information (S136, example screen G8), and displaying property information (S138, example screen G9) are executed is not limited to this order; they may be executed in a different order, or some or all of them may be executed in parallel.

[0161] This completes the processing related to the user's turn. From the next step, S140, the processing related to the NPC's turn will begin. During the NPC's turn, the NPC's location area is updated and events are executed without requiring any user action.

[0162] Next, in step S140 of Figure 4, the NPC location area identification unit 118 updates the NPC location area. For example, the NPC location area identification unit 118 may determine the outcome of a dice roll by executing a lottery process that mimics rolling dice without user intervention. The determination of the dice outcome through this lottery process is an example of the fourth condition being met. Alternatively, the NPC location area identification unit 118 may identify one or more areas that can be reached by traversing the area along the path by the number of areas indicated by the dice roll, starting from the NPC location area, as the new NPC location area. If there are multiple reachable areas, for example, which of them will be designated as the new NPC location area may be determined by a lottery process, but is not limited to this. Furthermore, if the reachable area includes a destination area (an example of the fifth condition being met), that area is identified as the NPC location area.

[0163] In step S142, the NPC location display unit 119 performs processing to display the updated NPC location area in a visible manner.

[0164] In step S144, the NPC location area identification unit 118 determines whether the NPC location area is a destination area. If it is determined to be Yes in step S144, steps S152 and later described later are executed. If it is determined to be No in step S144, the next step S146 is executed.

[0165] In step S146, the event execution unit 120 refers to the event information associated with the NPC location area and executes an event in the game. This may result in an increase or decrease in the amount of money the NPC has, the NPC being given a card, or the NPC purchasing a property.

[0166] This concludes the NPC's turn, and the process from step S118 is repeated. The processes related to the user's turn (S118-S138) and the processes related to the NPC's turn (S140-S146) are repeated until it is determined in step S132 or S144 that the user's virtual location area or the NPC's location area is the destination area. Note that Figure 4 shows an example where the number of opponent NPCs is 1, but the number of opponent NPCs may be multiple.

[0167] If the result in step S132 is determined to be Yes (in other words, if the user's virtual location area reaches the destination area for the first time), the processes from step S150 onwards are executed.

[0168] In step S150, the event execution unit 120 executes an event that has an effect favorable to the user in the progress of the game. For example, an event that has an effect favorable to the user in the progress of the game may, but is not limited to, increasing the amount of money the user has. The event may also increase the amount of money held by both the user and the NPC opponent, and the increase in the user's money may be greater than that of the NPC. Alternatively, the event may increase the amount of money held by the user and decrease the amount of money held by the NPC. Furthermore, the event is not limited to increasing the amount of money held, but may also involve giving the user cards.

[0169] In step S152, the event execution unit 120 refers to the facility information associated with the destination area and executes a process to display the facility information. The process for displaying the facility information is the same as in step S136, which was explained with reference to Figure 16, so a detailed explanation is omitted. However, the reward information (S1368) provided to the user may be modified to be more beneficial to the user than the scoring information executed in step S136, depending on whether the user's virtual location area was the first to become the destination area.

[0170] In step S154, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to terminate the game. For example, if the user performs an action to terminate the game, it determines to terminate the game. If the user performs an action to continue the game, it determines not to terminate the game. If the determination in step S154 is No (the game is not terminated), the process from step S106 is repeated. As a result, the user's turn and the NPC's turn are repeated in order to reach a new destination area.

[0171] If the decision in step S154 is "Yes" (to end the game), then step S156 is determined. In step S156, the control unit 110 determines the rankings between the user and the NPC opponent. The rankings may be, for example, based on the amount of assets each user and NPC possesses, but are not limited to this. Depending on the ranking, rewards that are beneficial at real-world facilities (for example, discount coupons, points usable at shopping complexes, etc.) may be awarded.

[0172] In step S158, the control unit 110 saves the transfer data. The transfer data may include various data used in the game (for example, information such as the amount of money the user has, properties, items, etc.). The control unit 110 also sends the transfer data to the game server 30. In step S208, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 saves the transfer data in association with the terminal 10. This allows the user to resume playing the game using the transfer data the next time they visit the shopping complex and play the game.

[0173] Furthermore, if the result in step S144 is determined to be Yes (in other words, if the user's virtual location area reaches the destination area for the first time), step S148 is executed.

