Information processing device and game video display method

Abstract

An information processing device 10 including a function for reproducing a game video in which metadata is assigned, the metadata associating a state value in a game with the time at which the state value is generated. A reception unit 140 receives selection of a game video that a user desires to view at the same time. A video display unit 116 reproduces the plurality of game videos side by side. An information display unit 118 displays information on the state value corresponding to the reproduction time of the plurality of game videos on the basis of the metadata assigned to the plurality of game videos.

Description

Information processing device and game video display method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for allowing a user to watch a video.

[0002] Videos of games played by various players are uploaded to the video sharing server. When a user enters a string into the search box of a video sharing site, the video sharing server searches for game videos that match the entered string and provides the searched game videos to the user.

[0003] Currently, when a user wants to watch multiple game videos, the user plays the game videos one by one and watches them in order, but when the user wants to compare multiple game videos, it is preferable to be able to play multiple game videos simultaneously. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a mechanism for watching multiple game videos simultaneously.

[0004] An information processing device of one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device having a function to play game videos, wherein the game videos are set with metadata that associates a state value in the game with the time at which the state value occurred, and the information processing device is equipped with a reception unit that receives a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously, a video display unit that plays multiple game videos side by side, and an information display unit that displays information regarding the state value corresponding to the playback time of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

[0005] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for displaying game videos on an information processing device, wherein the game videos are set with metadata that associates state values ​​in the game with the times at which the state values ​​occurred, and the method includes the steps of accepting a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously, playing multiple game videos side by side, and displaying information regarding state values ​​corresponding to the playback times of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

[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 an example of functional blocks of a video sharing server; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating examples of letters and numbers extracted from game images; (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of metadata; (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of a home screen of a video sharing site; (b) is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen for multiple candidate videos; (c) is a diagram illustrating an example of a simultaneous playback screen for multiple game videos; and (d) is a diagram illustrating another example of a selection screen for candidate videos.

[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 a change in the behavior of a player character controlled by a player. The game program incorporates multiple play units, each of which has at least a set end condition.

[0009] A game program includes activities, which are a type of unit of play and have set start and end conditions. Activities may be composed of stages, quests, missions, 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] 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 activity. 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.

[0012] In the embodiment, the server device acquires video of a game played by multiple players and analyzes the game video. The server device performs image analysis of the game video to acquire state values ​​in the game. The state values ​​may be values ​​indicating the state of a scene in the game, or the static and / or dynamic state of a player character controlled by a player. The state value of a player character may be the HP value of the player character or the name of an action indicating an action taken by the player character. The server device associates the acquired state values ​​with the time at which the state values ​​occurred and sets them as metadata for the game video. The server device may embed the metadata related to the state values ​​in the game video, or may store it in a database.

[0013] The server device of the embodiment provides a video sharing service that distributes game videos uploaded by multiple players to users. When a user enters a string of characters in a search box of a video sharing site, the video sharing server searches for game videos that match the entered string and provides the searched game videos to the user.

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The information processing system 1 of the embodiment is a system in which a user can watch game videos, and includes an information processing device 10 operated by the 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 illustrates 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] The server device 5 of the embodiment includes a management server 12 and a video sharing server 14. In the following description, the management server 12 and the video sharing server 14 are described as separate servers, but the management server 12 and the video sharing server 14 may be integrated into one server.

[0019] The management server 12 provides network services to users of the information processing system 1. The management server 12 manages user identifiers (user accounts) that identify each user, and each user signs in to the network services provided by the management server 12 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 management server 12. By registering save data and trophies on the management server 12, users can synchronize save data and trophies even if they use an information processing device other than the information processing device 10.

[0020] The management server 12 collects event data from multiple information processing devices 10 operated by multiple players (users). The management server 12 records the event data by linking it to user accounts. The management server 12 may perform statistical processing on the play times of activities from the collected event data to calculate the average play time of the activities, etc.

