Game device, program, and game system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an electronic game that is highly entertaining while maintaining a worldview involving collaborative content. [Solution] A game device for executing a game in which characters appear comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring character information relating to characters appearing in a game executed in another game device, the character information including information pertaining to game elements associated with the characters; a classification means for classifying characters corresponding to character information acquired by the acquisition means on the basis of the game elements associated with the characters; and a display control means for displaying the characters corresponding to the character information in areas of the game. The classification means classifies characters corresponding to the character information into first characters associated with game elements related to prescribed content and second characters not associated with game elements related to the prescribed content. The display control means displays the first characters and the second characters in different areas of the game.

Description

Game device, program and game system

[0001] The present invention relates to a game device, a program, and a game system, and more particularly to an electronic game that involves the display of a character.

[0002] There is a game device that displays a plurality of characters being developed by other users together with the items they are equipped with (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent No. 7330407

[0004] In recent years, collaboration projects involving tie-ups between various content items (so-called collaboration projects) have become commonplace in electronic games. In collaboration projects, characters from other content items and items related to the other content items are implemented, allowing users to use elements of these collaboration content items in addition to elements of the content items initially implemented in the electronic game. From the perspective of expanding the user base, it is preferable to implement such collaboration projects multiple times at different times and target various content items. Therefore, users can use and develop characters and the like that incorporate elements of various collaboration content items on their respective game devices.

[0005] However, as the number of collaboration projects increases, elements of multiple types of collaboration content may be mixed together when characters being developed by other users are displayed in a predetermined area as in Patent Document 1. Such a display format may disrupt the unique worldview of the content.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a game device, a program, and a game system that provide a highly entertaining electronic game while maintaining the worldview of collaboration content.

[0007] A game device of one embodiment of the present invention is a game device that executes a game in which characters appear, and is equipped with an acquisition means that acquires character information about a character that appears in a game executed on another game device, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character, a classification means that classifies the character corresponding to the character information acquired by the acquisition means based on the game elements associated with the character, and a display control means that displays the character corresponding to the character information in an area during the game, wherein the classification means classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character that is associated with a game element related to a specified content and a second character that is not associated with a game element related to the specified content, and the display control means displays the first character and the second character in different areas during the game.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a game device that executes a game in which characters appear, and is equipped with an acquisition means for acquiring character information regarding a character that appears in a game executed on another game device, the character information including information on game elements associated with the character, and a display control means for displaying a character corresponding to the character information in an area during the game, the area during the game including a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with the predetermined content, and the display control means controls the first character associated with game elements related to the predetermined content to be displayed in the first area but not in the second area, and controls the second character not associated with game elements related to the predetermined content to be displayed in the second area but not in the first area.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly entertaining electronic game while maintaining the worldview of the collaboration content.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a game system according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a server 200 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a warning screen when downloading data related to DLC according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an interaction game according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 6 is another diagram for explaining an interaction game according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed when using a function related to DLC in an interaction game according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention;

[0011] [Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] In the embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to a game device capable of executing a game in which a user trains a character (hereinafter referred to as a training game), as an example of a game device. However, the present invention can be applied to any device capable of displaying characters associated with game elements related to multiple types of content during a game.

[0013] <Gaming System Configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in the gaming system, a gaming device 100 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with other gaming devices 100 and a server 200. As will be described in detail below, the gaming device 100 is configured to be capable of communication using two types of communication methods, and different communication methods are used to transmit and receive information when communicating with other gaming devices 100 and when communicating with the server 200. As shown in the figure, communication between the gaming device 100 and the server 200 is performed via an access point (AP) 300 and a network 400, which differs from communication performed directly between the gaming devices 100. In this embodiment, the network 400 is described as a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet to enable interaction between users located in various regions, but in another embodiment, it may be a LAN.

[0014] In this embodiment, the game device 100 is configured as a portable toy and operates using power supplied from a battery (not shown). Therefore, information is transmitted and received between the game device 100 and the server 200 via the AP 300 by wireless communication. The game device 100 is equipped with a terminal (not shown) that can be connected to a power source, and is configured to be able to charge the battery by electrically connecting a commercial power source or the like to the terminal via a power supply cable.

[0015] <Hardware Configuration of Game Device> Next, the hardware configuration of the game device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the game device 100.

[0016] The control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU, and performs various controls including operational control of each piece of hardware included in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 performs the relevant controls by, for example, reading out a necessary program stored in the storage device 102, expanding it into the memory 103, and executing it. The control unit 101 also has a built-in clock and is configured to be able to obtain the current time.

[0017] The storage device 102 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory. The storage device 102 stores programs related to the operation of the game device 100, programs for the training game executed on the game device 100, and information on parameters required for implementing various controls. The storage device 102 also functions as a database of various data related to the training game (character DB 121 and item DB 122). The memory 103 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 may be used not only as a development area for each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

[0018] The character DB 121 is a database that manages, as records, information (character information) about characters that can be trained in a training game. In the training game executed on the game device 100 of this embodiment, a user can train a character that grows through multiple growth stages. The character is configured so that its appearance changes with each growth stage. The character DB 121 manages, as records, various information about each possible appearance that a character can have at each growth stage. As shown in FIG. 11( a), for example, the character information for one record is associated with a character ID 1101 that uniquely identifies the character (its appearance), and includes graphics information 1102 for drawing the character's appearance, a growth stage 1103 indicating the growth stage at which the character will have that appearance, and growth destination information 1104 indicating the possible appearances the character can grow from that appearance. The growth destination information 1104 may store information about the corresponding character ID 1101.

[0019] As will be described in more detail below, the character information also includes a content ID 1105 that indicates the content with which the character is associated. In the training game, characters related to content that is initially set in the game device 100 (content installed in the game device 100 at the time of factory shipment; hereinafter referred to as fixed content) basically appear as the target to be trained, but characters related to additional content that is different from the content can also appear. In other words, the training game is configured so that characters related to multiple types of content can appear, for example, through a software update. The content ID 1105 is information that can uniquely identify the content to which each character is related from among such multiple types of content.

[0020] The item DB 122 is a database that manages, as records, information (item information) about items that can be worn by characters in a character training game. In the character training game executed on the game device 100 of this embodiment, characters being trained can be equipped with items. The items may be, for example, items that can be acquired within the character training game or may be acquired by purchasing a specific product as downloadable content (DLC), etc. As described above, the appearance of a character changes with each growth stage, and the number of items that can be worn increases as the character progresses through the growth stages. As shown in FIG. 11B , for example, the item information for one record in the item DB 122 includes, in association with an item ID 1111 that uniquely identifies the item, graphics information 1112 for depicting the appearance of the item, an attachment location 1113 indicating the part of the character on which the item can be worn, an attachment stage 1114 indicating the growth stage at which the item can be worn, and item attributes 1115 indicating the attributes attached to the item.

[0021] Similarly to the character information, the item information also includes a content ID 1116 that uniquely identifies the content with which the item is associated. In a training game, items related to fixed content are basically made available for use, but items related to additional content that is different from the fixed content may also be made available for use. The content ID 1116 is information that can uniquely identify the content to which each item is related from among such multiple types of content.

[0022] The GPU 104 is a drawing device that executes various drawing processes related to the generation of display screens for the game device 100. The GPU 104 includes a GPU memory (not shown), expands various graphics data read from the storage device 102, and performs predetermined calculations to generate various images (screens) related to the training game. The screens and images generated by the GPU 104 are presented to the user by being displayed on, for example, a display 110 provided in the game device 100. The display 110 is a device provided in the game device 100 that displays information, such as a liquid crystal display.

[0023] Operation I / F 105 is a user interface provided in game device 100 that accepts operation input. When operation I / F 105 detects that an operation input has been made, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to control unit 101. In one aspect, operation I / F 105 includes, for example, operation members such as buttons provided on the exterior of game device 100, various sensors, etc. Furthermore, in an aspect in which display 110 is configured to be able to detect touch input, operation I / F 105 includes a touch input detection sensor provided on display 110.

[0024] The communication I / F 106 is a communication interface provided to the game device 100 for communication with external devices. As described above, the game device 100 of this embodiment communicates wirelessly with other devices using two communication methods. One communication method is ad hoc mode communication (hereinafter referred to as ad hoc communication), in which one of the game device 100 and another game device 100 acts as a host and the other device connects to it, and information is exchanged directly between the devices, without the need for the game device 100 to be connected to an AP 300. The other communication method is infrastructure mode communication (hereinafter referred to as infrastructure communication), in which each game device 100 connects to its associated AP 300, and information is exchanged between the game device 100 and the server 200 via the AP 300 and the network 400. Note that in this embodiment, the two communication methods available to the communication I / F 106 are described as ad hoc communication and infrastructure communication, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this and may, of course, include other types of communication.

[0025] 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 200 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the hardware configuration that realizes the same functions as the game device 100 will be prefixed with the word "server" to clearly distinguish it from the configuration of the game device 100.

[0026] The server control unit 201 is a processor such as a CPU, and controls the operation of each piece of hardware included in the server 200, and performs control related to the realization of various functions including user management and interaction functions related to the training game. Specifically, the server control unit 201 performs the relevant control by, for example, reading out necessary programs stored in the server storage device 202, expanding them into the server memory 203, and executing them.