[0174] In step S148, the event execution unit 120 executes an event that has an effect favorable to the NPC in the progress of the game (hereinafter referred to as an event that is advantageous to the NPC in the game). For example, an event that is advantageous to the NPC in the game can be similarly described in the above-mentioned explanation of "an event that is advantageous to the user in the game" by substituting "user" and "NPC" for each other.

[0175] When an event advantageous to an NPC occurs in the game, the process from step S152 is executed. If the game is to continue, the process from step S108 is repeated, and the user's turn and the NPC's turn are repeated as they aim for a new destination area. If the game is to end, the process from step S156 is executed. This determines the rankings between the user and the NPC, and saves the data for transfer.

[0176] <Other processes in Game System 1> Game system 1 can execute method S2 in addition to method S1. Method S2 can be executed at any time. For example, method S2 may be executed based on user action at any point while the game is in progress. Method S2 may also be executed at any point after the game has ended. Furthermore, method S2 does not require the user's real-world location information to be within the commercial complex. For example, method S2 may be executed based on user action after the user has left the commercial complex (for example, after returning home).

[0177] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of method S2 executed by game system 1. As shown in Figure 19, method S2 includes steps S190 to S194 executed by terminal 10. Below, the processing flow will be explained using an example in which the play area is located within a multi-purpose commercial facility, similar to method S1.

[0178] In step S190, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires usage verification information based on the user's operation. Specific examples of usage verification information are as described above, but for example, usage verification information can be acquired based on a receipt for goods purchased by the user at a facility within a complex commercial facility. For example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire usage verification information by acquiring a one-dimensional code or multi-dimensional code printed on a paper receipt using a camera (not shown) provided by the terminal 10. In this case, the one-dimensional code or multi-dimensional code may be information encoded with the purchased goods, the date and time of purchase, the facility where the purchase was made, etc., or information encoded with the storage location of a database (not shown) where this information is stored. Alternatively, for example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire an image of a paper receipt taken with a camera (not shown) provided by the terminal 10, and acquire the result of character recognition processing based on the image as usage verification information. Alternatively, for example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire information indicating a receipt issued as digital information by reading it from the storage unit 130. However, these are not the only methods for obtaining user verification information.

[0179] Figure 20 shows an example of screen transitions when acquiring user authentication information. Screen example G10 shown in Figure 20 is displayed on the display device 15 of terminal 10. Screen example G10 is displayed in response to user operations calling the function to acquire user authentication information. Screen example G10 includes areas G101 to G102 and an operator G103. Area G101 includes the user's character U1, the amount of money the user has, etc., and is described in the same way as area G11 of screen example G1. Area G102 shows the history of user authentication information acquired in the past. Operator G103 accepts user operations to instruct the acquisition of user authentication information. When user operations on operator G103 are accepted, screen example G10 transitions to screen example G11. Screen example G11 includes information G111 instructing the reading of a one-dimensional code contained in a paper receipt 99, and area G112 where an image acquired by the camera is displayed. For example, if the usage history information acquisition unit 124 successfully recognizes a one-dimensional code, it acquires the information indicated by the one-dimensional code as usage proof information. Note that the receipt 99 may contain not only one-dimensional codes but also multi-dimensional codes.

[0180] In step S192 of Figure 19, the game effect application unit 125 determines weighting based on the usage verification information. The weighting is used to determine the magnitude of the advantageous effect that the process to be executed in the next step will have. For example, the game effect application unit 125 may determine a larger weighting when the usage details of the facility indicated by the usage verification information meet predetermined conditions than when they do not. Specific examples of such conditions include, but are not limited to, the condition that the facility included in the usage verification information is associated with any section, the condition that the difference between the date and time included in the usage verification information and the date and time identified as the virtual location section is within a threshold, the condition that the section associated with the facility where the product was purchased has been identified as a destination section or virtual location section, the condition that the product included in the usage verification information is a product pre-set by the facility, or a combination thereof. Also, for example, the game effect application unit 125 may determine a larger weighting the larger the amount of money included in the usage verification information.

[0181] In step S194, the game effect granting unit 125 performs processing to provide advantageous effects during the game. For example, specific examples of such effects include, but are not limited to, an increase in the amount of money a player has, an increase in the number of properties they own, or the granting of cards. The magnitude of the advantageous effect is determined by the weighting determined as described above. For example, if the effect is an increase in the amount of money a player has, the higher the weighting, the greater the increase. If the effect is an increase in the number of properties a player owns, the higher the weighting, the more properties they acquire or the more expensive properties they acquire. If the effect is the granting of cards, the higher the weighting, the more cards they acquire or the more powerful cards they acquire.