[0021] The video sharing server 14 provides a video sharing service that distributes video of games played by multiple players. The video sharing server 14 of the embodiment has a function of analyzing game videos uploaded by players and generating metadata for the game videos.

[0022] The video sharing server 14 performs image analysis of the game video to acquire game status values. The video sharing server 14 may have an optical character recognition (OCR) function and extract the number of combos achieved in battle scenes and the player character's HP (hit points) from the game video to acquire them as game status values. The video sharing server 14 may also have an object detection function and detect enemy characters that appear and items that are obtained, and acquire them as game status values. The video sharing server 14 may also have an action recognition function and detect, for example, the actions of the player character to acquire them as game status values.

[0023] The video sharing server 14 associates the acquired state value with the time when the state value occurred and sets the associated state value as metadata for the game video. The video sharing server 14 may embed the metadata in the game video or store it in a database. Note that analysis of the game video may be performed by the management server 12 or another server, rather than by the video sharing server 14.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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 .

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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 event data transmission unit 122, a game video acquisition unit 130, a game video transmission unit 132, a reception unit 140, and an acquisition unit 142. The display processing unit 114 includes a video display unit 116 and an information display unit 118.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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 within 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) within the virtual space and game sounds at the viewpoint within the virtual space. The video display unit 116 outputs the game images and game sounds generated by the game image generation unit 112 from the output device 4.

[0038] 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 images and game sounds output from the output device 4. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the game images and game sounds may also be simply referred to as "game video."

[0039] When an activity is started during the progress of the game, the game program outputs event information indicating the occurrence of an activity start event, and when the activity is ended, the game program outputs event information indicating the occurrence of an activity end event. When the event information acquisition unit 120 acquires event information from the game program, it provides the event information to the game video acquisition unit 130. The event information acquisition unit 120 also generates event data by adding a user account, a game ID, and time information (timestamp) indicating the time the event occurred to the acquired event information, and provides the generated event data to the event data transmission unit 122.

[0040] A game developer may incorporate various activities into a game. For example, if a battle activity against an enemy boss is incorporated into a game, the game program outputs, at the start of the battle, event information including an activity ID that identifies the battle activity and information indicating the start of the battle activity. When the player wins the battle against the enemy boss, the game program outputs event information including an activity ID that identifies the battle activity, information indicating the end of the battle activity, and information indicating the success of the activity.

[0041] The event data transmission unit 122 transmits the event data provided from the event information acquisition unit 120 to the management server 12 via the communication unit 102. In the information processing system 1, the event data transmission process is performed by all information processing devices 10 connected to the management server 12, and the management server 12 acquires event data for various games from the multiple information processing devices 10. Upon acquiring the event information from the game program, the event information acquisition unit 120 preferably immediately generates event data to which a user account and a timestamp are added, and the event data transmission unit 122 transmits the event data to the management server 12.

[0042] In the embodiment, the game video acquisition unit 130 has a ring buffer and has the function of automatically recording game videos generated by the game image generation unit 112 into the ring buffer in the background. The ring buffer logically connects the end and beginning of the ring buffer to enable cyclical use of memory space, and may be generated by setting the start and end addresses of the memory space in the auxiliary storage device 2. The game video acquisition unit 130 records game video data in the ring buffer in real time from the start address in a predetermined address order. Once the game video data reaches the end address, it returns to the start address and overwrites the previous data, repeating this process. For example, the ring buffer can record up to 60 minutes of game video. Therefore, the ring buffer records game video played by the user over the last 60 minutes along with time information (timestamps).

[0043] During game play, the user can generate user-generated content by cutting out at least a portion of the game video recorded in the ring buffer. When the user operates a predetermined button on input device 6 during game play, a content generation screen is superimposed on the game screen, and the user can select a time period for saving the most recent game play from multiple options (e.g., the last 30 seconds, the last minute, the last 5 minutes, the last 15 minutes, the last 60 minutes, etc.). When the user selects the saving time, game video acquisition unit 130 cuts out the game video for the time period selected by the user from the ring buffer and stores the cut-out game video in game video recording unit 154 as user-generated content.