[0027] The server storage device 202 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD. The server storage device 202 stores an operating system for operating the server 200 and programs related to matching, as well as parameter information and various necessary data required to realize various controls. The server storage device 202 also functions as a database for various data related to users of the game device 100. The server memory 203 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The server memory 203 may be used not only as a development area for each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

[0028] In the server 200 of this embodiment, the server storage device 202 also functions as a user DB 211, which is a database that manages information (user information) about each user who uses the game device 100. Details of the information managed in the database will be described later in association with an explanation of the functions that utilize each piece of information.

[0029] The server communication I / F 204 is a communication interface with an external device provided in the server 200. Information communication between the server communication I / F 204 and the external device may be performed via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or via a LAN or the like. Information communication performed by the server communication I / F 204 may be performed either wired or wirelessly.

[0030] <<Game Overview>> An overview of a game that provides a play experience on the game device 100 of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the game will be described as a character development game that provides, as entertainment elements, character development elements, communication elements between the user and the character, and interaction elements between the characters. However, a character development game is merely one type of game featuring characters, and the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to any game featuring characters whose behavior is controlled in response to operational inputs made by the user. Here, "control of behavior" is not limited to direct control of a character by the user, but also includes indirect changes in the character's actions and movements in response to changes in parameters or the environment as a result of an evaluation of the user's operational inputs.

[0031] In the breeding game, the user can breed a character by performing operational inputs related to the character's care. The breeding game starts, for example, by hatching an egg, and by sequentially performing operational inputs related to the necessary care, the character progresses through the growth stages, and the character's growth is presented as it changes appearance.

[0032] Here, the character at each growth stage is configured to have a predetermined appearance for that growth stage. In other words, in the raising game of this embodiment, the appearance that the character can have at each growth stage is predetermined, and the appearance that the character will have is determined depending on, for example, the selected egg and the care situation at the growth stage up to that point. As described above, the character's appearance is determined as graphics information 1102 in the character information registered in character DB 121.

[0033] Characters are configured to be able to wear items, and users can decorate their characters' appearances by wearing items acquired in the training game. The number of parts on which items can be worn increases as the character progresses through the growth stages, and only a limited number of parts can wear items until a certain growth stage is reached. The wearable parts may include, for example, the character's head, face, torso, legs, and hands, each of which may be configured to be able to wear hats, eyeglasses, clothing, shoes, accessories (belongings), etc.

[0034] That is, the user can train a character with an original appearance by equipping the character with desired items, and can therefore play a training game with a high degree of freedom that is not simply bound by the graphics information 1102 defined in the character information. In other words, the character's appearance defined in the graphics information 1102 corresponds to the base body of the character at each growth stage, and the user can have the exciting experience of training a character with a desired appearance by equipping the base body with items.

[0035] Operational inputs related to characters are not limited to those that directly control the character, such as operation inputs related to caring for the character or selecting items to equip the character, but may also include those that generate controls that indirectly affect the character, such as deciding which items to place in the character's living space or selecting which presents to give.

[0036] Furthermore, in the raising game of this embodiment, in order to allow the user to perceive the character as a living being, the character's behavior, etc. are configured to change not only according to the progression of its growth stage and state but also according to the time of day. For example, from 7:00 AM (wake-up time) to 7:14 AM, the character is controlled to behave as if waking up in the living room, including yawning, and from 7:15 AM to 7:29 AM, the character is controlled to behave as if getting ready in the morning, including brushing its teeth, in the bathroom. Furthermore, from 3:00 PM to 3:29 PM, the character is controlled to behave as if hungry in the living room, asking for a snack. Furthermore, from 30 minutes before a preset bedtime (e.g., 9:00 PM) to bedtime, the character is controlled to behave as if sleepy, including yawning, in the living room, and from bedtime to 6:59 AM the next morning, the character is controlled to move to the bedroom and behave as if getting ready for bed or going to sleep.

[0037] Such character behavior according to the time of day can be effective in regulating the daily rhythm of users, such as children, and in providing knowledge about raising living creatures. Furthermore, a character that is in a sleeping state is controlled to a state in which it does not accept any character-related operational inputs that would have been accepted in other states. In other words, even if an operational input is made to a character that is in a sleeping state, various controls related to the character are not performed in response to that operational input. This can prevent users from playing the raising game too much.

[0038] <Communication Elements> The training game is configured to allow characters trained by other users to appear by communicating with an external device, thereby providing an exciting element of character interaction in the game. To this end, the game device 100 acquires information about characters being trained by other users via the communication I / F 106. As described above, the communication I / F 106 is capable of communicating information using two types of communication methods, and can acquire information about characters using each method. More specifically, the communication I / F 106 acquires information about characters being trained on other game devices 100 via ad hoc communication from the other game devices 100. Furthermore, the communication I / F 106 acquires information about characters being trained on any game device 100 that has been connected to the server 200 via infrastructure communication from the server 200.

[0039] Hereinafter, a character being developed in the game device 100 will be referred to as a "own character," a character being developed in another game device 100 about which information is acquired from the other game device 100 via ad hoc communication will be referred to as a "friend character," and a character being developed in one of the game devices 100 connected to the server 200 about which information is acquired from the server 200 via infrastructure communication will be referred to as an "other user character," to clearly distinguish between the two. That is, the own character is a character whose movement is controlled in response to operational inputs by the user of the game device 100 in the development game executed on the game device 100. The friend character is a character whose movement is controlled in response to operational inputs by the user of the game device 100 in the development game executed on the other game device 100 connected via ad hoc communication. The other user character is a character whose movement is controlled in response to operational inputs by the user of the game device 100 in the development game executed on one of the game devices 100 connected to the server 200 via communication.

[0040] In the game system of this embodiment, so as to provide an element of excitement in which characters interact with each other even when game devices 100 are not directly connected to each other, information about characters being developed by each user of the game device 100 (development status) is included in the user information and managed by the server 200. In other words, by managing information about characters being developed by each user in the server 200, when a game device 100 connects to the server 200 via infrastructure communication, information about other users' characters can be transmitted to the game device 100. The user information is managed in the user DB 211 of the server 200 as described above, and one record in the user DB 211 holds various pieces of information about one user.

[0041] 11(c), the user information for one record in the user DB 211 is associated with a user ID 1121 that uniquely identifies the user, and includes a user nickname 1122 for the game that the user has set for himself or herself, a language setting 1123 that is set on the game device 100 used by the user, ghost information 1124 about a character that the user is developing on the game device 100, and purchase information 1125 that indicates the user's DLC purchase status. Here, the user ID 1121 can be, for example, unique information such as the individual identification number or MAC address of the game device 100 used by the user.

[0042] Furthermore, information relating to characters being developed on each game device 100 managed in user DB 211 indicates the state of the character being developed on game device 100 at the time the information is received, and when the information is used on server 200 or the like, it may be different from the character being developed on that game device 100. For this reason, in this embodiment, information relating to characters managed in user DB 211 is referred to as a "ghost," meaning a vestige of the character being developed at a certain point in time, and is managed as ghost information 1124.

[0043] In this embodiment, the ghost information 1124 includes, for the character being developed, a character ID 1131 indicating the appearance of the character, equipment information 1132 indicating the equipment status of items attached to the character, gender information 1133 indicating the gender of the character, parameters 1134 of the character that may vary depending on the development status, and introduction information 1135 indicating a profile set by the user specific to the character. In the example shown in the figure, the introduction information 1135 includes a character nickname 1141 set for the character being developed, a greeting 1142 that is displayed when the character is displayed on a game device 100 used by another user, and a virtual residence setting 1143 indicating the residence (area) of the character in the game.

[0044] From the viewpoint of ensuring the safety of communication between users, maintaining public order and morals, and reducing the amount of information to be managed by the server 200, the information included in the introduction information 1135 can be set by combining predetermined phrases (fixed phrases, fixed sentences) rather than being set uniquely by the user. Note that, in this embodiment, three types of information can be set as the introduction information 1135, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the introduction information 1135 may be configured to include at least one of these, or may be configured to include other information in addition to or instead of this.

[0045] That is, in the game system of this embodiment, a character being developed is associated with each user of the game device 100, and the association can be grasped from the user information. That is, in the user information, a user identified by the user ID 1121 and one character (ghost) indicated by the ghost information 1124 are managed in an associated state.

[0046] To enable each user to obtain information about a character being developed via infrastructure communication and reflect it in the user information, each game device 100 is configured to connect to the server 200 via infrastructure communication and upload information about the character being developed when a predetermined time condition is met, such as when a specific time arrives or when a specific time period is reached. Here, the predetermined time condition can be set to be met periodically, such as once a day. The uploaded information about the character being developed is used to update the ghost information 1124 of the user information managed for the user. Therefore, the game device 100 is configured to periodically upload to the server 200, among the information included in the user information, the user ID, language setting, and ghost information about the character being developed. This information uploaded to the server 200 is stored, for example, in the storage device 102 of the game device 100 and is sequentially updated according to the progress of the development game (development status of the character being developed) being executed on the game device 100.

[0047] Furthermore, when uploading information about the player's character, each game device 100 acquires information about other users' characters from the server 200 for use in the social game described below. More specifically, when uploading information about the player's character, the game device 100 also transmits to the server 200 a request to acquire information about other users' characters. Upon receiving the acquisition request from each game device 100, the server 200 randomly selects a predetermined number (e.g., 10 records) from the user information of users other than the user of that game device 100, which is managed in the user DB 211. The server 200 then transmits the selected predetermined number of pieces of user information to that game device 100 as information about other users' characters.

[0048] When information about a predetermined number of other user characters is received via infrastructure communication, the control unit 101 registers the information in the other user list. Here, the other user list is a list that manages information for displaying other user characters in the social game, and is stored in the storage device 102, for example.