[0182] Furthermore, if method S2 is executed after the game has ended, any advantageous effects during the game's progression may be applied when the game is resumed next time. For example, an increase in the amount of money, an increase in properties, or the granting of cards may be added to the transfer data and saved. This concludes the explanation of method S2.

[0183] <Variation> Game system 1 may have a function to display the ranking among multiple users participating in the game at any given time. The ranking may be the ranking among all users participating in the game, or it may be the ranking within a group of linked users. The ranking may also be determined by the assets associated with the user. This allows users to check their current ranking and increases their motivation to aim for a higher ranking.

[0184] Furthermore, in Game System 1, if the combination of properties purchased by the user matches a specific combination, the user may be rewarded. The reward may be an advantageous effect in the progress of the game, or it may be a reward that provides benefits at a real-world facility. For example, the specific combination may be predetermined, or it may be determined by lottery or other means at the start of the game. Also, the specific combination may or may not be disclosed to the user during the progress of the game. If it is not disclosed, it may be disclosed when the user or opponent reaches the destination area. This gives the user the enjoyment of discovering which property combinations will yield rewards. Also, there may be multiple specific combinations. Each combination may be associated with a rank, and the higher the rank, the better the reward. For example, the rank may correspond to the difficulty of collecting the properties included in the combination. For example, combinations of more expensive properties may be associated with a higher rank, and combinations of more properties may be associated with a higher rank.

[0185] Furthermore, in game system 1, destination areas may be set so that the user passes through as many areas as possible that they have not previously visited. This increases the user's opportunity to use more facilities within the commercial complex.

[0186] Furthermore, in Game System 1, the next connectable section to which a player can move is explained as a section that can be reached by traversing a number of sections along the path determined by a lottery, starting from the current virtual position section. However, this is not limited to this; connectable sections may also be sections that can be reached by traversing any number of sections along the path, as long as the number is less than or equal to the number determined by the lottery. For example, if the dice roll is determined to be 3, the "number of sections that can be moved to" may be 3, or it may be 2, 1, or 0, as long as it is 3 or less.

[0187] [Note] Based on the above description, the present invention can be understood as follows, for example. For the sake of ease of understanding the present invention, reference numerals in the attached drawings are conveniently added in parentheses, but this does not mean that the present invention is limited to the illustrated embodiments.

[0188] The game system (1) according to embodiment A1 includes a user location acquisition unit (111) that acquires user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world, a virtual world acquisition unit (112) that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world, a virtual location area identification unit (113) that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user real-world location information and associates them with the terminal, a virtual location area display unit (114) that performs processing to display the virtual location areas in a visible manner, and, if the first condition is met, identifies some of the areas from areas other than the virtual location area as associateable areas that can become the next virtual location area. The system includes a virtual location area identification unit (117), and the virtual location area identification unit (113) further includes an event execution unit (120) that executes an event based on the event information when the event information is associated with the area identified as the virtual location area, provided that a second condition is met, which includes a condition relating to the relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associated area, and that at least some of the multiple areas have event information indicating an event progressing in the game associated with them, and the first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated area. With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a new game that requires the user to move and operate their real-world location so that the virtual location area becomes an associated area.

[0189] The game system (1) according to embodiment A2 is such that, in embodiment A1, the first condition is that the user performs an operation to draw one number from a plurality of numbers and identifies the one number according to the operation, and the associated area identification unit (117) identifies the associated area based on the drawn number. With the above configuration, the user does not know which area will be an associated area until the draw is performed, so the enjoyment of performing the operation to identify the associated area is increased.

[0190] In the game system (1) according to embodiment A3, in embodiment A1 or A2, when the virtual location area identification unit (113) associates the associated area with the terminal as the virtual location area, the associated area identification unit (117) can execute the process of identifying the next associated area. With the above configuration, when the user moves to an associated area, the next associated area is set, so the user enjoys moving the virtual location area to an associated area.

[0191] The game system (1) according to embodiment A4 includes a destination area identification unit (116) that identifies a portion of the plurality of areas as a destination area in any one of embodiments A1 to A3, the associationable area identification unit (117) identifies the destination area as the associationable area when the third condition is met, and the event is an event that has a favorable effect on the progress of the game in response to the destination area being identified as the virtual location area. According to the above configuration, the user can play a game in which they enjoy setting the destination as a virtual location area in order to obtain a favorable effect on the progress of the game.