[0044] As another method of generating content, the user may specify a start point of the content in real time while playing a game, and then specify an end point of the content in real time. When the end point is specified, game video acquisition unit 130 extracts the game video from the ring buffer from the start point to the end point specified by the user, and stores the extracted game video in game video recording unit 154 as user-generated content.

[0045] As described above, the game video acquisition unit 130 receives event information from the event information acquisition unit 120. The game video acquisition unit 130 associates the received event information with time information (timestamps) indicating the times at which the events occurred and records them in the ring buffer. When cutting out game video from the ring buffer, the game video acquisition unit 130 adds (embeds) event information and timestamps that occurred between the first time of cutting (start time) and the last time of cutting (end time) to the game video as metadata. Furthermore, the game video acquisition unit 130 adds (embeds) a user account and a game ID to the game video as metadata. The game video acquisition unit 130 saves the game video with the embedded metadata in the game video recording unit 154 as user-generated content.

[0046] A user can distribute user-generated content to an unspecified number of users by uploading the user-generated content to video sharing server 14. When a user operates input device 6 to input an instruction to upload user-generated content to information processing device 10, game video transmission unit 132 transmits the user-generated content (game video) stored in game video recording unit 154 to video sharing server 14.

[0047] 5 shows functional blocks of the video sharing server 14 according to the embodiment. The video sharing server 14 includes a processing unit 200, a communication unit 202, and a recording device 240. The processing unit 200 includes a game video acquisition unit 210, an analysis unit 212, a metadata setting unit 214, a search request reception unit 216, a search unit 218, and a video provision unit 220. The recording device 240 includes a video recording unit 242 and a metadata recording unit 244.

[0048] The functionality of the components in the video hosting server 14 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 circuitry, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the functions described herein. A processor is considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry that includes transistors and other circuits. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] The game video acquisition unit 210 acquires videos of games played by multiple players from multiple information processing devices 10, and records the videos in the video recording unit 242. The video recording unit 242 stores the game videos by linking them to the user identifiers (user accounts) of the players.

[0052] The analysis unit 212 includes an AI (artificial intelligence) with an image analysis function. The analysis unit 212 performs image analysis of game videos using a trained model prepared for each game title, acquires game state values, and sets the state values ​​as metadata for the game videos. The analysis unit 212 may have various image analysis functions, as described below.

[0053] <Character Recognition Function> The analysis unit 212 may have an optical character recognition (OCR) function. The analysis unit 212 recognizes text included in the game video and extracts character data. For example, letters and numbers are displayed in the upper left corner of the game screen shown in Figure 4, and the analysis unit 212 uses the character recognition function to extract the letters and numbers included in the game screen.

[0054] FIG. 6 shows examples of letters and numbers extracted from a game image by the analysis unit 212. The analysis unit 212 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. 6, the analysis unit 212 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 "13" at the position (x2, y2). The analysis unit 212 derives the center of gravity of the letter or number as the coordinate of the letter or number.

[0055] The analysis unit 212 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 212 identifies 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 212 recognizes that the player character's HP at this point is 150 and the combo number is 13.

[0056] In this way, the number displayed at the position (x1, y3) is a status value indicating the HP, and the metadata setting unit 214 records the number displayed at the position (x1, y3) together with time information (time stamp) as metadata in the metadata recording unit 244. By recording the number displayed at the position (x1, y3) together with the time information, the transition of the HP is recorded in the metadata recording unit 244.

[0057] The number displayed at the position (x2, y2) is a status value indicating the combo number, and the metadata setting unit 214 records the number displayed at the position (x2, y2) together with time information as a status value indicating the combo number in the metadata recording unit 244. By recording the number displayed at the position (x2, y2) together with time information, the transition of the combo number is recorded in the metadata recording unit 244.