[0049] On the other hand, information about the friend character is acquired from the other game device 100 on the condition that the user has performed an operation input to communicate with the other game device 100. At this time, the game device 100 also transmits information about the player's character to the other game device 100 with which it is communicating.

[0050] In the game system of this embodiment, the information about other user characters and the information about friend characters will be described as having the same data structure as the user information shown in Figure 11(c). However, infrastructure communication is not a method in which face-to-face users simultaneously communicate with each other's game devices 100, as in ad hoc communication, and directly transmits and receives information. It is therefore possible that the users of the game devices 100 to which information is transmitted are not acquaintances or friends. For this reason, the information about other user characters may be configured to not include some of the user information, such as the user nickname 1122, that could lead to the identification of individual users.

[0051] When information about a friend character is received via ad-hoc communication, the control unit 101 registers the information together with information about the date and time of reception in the friend list. The friend list is a list that manages information for displaying friend characters in the social game, and is stored in the storage device 102, for example.

[0052] Furthermore, the friend list and the other user list have different update conditions. In this embodiment, the friend list is configured to manage information about friend characters associated with up to eight users who have communicated via ad hoc communication. When the control unit 101 receives information about a friend character via ad hoc communication, it determines whether information about the same friend character is already registered in the friend list. This determination can be made, for example, by checking whether information having the same user ID is registered in the friend list based on the user ID included in the received information. If information about the same friend character is already registered, the control unit 101 updates the information about the same friend character registered in the friend list with the newly received information. This allows users who have previously engaged in ad hoc communication to update their information about characters (friend characters) they are developing to the latest information. Furthermore, if information about the same friend character is not registered, the control unit 101 adds the newly received information to the friend list. At this time, if information about up to eight friend characters is already registered in the friend list, the control unit 101 replaces the oldest information registered in the friend list with the newly received information, thereby registering the new friend character in the friend list.

[0053] On the other hand, the other user list is configured to be able to manage information about a predetermined number of other user characters received from the server 200. When the control unit 101 receives information about a predetermined number of other user characters through infrastructure communication, it registers the information in the other user list by replacing all information currently registered in the other user list with the received information. That is, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, all information in the other user list is updated every time infrastructure communication is performed. This is because, unlike friend characters, other user characters are not characters related to acquaintances or friends, and therefore do not need to be retained for a long period of time, and frequent updates can provide the user with the excitement of playing a game with many other users.

[0054] In order to provide all users with an element of excitement in the social game, even in the initial state of the game device 100, such as when it is shipped from the factory, an other user list is stored in the storage device 102, in which information on default characters (not characters trained by any user, but pre-established NPCs (Non-Player Characters)) is registered. Therefore, information on the AP 300 and the like is registered in the game device 100, and the registered contents of the other user list are updated with the information each time information on other user characters is acquired through infrastructure communication thereafter.

[0055] Expansion via DLC In this embodiment, the game device 100 is configured to execute a training game related to fixed content. That is, a user who owns the game device 100 can basically play a training game featuring characters from a single fixed content (work). While the training game related to the fixed content may be updated with additional features and characters through subsequent updates, these are merely additional elements related to the fixed content or content related to the fixed content (hereinafter referred to as related content). Here, related content refers to content that has a relationship with the fixed content that is different from collaboration, such as content with the same rights holder as the fixed content, derivative content based on the same work as the fixed content, or content that shares at least a portion of the worldview with the fixed content, and that does not disrupt the worldview or cause a conflict of rights even when mixed with the fixed content.

[0056] On the other hand, from the perspective of expanding the user base and increasing interest, it is also advantageous to not limit the training game to elements related to a single fixed content, but to include elements related to additional content that differs from the fixed content, such as the collaboration content described above. Therefore, the game device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to expand the entertainment elements of the training game by downloading data related to the additional content. Hereinafter, additional content that provides entertainment elements of the training game that differ from the fixed content when downloaded to the game device 100 will be simply referred to as downloadable content (DLC).

[0057] In this embodiment, DLC is content that is different from the fixed content and related content, and in particular, content that has a different story or worldview. By downloading data related to DLC and storing it in the storage device 102 of the game device 100, it becomes possible to provide a play experience of the training game with expanded elements of interest, such as allowing characters related to the DLC to appear (be trained) and items related to the DLC to be used (equipped) in the training game. In this embodiment, the data related to DLC includes graphics information necessary to display characters and items related to the DLC. The data related to DLC may also include various information necessary to represent / display elements related to the DLC in the training game, such as base data for the characters related to the DLC and display data for items that can be equipped to the characters, display data for NPCs that appear in connection with the DLC, backgrounds, objects, effects, mini-games, text, etc., in the training game.

[0058] Here, information on characters and items related to DLC may be stored in character DB 121 and item DB 122 as information to be referenced in the training game (character information, item information), but at least graphics information among the information registered in these DBs is not initially included, and is configured to become available when data related to the DLC is actually stored in storage device 102. Note that, as described above, a unique content ID is assigned to each of fixed content, related content, and multiple types of DLC, and it is possible to identify which content a character or item related to a DLC relates to by referring to the content ID 1105 of the corresponding character information or the content ID 1116 of the item information.

[0059] The DLC can be used, for example, by a user completing a purchase procedure on a predetermined sales site, obtaining a confirmation code (e.g., an alphanumeric string) proving the purchase, and entering the confirmation code into the game device 100. At this time, the game device 100 transmits the user's user ID 1121 and the input confirmation code to the server 200, along with a request to confirm the release of the DLC. If the server control unit 201 can confirm the authenticity of the transmitted confirmation code, it updates the purchase information 1125 of the user information managed in the user DB 211 in association with the user ID 1121. Furthermore, upon receiving a download request for DLC data from the game device 100, the server control unit 201 references the purchase information 1125 of the user information for the user of the game device 100, and performs control to permit the game device 100 to download the DLC data, provided that the DLC has already been purchased.

[0060] From the perspective of expanding the user base, multiple types of DLC can be provided. That is, a user can purchase multiple types of DLC and download the data related to each DLC to the game device 100, thereby enabling the user to play a training game involving that DLC.

[0061] <Replacing Data Related to DLC> Data related to DLC has a certain amount of information to provide a favorable playing experience for the development game involving that DLC. In an embodiment in which multiple types of DLC are provided, it is naturally conceivable that a user will purchase multiple DLCs. However, in order for the game device 100 to be able to download and store data related to multiple DLCs, the storage device 102 must have sufficient storage space. On the other hand, increasing the information storage capacity of the storage device 102 may increase the manufacturing cost of the game device 100 and the associated sales price. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the game device 100 is a toy such as that shown in FIG. 1 , increasing the circuit size of the storage device 102 may also increase the size of the toy's housing. For this reason, the game device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to store data related to only one type of DLC in the storage device 102 at a time. In other words, if data related to a DLC is already stored in the storage device 102 of the game device 100, a process is performed to replace that data with data related to a newly downloaded different DLC.

[0062] The DLC to be targeted for data download (hereinafter referred to as the target DLC) can be selected by the user. The target DLC may be determined, for example, based on an operation input to select one type of DLC from multiple types of DLC on a screen listing the DLCs currently being provided. Once the target DLC is determined, the control unit 101 requests the server 200 to download data related to the target DLC via the communication I / F 106, and downloads the data related to the DLC.

[0063] On the other hand, in such an embodiment in which data related to only one type of DLC is stored in storage device 102, changing the target DLC can cause the following inconveniences. For example, if a user is currently developing a character based on a character related to a DLC currently being stored, and the data related to the DLC including that base data is overwritten with data related to the newly selected target DLC, the base data will become unusable, and the character being developed will no longer be able to be displayed on game device 100. Also, for example, if an item related to a DLC currently being stored is equipped to a character being developed, or an object related to that DLC is placed in the character's room, etc., and the data related to the stored DLC is overwritten with data related to the newly selected target DLC, the display data for the item or object will no longer be usable, and these elements will no longer be able to be displayed.

[0064] In the former example, the character being developed cannot be displayed, making it impossible to progress in the development game. For this reason, the game device 100 of this embodiment is controlled so as not to accept selection of the target DLC when a character related to the DLC data stored in the device is being developed.

[0065] On the other hand, in the latter case, the display data for the items and objects related to the stored DLC are deleted and can no longer be used (or displayed), but the character being developed is not affected, and the character development game can continue. Even if the items and objects related to the previous DLC become temporarily unusable, these items can be made usable by downloading the data for the same DLC again, providing the user with a means for restoring the game to the state it was in before the DLC was replaced. Therefore, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, if an item or object related to the stored DLC is currently in use, a warning is displayed indicating that the currently used item or object will be deleted when the target DLC is selected, and the download and replacement of the data related to the target DLC is performed only after the user has given final confirmation.

[0066] Here, whether the item or object being used is related to the DLC whose data is being stored can be made known to the user during gameplay by, for example, displaying a mark indicating that it is related to the DLC on the confirmation screen of each item, etc. In this manner, the warning displayed when the target DLC is selected can be configured, for example, as shown in Figure 4.

[0067] The character development game of this embodiment allows users to continue developing a single character, but also includes an element that allows users to develop new characters born through marriage with other characters. This element prevents users from getting bored and keeps them highly interested in the development game.

