Information processing device and answer presentation method

Abstract

A setting unit 130 sets the on / off of a predetermined function pertaining to an answer to a question. A reception unit 132 receives the question from a user and an answer processing unit 134 presents, to the user, an answer to the question. When the predetermined function is set to on, the answer processing unit 134 presents, to the user, an answer that is generated on the basis of the play history of the user. When the predetermined function is set to off, the answer processing unit 134 presents, to the user, an answer that is generated on the basis of the play history of an unspecified player.

Description

Information processing device and answer presentation method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for presenting answers to questions to a user.

[0002] When many users get stuck in a game, they visit walkthrough websites or videos to obtain useful information to progress in the game. However, users who do not want spoilers tend not to visit walkthrough websites or videos to avoid obtaining more information than necessary.

[0003] Users who do not want spoilers want to avoid obtaining more information than necessary, but at the same time, they do not necessarily want to obtain information that does not contain spoilers. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that presents different information to different users.

[0004] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a setting unit that turns on / off a predetermined function related to answers to questions, a reception unit that receives questions from a user, and an answer processing unit that presents answers to the questions to the user. When the predetermined function is turned on, the answer processing unit presents answers to the user that are generated based on the user's play history.

[0005] Another aspect of the answer presentation method of the present disclosure is a method of presenting answers to a user in an information processing device, comprising the steps of setting a predetermined function related to answers to questions to on / off, accepting a question from the user, and, if the predetermined function is set to on, presenting to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history, and, if the predetermined function is set to off, presenting to the user an answer generated based on the play history of unspecified players.

[0006] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of an information processing device; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game screen; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating examples of letters and numbers extracted from a game image; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function setting screen; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a question screen; FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a question has been input into the question screen; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an answer screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a question screen; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of an answer screen; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a question has been input into the question screen;

[0008] In the embodiment, an information processing device, which is a user terminal device, executes a game program. When an event occurs in the game, the game program outputs event information identifying the event to the system software. An event occurs when there is a change in the progress of game play or when there is a change in the behavior of a character (player character) controlled by a player. For example, when the player character obtains a weapon, a weapon acquisition event occurs, and when the player character converses with an NPC (non-player character), a conversation event occurs.

[0009] A game is provided with activities, each of which has a start condition and an end condition. An activity may be made up of stages, quests, tournaments, sessions, etc. Activities are set appropriately by the game maker, and one quest that appears in the course of the game may constitute one activity, or multiple quests may constitute one activity. When multiple quests constitute one activity, completing all of the multiple quests is the end condition for that activity.

[0010] When an activity starts, the game program outputs to the system software an activity identifier (activity ID) that identifies the activity and event information that includes information indicating the start of the activity. When the activity ends, the game program outputs to the system software event information that includes the activity ID and information indicating the end of the activity. When the activity ends, the game program may include the result of the activity (success or failure) in the event information.

[0011] To increase motivation for playing the game, various missions are set in the game, and when a user completes a mission, the user is awarded a virtual award (trophy) corresponding to the mission. Multiple trophies are available in the game according to the difficulty of the mission, with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum trophies available in order of increasing difficulty. When a trophy mission is completed, the game program outputs event information indicating that the trophy has been unlocked, and the trophy is awarded to the user.

[0012] The system software generates event data by adding a user identifier (user account) that identifies the user, a game identifier (game ID) that identifies the game, and time information (timestamp) to the event information output from the game program, and transmits the event data to an external server device. The server device collects the event data transmitted from multiple information processing devices operated by multiple players and analyzes play trends related to the event. For example, the server device may statistically calculate the average play time of an activity based on the event data transmitted from the multiple information processing devices.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 of the embodiment includes an information processing device 10 operated by a user and a server device 5. An access point (hereinafter referred to as "AP") 8 has the functions of a wireless access point and a router, and the information processing device 10 connects to the AP 8 wirelessly or via a wired connection to be able to communicate with the server device 5 on a network 3. While FIG. 1 shows one user and one information processing device 10, in the information processing system 1, multiple information processing devices 10 operated by multiple users are connected to the server device 5 via the network 3.