[0192] In the game system (1) according to embodiment A5, in any one of embodiments A1 to A4, the virtual position area display unit (114) further performs processing to display the virtual position area corresponding to other users associated with the user in a visible manner. According to the above configuration, the user can know the virtual position area corresponding to other users associated with the user.

[0193] The game system (1) according to embodiment A6 is an event in embodiment A5 in which, in response to the identification of a section among the plurality of sections that in the past was the virtual location section corresponding to the other user as the virtual location section corresponding to the user, an event that has an effect advantageous to the progress of the game for the user. With the above configuration, it is possible to give the user an incentive to make a section that in the past was the virtual location section corresponding to another user associated with the user their own virtual location section. It is also possible to give the user the enjoyment of cooperating with other users.

[0194] The game system (1) according to embodiment A7 further includes a virtual world association unit that associates each terminal of multiple users with the virtual world in any one of embodiments A1 to A6, each terminal is associated with the virtual location section specified for that terminal, and there is an upper limit on the number of terminals that the virtual world association unit associates with a single virtual world. With the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the number of users playing the game using a single virtual world from becoming excessive compared to the case where there is no upper limit on the number of terminals associated with a single virtual world. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the number of users in the real world corresponding to the virtual world from becoming excessive.

[0195] The game system (1) according to embodiment A8 includes a destination area identification unit (116) that identifies some of the multiple areas as destination areas in embodiment A7, and an upper limit is set on the number of terminals associated with one destination area. With the above configuration, compared to the case where there is no upper limit on the number of terminals associated with one destination area, it is possible to prevent an excessive number of users heading to one destination area, and thus prevent an excessive number of users in the location corresponding to the destination area in the real world, and the number of users heading to that location.

[0196] The game system (1) according to embodiment A9 includes a virtual corresponding location display unit (115) that performs processing to display, in any one of embodiments A1 to A8, a virtual corresponding location identified based on the user's real-world location information, which is a location in the virtual world where at least one of the partitions and the inter-partition paths connecting the partitions, pre-set in the virtual world, are located. With the above configuration, the user can more easily recognize where their real-world location corresponds on the partitions and inter-partition paths.

[0197] The method according to embodiment A10 is a method executed by one or more processors, comprising: a user location acquisition process (S102) in which one or more processors acquire user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition process (S104) in which one or more processors acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process (S110) in which one or more processors identify a portion of a plurality of areas arranged in the virtual world as a virtual location area based on the user real-world location information and associate it with the terminal; a virtual location area display process (S112) in which one or more processors perform a process to display the virtual location area in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, the one or more processors identify a portion of an area other than the virtual location area as the next virtual location area The virtual location area identification process (S110) includes an associateable area identification process (S120) which identifies an associateable area that can be made into a picture, wherein in the virtual location area identification process (S110), if the one or more processors satisfy a second condition which includes a condition relating to the relationship between the user's real location information and the associateable area, they associate the area identified as the associateable area with the terminal as the virtual location area, and if at least a portion of the multiple areas is associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and the area identified as the virtual location area is associated with the event information, the one or more processors further execute an event execution process (S134) which executes an event based on the event information, and the first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associateable area. The above configuration produces the same effect as embodiment A1.

[0198] The program according to embodiment A11 includes: a user location acquisition process (S102) that acquires user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world on one or more processors; a virtual world acquisition process (S104) that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process (S110) that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user real-world location information and associates them with the terminal; a virtual location area display process (S112) that performs a process to display the virtual location areas in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, an associateable area identification process that identifies some of the areas other than the virtual location area as an associateable area that can become the next virtual location area. The system executes the process (S120) and, in the virtual location partition identification process (S110), if the second condition, which includes a condition relating to the relationship between the user's real-world location information and the associated partition, is met, the partition identified as the associated partition is associated with the terminal as the virtual location partition. The system further executes an event execution process (S134) which executes an event based on the event information if at least some of the partitions have event information indicating an event progressing in the game associated with them, and the partition identified as the virtual location partition has the event information associated with it. The first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition. The above configuration produces the same effect as in embodiment A1.