[0068] The game device 100 of this embodiment can execute a communication game in which, when performing ad hoc communication, a friend character being developed on the other game device 100 is displayed and the friend character interacts with the player's character. Therefore, the communication game can be used to marry the player's character to the friend character, unlocking the ability to develop a new generation of characters. However, the interest factor associated with such a communication game requires that the owner of the other game device 100 with whom the player is communicating is nearby. Furthermore, if the characters available for marriage are limited to characters developed by close acquaintances or friends, the types of characters that can be born may be limited.

[0069] For this reason, the game device 100 of this embodiment has a function for executing an interaction game to provide elements of interaction with various characters, including marriage with other characters. The interaction game is configured to feature characters (friend characters, other user characters) whose information is registered in a pre-stored friend list and other user list so that it can be played even in offline situations. Furthermore, to provide interest by displaying characters with various personalities (characters decorated with various items) and interest related to the above-mentioned marriage, the friend characters and other user characters displayed in the interaction game are limited to characters that have reached a predetermined growth stage. Similarly, the interaction game is configured to be playable only if the player's own character has reached the predetermined growth stage.

[0070] The interaction game is played out using an interaction area as shown in FIG. 5 . As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the interaction area is composed of five areas, and different areas are displayed sequentially by inputting an operation related to area movement (area 501 → area 502 → area 503 → area 504 → area 505 → area 501 → ...). In a predetermined area, characters selected from friend characters whose information is registered in the friend list and other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list are placed separately in each area. The selected character is placed in one of the areas and is configured to be able to interact with the player's character in that area.

[0071] At the start of the social game, for example, after all areas are displayed, an effect is displayed in which the player's character moves into the social area. One of the five areas, area 501, is provided with an entrance gate to the social area, and at the start of the social game, this area 501 is controlled to be displayed. As shown in FIG. 6 , the player's character 601 is first displayed in area 501 together with friend characters and other user characters placed in this area. If the user wants to move the player's character 601 to another area, the user can move and display the player's character 601 in the next area in the display order (area 502 after area 501) by performing an operation input related to the area movement.

[0072] The actions of friend characters and other user characters placed in the interaction area are controlled without being based on operation input by the user using the game device 100. In the interaction game of this embodiment, the actions performed by friend characters and other user characters placed in the interaction area include actions accompanied by a greeting effect toward the player's character. The greeting effect is displayed differently based on the language setting information associated with the friend character or other user character to convey to the user the excitement of interacting with users from various countries. For example, for other user characters associated with an English language setting, a greeting effect including a speech bubble displaying "Hi!" is displayed, and for other user characters associated with a French language setting, a greeting effect including a speech bubble displaying "Salut!" is displayed.

[0073] <Selection Control of Displayed Characters> The number of characters to be placed in the interaction area is predetermined, and in this embodiment, one friend character and ten other user characters are placed. Therefore, when playing the interaction game, the control unit 101 may, for example, randomly select one piece of information from the information registered in the friend list, and place one friend character corresponding to that information in a predetermined area. Furthermore, when playing the interaction game, the control unit 101 may select all pieces of information (10 records) registered in the other user list, and place ten other user characters corresponding to that information in a predetermined area.

[0074] <Collaboration Area> Incidentally, the game device 100 of this embodiment is configured so that each user can expand the elements of interest by downloading data related to the desired DLC to the game device 100. In this aspect, it is assumed that a character related to the DLC or a character equipped with an item related to the DLC will be the target of development (player's character) in the development game. In other words, the ghost information managed for each user may include elements related to any type of DLC.

[0075] On the other hand, in an aspect where multiple types of DLC are provided for use, ghost information including elements related to various types of content is stored in the user information of the user DB 211. Therefore, when information about a predetermined number of other user characters is randomly selected and transmitted from the server 200 to the game device 100 for the social game, a situation may arise in which elements of multiple types of collaboration content are mixed, as described above. In other words, when other user characters each having elements related to different types of DLC are placed in the social area, a situation may arise in which the worldview of these DLC is not guaranteed.

[0076] For this reason, in the game system of this embodiment, in order to avoid the occurrence of a mixture of elements related to multiple types of DLC in the social game, the display of elements related to DLC in the social game and the transmission of information about other users' characters by the server 200 to each game device 100 are controlled. These controls will be explained in more detail below.

[0077] (Control for Avoiding Mixing) First, the display control in the social game involves displaying other user characters having elements related to the DLC and other user characters not having elements related to the DLC in separate areas that are not displayed simultaneously. In this embodiment, the game device 100 provides a collaboration area related to the DLC whose data is currently stored as a mobile area in the social game. The collaboration area is a special area different from areas 501 to 505, configured to be transitionable from area 505 shown in FIG. 5, for example. In other words, the collaboration area is a region that can be moved from area 505 on the condition that data related to any of the DLC is stored in the storage device 102. Hereinafter, to clearly distinguish between the collaboration area and other social areas, the latter will be referred to as the "normal social area" as needed regarding the areas displayed in the social game.

[0078] The collaboration area is configured, for example, so that a background image related to the DLC currently stored in the storage device 102 of the game device 100 is applied, and only elements related to that DLC can be displayed, excluding the player's character. In other words, when a social game is played on a game device 100 that has stored data related to a specific DLC, the collaboration area is controlled so that only other user characters that include elements related to that DLC are displayed. Furthermore, the collaboration area is controlled so that other user characters that do not include elements related to the specific DLC or that include elements related to other DLCs are not displayed.

[0079] Here, the player's character may not necessarily include elements related to the DLC currently being stored, but as described above, the game device 100 of this embodiment is configured so that only display data related to one type of DLC is stored in the storage device 102, and therefore the player's character cannot include elements related to other DLC. Therefore, a situation in which elements related to multiple types of DLC are mixed together cannot occur, and the player's character can be displayed in the collaboration area.

[0080] On the other hand, the normal interaction area is configured such that, for example, a background image related to fixed content is applied, and elements related to any DLC cannot be displayed except for the player's character. In other words, regardless of whether data related to DLC has been stored, when a social game is played on the game device 100, the normal interaction area is controlled to display only other user characters composed only of elements related to fixed content or related content. Furthermore, the normal interaction area is controlled so that other user characters including elements related to any DLC are not displayed.

[0081] In this way, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, in the social game, other user characters composed only of elements that are not related to any DLC are displayed in the normal social area, and other user characters having elements related to the DLC whose data is being stored are displayed in the collaboration area.

[0082] Next, the server 200 controls the transmission of information about other users' characters depending on the storage status of data related to DLC in the storage device 102 of the game device 100. In the game system of this embodiment, the number of other users' characters whose information is transmitted from the server 200 to the game device 100 is set to a fixed number (10) so that the storage area (storage device 102) for information about other users' characters in the game device 100 is fixed. In this aspect, in order to ensure opportunities for interaction between the player's character and other users' characters in the social game, when the server control unit 201 receives a request for information about other users' characters from the game device 100, it changes the configuration of the information about other users' characters to be returned depending on whether the game device 100 is currently storing data related to any DLC, and if so, which DLC the data relates to.

[0083] More specifically, when the control unit 101 transmits a request to the server 200 to acquire information about other users' characters, it also transmits information specifying the DLC whose data is currently stored in the storage device 102. This information can be, for example, information (content ID) that can uniquely identify a DLC when data related to any DLC is stored in the storage device 102, or information indicating that the DLC has not yet been downloaded when data related to any DLC is not stored in the storage device 102 (not-downloaded information).

[0084] When the server control unit 201 receives the undownloaded information together with the acquisition request, it randomly selects 10 records from the user information whose ghost information 1124 does not include any elements related to any DLC, and returns the selected records as information related to other users' characters to the game device 100. Here, "ghost information 1124 does not include any elements related to any DLC" means that all of the character appearances (base body) and worn items specified by the character ID 1131 and wearing information 1132 of the ghost information are elements associated with content IDs indicating fixed content or related content in the character information managed in the character DB 121 or the item information managed in the item DB 122.

[0085] In other words, when the server control unit 201 receives undownloaded information along with an acquisition request, it selects all of the 10 records of user information to be sent as information about other user characters from user information having ghost information 1124 consisting only of elements related to fixed content or related content.

[0086] On the other hand, when a content ID is received along with the acquisition request, the server control unit 201 randomly selects eight records from the user information whose ghost information 1124 does not include any DLC-related elements as information about other user characters to return to the game device 100. The server control unit 201 also selects user information whose ghost information 1124 includes elements related to the DLC identified by the received content ID as the remaining two records of information about other user characters.

[0087] That is, when the server control unit 201 receives a content ID along with an acquisition request, it selects eight records of user information having ghost information 1124 consisting only of elements related to fixed content or related content, and selects two records from user information having ghost information 1124 including elements related to DLC currently stored in the game device 100, out of the ten records of user information to be transmitted as information related to other user characters. In this way, it is possible to display (eight) other user characters in the normal interaction area, while also displaying (two) other user characters in the collaboration area, thereby ensuring the excitement of the interaction game in that users can interact with other user characters in either area.

[0088] In other words, when the server control unit 201 receives a content ID along with an acquisition request, it transmits, as information about other user characters, user information having ghost information 1124 consisting only of elements related to fixed content, related content, or DLC data stored on the game device 100 that transmitted the acquisition request. In this way, information about other user characters can be configured excluding ghosts that cannot be displayed in the social game executed on the game device 100, and opportunities to interact with all 10 other user characters in the social game can be guaranteed.