[0014] The information processing device 10 is connected wirelessly or via a wire to an input device 6 operated by a user, and the input device 6 outputs information operated by the user to the information processing device 10. When the information processing device 10 receives operation information from the input device 6, it reflects the information in the processing of system software and game programs, and outputs the processing results from the output device 4. In the information processing system 1, the information processing device 10 is a game device (game console) that executes a game, and the input device 6 is a device such as a game controller that supplies user operation information to the information processing device 10. Note that the input device 6 may also be an input interface such as a keyboard or a mouse.

[0015] The auxiliary storage device 2 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive), and may be a built-in storage device or an external storage device connected to the information processing device 10 via a USB (universal serial bus) or the like. The output device 4 may be a television having a display for outputting images and speakers for outputting sounds. The output device 4 may be connected to the information processing device 10 by a wired cable or wirelessly.

[0016] The camera 7, which is an imaging device, is provided near the output device 4 and captures images of the space around the output device 4. While Fig. 1 shows an example in which the camera 7 is attached to the top of the output device 4, it may be placed on the side or bottom of the output device 4, and in either case, it is placed in a position where it can capture an image of a user positioned in front of the output device 4. The camera 7 may be a stereo camera.

[0017] The server device 5 provides network services to users of the information processing system 1. The server device 5 manages user identifiers (user accounts) that identify each user, and each user signs in to the network services provided by the server device 5 using their user account. By signing in to the network service from their information processing device 10, users can register game save data and trophies, which are virtual rewards acquired during game play, on the server device 5. By registering save data and trophies on the server device 5, users can synchronize save data and trophies even if they use an information processing device other than the information processing device 10.

[0018] The server device 5 collects event data from multiple information processing devices 10 operated by multiple players (users). The server device 5 also collects information indicating the status of game play acquired by the multiple information processing devices 10 (hereinafter, also referred to as "play information") and game videos recorded by the multiple information processing devices 10. The server device 5 records the event data, play information, and game videos by linking them to the user account of the user. The event data, play information, and game videos linked to the user account of the user constitute the play history of the user.

[0019] The server device 5 analyzes the collected event data, play information, game videos, etc. to derive information about the game, such as stages, items, and enemy characters that appear. For example, the server device 5 may derive information such as how to clear a stage, how to obtain the "great sword" weapon, and how to defeat the final boss, based on the play histories of multiple players. When the server device 5 receives a question about the game from a user, it generates an answer based on the play histories of multiple players and returns the answer to the user. For example, when a user asks "how to defeat the final boss," the server device 5 replies to the player with an answer derived from the play histories of an unspecified number of players. The answer to the question may include text and / or game video.

[0020] 2 shows the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 includes a main power button 20, a power ON LED 21, a standby LED 22, a system controller 24, a clock 26, a device controller 30, a media drive 32, a USB module 34, a flash memory 36, a wireless communication module 38, a wired communication module 40, a subsystem 50, and a main system 60.

[0021] The main system 60 includes a main CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory and memory controller serving as a main storage device, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The GPU is primarily used for processing game programs. The main CPU has the function of starting up system software and executing game programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 2 in the environment provided by the system software. The subsystem 50 includes a sub-CPU, a memory and memory controller serving as a main storage device, etc., but does not include a GPU.

[0022] While the main CPU has the function of executing a game program installed in the auxiliary storage device 2, the sub-CPU does not have such a function. However, the sub-CPU does have the function of accessing the auxiliary storage device 2 and the function of sending and receiving data to and from the server device 5. The sub-CPU is configured with only these limited processing functions, and therefore can operate with less power consumption than the main CPU. These functions of the sub-CPU are executed when the main CPU is in standby mode.

[0023] The main power button 20 is an input unit that receives operational input from the user, is provided on the front of the housing of the information processing device 10, and is operated to turn on or off the power supply to the main system 60 of the information processing device 10. The power ON LED 21 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned on, and the standby LED 22 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned off. The system controller 24 detects that the main power button 20 has been pressed by the user.

[0024] The clock 26 is a real-time clock that generates current date and time information and supplies it to the system controller 24 , the subsystem 50 , and the main system 60 .

