Character control device and character control method

Abstract

The present invention deepens a user's interest in a character in a virtual space or interest in the virtual space.　A character control device 10 includes: an acquisition unit 11 for acquiring assessment information including information indicating a user's actions related to shopping; an assessment unit 12 for assessing the user's degree of shopping expertise, on the basis of the assessment information acquired by the acquisition unit 11; and a determination unit 13 for determining an attribute of a character related to the user in a virtual space, on the basis of the assessment result from the assessment unit 12.

Description

Character control device and character control method

[0001] The present invention relates to a character control device and a character control method for a character in a virtual space.

[0002] There are known techniques for raising characters in a virtual space. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for automatically growing or changing a virtual character provided to a user terminal based on data such as the user's behavior.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-346216

[0004] According to the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user's actions can be reflected in a character in a virtual space, making the user more interested in the character or the virtual space that the character is in. However, there is a need to further make the user more interested in the character in the virtual space or the virtual space.

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a character control device and a character control method that can enable a user to deepen their interest in characters within a virtual space or in the virtual space itself.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a character control device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that acquires judgment information including information indicating a user's shopping behavior, a judgment unit that judges the user's shopping skill level based on the judgment information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a determination unit that determines the attributes of a character related to the user in a virtual space based on the judgment result by the judgment unit.

[0007] According to the character control device of one embodiment of the present invention, the character associated with the user can be made to correspond to the user's shopping skill level, thereby deepening the user's interest in the character in the virtual space or in the virtual space itself.

[0008] Incidentally, one embodiment of the present invention can be described not only as an invention of a character control device as described above, but also as an invention of a character control method as described below. These are essentially the same invention, just in different categories, and have similar functions and effects.

[0009] That is, a character control method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition step in which the character control device acquires judgment information including information indicating the user's shopping behavior, a judgment step in which the character control device judges the user's shopping skill level based on the judgment information acquired in the acquisition step, and a determination step in which the character control device determines attributes of a character related to the user in a virtual space based on the judgment result in the judgment step.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to make a user deepen his or her interest in a character in a virtual space or in the virtual space itself.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a character control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of determination information acquired by a character control device. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of determination information acquired by a character control device. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a character control method which is processing executed by a character control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a character control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Hereinafter, a character control device and a character control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a character control device 10 according to this embodiment. The character control device 10 is a device (system) that determines the attributes of characters in a virtual space. The character control device 10 also reflects (controls) the determined attributes in the characters. The virtual space in which the characters whose attributes are to be determined exist is realized by a computer prepared by the provider of the virtual space.

[0014] For example, a virtual space is as follows: The virtual space is used by a user (player). The user accesses the virtual space (a computer that realizes the virtual space) using an information processing device (for example, a smart device such as a smartphone or smart glasses, or a PC (personal computer)). The information processing device outputs in a format that can be recognized by the user, such as a display corresponding to the virtual space.

[0015] The virtual space may be for a game. For example, a game is one in which a user controls a character and fights against another user's character or other enemies. This embodiment will be described using this example. However, the game does not have to be the above-mentioned type, and it may be any game in which a character related to the user exists in the virtual space.

[0016] The character whose attributes are to be determined is, for example, a character in a virtual space that is operated (used) by a user. The character may be the user's avatar. The character has an attribute to be determined. The attribute is, for example, the ability value (parameter) of the character. The ability value of the character is related to the game, and is, for example, attack power, defense power, hit points (HP), and magic points (MP). The attribute may also be, for example, the appearance of the character. The attribute to be determined may also be something other than the above, as long as it is related to the character.

[0017] The virtual space in which the above-mentioned characters exist may be, for example, a conventional metaverse or a virtual space for games. The virtual space and characters may also be other than those described above. The virtual space may be one in which characters whose attributes are to be determined by the character control device 10 can exist. In other words, the virtual space may be one used for purposes other than games. The characters may have attributes that are determined by the character control device 10.