[0089] When the control unit 101 receives information about other user characters, it registers the information in the other user list as described above. For example, in response to an instruction to play a social game, the control unit 101 controls the placement and display of other user characters in the social area based on the information registered in the other user list. As described above, the server 200 dynamically changes the configuration of information about other user characters based on the information received together with the acquisition request and returns it. Therefore, the control unit 101 performs the following processing when controlling the display related to the social game.

[0090] First, the control unit 101 classifies other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list into DLC characters that include elements related to the DLC whose data is stored, and non-DLC characters that do not include elements related to the DLC whose data is stored. That is, when an acquisition request accompanied by undownloaded information is transmitted, all 10 other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list are classified as non-DLC characters. Furthermore, when an acquisition request accompanied by the content ID of the DLC whose data is stored is transmitted, the other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list are classified as eight non-DLC characters and two DLC characters. This classification can be performed based on the character ID 1131 and wearing information 1132 of each user information registered in the other user list.

[0091] Once the classification of the other user's characters is complete, the control unit 101 switches the display control of the other user's characters depending on whether the player's character is placed in the normal interaction area or the collaboration area in the social game. In the game device 100 of this embodiment, the player's character is placed in the normal interaction area at the start of the social game. The control unit 101 determines, for example, in which area of ​​the normal interaction area the non-DLC characters will be placed prior to the start of the social game. This makes it possible to provide a play experience that allows interaction with other user's characters in the normal interaction area. During the period when the player's character is placed in the normal interaction area, the control unit 101 causes the GPU 104 to generate a game screen including non-DLC characters that have been determined to be placed in that area depending on the area where the player's character is located.

[0092] As described above, the collaboration area is configured to be transitionable from area 505, provided that data related to the DLC is stored in storage device 102. More specifically, when an item related to transitioning to the collaboration area is selected on the collaboration menu screen that can be displayed while the player's character is placed in area 505, control unit 101 performs control to place the player's character in the collaboration area.

[0093] 7 shows an example of a collaboration menu screen 700 that can be displayed in area 505. Collaboration menu screen 700 includes an item 701 for moving to a collaboration area, an item 702 for downloading data related to DLC, an item 703 for inputting a confirmation code for DLC purchased by the user, and an item 704 for viewing an introductory video for DLC currently on sale.

[0094] Item 701 is configured to be able to accept operational input on the condition that data related to any DLC is stored in the storage device 102. Whether or not operational input is available can be notified to the user by, for example, controlling the GPU 104 to change the display mode of the item 701 depending on whether or not data related to the DLC is stored in the storage device 102. When data related to the DLC is stored in the storage device 102, the GPU 104 generates a game screen in which the server control unit 201 is grayed out, and the control unit 101 performs control such that, even if operational input is made to the item 701, the corresponding process is not executed or the operational input is invalidated.

[0095] When an operation input for item 701 is received while data related to the DLC is being stored, the control unit 101 causes the GPU 104 to generate a game screen related to the collaboration area. The collaboration area can be composed of, for example, multiple areas that can be transitioned between sequentially, similar to a normal interaction area. In one example, two DLC characters are placed in one area of ​​the collaboration area (e.g., the "entrance"), and default characters (NPCs) created for the DLC data being stored are placed in the other areas. The other areas can include, for example, a "shop" that sells items related to the DLC data being stored in exchange for payment of in-game currency, a "game area" that provides a play experience for a mini-game specific to the DLC, and a "plaza" where a performance specific to the DLC, such as a parade, can be viewed. In other words, the NPCs placed in each of the other areas not only serve as entertainment elements to showcase the worldview of the DLC data being stored, but also serve as shop clerks, game area attendants, etc. Therefore, during the period when the player's character is placed in the collaboration area, the control unit 101 causes the GPU 104 to generate a game screen including a DLC character or NPC whose placement in the area has been determined according to the area in which the player's character is located.

[0096] In this way, the control unit 101 can control the display of DLC characters in the collaboration area but not in the normal interaction area. The control unit 101 can also control the display of non-DLC characters in the normal interaction area but not in the collaboration area.

[0097] In this embodiment, when data related to one of the DLCs is currently stored in the storage device 102, the information about other user characters received from the server 200 includes information about two DLC characters, and the display control for the collaboration area is described based on this information. However, for example, shortly after a particular DLC is released, there may not be a sufficient number of user information records containing elements related to that DLC in the ghost information 1124. In this case, the server control unit 201 reduces the number of user information records containing elements related to that DLC to less than the specified number (two records) and instead adds user information records containing no elements related to any of the DLCs, thereby constructing 10 records of information about other user characters and transmitting this information to the game device 100. Upon receiving this information, the control unit 101 controls the display of the DLC characters in the collaboration area by placing NPCs (hereinafter referred to as substitute NPCs) composed of elements (base characters and items) related to that DLC in the collaboration area to make up the missing number of DLC characters. Here, substitute NPCs to be placed in the collaboration area as DLC characters are assumed to be fixed characters provided separately from the NPCs with fixed roles that are placed in the above-mentioned shops, game areas, etc. Multiple types of such substitute NPCs are provided in advance, and information for displaying them is included in the data related to the DLC. For example, when a substitute NPC needs to be placed in the collaboration area, it may be selected from these by lottery or the like.

[0098] Furthermore, when an operation input is made to item 702 on collaboration menu screen 700 and data related to the newly selected DLC is stored (replaced) in storage device 102, control unit 101 reclassifies the other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list. As a result of this classification, even if the other user list includes another user character that includes an element related to the DLC before replacement, the other user character can be classified as neither a DLC character nor a non-DLC character.

[0099] In this embodiment, when data related to DLC is replaced, other users' characters registered in the other users' list at that time are reclassified to avoid mixing elements related to multiple types of DLC in the collaboration area. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in response to the replacement of data related to DLC, the control unit 101 may request information about other users' characters related to the newly selected DLC along with the content ID of the DLC. In this way, even if the information in the other users' list is updated and a transition to the collaboration area is subsequently made, opportunities to interact with DLC characters related to other users can be ensured.

[0100] <<Automatic Update>> In order to enhance the entertainment value of a social game that allows interaction with a variety of characters, it is necessary to update the user information managed by the server 200 for each user, and to provide the updated information about the characters to each game device 100. For this reason, in the game system of this embodiment, infrastructure communication between the game device 100 and the server 200 is configured to be performed without the need for a user's operational input related to a communication start request. In other words, the game device 100 has an "automatic update" function that performs infrastructure communication with the server 200 to send and receive information when a specific time condition is met, even without a user's operational input.

[0101] In the game device 100 of this embodiment, the game device 100 and the server 200 are configured to communicate information via an automatic update function essentially once a day. More specifically, the game device 100 is configured to perform automatic updates when a predetermined time period is reached and the player character is asleep. The predetermined time period for automatic updates (hereinafter referred to as the update time period) can be set to occur on a daily cycle, such as from 9:00 PM to 6:59 AM the following morning. This is because the user is less likely to operate the game device 100 during this time period, and changes to various information are less likely to occur. As described above, when the player character is asleep, the game device 100 is controlled so as not to accept operational inputs related to the player character. Therefore, by configuring the game device 100 to perform automatic updates using this timing, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the server 200 does not manage the latest information due to changes in the player character's status or parameters caused by user operational inputs. Furthermore, when the game device 100 performs an information update or a system update based on information received from the server 200, it is possible to avoid situations where the user's input operations are interrupted or the update process is not performed properly.

[0102] Here, the state in which the player's character is asleep (sleeping state) refers to, for example, a state in which the current time has reached the bedtime set by the user, and the setting to the sleeping state has been completed through effects related to preparing for bed and going to sleep. In other words, when the user can recognize that the player's character has entered the sleeping state from the image of the player's character displayed on display 110, and game device 100 is in a state in which it is not accepting operation input related to the player's character, the player's character is managed as being in the sleeping state.

[0103] Therefore, even if the update time period has arrived, if the state of the player's character has not yet entered the sleeping state, the control unit 101 will not execute the automatic update function, but will wait until the conditions for execution are met. In the example of this embodiment, the control unit 101 waits until the state of the player's character has completely entered the sleeping state before executing the automatic update function.

[0104] When the automatic update function is executed, control unit 101 controls game device 100 to be in a state where it can communicate with server 200 via communication I / F 106. Since communication between game device 100 and server 200 is performed by infrastructure communication, this function is assumed to have information set for AP 300 with which to communicate.

[0105] The automatic update function sends and receives the following information:

[0106] Information relating to the player's character is transmitted from the game device 100 to the server 200. As described above, the information relating to the player's character includes the user ID, language setting, and ghost information relating to the player's character, which are stored in the game device 100. The information relating to the player's character is transmitted mainly for the purpose of updating the ghost information of the player's character.

[0107] Information about other user characters that are candidates for display in the social game is transmitted from the server 200 to the game device 100. The transmitted information is configured by the server control unit 201 selecting a predetermined number of pieces of ghost information each time information is transmitted to and received from the game device 100. As described above, the information about other user characters includes the user ID of the user who raised each other user character, language setting, and ghost information about the other user character.

[0108] The server 200 also transmits firmware update data for the game device 100 to the game device 100. Some of the additions to game device 100 functions and bug fixes are achieved by updating the main firmware. Functions can also be added by transmitting additional content data (new event data and new downloadable content (DLC) data) for game content (the training game) executed by the game device 100 from the server 200 to the game device 100, thereby changing the data referenced during execution of the training game on the game device 100. Here, the new DLC data may include sales data and drawing data for the newly added content. Therefore, the server 200 also transmits this additional content data to the game device 100. Furthermore, the server 200 also transmits various types of new information from the game system operator, such as announcements, that do not directly affect the processing of the training game.