[0058] <Object Detection Function> The analysis unit 212 may have an object detection function and detect objects in game images. For example, the analysis unit 212 detects items obtained by the player character. When the analysis unit 212 detects an item obtained by the player character, it records the name of the detected item and time information indicating the time of detection in the metadata recording unit 244 as a status value indicating the obtained item.

[0059] The analysis unit 212 may also detect an enemy character that the player character will fight against. When the analysis unit 212 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 status values ​​indicating the enemy character in the metadata recording unit 244. When the analysis unit 212 detects an object for the first time, it may record the name of the object together with the detection time as metadata in the metadata recording unit 244.

[0060] <Behavior Recognition Function> The analysis unit 212 may have a behavior recognition function and detect the behavior of the player character in the game video. The analysis unit 212 detects the behavior of the player character in the game video using a trained model prepared for each game title.

[0061] The trained model may be an action detection model that has been trained by machine learning on game videos of multiple players. The action detection model performs machine learning using training game videos and names of actions performed by player characters in the game videos as training data. For the machine learning, a type of deep learning such as CNN, RNN, or LSTM may be used. The trained action detection model is trained to input game videos and output the names of detected actions and the times at which the actions occurred.

[0062] For example, an action detection model trained on game videos of the game title "Battle XZ" detects one of the following actions from the player character's movements: "punch," "kick," "guard," "jump," "run," or "jog." Because the types of player character actions vary depending on the game title, it is preferable to train an action detection model for each game title. Therefore, an action detection model trained on game videos of other game titles may detect different types of actions from those in the game title "Battle XZ." Training an action detection model for each game title makes it possible to detect actions in game videos with high accuracy. The metadata setting unit 214 records the action names and action occurrence times extracted by image analysis of the game videos in the metadata recording unit 244 as state values ​​indicating the actions.

[0063] 7A shows an example of metadata extracted by the behavior recognition function. In this example, the analysis unit 212 inputs video 1 of a game played by player A into the action detection model. Video 1 may be a video of player A playing activity X of the game title "Battle XZ." The analysis unit 212 provides the action names and their occurrence times output by the action detection model to the metadata setting unit 214. The metadata setting unit 214 sets the action names and their occurrence times as metadata for video 1 and records them in the metadata recording unit 244. Note that the metadata setting unit 214 may not only record the metadata set for video 1 in the metadata recording unit 244, but may also embed the metadata in video 1.

[0064] 7(b) shows another example of metadata extracted by the behavior recognition function. In this example, the analysis unit 212 inputs video 2 of a game played by player B into the action detection model. Video 2 may be a video of player B playing activity X of the game title "Battle XZ." The analysis unit 212 provides the action names and their occurrence times output by the action detection model to the metadata setting unit 214. The metadata setting unit 214 sets the action names and their occurrence times as metadata for video 2 and records them in the metadata recording unit 244. Note that the metadata setting unit 214 may not only record the metadata set for video 2 in the metadata recording unit 244, but may also embed the metadata in video 2.

[0065] <Provision of Video Sharing Service> As described above, the video sharing server 14 records a plurality of game videos uploaded by a plurality of players in the video recording unit 242, sets metadata for the plurality of game videos, and records the metadata in the metadata recording unit 244. In the embodiment, the game videos recorded in the video recording unit 242 are set with metadata that associates state values ​​in the game with the times at which the state values ​​occurred.

[0066] A user can operate the information processing device 10 to access the video sharing server 14 and simultaneously watch multiple game videos uploaded to the video sharing server 14. The following describes the processing procedure when a user simultaneously watches multiple game videos recorded on the video sharing server 14.

[0067] 8 shows an example of a home screen of a video sharing site. A user inputs a string of characters indicating a game video they wish to watch into a search box 300. In this example, the user inputs "video of playing Activity X in Battle XZ" into the search box 300, and the receiving unit 140 receives the string of characters input by the user. When the user presses a search button 302, the acquiring unit 142 transmits a search request including the search string to the video sharing server 14.