[0018] The character control device 10 is configured by a computer such as a PC or a server device. The character control device 10 may be configured by multiple computers. The character control device 10 may be able to send and receive information to and from other devices via a network in order to obtain information necessary to realize functions. The character control device 10 may also be a computer that realizes a virtual space.

[0019] The character control device 10 determines the degree of skill of the user in shopping based on the determination information including information indicating the user's shopping behavior. The character control device 10 determines the attributes of a character associated with the user in the virtual space based on the determination result. For example, if the user is determined to be a good shopper, the character attributes are determined to give the user an advantage in the game.

[0020] In this way, the character associated with the user can be made to correspond to the user's shopping skill level. That is, the character can be developed according to the user's shopping behavior. As a result, the user can deepen his or her interest in the character in the virtual space or in the virtual space itself. For example, the user can enjoy developing the character according to the shopping experience.

[0021] Next, the functions of the character control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG.

[0022] The acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that acquires information for determination including information indicating the user's shopping behavior. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire information indicating the user's shopping history as the information indicating the behavior. The acquisition unit 11 may further acquire information indicating the user's shopping plan as the information for determination. The acquisition unit 11 may further acquire information related to points related to the shopping as the information indicating the user's shopping history. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire information indicating the user's behavior before shopping as the information indicating the behavior.

[0023] The information for determination acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is information used to determine the degree of a user's shopping skill. The information for determination includes information indicating the user's shopping behavior. The shopping may be shopping in real space (real shopping), shopping in virtual space, or a combination of both. Being a good shopper means, for example, shopping at low prices, buying only what is necessary and not buying unnecessary items, or shopping according to plan. Being a good shopper may also mean something other than the above.

[0024] The determination information is, for example, information indicating when, what, and for how much a user purchased, as well as the user's behavior before and during shopping. FIG. 2 shows an example of the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The determination information shown in FIG. 2 relates to online shopping in which a user purchased a product or service (hereinafter also referred to as a product, etc.) from an online sales site. The online sales site may be a store in a virtual space (e.g., the metaverse). The determination information may also relate to the user's purchase of a product, etc. at an actual store. The determination information is information associated with a user. As shown in FIG. 2, the determination information is associated with information such as date and time, purchased product / service, amount, accumulated points, whether or not points were used, number of product views, and time elapsed from the first view to purchase.

[0025] The date and time is information indicating the time when the user purchased the product, etc., and in this example, it is information of the date, hour, and minute. The purchased product / service is information indicating the product or service purchased by the user, and in this example, it is the product name or service name. The amount is information indicating the amount of the product, etc. purchased by the user.

[0026] The points accumulation and whether or not points have been used are information related to points. The points may be those of a conventional point program. For example, points can be applied to the purchase price or exchanged for merchandise after being awarded. The points accumulation is information indicating whether or not points have been accumulated by purchasing merchandise, etc. The point utilization is information indicating whether or not the user has utilized the points accumulated to purchase merchandise, etc.

[0027] The number of product views is information indicating the number of products, etc., whose information the user viewed on the sales site at the time of purchasing the product, etc. (e.g., the number of pages of the product, etc., accessed by the user). The number of products, etc. may also be the number of products, etc., related to the product, etc. purchased by the user (e.g., the number of products, etc., in a similar genre). The period from first viewing to purchase is information indicating the period from the first viewing of the product, etc., by the user on the sales site to the purchase of the product, etc., and in this example is information in hours and minutes.

[0028] 2 includes information indicating the user's shopping history (date and time, purchased products / services, amount, whether points have been accumulated and whether points have been used). The information indicating the user's shopping history also includes information related to points related to the purchase (whether points have been accumulated and whether points have been used). The information also includes information indicating the user's behavior before a purchase (number of product views and the time it took from the first view to purchase).

[0029] 2, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the determination information by, for example, requesting the determination information from a sales site system on the Internet and receiving the determination information from the system. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the determination information by any other method.

