Game System Purchase Limit Enforcement via Server Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network games, users can excessively spend money on in-game items due to the lack of a spending limit, leading to financial insecurity for players.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a game system where a cumulative upper limit is set for the number of in-game 'diamonds' a user can purchase, with the system communicating between a game device and a server to manage and enforce this limit, and offering awards to encourage players to reach the purchase limit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If no upper limit is set for item purchases, then users can freely purchase items as they wish, but users may excessively spend money leading to financial insecurity
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by establishing a cumulative purchase limit before users can excessively spend. The server pre-defines an upper limit on the total number of items a user can acquire, and this limit is enforced before any harmful excessive spending can occur. When a user's cumulative item count reaches the predetermined limit, further purchase requests are rejected, thereby preventing financial insecurity before it can happen.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a cumulative upper limit is set for item purchases, then excessive spending is prevented, but users cannot purchase beyond the limit even if they wish to
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the effective purchase limit based on user progress. Instead of a rigid fixed limit, the system monitors cumulative item acquisition and allows purchases up to the predetermined threshold. The limit parameter is enforced adaptively: users can purchase freely until reaching the limit, at which point the system transitions from allowing purchases to blocking them. This maintains flexibility within safe boundaries while preventing excessive spending.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the system monitors and enforces purchase limits through server communication, then spending control is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by establishing a closed-loop communication between the game device and server for purchase monitoring. When a user requests to acquire an item, the game device sends a purchase request to the server. The server checks the user's cumulative item count against the predetermined limit and responds with approval or rejection. This feedback mechanism enables automated spending control without requiring complex local decision-making logic at the game device, distributing the complexity management across the networked system.
Data Source
AI summary
An example system includes a game device including a game processing unit performing information processing concerning a game and a communication unit performing communication via a network, and a communication unit performing communication with the game device via the network. The game device includes a purchase request transmission unit transmitting a purchase request for the first item to be used in the game to the server by communication through the communication unit. The server includes a purchase request reception unit receiving the purchase request transmitted by the purchase request transmission unit, and a first item imparting unit imparting the first item in response to the purchase request received by the purchase request reception unit. An upper limit is set to the cumulative number of the purchased first items for the user who plays the game using the game device.