[0109] Therefore, according to the automatic update function, the game device 100 transmits information about its own character, receives main body update data for the game device 100, receives new information, receives additional content data, and receives information about characters corresponding to other game devices while connected to the server 200 for communication.

[0110] It should be noted that not all of this information transmission and reception need be performed during a single communication connection related to the automatic update. For example, if there is no change in the appearance of the player character on the game device 100, there is no need to update the player character's ghost information, and therefore no need to transmit information related to the player character. Furthermore, if there is nothing to be transmitted from the server 200 (no newly updated information exists), or if there is such information but it has already been received by the game device 100, there is no need to receive such information. In other words, the automatic update function requires that at least one of the above information transmissions and receptions be performed. This reduces the amount of data communication performed by the game device 100 and thus battery consumption.

[0111] <<Social Game Processing>> Specific social game processing executed in the social game on the game device 100 of this embodiment will be described below using the flowchart of Figure 8. The processing corresponding to this flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the storage device 102, expanding it into the memory 103, and executing it. This social game processing will be described as being initiated, for example, when an operation input related to the start of a social game is detected on the game device 100. During execution of this social game processing, the GPU 104, under the control of the control unit 101, sequentially generates corresponding screens related to the social game, and the control unit 101 controls the display 110 to display these screens.

[0112] In S801, the control unit 101 classifies other user characters whose information is registered in the other user list into DLC characters and non-DLC characters.

[0113] In S802, the control unit 101 determines an area in the interaction game in which each of the other user characters classified in S801 will be placed.

[0114] In S803, the control unit 101 determines whether the area in which the player's character is to be placed is a normal interaction area or a collaboration area. If the control unit 101 determines that the area in which the player's character is to be placed is a normal interaction area, the process proceeds to S804. If the control unit 101 determines that the area in which the player's character is to be placed is a collaboration area, the process proceeds to S810.

[0115] In S804, the control unit 101 displays a game screen including the player's character and the non-DLC characters that have been decided to be placed in the area where the player's character is to be placed.

[0116] In S805, the control unit 101 determines whether the area in which the player's character is placed is an area that can be transitioned to a collaboration area. If the control unit 101 determines that the area in which the player's character is placed is an area that can be transitioned to a collaboration area, the control unit 101 proceeds to S806, and if the control unit 101 determines that the area is an area that cannot be transitioned to, the control unit 101 proceeds to S809.

[0117] In S806, the control unit 101 determines whether an instruction has been given to display the collaboration menu screen 700. If the control unit 101 determines that an instruction has been given to display the collaboration menu screen 700, the process proceeds to S807, and if the control unit 101 determines that an instruction has not been given, the process proceeds to S809.

[0118] In S807, the control unit 101 executes collaboration menu processing related to the collaboration menu screen 700.

[0119] <Collaboration Menu Processing> The collaboration menu processing executed in this step will now be described with further reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0120] In S901, the control unit 101 determines whether an operation input has been made to select the item 701 for moving to the collaboration area. If the control unit 101 determines that an operation input to select the item 701 has been made, the process proceeds to S902, and if it determines that an operation input has not been made, the process proceeds to S904.

[0121] In S902, the control unit 101 determines whether data relating to any DLC is stored in the storage device 102. If the control unit 101 determines that data relating to any DLC is stored in the storage device 102, it proceeds to S903, changes the area in which the player's character is placed to the entrance of the collaboration area, completes this collaboration menu processing, and proceeds to S803 of the social game processing. If the control unit 101 determines that data relating to any DLC is not stored in the storage device 102, it returns to S901.

[0122] If it is determined in S901 that no operational input has been made to select item 701, the control unit 101 determines in S904 whether or not an operational input has been made to select item 702 for downloading DLC ​​data. If the control unit 101 determines that an operational input has been made to select item 702, the process proceeds to S905; if it determines that no operational input has been made, the process proceeds to S906.

[0123] In S905, the control unit 101 executes a download control process for downloading data related to the DLC.

[0124] (Download Control Processing) The download control processing executed in this step will be described with further reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0125] In S1001, the control unit 101 determines whether the player's character is a character using a base body associated with the DLC whose data is being stored. If the player's character is a character using a base body associated with the DLC whose data is being stored, the control unit 101 proceeds to S1002, displays on the display 110 that the character associated with the currently downloaded DLC is being developed and therefore the DLC cannot be replaced, and completes this download control process. In other words, the control unit 101 performs control so as not to accept the selection of a DLC to be newly downloaded. Furthermore, if the player's character is not a character using a base body associated with the DLC whose data is being stored, the control unit 101 proceeds to S1003.

[0126] In S1003, the control unit 101 accepts the selection of the target DLC to be the target of data download. When the target DLC is selected, a list of DLC that the user has already purchased (unlocked) is displayed on the display 110. When the control unit 101 accepts the selection of the target DLC, it proceeds to S1004.

[0127] In S1004, the control unit 101 determines whether data relating to any DLC is currently stored in the storage device 102. If the control unit 101 determines that data relating to any DLC is stored in the storage device 102, the process proceeds to S1005, and if the control unit 101 determines that data relating to any DLC is not stored, the process proceeds to S1008.

[0128] In S1005, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an item related to the DLC data being stored is equipped to the player's character. If the control unit 101 determines that an item related to the DLC data being stored is equipped to the player's character, the control unit 101 proceeds to S1006, and if the control unit 101 determines that the item is not equipped, the control unit 101 proceeds to S1007.

[0129] In S1006, the control unit 101 displays a warning indicating that an item related to DLC for which data is being stored among items equipped to the player character will be deleted due to replacement of data related to the DLC.

[0130] In S1007, the control unit 101 displays a confirmation screen for replacing data related to the DLC, and determines whether the user has entered an operation input indicating consent. The confirmation screen is a screen for obtaining the user's confirmation regarding the replacement of data from the DLC currently storing data to the newly selected target DLC, and the user can enter an operation input indicating consent or refusal on the screen. If the control unit 101 determines that an operation input indicating consent has been entered on the confirmation screen, the control unit 101 proceeds to S1008, and if it determines that an operation input indicating refusal has been entered, the control unit 101 completes this download control process.

[0131] In S1008, the control unit 101 transmits a download request for data related to the target DLC to the server 200 via the communication I / F 106, and when the download of the data is complete, stores the data as data related to new DLC in the storage device 102. The control unit 101 then completes this download control process and proceeds to S801 of the social game process.

[0132] When the download control process in S905 is completed in this manner, the control unit 101 completes the collaboration menu process and moves the process to S808 of the social game process.

[0133] If it is determined in S904 that no operational input has been made to select item 702, the control unit 101 determines in S906 whether or not an operational input has been made to select item 703 for inputting a DLC confirmation code. If the control unit 101 determines that an operational input has been made to select item 703, the process proceeds to S907; if it determines that no operational input has been made, the process proceeds to S908.

[0134] At S908, the control unit 101 displays an input screen for the DLC confirmation code and accepts input of the confirmation code by the user. Furthermore, in response to an operational input indicating that input of the confirmation code has been completed, the control unit 101 transmits the input information along with a confirmation request to the server 200. Upon receiving the confirmation request, the server control unit 201 executes processing related to authentication of the confirmation code. Upon completion of the authentication processing, information on the authentication result is transmitted from the server 200 to the game device 100, and the control unit 101 displays a display according to the authentication result, thereby completing this collaboration menu processing.

[0135] On the other hand, if it is determined in S906 that no operational input has been made to select item 703, the control unit 101 determines in S908 whether or not an operational input has been made to select item 704 for viewing an introductory video for DLC currently on sale. If the control unit 101 determines that an operational input has been made to select item 704, the process proceeds to S909; if it determines that no operational input has been made, the process proceeds to S911.

[0136] In S909, the control unit 101 accepts the selection of the DLC for which the introductory video is to be played. When making this selection, a list of DLCs currently on sale is displayed on the display 110. At this time, DLCs that have already been purchased (unlocked) by the user may be excluded from the list. When the control unit 101 accepts the selection of the DLC for which the introductory video is to be played, the control unit 101 proceeds to S910.

[0137] In S910, the control unit 101 plays back the introductory video relating to the DLC selected in S909 and displays it on the display 110, and ends this collaboration menu process when the playback of the introductory video ends.

[0138] Furthermore, if it is determined in S908 that no operational input has been made to select item 704, the control unit 101 determines in S911 whether or not an operational input has been made to end the display of collaboration menu screen 700. If the control unit 101 determines that an operational input has been made to end the display of collaboration menu screen 700, it completes this collaboration menu processing, and if it determines that no operational input has been made, it returns the processing to S901.

[0139] When the collaboration menu process in S807 is completed in this manner, the control unit 101 proceeds to S808 of the social game process.

[0140] In S808, the control unit 101 determines whether an operation input related to area movement within the normal interaction area has been made. If the control unit 101 determines that an operation input related to area movement within the normal interaction area has been made, the process proceeds to S809, and if the control unit 101 determines that an operation input related to area movement within the normal interaction area has not been made, the process returns to S803.

[0141] In S809, the control unit 101 changes the area in which the player's character is placed to a different area within the normal interaction area, and returns the process to S803.

[0142] On the other hand, if it is determined in S803 that the area in which the player's character is to be placed is a collaboration area, the control unit 101 displays a game screen in S810 for the area in which the player's character is to be placed, including the DLC character that has been decided to be placed in that area and the player's character.