[0030] The determination information may also include, for example, information indicating the user's shopping plan. Fig. 3(a) shows an example of information indicating the user's shopping plan. This information is associated with the user. As shown in Fig. 3(b), this information is associated with information on budget and purpose.

[0031] The budget is information indicating the amount of money the user plans to spend for the corresponding purpose. The purpose is information indicating the purpose of the budget to be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the purposes include leisure, housing expenses, savings, etc. The purposes include those related to the user's shopping. The budget amount is, for example, in monthly or yearly units. That is, the information shown in FIG. 3(a) is information on a monthly plan or yearly plan.

[0032] In this case, the determination information includes information on actual results against the plan. FIG. 3(b) shows an example of determination information including actual results information. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the determination information associates actual results information with a budget and a use. The actual results are information indicating the amount actually used by the user for the corresponding use. The actual amount is for the same period as the budget amount, for example, on a monthly or annual basis.

[0033] When the determination information is similar to the example shown in FIG. 3 , the acquisition unit 11 acquires the determination information by, for example, receiving it from the user's terminal. That is, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the determination information through user registration. Specifically, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire plan information shown in FIG. 3(a) before the target period and acquire actual results information shown in FIG. 3(b) after the target period. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information including both the plan and actual results shown in FIG. 3(b) after the target period. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the determination information shown in FIG. 2 and generate and acquire the actual results information shown in FIG. 3(b) (which may be a portion of the actual results) from the acquired determination information. For example, each purchased product / service may be associated with its intended purpose in advance, and the acquisition unit 11 may tally up the amounts for each intended purpose from the determination information shown in FIG. 2 to obtain actual results information. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the determination information by any other method.

[0034] The acquisition unit 11 may acquire other information for determination as long as the information indicates the user's shopping behavior and can be used to determine the user's shopping skill. The acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired information for determination to the determination unit 12.

[0035] The determination unit 12 is a functional unit that determines the degree of shopping skill of the user based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The determination unit 12 determines the degree of shopping skill of the user, for example, as follows.

[0036] The determination unit 12 determines the degree of shopping skill of the user as a numerical value of shopping skill. For example, the larger the numerical value of shopping skill, the better the user is at shopping. However, the determination unit 12 may determine the degree of shopping skill of the user using a value other than a numerical value.

[0037] The determination unit 12 receives the determination information from the acquisition unit 11. The determination unit 12 stores in advance determination criteria for determining the user's shopping skill level based on the determination information, and makes a determination using the determination criteria. For example, the determination criteria may include a shopping skill level set in advance for each content of the determination information.

[0038] For example, the determination unit 12 determines the shopping skill level from the input determination information based on (1) criteria related to planning, (2) criteria related to payment methods, and (3) criteria related to actions leading up to a purchase. (1) The criteria related to planning are, for example, (i) whether the purchase was within the planned budget (e.g., monthly or yearly plan). (2) The criteria related to payment methods are, for example, (i) criteria related to point utilization (e.g., whether points are utilized) and (ii) criteria related to point accumulation (e.g., whether the user is shopping at a store where points can be accumulated). (3) The criteria related to actions leading up to a purchase are, for example, (i) criteria related to product / service comparison (whether the user browses multiple products or services and then makes a purchase). Any of the above criteria (1) to (3) may be used for the determination, or a combination of these may be used for the determination.

[0039] (1) An example of a judgment using a criterion related to planning will be described. In this case, the judgment information shown in FIG. 3B is used. If the actual amount is 10% lower than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as +10. If the actual amount is 20% lower than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as +20. If the actual amount is 10% higher than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as -10. If the actual amount is 20% higher than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as -20. In this way, if the actual amount is lower than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges the user to be a good shopper, and if the actual amount is higher than the budget, the judgment unit 12 judges the user to be a bad shopper.

[0040] The determination unit 12 may perform the above determination for, for example, a predetermined use (e.g., a use with "free"). For the use with "free" in the determination information shown in FIG. 3B, the actual amount is 20% lower than the budget amount, so the shopping skill level is determined to be +20. Alternatively, the determination unit 12 may perform the above determination for each use or for the total of multiple uses.