[0068] In the video sharing server 14, the search request receiving unit 216 receives a search request from the information processing device 10, acquires a search string included in the search request, and supplies the acquired search string to the search unit 218. The search unit 218 searches for game videos that match the search string from among multiple game videos recorded in the video recording unit 242. At this time, the search unit 218 refers to the metadata of the event embedded in the game video, and searches for game videos that include, as metadata, the game ID of the game title "Battle XZ" and event information of Activity X. Note that if metadata related to the event is stored in the metadata recording unit 244, the search unit 218 refers to the metadata stored in the metadata recording unit 244 and searches for game videos that match the search string.

[0069] When the search unit 218 searches for game videos and identifies multiple candidate videos, the video providing unit 220 transmits thumbnail images of the multiple candidate videos to the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 displays the multiple thumbnail images on the output device 4 so that they can be selected. Figure 9 shows an example of a selection screen for multiple candidate videos. All of these game videos include videos of playing Activity X of "Battle XZ."

[0070] The user selects multiple game videos to be played simultaneously on the selection screen, and the reception unit 140 receives the selection of multiple game videos that the user wishes to watch simultaneously. In this example, the user selects two game videos, but in another example, the user may be able to select three or more game videos. In the selection screen shown in FIG. 9, the user selects a game video of player A and a game video of player B.

[0071] When the user presses the simultaneous playback start button 304, the acquisition unit 142 notifies the video sharing server 14 that the game video of player A and the game video of player B have been selected, and upon receiving this notification, the video providing unit 220 provides the game video of player A and the game video of player B to the information processing device 10. At this time, the video providing unit 220 also provides the metadata of the two game videos to the information processing device 10 along with the two game videos. Note that if metadata is embedded in the game videos, the video providing unit 220 does not need to provide the metadata to the information processing device 10 separately from the game videos.

[0072] The acquisition unit 142 acquires the game videos and metadata of player A and player B from the video sharing server 14 and temporarily records them in a buffer memory (not shown). The video display unit 116 starts playing the game videos of player A and player B simultaneously.

[0073] The game video may include not only gameplay video of activity X but also other gameplay videos. In the embodiment, the video display unit 116 refers to the metadata and starts playing the game video from the start time of activity X, and ends playing the game video at the end time of activity X. Therefore, the video display unit 116 identifies the start time of activity X in the game video of player A and the start time of activity X in the game video of player B, and starts playing the two game videos simultaneously from the start times.

[0074] 10 shows an example of a screen displaying multiple game videos simultaneously. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the game videos of player A and player B consist of only gameplay videos of activity X, and the game video of player A is 2 minutes 10 seconds long, while the game video of player B is 2 minutes 20 seconds long.

[0075] The video display unit 116 plays two game videos side by side in the first display area 310. The video display unit 116 may display the two game videos side by side. The video display unit 116 displays a seek bar that represents the total time length of the game video with the length of a bar and represents the playback position of the game video with a slider position on the bar. When the user presses the simultaneous playback stop button 320, the video display unit 116 pauses the simultaneous playback of the two game videos and displays a simultaneous playback button in place of the simultaneous playback stop button 320. When the user presses this simultaneous playback button, the video display unit 116 resumes the simultaneous playback of the two game videos.

[0076] Based on the metadata set for the two game videos, the information display unit 118 displays information about the state values ​​corresponding to the playback times of the two game videos in the second display area 312. It is preferable that the information display unit 118 displays the information about the state values ​​of the two game videos side by side to make them easier to compare. In this embodiment, the two game videos are displayed side by side, so the information about the state values ​​of player A and the information about the state values ​​of player B are displayed side by side.

[0077] In the embodiment, the second display area 312 is provided below the first display area 310. Therefore, information regarding the state values ​​of player A is displayed immediately below the game video of player A, and information regarding the state values ​​of player B is displayed immediately below the game video of player B. Note that the second display area 312 may also be provided above the first display area 310. In either case, it is preferable that the game video and the information regarding the state values ​​be arranged so that it can be intuitively understood that the game video and the information regarding the state values ​​belong to the same player.