[0143] In S811, the control unit 101 determines whether an operation input related to area movement within the collaboration area has been made. If the control unit 101 determines that an operation input related to area movement within the collaboration area has been made, the process proceeds to S812. If the control unit 101 determines that an operation input related to area movement within the collaboration area has not been made, the process proceeds to S813.

[0144] In S812, the control unit 101 changes the area in which the player's character is placed to a different area within the collaboration area, and returns the process to S803.

[0145] If it is determined in S811 that an operational input has been made to move to another area within the collaboration area, the control unit 101 determines in S813 whether or not an operational input has been made to move to a normal interaction area. That is, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an operational input has been made to move the player's character away from the collaboration area. If the control unit 101 determines that an operational input has been made to move to a normal interaction area, it proceeds to S814; if it determines that an operational input has not been made, it returns to S803.

[0146] In S814, the control unit 101 changes the area in which the player's character is placed to the area of ​​the normal interaction area, and the process returns to S803. Here, the area in which the player's character is placed after moving from the collaboration area can be, for example, the area 501 in which the player's character is placed at the start of the interaction game.

[0147] As described above, the game device of this embodiment can provide a highly entertaining electronic game while maintaining the worldview of the collaboration content.

[0148] [Variation 1] In the embodiment described above, the process of classifying other users' characters whose information is registered in the other user list is executed in S801 of the social game process, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the classification of DLC characters and non-DLC characters does not need to be a concept that is clearly established by executing the classification process, but may be established indirectly simply by different processes applied in the display control of the game screen.

[0149] [Variation 2] In the above-described embodiment, the storage device 102 is described as being configured to be capable of storing data related to only one type of DLC, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the storage device 102 may be configured to be capable of storing data related to two or more types of DLC, and a collaboration area related to one of the stored DLC types may be provided as a movable area in the social game.

[0150] In this aspect, the DLC to be displayed as the collaboration area may be selected based on other parameters set in the game device 100, such as user settings, the order in which the corresponding data was downloaded, or the date. In this case, the control unit 101 can obtain information about other users' characters that can be displayed in the collaboration area by sending a request to the server 200 to obtain information about other users' characters, including the content ID of the DLC to be displayed as the collaboration area.

[0151] As mentioned above, limiting the types of DLC that can store data in the storage device 102 is not desirable from the perspective of increasing the circuit size of the storage device 102. For this reason, an upper limit is set on the number of DLCs that can store data in the storage device 102. In this case, if data related to the upper limit number of types of DLC is stored in the storage device 102 and a request is made to download data related to another DLC, the data related to the new DLC can be stored in place of the data related to any of the DLCs currently stored.

[0152] [Variation 3] In the above-described embodiment and variation, a DLC configured to allow data download from the server 200 is controlled to prevent the mixing of related elements with other content, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the content for which the mixing of elements is to be avoided may be content that is different from fixed content, and is not limited by the route through which the data related to that content is obtained.

[0153] [Variation 4] In the above-described embodiment and variations, a collaboration area is provided in a social game, and DLC characters and non-DLC characters are displayed in the collaboration area and the normal social area, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It will be readily understood that the present invention is not limited to display control of areas with specific uses, such as collaboration areas, as long as it controls so that characters associated with game elements related to predetermined content and characters not associated with them are not displayed in the same area during the game.

[0154] [Variation 5] In the above-described embodiment and variation, the server 200 is described as managing user information, transmitting information about other users' characters, checking the authenticity of confirmation codes related to DLC, and transmitting data related to DLC, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. These functions may be performed by any device capable of communicating information with the game device 100, or may be realized by multiple devices.

[0155] [Variation 6] In the above-described embodiment and variation, a development game relating to fixed content is executed on game device 100, and ghost information relating to the fixed content is managed by server 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, game device 100 may be configured to be able to switch the content for executing the game, and server 200 may manage information about the player's character appearing in the game as ghost information, regardless of which content the game relating to is being executed on game device 100 connected to the communication line. In other words, server 200 is configured to manage ghost information for multiple types of content for which games can be executed on game device 100, and, when game device 100 requests information about other user characters, to transmit user information including the managed ghost information as information about other user characters.

[0156] In this aspect, when the server control unit 201 randomly selects user information under its management and transmits it as information about another user's character, a problem may arise in which elements relating to different content as described above are displayed mixed together. In other words, since the ghost information managed by the server 200 in this aspect is not assumed to be related to at least a single piece of content (fixed content) as in the above-described embodiment and modified example, the information about another user's character returned in response to an acquisition request from the game device 100 needs to be configured so as not to cause a mixture of elements relating to different content on the game device 100.

[0157] Therefore, in this modified embodiment in which the content itself for playing a game on game device 100 is replaced, control unit 101 transmits an acquisition request to server 200 along with a content ID that identifies the content currently being played. Upon receiving the acquisition request, server control unit 201 extracts, from the user information it manages, user information whose ghost information 1124 includes an element related to the content ID, and constructs and returns information related to other users' characters. This allows game device 100 to acquire information related to other users' characters that is limited to the content currently being played, even in an embodiment in which data related to different types of content, such as fixed content and DLC, is not stored in game device 100, and a screen display that mixes elements related to different types of content, is not generated.

[0158] [Summary of the Embodiments] The above-described embodiments disclose at least the following game device, program, and game system.

[0159] (1) A game device that executes a game in which characters appear, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring character information about a character that appears in the game executed on another game device, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; a classification means for classifying a character corresponding to the character information acquired by the acquisition means based on the game elements associated with the character; and a display control means for displaying the character corresponding to the character information in an area within the game, wherein the classification means classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to a predetermined content and a second character not associated with a game element related to the predetermined content, and the display control means displays the first character and the second character in different areas within the game.

[0160] (2) The game device according to (1), wherein the display control means displays the first character in a first area associated with the predetermined content, and displays the second character in a second area not associated with the predetermined content.

[0161] (3) A game device that executes a game in which a character appears, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring character information about a character that appears in the game executed on another game device, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; and a display control means for displaying a character corresponding to the character information in an area in the game, the area in the game including a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with the predetermined content, the display control means controlling the display of a first character associated with a game element related to the predetermined content in the first area but not in the second area, and controlling the display of a second character not associated with a game element related to the predetermined content in the second area but not in the first area.

[0162] (4) The game device according to (2) or (3), wherein the first area and the second area are areas in the game that are not displayed simultaneously.

[0163] (5) A game device described in any one of (2) to (4), further comprising a storage means for storing element data for displaying game elements related to the specified content, wherein the acquisition means acquires a specified number of pieces of character information for displaying areas in the game, and acquires the specified number of pieces of character information including first character information related to the first character, on the condition that the element data is stored in the storage means.

[0164] (6) The game device described in (5), wherein the storage means is configured to be able to store the element data relating to one or more types of content, and the acquisition means acquires, for one type of content for which the element data is stored in the storage means, the character information relating to a character associated with a game element relating to the content as the first character information.

[0165] (7) The game device described in (6) further comprises: an accepting means for accepting a designation of content for which the element data is to be stored in the storage means; and a downloading means for downloading the element data relating to the content in response to the designation of the content for which the element data is to be stored being accepted; and when the storage means has already stored the element data relating to a maximum number of types of content, in response to the element data being downloaded by the downloading means, the storage means stores the downloaded element data in place of the element data relating to any of the content currently being stored.

[0166] (8) The game device described in (7), wherein the element data includes display data for a fixed character related to the corresponding content, and the display control means displays the fixed character in the first area when the specified number of pieces of character information do not include a predetermined number of pieces of first character information.

[0167] (9) A game device according to (7) or (8), wherein the upper limit number of types of content for which the element data can be stored in the storage means is one, the game is a game in which characters using predetermined base data appear, the game device further comprises a determination means for determining base data to be used for characters appearing in the game executed on the game device, the element data includes base data of characters related to the corresponding content, and the reception means does not accept designation of content for storing the element data if a character currently appearing in the game is a character using base data included in the element data stored in the storage means.

[0168] (10) A game device described in any one of (7) to (9), wherein the storage means can store the element data for one type of content; the game is a game in which items can be associated with characters that appear; the game device further includes a determination means for determining an item to be associated with a character currently appearing in the game being executed on the game device; the element data includes display data for an item related to the corresponding content; and the display control means displays a warning indicating that the item associated with the character currently appearing in the game will be deleted when an item associated with a character currently appearing in the game is an item whose display data is included in the element data stored in the storage means and when a designation of new content for storing the element data is accepted.

[0169] (11) A game device described in any one of (5) to (10), wherein the display control means displays the first character in the first area on condition that the element data relating to a game element associated with the first character is stored in the storage means.

[0170] (12) The game device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the predetermined content is additional content.

[0171] (13) The game device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the predetermined content is different from content initially set in the game.

[0172] (14) The game device according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the second character is a character associated only with game elements related to content initially defined in the game or content related to the content initially defined in the game.

[0173] (15) A program that causes a computer that executes a game in which a character appears to execute the following steps: an acquisition process that acquires character information about a character that appears in the game executed on another computer, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; a classification process that classifies the character corresponding to the character information acquired in the acquisition process based on the game elements associated with the character; and a display control process that displays the character corresponding to the character information in an area in the game, wherein the classification process classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to a specified content and a second character not associated with a game element related to the specified content, and the display control process displays the first character and the second character in different areas in the game.