[0041] (2) An example of a judgment using criteria related to a payment method will be described. In this case, the judgment information shown in FIG. 2 is used. When a user accumulates points, for example, when the user has accumulated points for a predetermined number or percentage of purchases, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level to be +10. When a user uses points, for example, when the user has used points for a predetermined number or percentage of purchases, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level to be +10.

[0042] Alternatively, when the acquisition unit 11 acquires information on the plan and actual point accumulation as the information for evaluation, the evaluation unit 12 may evaluate the shopping skill level as follows: If the user accumulates 10% more points than planned, the evaluation unit 12 evaluates (determines) the shopping skill level as +10. If the user accumulates 20% more points than planned, the evaluation unit 12 evaluates (determines) the shopping skill level as +20.

[0043] Furthermore, when information on the plan and actual point usage is acquired by the acquisition unit 11 as the information for determination, the determination unit 12 may determine the shopping skill level as follows: If the user uses 10% more points than planned, the determination unit 12 determines (determines) the shopping skill level as +10 or -10. If the user uses 20% more points than planned, the determination unit 12 determines (determines) the shopping skill level as +20 or -20. In this way, if the accumulation or usage of points is appropriate, the determination unit 12 determines that the user is a good shopper, and if the accumulation or usage of points is inappropriate, the determination unit 12 determines that the user is not a good shopper.

[0044] (3) An example of a judgment using criteria related to behavior leading up to a purchase will be described. In this case, the judgment information shown in FIG. 2 is used. If the number of product views is greater than a preset reference value, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level according to the number of product views. For example, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as +(number of product views - reference value). For example, if the number of product views exceeds the reference value by 10 times, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as +10. If the number of product views exceeds the reference value by 20 times, the judgment unit 12 judges (determines) the shopping skill level as +20. In this way, if the user's behavior before shopping is appropriate, for example, if the user refers to a lot of information about other products, etc. before purchasing a product, etc., as described above, the judgment unit 12 judges the user to be a good shopper.

[0045] The determination unit 12 may perform a determination other than the above as long as it determines the degree of shopping skill of the user based on the determination information. The determination unit 12 outputs information indicating the degree of shopping skill of the user, for example, the shopping skill level, to the determination unit 13.

[0046] The determination unit 13 is a functional unit that determines the attributes of a character related to the user in the virtual space based on the determination result by the determination unit 12. The determination unit 13 may determine the ability value of the character as the character's attribute. The determination unit 13 may also determine the appearance of the character as the character's attribute. For example, the determination unit 13 determines the character's attribute as follows.

[0047] The determination unit 13 inputs information indicating the user's shopping skill level, for example, shopping skill level, from the determination unit 12. The determination unit 13 pre-stores determination criteria for determining the attributes of a character based on the shopping skill level, and makes a determination using the determination criteria. The determination unit 13 pre-stores a correspondence relationship between a user whose shopping skill level is to be determined and a character whose attributes are to be determined, i.e., a character operated by the user. The determination unit 13 determines the attributes of a character corresponding to the input shopping skill level based on the correspondence relationship.

[0048] For example, the determination unit 13 determines ability values ​​(e.g., attack power, defense power, HP, and MP) of a character that reflect the shopping skill level. For example, if the shopping skill level is +10, the determination unit 13 increases the attack power of the corresponding character by +10. When the determination unit 12 determines the shopping skill level for each criterion (e.g., the above-mentioned (1) criterion related to planning ability, (2) criterion related to payment method, and (3) criterion related to actions leading up to purchase), the determination unit 13 may determine an ability value of a type that is preset for each criterion according to the shopping skill level.