[0025] The device controller 30 is configured as an LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) that, like a southbridge, transfers information between devices. As shown in the figure, devices such as the system controller 24, media drive 32, USB module 34, flash memory 36, wireless communication module 38, wired communication module 40, subsystem 50, and main system 60 are connected to the device controller 30. The device controller 30 absorbs differences in the electrical characteristics and data transfer speeds of each device and controls the timing of data transfer.

[0026] The media drive 32 is a drive device that is driven by loading a ROM medium 44 on which application software such as games and license information are recorded, and that reads programs, data, and the like from the ROM medium 44. The ROM medium 44 is a read-only recording medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a Blu-ray disk.

[0027] The USB module 34 is a module that connects to external devices via a USB cable. The USB module 34 may also be connected to the auxiliary storage device 2 and the camera 7 via USB cables. The flash memory 36 is an auxiliary storage device that constitutes internal storage. The wireless communication module 38 wirelessly communicates with the input device 6 using a communication protocol such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or IEEE802.11. The wired communication module 40 communicates with external devices via a wired connection and connects to the network 3 via the AP 8.

[0028] 3 shows an example of functional blocks of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 of the embodiment includes a processing unit 100 and a communication unit 102. The processing unit 100 includes a game execution unit 110, a game image generation unit 112, a display processing unit 114, an event information acquisition unit 120, an analysis unit 122, a game video acquisition unit 124, a setting unit 130, a reception unit 132, and a response processing unit 134. The storage device 150 includes an event data storage unit 152, a play information storage unit 154, and a game video storage unit 156. The storage device 150 may be the auxiliary storage device 2.

[0029] The functionality of the components in the information processing device 10 may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the functions described herein. A processor is considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry including transistors and other circuits. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0030] In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to realize or performs the described functions, which may be any hardware disclosed herein or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or perform the described functions.

[0031] If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit may be a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0032] The communication unit 102 has the functions of both the wireless communication module 38 and the wired communication module 40. While the user is playing a game, the communication unit 102 receives information (game operation information) relating to the user's operation of the input device 6 and provides the information to the game execution unit 110.

[0033] The game execution unit 110 executes a game in accordance with user operations. While the user is playing the game, the game execution unit 110 executes a game program based on game operation information and performs calculations to move a player character in a virtual space. The game image generation unit 112 includes a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and receives the results of calculations in the virtual space, generating game images from a viewpoint (virtual camera) in the virtual space and game sounds at the viewpoint. The game images and game sounds generated by the game image generation unit 112 are supplied to the display processing unit 114, the analysis unit 122, and the game video acquisition unit 124. The display processing unit 114 outputs the game images and game sounds from the output device 4.

[0034] 4 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the output device 4. The user progresses through the game by operating the input device 6 while viewing the game screen and game sounds output from the output device 4. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the game images and game sounds may be simply referred to as "game video."

[0035] When an event occurs during the progress of the game, the game program outputs event information indicating the occurrence of the event. Game developers may incorporate various events into the game. For example, when the player character obtains a weapon, the game program outputs event information indicating the acquisition of the weapon. When the player character converses with an NPC, the game program outputs event information indicating the conversation. Furthermore, when the player character wins a battle against an enemy character, the game program outputs event information indicating the victory in the battle. When the event information acquisition unit 120 acquires event information from the game program, it generates event data by adding to the acquired event information a user account, a game ID, and time information (timestamp) indicating the time the event occurred. The event information acquisition unit 120 records the generated event data in the event data storage unit 152.

[0036] The analysis unit 122 of the embodiment includes AI (artificial intelligence) with an image analysis function. The analysis unit 122 is supplied with the game video generated by the game image generation unit 112 and analyzes the game video. The analysis unit 122 performs image analysis of the game video using a trained model and acquires play information indicating the status of game play. The analysis unit 122 may have various image analysis functions, as described below.

[0037] <Character Recognition Function> The analysis unit 122 may have an optical character recognition (OCR) function. The analysis unit 122 recognizes text included in the game video and extracts character data. For example, referring to the game screen shown in Figure 4, letters and numbers are displayed in the upper left corner of the screen, and the analysis unit 122 uses the character recognition function to extract the letters and numbers included in the game screen.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows examples of letters and numbers extracted from a game image by the analysis unit 122. The analysis unit 122 sets a coordinate system for the game image, with the horizontal axis being the X axis and the vertical axis being the Y axis, and identifies the coordinates of the recognized letters and numbers. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the analysis unit 122 extracts the number "150" at the position (x1, y3), the letters "HP" at the position (x1, y4), the letters "COMBO" at the position (x2, y1), and the number "121" at the position (x2, y2). The analysis unit 122 derives the center of gravity of the letter or number as the coordinate of the letter or number.