[0174] (16) A program that causes a computer that executes a game in which a character appears to execute: an acquisition process that acquires character information about a character that appears in the game executed on another computer, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; and a display control process that displays a character corresponding to the character information in an area in the game, wherein the area in the game includes a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with the predetermined content, and the display control process controls so that a first character associated with a game element related to the predetermined content is displayed in the first area but not in the second area, and controls so that a second character not associated with a game element related to the predetermined content is displayed in the second area but not in the first area.

[0175] (17) A game system including a game device that executes a game in which a character appears, and a server that communicates with the game device, wherein the game device comprises: an acquisition means that acquires from the server character information related to a character that appears in the game executed on another game device, the character information including information on a game element associated with the character; a classification means that classifies a character corresponding to the character information acquired by the acquisition means based on a game element associated with the character; and a display control means that displays the character corresponding to the character information in an area of ​​the game; and the server comprises: a storage means that receives from the game device and stores the character information related to a character that appears in the game executed on the game device; and a transmission means that transmits to the game device, in response to an acquisition request from the game device, the character information stored in the storage means for the other game device that is different from the game device; and the classification means classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to a predetermined content and a second character not associated with a game element related to the predetermined content, The display control means is a game system that displays the first character and the second character in different areas during the game.

[0176] (18) A game system including a game device that executes a game in which a character appears, and a server that communicates with the game device, wherein the game device comprises: an acquisition means that acquires, from the server, character information related to a character that appears in the game executed on another game device, the character information including information on a game element associated with the character; and a display control means that displays a character corresponding to the character information in an area during the game, the server comprising: a storage means that receives from the game device and stores the character information related to a character that appears in the game executed on the game device; and a transmission means that transmits, in response to an acquisition request from the game device, the character information stored in the storage means for the other game device that is different from the game device to the game device, the area during the game includes a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with the predetermined content, and the display control means controls so that a first character associated with a game element related to the predetermined content is displayed in the first area but not in the second area, A game system that controls a second character that is not associated with a game element related to the specified content so that it is not displayed in the first area but is displayed in the second area.

[0177] (19) The game system described in (17) or (18), wherein the game device further includes a storage means for storing element data for displaying game elements related to the specified content, the acquisition means acquires a specified number of the character information for displaying an area in the game, the storage means is configured to be able to store the element data related to one or more types of content, the acquisition means, in acquiring the specified number of the character information, transmits content information identifying one type of content for which the element data is stored in the storage means to the server, and the transmission means transmits the character information associated with game elements related to the one type of content identified by the content information, included in the specified number of the character information.

[0178] Other Embodiments The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0179] 100: Game device, 101: Control unit, 102: Storage device, 103: Memory, 104: GPU, 105: Operation I / F, 106: Communication I / F, 110: Display, 121: Character DB, 122: Item DB, 200: Server, 201: Server control unit, 202: Server storage device, 203: Server memory, 204: Server communication I / F, 211: User DB, 300: AP, 400: Network

Claims

1. A game device that executes a game in which characters appear, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring character information about a character that appears in the game being executed on another game device, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; a classification means for classifying a character corresponding to the character information acquired by the acquisition means based on the game elements associated with the character; and a display control means for displaying the character corresponding to the character information in an area within the game, wherein the classification means classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to a specified content and a second character not associated with a game element related to the specified content, and the display control means displays the first character and the second character in different areas within the game.

2. A game device as described in claim 1, wherein the display control means displays the first character in a first area associated with the specified content, and displays the second character in a second area not associated with the specified content.

3. A game device that executes a game in which characters appear, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring character information about a character that appears in the game executed on another game device, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; and a display control means for displaying a character corresponding to the character information in an area in the game, the area in the game including a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with the predetermined content, the display control means controlling the display of a first character associated with a game element related to the predetermined content in the first area but not in the second area, and controlling the display of a second character not associated with a game element related to the predetermined content in the second area but not in the first area.

4. A game device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first area and the second area are areas in the game that are not displayed simultaneously.

5. A game device as described in claim 2 or 3, further comprising a storage means for storing element data for displaying game elements related to the specified content, wherein the acquisition means acquires a specified number of pieces of character information for displaying areas in the game, and acquires the specified number of pieces of character information including first character information related to the first character, on the condition that the element data is stored in the storage means.

6. A game device as described in claim 5, wherein the storage means is configured to be able to store the element data relating to one or more types of content, and the acquisition means acquires, for one type of content for which the element data is stored in the storage means, the character information relating to a character associated with a game element relating to that content as the first character information.

7. A game device as described in claim 6, further comprising: an acceptance means for accepting a designation of content for which the element data is to be stored in the storage means; and a download means for downloading the element data relating to the content in response to the designation of the content for which the element data is to be stored being accepted; wherein, when the storage means has already stored the element data relating to a maximum number of types of content, in response to the element data being downloaded by the download means, the storage means stores the downloaded element data in place of the element data relating to any of the content currently being stored.

8. A game device as described in claim 7, wherein the element data includes display data for a fixed character related to the corresponding content, and the display control means displays the fixed character in the first area when the specified number of character information does not include a predetermined number of first character information.

9. A game device as described in claim 7, wherein the upper limit number of types of content that can store the element data in the storage means is 1, the game is a game in which characters using predetermined base data appear, the game device further comprises a determination means for determining the base data to be used for characters appearing in the game executed on the game device, the element data includes base data of characters related to the corresponding content, and the reception means does not accept specification of content in which to store the element data if a character currently appearing in the game is a character using base data included in the element data stored in the storage means.

10. A game device as described in claim 7, wherein the upper limit of the number of types of content for which the element data can be stored in the storage means is 1, the game is a game in which items can be associated with characters appearing in the game, the game device further comprises a determination means for determining an item to be associated with a character appearing in the game being executed on the game device, the element data includes display data for an item related to the corresponding content, and the display control means displays a warning indicating that the item associated with the character appearing in the game will be deleted when an item associated with a character appearing in the game is an item whose display data is included in the element data stored in the storage means and when specification of new content for storing the element data is accepted.

11. A game device as described in claim 5, wherein the display control means displays the first character in the first area on the condition that the element data relating to the game element associated with the first character is stored in the storage means.

12. A game device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the predetermined content is additional content.

13. A game device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the predetermined content is different from content initially set in the game.

14. A game device as described in claim 1 or 3, wherein the second character is a character associated only with game elements related to content initially defined in the game or content related to the content initially defined in the game.

15. A program that causes a computer that executes a game in which a character appears to execute the following steps: an acquisition process that acquires character information about a character that appears in the game being executed on another computer, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character; a classification process that classifies the character corresponding to the character information acquired in the acquisition process based on the game elements associated with the character; and a display control process that displays the character corresponding to the character information in an area within the game, wherein the classification process classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to a specified content and a second character not associated with a game element related to the specified content, and the display control process displays the first character and the second character in different areas within the game.

16. A program that causes a computer running a game in which a character appears to execute an acquisition process that acquires character information about a character appearing in the game being run on another computer, the character information including information about game elements associated with the character, and a display control process that displays a character corresponding to the character information in an area in the game, wherein the area in the game includes a first area associated with specified content and a second area not associated with the specified content, and the display control process controls the display of a first character associated with a game element related to the specified content in the first area but not in the second area, and controls the display of a second character not associated with a game element related to the specified content in the second area but not in the first area.

17. A game system including a game device that executes a game in which a character appears, and a server that communicates with said game device, wherein said game device comprises: an acquisition means that acquires from said server character information relating to a character that appears in said game executed on another game device, said character information including information on game elements associated with said character; a classification means that classifies a character corresponding to the character information acquired by said acquisition means based on game elements associated with said character; and a display control means that displays the character corresponding to the character information in an area of said game; said server comprises: a storage means that receives from said game device and stores said character information relating to a character that appears in said game executed on said game device; and a transmission means that, in response to an acquisition request from said game device, transmits to said game device the character information stored in said storage means for said other game device that is different from said game device; and said classification means classifies the character corresponding to the character information into a first character associated with a game element related to predetermined content and a second character not associated with a game element related to said predetermined content, The display control means is a game system that displays the first character and the second character in different areas during the game.

18. A game system including a game device that executes a game in which a character appears, and a server that communicates with said game device, wherein said game device comprises: acquisition means for acquiring, from said server, character information relating to a character that appears in said game executed on another game device, said character information including information on game elements associated with said character; and display control means for displaying a character corresponding to said character information in an area during said game, wherein said server comprises: storage means for receiving from said game device and storing said character information relating to a character that appears in said game executed on said game device; and transmission means for transmitting, in response to an acquisition request from said game device, the character information stored in said storage means for said other game device different from said game device to said game device, wherein said areas during said game include a first area associated with predetermined content and a second area not associated with said predetermined content, and said display control means controls so that a first character associated with a game element related to said predetermined content is displayed in said first area but not in said second area, A game system that controls a second character that is not associated with a game element related to the specified content so that it is not displayed in the first area but is displayed in the second area.

19. A game system as described in claim 17 or 18, wherein the game device further comprises storage means for storing element data for displaying game elements related to the specified content, the acquisition means acquires a specified number of the character information for displaying areas in the game, the storage means is configured to be able to store the element data related to one or more types of content, the acquisition means, in acquiring the specified number of the character information, transmits content information identifying one type of content for which the element data is stored in the storage means to the server, and the transmission means transmits the character information associated with game elements related to the one type of content identified by the content information, included in the specified number of the character information.

Images