[0049] The determination unit 13 may also determine the ability value of a character based on information other than the shopping skill determined by the determination unit 12. The information other than the shopping skill may be, for example, information indicating the number of points held by the user or savings. When using information other than the shopping skill, the determination unit 13 acquires the information. The information may be acquired by a conventional method. For example, (1) if the shopping skill based on the standard related to planning is +10 and the user has accumulated points or saved more than a preset threshold, the character's attack power is increased. The threshold may be set by the user or an administrator of the character control device 10. Alternatively, the threshold may be set according to the character whose attributes are to be determined (for example, according to the character's level or strength).

[0050] Furthermore, the determination unit 13 may determine the attributes of the character, for example, the ability values ​​of the character, based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. In this case, the acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired determination information to the determination unit 13, and the determination unit 13 inputs the determination information from the acquisition unit 11. Note that the determination information used to determine the attributes of the character may or may not be used in the determination by the determination unit 12.

[0051] For example, if the user accumulates points by shopping, the determination unit 13 may add to the character's ability value (e.g., HP) according to the accumulated points. If the user uses points by shopping or if the user's points have expired, the determination unit 13 may subtract from the character's ability value (e.g., HP) according to the used points.

[0052] Furthermore, when the user's savings increase, the determination unit 13 may increase the character's ability value (e.g., HP). When the user uses his / her savings for shopping, the determination unit 13 may decrease the character's ability value (e.g., HP) in accordance with the amount of savings used.

[0053] Furthermore, the determination unit 13 may determine the appearance of the character so as to reflect the shopping skill level. For example, the determination unit 13 stores in advance a correspondence relationship between the shopping skill level and the character's appearance, and determines the character's appearance using the correspondence relationship.

[0054] The determination unit 13 may also determine the character's appearance based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. When a user purchases a sports-related product using an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 13 determines the character's appearance to be sporty. When a user purchases an anime-related product using an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 13 determines the character's appearance to be the appearance of a character related to the anime. The threshold may be calculated from a planned budget and actual results. For example, the threshold may be set to 20% of the freely available amount. The threshold may also be determined depending on whether the purchase is made during a campaign period. The threshold may also be set by the user or an administrator of the character control device 10. Alternatively, the threshold may be set depending on the character whose attributes are to be determined (for example, depending on the character's level or strength).

[0055] The determination unit 13 may make a determination other than the above, as long as it determines the attributes of the character related to the user in the virtual space based on the determination result by the determination unit 12.

[0056] The determination unit 13 reflects the determined character attributes in a character associated with the user in the virtual space. For example, the determination unit 13 transmits the determined character attributes to the virtual space and a computer that realizes the character in the virtual space, and reflects the attributes in the character. In this way, the determination unit 13 controls the character associated with the user in the virtual space. The determination unit 13 may control the character using the determined character attributes in a manner other than the above. The functions of the character control device 10 according to this embodiment have been described above.

[0057] Next, a character control method, which is a process executed by the character control device 10 according to this embodiment (a method of operation performed by the character control device 10), will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 4. In this process, first, the acquisition unit 11 acquires determination information including information indicating the user's shopping behavior (S01, acquisition step). Next, the determination unit 12 determines the user's shopping skill level based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S02, determination step). Next, the determination unit 13 determines attributes of a character associated with the user in the virtual space based on the determination result by the determination unit 12, and reflects these attributes on the character associated with the user in the virtual space (S03, determination step). This completes the character control method, which is a process executed by the character control device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0058] According to this embodiment, the character associated with the user can be made to correspond to the user's shopping skill level, which can deepen the user's interest in the character in the virtual space or the virtual space itself.

[0059] As in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information indicating the user's shopping history as the information indicating the behavior of the determination information. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably and appropriately determine the degree of skill of the user in shopping, and as a result, it is possible to reliably and appropriately determine the attributes of the character related to the user.

[0060] As in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 may further acquire information indicating the user's shopping plan as the determination information. With this configuration, it is possible to determine the user's shopping skill level taking into account the shopping plan. As a result, it is possible to determine the attributes of the character based on the shopping plan.