[0199] The game system (1) according to embodiment B1 includes: a user location acquisition unit (111) that acquires real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition unit (112) that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification unit (113) that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the real-world location information and associates them with the terminal; a virtual location area display unit (114) that performs processing to display the virtual location areas in a visible manner; and an associateable area identification unit (117) that, if the first condition is met, identifies some of the areas from areas other than the virtual location area as associateable areas that can become the next virtual location area. The identification unit (113), when it satisfies a second condition including conditions relating to the relationship between the real-world location information and the associated area, associates the area identified as the associated area with the terminal as the virtual location area, and includes an event execution unit (120) that executes an event based on the event information when the event information is associated with the area identified as the virtual location area, and includes an event execution unit (120) that executes an event based on the event information when the event information is associated with the area identified as the virtual location area, and includes facility information relating to facilities existing in the real world associated with at least some of the areas among the multiple areas, and the event includes displaying the facility information associated with the area. With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a game that can provide users with information about facilities existing in the real world.

[0200] The game system (1) relating to embodiment B2 includes, in embodiment B1, advertising information which is an advertisement for the facility. According to the above configuration, users can be provided with advertisements for facilities that exist in the real world. In addition, facilities can provide advertisements for themselves to users.

[0201] The game system (1) according to embodiment B3 includes, in embodiment B1 or B2, a user attribute information acquisition unit (121) that acquires user attribute information indicating the user's attributes, a highlighted facility identification unit (122) that identifies a facility to be highlighted from among a plurality of facilities based on the user attribute information, and a highlighting unit (123) that executes processing for highlighting the facility to be highlighted. With the above configuration, it is possible to highlight and communicate to the user real-world facilities that correspond to the user's attributes.

[0202] The game system (1) relating to embodiment B4 includes, in any one of embodiments B1 to B3, the facility information includes benefit information that makes the use of the facility more advantageous, and the event includes providing the user with the benefit information contained in the facility information associated with the area. With the above configuration, the facility information including benefit information is associated with the area that has become a virtual location area, which increases the likelihood of improved user satisfaction.

[0203] The game system (1) according to embodiment B5 further includes a usage history information acquisition unit (124) that acquires usage history information showing the user's usage history of the facility in embodiment B4, and the event execution unit (120) changes the content of the reward information based on the content of the usage history information. With the above configuration, since rewards can be obtained based on the usage history, the user can be motivated to use the facility before playing the game. In addition, since rewards can be provided to the user, the user can be motivated to use the facility after the rewards have been provided.

[0204] The game system (1) according to embodiment B6 includes a usage history information acquisition unit (124) that acquires usage history information showing the user's usage history of the facility in any one of embodiments B1 to B5, wherein the usage history information includes usage certificate information showing the contents of a document issued by the facility that proves the user has paid the fee, and the game system includes a game effect granting unit that exerts an effect favorable to the progress of the game in response to the acquisition of the usage certificate information by the usage history information acquisition unit (124) or based on the contents shown by the usage certificate information. With the above configuration, it is possible to motivate users who have used the facility, including paying the fee, to play the game.

[0205] The game system (1) according to embodiment B7 includes, in any one of embodiments B1 to B6, a specific facility information acquisition unit (125) that acquires specific facility information indicating some of the facilities identified by the user from among a plurality of facilities, and a destination area identification unit (116) that identifies some of the plurality of areas as the destination area which is the user's destination, wherein the destination area identification unit (116) identifies the destination area from the plurality of areas according to a predetermined rule, the predetermined rule being that the area to which the facility information corresponding to the specific facility information is associated is identified as the destination area with priority over the other areas. With the above configuration, the probability of the area desired by the user becoming the destination area can be increased, thereby improving user satisfaction. Furthermore, this improves convenience, for example, if a user plans to go to a facility, identifying that facility increases the probability that the area corresponding to that facility will become the destination area in the game.

[0206] The game system (1) according to embodiment B8 includes a virtual corresponding location display unit (115) that, in any one of embodiments B1 to B7, performs processing to display a virtual corresponding location in the virtual world, which is a location in the virtual world where at least one of the partitions and the inter-partition paths connecting the partitions, pre-set in the virtual world, is located, and which is identified based on the user's real-world location information. With the above configuration, the user can more easily recognize where their real-world location corresponds on the partitions and inter-partition paths.