[0039] The analysis unit 122 identifies the object indicated by the number from the relative positions of the letters and numbers. In this example, "HP" is displayed near the number displayed at the (x1, y3) position, and "combo" is displayed near the number displayed at the (x2, y2) position. Therefore, the analysis unit 122 determines that the number displayed at the (x1, y3) position represents "HP (hit points)" and the number displayed at the (x2, y2) position represents "combo number." Therefore, the analysis unit 122 recognizes that the player character's HP at this point is 150 and the combo number is 121.

[0040] The analysis unit 122 records the number displayed at the position (x1, y3) together with time information (time stamp) as play information indicating the status of the user's game play in the play information storage unit 154. By recording the number displayed at the position (x1, y3) together with the time information, the play information storage unit 154 records the progress of the HP.

[0041] The analysis unit 122 also records the number displayed at the position (x2, y2) together with time information as play information in the play information storage unit 154. By recording the number displayed at the position (x2, y2) together with time information, the play information storage unit 154 records the progress of the combo number.

[0042] <Object Detection Function> The analysis unit 122 may have an object detection function and detect objects in a game image. For example, the analysis unit 122 may detect an item obtained by a player character. When the analysis unit 122 detects an item obtained by a player character, the analysis unit 122 records the name of the detected item and time information indicating the time of detection as play information in the play information storage unit 154.

[0043] The analysis unit 122 may also detect an enemy character that the player character will fight against. When the analysis unit 122 detects an enemy character that the player character will fight against, it records the name of the detected enemy character and time information indicating the time of detection as play information in the play information storage unit 154. When the analysis unit 122 detects an object for the first time, it may record the name of the object together with the time of detection in the play information storage unit 154.

[0044] <Behavior Recognition Function 1> The analysis unit 122 may have a behavior recognition function and detect the behavior of a player character in a game video. The analysis unit 122 may use a recurrent neural network (RNN). For example, in a fighting game, the analysis unit 122 may detect actions such as a "sword attack" or a "kick" of the player character. The analysis unit 122 may also detect when the player character performs a rare special move. The analysis unit 122 detects the behavior of the player character and records the detected behavior of the player character together with time information in the play information storage unit 154 as play information. By recording the behavior of the player character together with the time information, the play information storage unit 154 records the behavior history of the player character.

[0045] <Behavior Recognition Function 2> The analysis unit 122 may have a VLM (Vision and Language Model) and detect the actions of the player character in the game video. The analysis unit 122 uses the VLM to convert the actions of the player character in the game video into text and records the converted actions of the player character in the play information storage unit 154 together with time information. Instead of or in addition to the above-described behavior recognition function 1, the analysis unit 122 creates a text description of the actions of the player character in the game video and records it in the play information storage unit 154. For example, the analysis unit 122 may analyze a scene in the game video to generate text such as "I bought a holy sword at the weapon shop" or "I defeated a zombie with a sword attack" and record it in the play information storage unit 154 together with time information.

[0046] As described above, the analysis unit 122 performs image analysis of the game video and records play information indicating the status of the user's game play in the play information storage unit 154. The analysis unit 122 may have a voice recognition function, perform voice recognition of game sounds in the game video, and record the voice recognition in the play information storage unit 154 as play information.

[0047] The game video acquisition unit 124 of the embodiment has a ring buffer. The game video acquisition unit 124 has a function of receiving the game video generated by the game image generation unit 112 and automatically recording the game video in the ring buffer in the background.

[0048] The ring buffer logically connects the beginning and end of a memory area to enable cyclical use, and may be generated by setting the start and end addresses of the memory area of ​​the auxiliary storage device 2. The game video acquisition unit 124 records game video data in the ring buffer in real time from the start address in a predetermined address order, and once it has recorded up to the end address, it returns to the start address and overwrites the data, repeating this process. For example, the ring buffer can record up to 60 minutes of game video, and therefore the ring buffer will record game video played by the user over the last 60 minutes along with time information (timestamps).