[0078] The information display unit 118 may display, as information about the state values, statistical values ​​of multiple types of state values ​​from the start time of the game video to the current playback time (0:00:55 in FIG. 10 ). In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the information about “punch” and the information about “kick” indicate statistical values ​​of the state values ​​from the start time of the game video to the current playback time.

[0079] Referring to the metadata of game video 1 of player A shown in FIG. 7( a), six punch actions and two kick actions have occurred up to the playback time (0:00:55). Referring to the metadata of game video 2 of player B shown in FIG. 7( b), one punch action and six kick actions have occurred up to the playback time (0:00:55). Therefore, the information display unit 118 indicates, as of the playback time (0:00:55), that the number of punches in the game video of player A is 6 and the number of kicks is 2, and that the number of punches in the game video of player B is 1 and 6. The information display unit 118 may also display statistics of other types of state values, such as the cumulative number of jumps or runs, in the second display area 312.

[0080] The information display unit 118 may display the state value at the current playback time as information about the state value. In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the information about "HP" represents the HP at the current playback time. In this way, the information display unit 118 can present various types of information to the user based on the metadata. By viewing information about various state values ​​in the game, the user can compare the play styles of player A and player B and use this information as a reference for their own gameplay.

[0081] The video display unit 116 may end the playback of the game video of player A and the game video of player B at the same time. Here, the length of player A's game video is 2 minutes 10 seconds, and the length of player B's game video is 2 minutes 20 seconds. Therefore, if they are played back normally, player A's game video will end 10 seconds earlier. Therefore, after playing player A's game video to the end, the video display unit 116 may repeatedly play 10 seconds of the game video that has already been played so that the playback of player A's game video and player B's game video will end at the same time. For example, the video display unit 116 may repeatedly play 10 seconds of the game video from the end of player A's game video to synchronize the end timings.

[0082] The video display unit 116 may make the playback speeds of the game videos of player A and player B different so that the playback of the game videos of player A and player B ends simultaneously. In this example, the duration of the game video of player A is 2 minutes 10 seconds (130 seconds) and the duration of the game video of player B is 2 minutes 20 seconds (140 seconds). Therefore, the playback speed of the game video of player B may be set to (140 / 130) times the playback speed of the game video of player A so that the playback of the game video of player A and player B ends simultaneously.

[0083] In the above example, the user simultaneously watched the game video of player A and the game video of player B. However, the user may simultaneously watch his / her own game video and the game video of another player. In this case, the user's own game video may be selected by default on the selection screen.

[0084] 11 shows another example of a candidate video selection screen. On this selection screen, user-generated content previously uploaded by the user to video sharing server 14 is selected by default, and the user selects a game video of another player to be played simultaneously with the user's own game video. On this selection screen, the user can select one game video, and in the example shown in FIG. 11, a game video of player A is selected.

[0085] When the user presses the simultaneous playback start button 304, the acquisition unit 142 notifies the video sharing server 14 that the game video of player A has been selected, and upon receiving this notification, the video providing unit 220 provides the user's game video and the game video of player A to the information processing device 10. At this time, the video providing unit 220 also provides the metadata of the two game videos to the information processing device 10 along with the two game videos.