[0207] The method according to embodiment B9 is a method executed by one or more processors, comprising: a user location acquisition process (S102) in which one or more processors acquire real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition process (S104) in which one or more processors acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process (S110) in which one or more processors identify a portion of a plurality of areas arranged in the virtual world as a virtual location area based on the real-world location information and associate it with the terminal; a virtual location area display process (S112) in which one or more processors perform a process to display the virtual location area in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, the one or more processors identify a portion of an area other than the virtual location area as an associateable area that can become the next virtual location area. The process includes an associateable area identification process (S120) and, in the virtual location area identification process (S110), if the one or more processors satisfy a second condition which includes a condition relating to the relationship between the real location information and the associateable area, the process includes associating the area identified as the associateable area with the terminal as the virtual location area, and the process further includes an event execution process (S134) in which the one or more processors execute an event based on the event information when at least some of the multiple areas are associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and the area identified as the virtual location area is associated with the event information, and at least some of the multiple areas are associated with facility information relating to a facility existing in the real world, and the event includes displaying the facility information associated with the area. The above configuration produces the same effect as embodiment B1.

[0208] The program according to embodiment B10 causes one or more processors to execute: a user location acquisition process (S102) that acquires real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world; a virtual world acquisition process (S104) that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual location area identification process (S110) that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the real-world location information and associates them with the terminal; a virtual location area display process (S112) that performs processing to display the virtual location areas in a visible manner; and, if the first condition is met, an associated area identification process (S120) that identifies some of the areas from areas other than the virtual location area as associated areas that can become the next virtual location area. In step (S110), if a second condition is met, including a condition relating to the relationship between the real-world location information and the associated partition, the partition identified as the associated partition is associated with the terminal as the virtual location partition. The one or more processors are then instructed to execute an event execution process (S134) which executes an event based on the event information when at least some of the partitions are associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and the partition identified as the virtual location partition is associated with the event information. At least some of the partitions are associated with facility information relating to a facility existing in the real world, and the event includes displaying the facility information associated with that partition. The above configuration produces the same effect as in embodiment B1.

[0209] [Examples of implementation using software] The functions of the terminal 10 and game server 30 (hereinafter referred to as "devices") that constitute the game system 1 can be realized by programs that cause computers to function as the devices, and by programs that cause computers to function as each control block of the devices (in particular, each part included in the control units 110 and 310).

[0210] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the program. By executing the program using this control device and storage device, the functions described in each of the embodiments are realized.

[0211] The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not temporary ones. These recording media may or may not be provided by the above device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the above device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0212] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks can also be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as each of the above control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is also possible to realize the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0213] Furthermore, each process described in the above embodiments may be performed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may operate on the control device described above, or it may operate on other devices (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0214] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0215] 1. Game System 10 devices 11, 31 processors 12, 32 memory 13, 33 Communication Interfaces 14 Input devices 15 Display device 16 Positioning sensors Buses 19 and 39 30 game servers 110, 310 Control Unit 111 User position acquisition unit 112 Virtual World Acquisition Section 113 Virtual location area identification unit 114 Virtual position area display unit 115 Virtual Corresponding Position Display Unit 116 Destination Zone Identification Department 117 Identification of Associable Areas 118 NPC Location Identification Section 119 NPC position display section 120 Event Organizing Department 121 User attribute information acquisition unit 122 Designated Facilities 123 Highlight section 124 Usage History Information Acquisition Unit 125 Game Effect Granting Section 126 Department for Acquiring Information on Specific Facilities 130, 330 storage section

Claims

1. A user location acquisition unit that acquires user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's device in the real world, A virtual world acquisition unit that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world, A virtual location area identification unit identifies some of the multiple areas placed in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user's real-world location information and associates them with the terminal, A virtual location area display unit that performs processing to display the aforementioned virtual location area in a visible manner, If the first condition is met, the system includes an associateable area identification unit that identifies a portion of an area other than the said virtual location area as an associateable area that can be designated as the next said virtual location area, The virtual location area identification unit, when it satisfies the second condition which includes conditions relating to the relationship between the user's actual location information and the associated area, associates the area identified as the associated area with the terminal as the virtual location area. At least a portion of the plurality of sections is associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and when the section identified as the virtual location section is associated with the event information, the system further includes an event execution unit that executes an event based on the event information. The first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition, Includes a destination area identification unit that identifies some of the aforementioned multiple areas as a destination area, The associated area identification unit identifies the destination area as the associated area if the third condition is met. The aforementioned event is performed in response to the destination parcel being identified as the virtual location parcel. For the user and other users associated with the user whose destination area is first identified as the virtual location area, an event is performed that has a more advantageous effect on the game's progress compared to the user whose destination area is next identified. Game system.