[0049] In the information processing device 10 of the embodiment, the game video acquisition unit 124 extracts game video from the ring buffer when an event occurs and stores the extracted game video in the game video storage unit 156. When the event information acquisition unit 120 acquires event information from the game program, it notifies the game video acquisition unit 124 that an event has occurred. Upon receiving this notification, the game video acquisition unit 124 reads game video including the timing of receiving the notification from the ring buffer and stores the game video in the game video storage unit 156 as a game video corresponding to the event. The game video acquisition unit 124 may read game video from the ring buffer from a first time (e.g., 10 seconds) before the timing of receiving the notification to a second time (e.g., 2 seconds) after the timing of receiving the notification, and store the game video in the game video storage unit 156.

[0050] The game video acquisition unit 124 extracts game video from the ring buffer when the analysis unit 122 acquires predetermined play information and stores the extracted game video in the game video storage unit 156. When the analysis unit 122 analyzes the game video and acquires predetermined play information, it notifies the game video acquisition unit 124 that a predetermined play situation has occurred. For example, the analysis unit 122 may notify the game video acquisition unit 124 that a predetermined play situation has occurred when the combo count exceeds 100, a new item is obtained, a rare special move is performed, or a zombie is defeated. Upon receiving this notification, the game video acquisition unit 124 reads game video including the timing of receiving the notification from the ring buffer and stores it in the game video storage unit 156 as a game video corresponding to the play situation. The game video acquisition unit 124 may read game video from the ring buffer from a first time (e.g., 10 seconds) before the timing of receiving the notification to a second time (e.g., 2 seconds) after the timing of receiving the notification, and store it in the game video storage unit 156.

[0051] In this way, in the storage device 150, event data is recorded in the event data storage unit 152, play information is recorded in the play information storage unit 154, and game videos are stored in the game video storage unit 156. The event data recorded in the event data storage unit 152, the play information recorded in the play information storage unit 154, and the game videos stored in the game video storage unit 156 make up the user's play history.

[0052] The communication unit 102 transmits the event data recorded in the event data storage unit 152, the play information recorded in the play information storage unit 154, and the game videos recorded in the game video storage unit 156 to the server device 5. The communication unit 102 may transmit the event data, play information, and game videos to the server device 5 at any timing. For example, the communication unit 102 may transmit the event data, play information, and game videos to the server device 5 immediately after they are recorded in the storage device 150. Alternatively, the communication unit 102 may transmit the event data, play information, and game videos to the server device 5 once a day at a set time. The server device 5 collects event data, play information, and game videos from multiple information processing devices 10.

[0053] The information processing device 10 of the embodiment has a support function for answering questions from a user. When the information processing device 10 receives a question from a user, the information processing device 10 presents the user with an answer generated based on the user's play history and / or an answer generated based on the play history of an unspecified player. The answering function of the information processing device 10 will be described below.

[0054] <Answer Function> To realize the answer function of the information processing device 10, the user needs to set the answer function to on in the function setting screen. FIG. 6 shows an example of the function setting screen. In the function setting screen, the user selects whether to turn on or off the answer function of the information processing device 10. If the answer function is selected to be off, the user will not be able to receive answers from the information processing device 10. The following describes the case where the user selects the answer function to be on. When the user selects the answer function to be on, the setting unit 130 sets the answer function to on and registers it as setting information in the registration unit (not shown). This activates the answer function of the answer processing unit 134.

[0055] When the setting unit 130 sets the answer function to on, the user selects whether to turn on or off the spoiler prevention function, which is one of the functions related to answers to questions. Here, turning on the spoiler prevention function means that answers are generated based on the user's own play history and answers that do not contain spoiler information are provided to the user. On the other hand, turning off the spoiler prevention function means that answers are generated based on the play history of unspecified players and answers that may contain spoiler information are provided to the user. The setting unit 130 registers the user's selection of whether to turn on or off the spoiler prevention function as setting information in the registration unit. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the spoiler prevention function is set to on.