[0086] The acquisition unit 142 acquires game videos and metadata of the user and player A from the video sharing server 14 and temporarily records them in a buffer memory (not shown). The video display unit 116 simultaneously starts playing the game videos of the user and player A. By displaying the game videos of the user and player A side by side by the video display unit 116, the user can easily compare their own game play with that of player A. Player A may be, for example, a friend of the user, or a famous gamer, or a player with playing skills similar to that of the user.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] The present disclosure may include the following aspects. [Item 1] An information processing device having a function to play game videos, wherein the game videos are set with metadata that associates state values ​​in the game with the times at which the state values ​​occurred, and the information processing device comprises a circuit configured to: accept a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously; play the multiple game videos side by side; and display information related to the state values ​​corresponding to the playback times of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos. [Item 2] The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the circuit displays information related to the state values ​​of the multiple game videos side by side. [Item 3] The information processing device according to item 2, wherein the circuit displays the multiple game videos side by side, and displays information related to the state values ​​of the multiple game videos side by side below or above the multiple game videos. [Item 4] The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the video display unit in the circuit starts playback of the multiple game videos simultaneously. [Item 5] The information processing device of item 4, wherein the circuit simultaneously ends playback of multiple game videos. [Item 6] The information processing device of item 1, wherein the circuit displays a user's game video and game videos of other players side by side. [Item 7] The information processing device of item 1, wherein the circuit displays, as information related to state values, statistical values ​​of state values ​​up to the playback time of the game video. [Item 8] The information processing device of item 7, wherein the circuit displays statistical values ​​of multiple types of state values. [Item 9] A method of displaying game videos on an information processing device, wherein the game videos are set with metadata that associates state values ​​in the game with the times at which the state values ​​occurred, accept a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously, play multiple game videos side by side, and display information related to the state values ​​according to the playback times of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.[Item 10] A recording medium having recorded thereon a program executed on a computer of an information processing device, the program being a program for displaying game videos set with metadata that associates state values ​​in a game with the times at which the state values ​​occurred, and realizing in the computer the following functions: a function for accepting a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously; a function for playing multiple game videos side by side; and a function for displaying information relating to state values ​​corresponding to the playback times of multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

[0090] The present disclosure can be used in the technical field of allowing users to watch videos.

[0091] 1...information processing system, 4...output device, 5...server device, 10...information processing device, 12...management server, 14...video sharing server, 100...processing unit, 102...communication unit, 110...game execution unit, 112...game image generation unit, 114...display processing unit, 116...video display unit, 118...information display unit, 120...event information acquisition unit, 122...event data transmission unit, 130...game video acquisition unit, 132...game video transmission unit, 140...reception unit, 142...acquisition unit, 154...game video recording unit, 200...processing unit, 202...communication unit, 210...game video acquisition unit, 212...analysis unit, 214...metadata setting unit, 216...search request reception unit, 218...search unit, 220...video providing unit, 240...recording device, 242...video recording unit, 244...metadata recording unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device having the function of playing game videos, wherein the game videos are set with metadata that associates state values ​​in the game with the time at which the state values ​​occurred, and characterized by comprising: a reception unit that receives a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously; a video display unit that plays multiple game videos side by side; and an information display unit that displays information regarding state values ​​corresponding to the playback times of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the information display unit displays information relating to the state values ​​of a plurality of game videos side by side.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the video display unit displays multiple game videos side by side, and the information display unit displays information regarding the state values ​​of the multiple game videos side by side below or above the multiple game videos.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the video display unit starts playing multiple game videos simultaneously.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the video display unit simultaneously ends the playback of multiple game videos.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the video display unit displays the user's game video and other players' game video side by side.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the information display unit displays, as information relating to the state values, statistical values ​​of the state values ​​up to the time when the game video is played.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the information display unit displays statistical values ​​of a plurality of types of status values.

9. A method for displaying game videos on an information processing device, wherein the game videos have metadata set that associates status values ​​in the game with the times at which the status values ​​occurred, the game video display method comprising the steps of: accepting a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously; playing multiple game videos side by side; and displaying information regarding the status values ​​corresponding to the playback times of the multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

10. A program for displaying game videos that have metadata set that associates status values ​​in the game with the time at which those status values ​​occurred, the program having a computer that performs the following functions: accepting a selection of game videos that a user wishes to watch simultaneously; playing multiple game videos side by side; and displaying information about status values ​​corresponding to the playback times of multiple game videos based on the metadata set for the multiple game videos.

Images