2. The first condition described above is that the user performs an operation to randomly select one number from a plurality of numbers, and identifies the one number in accordance with that operation. The associated area identification unit identifies the associated area based on the numerical value that was selected by lottery. The game system according to claim 1.

3. In response to the virtual location partition identification unit associating the associated partition with the terminal as the virtual location partition, the associated partition identification unit becomes capable of performing the process of identifying the next associated partition. The game system according to claim 1.

4. The virtual location area display unit further performs processing to display the virtual location area corresponding to the other user in a visible manner. The game system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned event is an event that has a favorable effect on the game progression for a user when, among the multiple sections, a section that previously became the virtual location section corresponding to another user is identified as the virtual location section corresponding to the user. The game system according to claim 4.

6. It further includes a virtual world association unit that associates each terminal of multiple users with the virtual world, Each of the aforementioned terminals is associated with the virtual location area identified with respect to that terminal, The number of terminals that the virtual world association unit associates with a single virtual world is limited. The game system according to claim 1.

7. Includes a destination area identification unit that identifies some of the aforementioned multiple areas as a destination area, An upper limit is set on the number of terminals associated with a single destination area. The game system according to claim 6.

8. Includes a virtual corresponding location display unit that performs processing to display, in a visible manner, a virtual corresponding location in the virtual world where at least one of the partitions and the inter-partition paths connecting the partitions, which are pre-configured within the virtual world, is located, and which is identified based on the user's real-world location information. The game system according to claim 1.

9. A method performed by one or more processors, The one or more processors perform a user location acquisition process to acquire user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's terminal in the real world, The one or more processors perform a virtual world acquisition process to acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world, The one or more processors perform a virtual location area identification process that identifies some of the multiple areas arranged in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user's real-world location information and associates them with the terminal. The one or more processors perform a virtual location area display process to make the virtual location area visible, The process includes, if one or more processors satisfy the first condition, identifying a portion of a partition other than the virtual location partition as an associateable partition that can be designated as the next virtual location partition, In the virtual location partition identification process, if the one or more processors satisfy the second condition, which includes conditions relating to the relationship between the user's actual location information and the associated partition, they associate the partition identified as the associated partition with the terminal as the virtual location partition. The one or more processors, when at least a portion of the plurality of partitions is associated with event information indicating an event progressing in the game, and when the partition identified as the virtual location partition is associated with the event information, further execute an event execution process that executes an event based on the event information. The first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition, The one or more processors include a destination partition identification process that identifies some of the partitions among the plurality of partitions as destination partitions, In the process for identifying the associated partition, if the one or more processors satisfy the third condition, they identify the destination partition as the associated partition. The aforementioned event is performed in response to the destination parcel being identified as the virtual location parcel. For the user and other users associated with the user whose destination area is first identified as the virtual location area, an event is performed that has a more advantageous effect on the game's progress compared to the user whose destination area is next identified. method.

10. One or more processors, A user location acquisition process that obtains user real-world location information indicating the location of the user's device in the real world, The virtual world acquisition process acquires a virtual world that corresponds to the aforementioned real world, A virtual location area identification process that identifies some of the multiple areas placed in the virtual world as virtual location areas based on the user's real-world location information and associates them with the terminal, A virtual location area display process that performs a process to make the virtual location area visible, If the first condition is met, the system will perform an associateable partition identification process, which identifies a portion of a partition other than the said virtual location partition as an associateable partition that can be designated as the next said virtual location partition. In the virtual location area identification process, if the second condition, which includes conditions relating to the relationship between the user's actual location information and the associated area, is met, the area identified as the associated area is associated with the terminal as the virtual location area. The one or more processors: At least some of the aforementioned multiple sections are associated with event information indicating an event progressing within the game, and when the section identified as the virtual location section is associated with the event information, an event execution process is further executed to perform an event based on that event information. The first condition includes the user performing an operation to identify the associated partition, The one or more processors: Further, a destination area identification process is performed to identify some of the aforementioned multiple areas as the destination area. In the process for identifying the associated area, if the third condition is met, the destination area is identified as the associated area. The aforementioned event is performed in response to the destination parcel being identified as the virtual location parcel. For the user and other users associated with the user whose destination area is first identified as the virtual location area, an event is performed that has a more advantageous effect on the game's progress compared to the user whose destination area is next identified. program.

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