[0056] When the user has something they want to confirm while playing a game, they operate a predetermined button on the input device 6 to have a question screen superimposed on the game screen. Fig. 7 shows an example of a question screen 170 superimposed on the game screen. When the user operates a predetermined button on the input device 6 while playing a game, the display processing unit 114 superimposes the question screen 170 on the game screen, and the game video acquisition unit 124 captures a game image at the time of button operation and supplies it to the answer processing unit 134.

[0057] The question screen 170 shows that the spoiler prevention function is currently set to ON. If the user wants to change the spoiler prevention function to OFF, the user checks the check box 171. When the check box 171 is checked, the setting unit 130 sets the spoiler prevention function to OFF.

[0058] 8 shows a state in which a question has been input into the question screen 170. When the user inputs a question into the question screen 170 and operates a predetermined button (decision button) on the input device 6, the reception unit 132 receives the question from the user. In this example, the reception unit 132 receives the question, "Where did you get this great sword?" The answer processing unit 134 generates an answer to the question based on the received question and the captured game image.

[0059] The answer processing unit 134 performs natural language processing on the question and analyzes the question. Because the question uses the demonstrative pronoun "this great sword," the answer processing unit 134 searches for and identifies the great sword in the captured game image. The answer processing unit 134 may use the object detection function of the analysis unit 122 to identify the great sword included in the captured image as a "holy sword."

[0060] In this example, because the spoiler prevention function is turned on, the answer processing unit 134 generates answers to questions based on the user's play history and presents the generated answers to the user. That is, the answer processing unit 134 generates answers to questions based on the event data, play information, and game videos recorded in the event data storage unit 152, play information storage unit 154, and game video storage unit 156. In this example, the answer processing unit 134 refers to the user's play history to identify event data, play information, and / or game videos related to the "Holy Sword," and generates answers based on the circumstances when the "Holy Sword" was obtained. When the spoiler prevention function is turned on, answers are generated from the user's play history, so the answers do not contain spoiler information.

[0061] 9 shows an example of an answer screen 180 superimposed on the game screen. The answer processing unit 134 generates an answer based on the user's play history recorded in the storage device 150, and the display processing unit 114 superimposes the answer screen 180 on the game screen. This answer screen 180 displays text stating, "This great sword, the Holy Sword, was purchased at the weapon shop in the fourth stage." It also includes a video of the game when the user purchased the Holy Sword. By playing the video of the game, the user can recall the circumstances of when they purchased the Holy Sword.

[0062] FIG. 10 shows another example of the question screen 172. As described above, the question screen 172 is displayed superimposed on the game screen, but the game screen is not shown in FIG. 10. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the user inputs "How do I defeat the final boss?" into the question screen 172. When the reception unit 132 receives this question, the answer processing unit 134 generates an answer to the question based on the user's play history. The answer processing unit 134 in this embodiment has a function of self-evaluating the reliability of the generated answer and expresses the reliability of the generated answer as a percentage.

[0063] Below, we will explain a case where the answer processing unit 134 cannot generate a highly reliable answer to the question, "How do I defeat the final boss?". It is assumed that the user has never fought the final boss and has not been able to acquire any information about the final boss during gameplay. In this case, the answer processing unit 134 cannot generate an answer or can only generate an answer with very low reliability. For example, if the reliability is below a predetermined threshold (30%), the answer processing unit 134 determines that the reliability of the answer is very low. In this case, the answer processing unit 134 notifies the user that it is unable to generate an answer to the question.

[0064] FIG. 11 shows an example of the answer screen 182. As described above, the answer screen 182 is superimposed on the game screen, but the game screen is not shown in FIG. 11 . The answer screen 182 displays a notification stating, "A highly reliable answer to the user's question could not be generated." The answer screen 182 further explains that a highly reliable answer can be presented by turning off the spoiler prevention function. When the user checks the checkbox 183, the setting unit 130 turns off the spoiler prevention function.

[0065] When the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit 134 presents the user with answers generated based on the play history of unspecified players. Specifically, the answer processing unit 134 transmits questions to an external server device 5 and presents the user with answers acquired from the server device 5. The server device 5 acquires event data, play information, and game videos from an unspecified number of players around the world and can generate answers to all questions about the game. Therefore, the server device 5 knows how to defeat the final boss and also has game videos recording the scene in which the final boss is defeated. Therefore, the server device 5 can generate answers to questions transmitted from the information processing device 10 and transmit the answers to the information processing device 10.

