Remote Game Support via Physical Item Image Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Games that progress through physical items, such as trading card games, require players to be at the same location to recognize each other's deployments, limiting their playability and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A game assisting system that uses information communication terminals with acquisition, display control, and communication units to establish connections between players, allowing them to present and recognize physical game item deployments remotely, enabling competitive play through a network connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If players use physical game items to progress the game, then the game experience and excitement are enhanced, but players must be at the same location to recognize each other's deployments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates visual copies (images) of physical game items deployed by each player and transmits these copies to the opponent's information communication terminal. This allows players to view their opponent's physical item deployments remotely through displayed images, eliminating the requirement for physical co-location while preserving the authenticity of physical item gameplay.
Solution Approach 2:
The information communication terminal acts as an intermediary between players, capturing images of physical game items, transmitting them through communication networks, and displaying them to remote opponents. This intermediary system bridges the spatial gap between players while maintaining the physical nature of the game items.
2Ease of operation
If players gather at the same location to play physical item games, then they can recognize each other's deployments, but the opportunity to play is limited to when players know each other are nearby
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical requirement of physical proximity for visual recognition with an electronic information transmission system. Information communication terminals capture, transmit, and display images of physical game items, substituting the need for players to be physically close with a digital information exchange mechanism that works across any distance.
3Ease of manufacture
If physical game items are deployed on a large game board, then the game can be played properly, but a large space is required for the players
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the game from a purely physical two-dimensional space to a combined physical-digital space. While physical items are deployed on a game board, the opponent views them through a digital interface (display unit) on their information communication terminal. This adds a digital dimension that allows remote observation without requiring the opponent to occupy physical space near the game board.
Data Source
AI summary
A game assisting system assists execution of a competitive game progressing through presentation of physical game items executed between players. The game assisting system includes: an information communication terminal associated with a player, the information communication terminal including: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a physical game item presented by the player; a display control unit configured to control displaying of information on a display unit; and an information communication unit; and a connection device including a connection unit configured to establish communicable connection between a plurality of the information communication terminals associated with players participating in the competitive game. The display control unit causes the display unit to display the information on the physical game item acquired by the acquisition unit of the information communication terminal of a communication counterpart, when the communicable connection is established by the connection unit.