[0061] As in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information related to points earned from shopping as information indicating the user's shopping history. This configuration allows the user's shopping skill level to be determined taking into account the points earned from shopping. As a result, the attributes of the character can be determined based on the points earned from shopping.

[0062] As in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information indicating the user's pre-shopping behavior as the information indicating the behavior of the determination information. With this configuration, it is possible to determine the user's shopping skill level taking into account the user's pre-shopping behavior. As a result, it is possible to determine the character's attributes based on the user's pre-shopping behavior. However, the determination information need not necessarily be the above information, as long as it includes information indicating the user's shopping behavior.

[0063] As in the present embodiment, the determination unit 13 may determine the ability value of the character as the character's attribute. As in the present embodiment, the determination unit 13 may determine the character's appearance as the character's attribute. These configurations can make the user more interested in the characters in the virtual space or in the virtual space itself. However, the determined character attributes do not necessarily have to be those described above.

[0064] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining software with the single device or multiple devices.

[0065] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0066] For example, the character control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the information processing of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the character control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The character control device 10 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0067] In the following description, the term "device" may be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the character control device 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the diagram, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

[0068] Each function of the character control device 10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0069] The processor 1001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. For example, each function of the character control device 10 described above may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0070] The processor 1001 also reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, each function of the character control device 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0071] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured, for example, by at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for performing information processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The storage medium provided in character control device 10 may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0073] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0074] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0075] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0076] The character control device 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0077] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0078] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0079] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0080] The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0081] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0082] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0083] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0084] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0085] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

[0086] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0087] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0088] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0089] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0090] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0091] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0092] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0093] The character control device and character control method disclosed herein have the following configuration. [1] A character control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information for determination including information indicative of a user's shopping behavior; a determination unit that determines a degree of shopping skill of the user based on the information for determination acquired by the acquisition unit; and a determination unit that determines attributes of a character associated with the user in a virtual space based on the determination result by the determination unit. [2] The character control device according to [1], wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicative of the user's shopping history as the information indicative of the behavior. [3] The character control device according to [2], wherein the acquisition unit further acquires information indicative of the user's shopping plan as the information for determination. [4] The character control device according to [2] or [3], wherein the acquisition unit acquires information relating to points related to the shopping as the information indicative of the user's shopping history. [5] The character control device according to any of [1] to [4], wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicative of the user's behavior before shopping as the information indicative of the behavior. [6] The character control device according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the determination unit determines an ability value of the character as an attribute of the character. [7] The character control device according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the determination unit determines an appearance of the character as an attribute of the character. [8] A character control method including: an acquisition step in which the character control device acquires information for determination including information indicating a user's shopping behavior; a determination step in which the character control device determines a degree of skill of the user at shopping based on the information for determination acquired in the acquisition step; and a determination unit in which the character control device determines attributes of a character related to the user in a virtual space based on a determination result in the determination step.

[0094] 10...character control device, 11...acquisition unit, 12...determination unit, 13...decision unit, 1001...processor, 1002...memory, 1003...storage, 1004...communication device, 1005...input device, 1006...output device, 1007...bus.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires determination information including information indicating the user's actions related to shopping; a determination unit that determines the proficiency level of the user's shopping based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a determination unit that determines the attributes of the character related to the user in the virtual space based on the determination result by the determination unit. A character control device comprising:

2. The character control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicating the user's shopping history as the information indicating the actions.

3. The character control device according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit further acquires information indicating the user's shopping plan as the determination information.

4. The character control device according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information related to points regarding the shopping as the information indicating the user's shopping history.

5. The character control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicating the user's actions before shopping as the information indicating the actions.

6. The character control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the ability value of the character as the attribute of the character.

7. The character control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the appearance of the character as the attribute of the character.

8. A character control method including: an acquisition step in which a character control device acquires determination information including information indicating the user's actions related to shopping; a determination step in which the character control device determines the proficiency level of the user's shopping based on the determination information acquired in the acquisition step; and a determination step in which the character control device determines the attributes of the character related to the user in the virtual space based on the determination result in the determination step.

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