[0066] 12 shows an example of the answer screen 184. The answer screen 184 displays answers generated by the server device 5 based on the play histories of an unspecified number of players. In this way, by turning off the spoiler prevention function, the user can be sure to obtain answers to questions. However, since answers may contain spoiler information, if the user does not want to include spoiler information in future answers, the user must turn on the spoiler prevention function.

[0067] Fig. 13 shows an example of a question screen 174. The question screen 170 shown in Fig. 7 was displayed when the spoiler prevention function was set to on, but the question screen 174 shown in Fig. 13 is displayed when the spoiler prevention function is set to off. When the user operates a predetermined button on the input device 6 during game play, the display processing unit 114 superimposes the question screen 174 on the game screen (not shown), and the game video acquisition unit 124 captures a game image at the time of button operation and supplies it to the answer processing unit 134. The question screen 174 indicates that the spoiler prevention function is currently set to off.

[0068] 14 shows a state in which a question has been input into question screen 174. When the user inputs a question into question screen 174 and operates a predetermined button (decision button) on input device 6, reception unit 132 receives the question from the user. In this example, reception unit 132 receives the question, "Where did you get this great sword?"

[0069] The answer processing unit 134 analyzes the content of the question based on the received question and the captured game image. Because the question uses the demonstrative pronoun "this great sword," the answer processing unit 134 detects the great sword included in the captured game image. The answer processing unit 134 may use the object detection function of the analysis unit 122 to identify the great sword included in the captured image as a "holy sword."

[0070] In this example, because the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit 134 transmits a question to the external server device 5 and presents the answer obtained from the server device 5 to the user. At this time, the answer processing unit 134 may inform the server device 5 that the "great sword" included in the question is the "holy sword," or may transmit a captured image together with the question to the server device 5. The server device 5 generates information (answer) indicating where to obtain the holy sword and transmits it to the information processing device 10.

[0071] 15 shows an example of an answer screen 186. The answer processing unit 134 acquires the answer from the server device 5, and the display processing unit 114 displays the answer screen 186 superimposed on the game screen (not shown). This answer screen 186 displays text stating, "This great sword, the Holy Sword, can be purchased at the weapon shop in the fourth and sixth stages." It also displays a game video of another player purchasing the Holy Sword. By viewing the answer, the user can recognize that the Holy Sword can be purchased at the weapon shop in the fourth and sixth stages.

[0072] When the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit 134 may present to the user not only answers generated based on the play histories of unspecified players, but also answers generated based on the user's play history. In this case, the answer processing unit 134 presents to the user both the answer provided by the server device 5 and the answer generated based on the user's play history. By obtaining both answers, the user can deepen their understanding.

[0073] Note that when the spoiler prevention function is turned off, the answer processing unit 134 may present to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history, provided that the answer generated based on the user's play history has a high reliability. For example, if the reliability of the answer is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 70%), the answer processing unit 134 presents to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history. Therefore, if the reliability of the answer is less than the predetermined threshold (e.g., 70%), the answer processing unit 134 does not need to present to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history.

[0074] The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. These examples are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of the components and processing steps, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0075] In the embodiment, when the spoiler prevention function is turned off, the answer processing unit 134 transmits a question to an external server device 5 and presents the answer acquired from the server device 5 to the user. In a variant example, the server device 5 provides a data set of past questions and answers (a question-and-answer set) to the information processing device 10 in advance. When the spoiler prevention function is turned off, when the reception unit 132 receives a question from a user, the answer processing unit 134 checks whether the question received by the reception unit 132 is included in the question list of the question-and-answer set. If included, the answer processing unit 134 may read the answer corresponding to the question from the question-and-answer set and present it to the user. This reduces the response cost of the server device 5 and enables the answer to be presented to the user in a short time. Note that if the question is not included in the question list of the question-and-answer set, the answer processing unit 134 transmits the question to the external server device 5 and presents the answer acquired from the server device 5 to the user. The server device 5 may create a question-and-answer set for each activity and provide the question-and-answer set corresponding to the currently played activity to the information processing device 10.

[0076] In a modified example, the information processing system 1 may include a cloud game server (not shown) that executes a game program in accordance with user operations. In this modified example, the information processing device 10 transmits information (game operation information) about user operations on the input device 6 to the game server. The game server generates game images and game sounds based on the game operation information and streams the game images and game sounds to the information processing device 10. In this modified example, the information processing device 10 does not need to have a function for executing a game program, and may be a terminal device that outputs game images and game sounds from the output device 4. In this modified example, the cloud game server or another server may operate as the information processing device 10 described in the embodiment and have a function for presenting answers to questions from users.

[0077] The present disclosure may include the following aspects. [Item 1] An information processing device including a circuit configured to: set on / off a predetermined function related to answers to questions; accept a question from a user; and, if the predetermined function is set on, present to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history. [Item 2] The information processing device according to item 1, wherein, if the predetermined function is set off, the circuit presents to the user an answer generated based on the play history of unspecified players. [Item 3] The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the circuit sets on / off a spoiler prevention function. [Item 4] The information processing device according to item 3, wherein, if the spoiler prevention function is set off, the circuit presents to the user an answer generated by an external server device. [Item 5] The information processing device according to item 3, wherein, if the spoiler prevention function is set off, the circuit presents to the user both an answer generated based on the user's play history and an answer generated based on the play history of unspecified players. [Item 6] The information processing device according to Item 3, wherein the circuit, when a spoiler prevention function is set to off, presents to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history if the answer generated based on the user's play history is highly reliable. [Item 7] A method for presenting answers to a user in an information processing device, comprising: setting on / off a predetermined function related to answers to questions; accepting a question from the user; when the predetermined function is set to on, presenting to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history; and when the predetermined function is set to off, presenting to the user an answer generated based on the play history of unspecified players.[Item 8] A recording medium having recorded thereon a program executed on a computer of an information processing device, the program causing the computer to realize the following functions: a function for setting on / off a predetermined function related to answers to questions; a function for accepting questions from a user; a function for presenting to the user answers generated based on the user's play history when the predetermined function is set on; and a function for presenting to the user answers generated based on the play history of unspecified players when the predetermined function is set off.

[0078] The present disclosure can be used in the technical field of presenting answers to questions from users.

[0079] 1: Information processing system, 4: Output device, 5: Server device, 6: Input device, 10: Information processing device, 100: Processing unit, 102: Communication unit, 110: Game execution unit, 112: Game image generation unit, 114: Display processing unit, 120: Event information acquisition unit, 122: Analysis unit, 124: Game video acquisition unit, 130: Setting unit, 132: Reception unit, 134: Response processing unit, 150: Storage device, 152: Event data storage unit, 154: Play information storage unit, 156: Game video storage unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a setting unit that sets a predetermined function related to answers to questions to be on / off; a reception unit that receives questions from a user; and an answer processing unit that presents answers to the questions to the user, wherein when the predetermined function is set to on, the answer processing unit presents answers to the user that are generated based on the user's play history.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a predetermined function is set to off, the answer processing unit presents to the user answers generated based on the play history of unspecified players.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting unit sets a spoiler prevention function to on / off.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit presents the user with an answer generated by an external server device.

5. The information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that, when the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit presents to the user both answers generated based on the user's play history and answers generated based on the play history of unspecified players.

6. The information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that, when the spoiler prevention function is set to off, the answer processing unit presents to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history if the answer generated based on the user's play history is highly reliable.

7. A method for presenting answers to a user in an information processing device, comprising: a step of setting a predetermined function related to answers to questions to on / off; a step of accepting a question from the user; a step of presenting to the user an answer generated based on the user's play history if the predetermined function is set to on; and a step of presenting to the user an answer generated based on the play history of unspecified players if the predetermined function is set to off.

8. A program for enabling a computer to implement the following functions: a function for setting a predetermined function related to answers to questions on / off; a function for accepting questions from a user; a function for presenting to the user answers generated based on the user's play history when the predetermined function is set on; and a function for presenting to the user answers generated based on the play history of unspecified players when the predetermined function is set off.

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