JP7566964B2 - program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a program .

In games, content that combines text, audio, and images may be presented to express the game's story, world view, characters, etc. Users who view the content can deepen their understanding of the game through that content, and are therefore expected to become even more engrossed in the game.

Various technologies have been developed for presenting content so that users will view the content with interest. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a text data display program that can change the joy, anger, sadness, and happiness point value in response to an operator's input, and change text effects and text color in response to the point value.

JP 2003-24637 A

Some games that present the above-mentioned content allow the user to skip or fast-forward the content presented in response to user operations. However, in order to allow the user to gain a deeper understanding of the game, it is desirable for the content to be viewed from start to finish.

A user who skips or fast-forwards through the presentation of content is likely to be unable to fully understand the content. As a result, the user will continue playing the game without being familiar with the game's story, world view, and characters.

One aspect of the present disclosure addresses the above problems and aims to motivate users to view content.

The program of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a first presentation means for presenting a first content in a game based on the program, a reception means for receiving a first input operation from a user before or during presentation of the first content, a shortening means for shortening the time required for completing presentation of the first content in response to receiving the first input operation, and a display means for displaying suggestive information indicating that shortening has been performed on a display screen that can display at least the first content when shortening has been performed by the shortening means.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to motivate users to view content.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game system according to a first embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user terminal and a server included in the game system according to embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a content presentation screen. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen when the presentation of the content is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being executed on the content presentation screen shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the game system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a content presentation screen when a confirmation message is presented. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in a game system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the content presentation screen when a confirmation message is presented. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in a game system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a content list screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the content presentation screen.

[Embodiment 1]
The game system according to the present disclosure is a system for providing a game to multiple users. The game system will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are included in the present invention. In the following description, the same elements in the description of the drawings are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will not be repeated.

<Hardware Configuration of Game System 1>
1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game system 1. As shown in the figure, the game system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 100 and a server 200. Each user terminal 100 is connected to the server 200 via a network 2. The network 2 is composed of the Internet and various mobile communication systems constructed by wireless base stations (not shown). Examples of such mobile communication systems include so-called 3G and 4G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) that can be connected to the Internet via a predetermined access point.

The server 200 (computer, information processing device) may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The server 200 comprises a processor 20, a memory 21, a storage 22, a communication IF 23, and an input/output IF 24. These components of the server 200 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus.

The user terminal 100 (computer, information processing device) may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a feature phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a tablet computer. The user terminal 100 may be a gaming device suitable for playing games. As shown in the figure, the user terminal 100 includes a processor 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a communication interface (IF) 13, an input/output IF 14, a touch screen 15 (display unit), a camera 17, and a distance measurement sensor 18. These components of the user terminal 100 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus. Note that the user terminal 100 may include an input/output IF 14 to which a display (display unit) configured separately from the user terminal 100 body can be connected instead of or in addition to the touch screen 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 may be configured to be able to communicate with one or more controllers 1020. The controller 1020 establishes communication with the user terminal 100 according to a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The controller 1020 may have one or more buttons, etc., and transmits output values based on user input operations on the buttons, etc., to the user terminal 100. The controller 1020 may also have various sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor, and transmits output values of the various sensors to the user terminal 100.

In addition to or in addition to the user terminal 100 being equipped with the camera 17 and distance measurement sensor 18, the controller 1020 may have the camera 17 and distance measurement sensor 18.

For example, when starting a game, the user terminal 100 desirably has the user using the controller 1020 input user identification information, such as the user's name or login ID, via the controller 1020. This enables the user terminal 100 to link the controller 1020 with the user, and to identify which user the output value belongs to based on the source (controller 1020) of the received output value.

When the user terminal 100 communicates with multiple controllers 1020, each user can hold a controller 1020 and realize a multi-play on the single user terminal 100 without communicating with other devices such as the server 200 via the network 2. In addition, the user terminals 100 can realize a multi-play locally by connecting to each other via a wireless standard such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard (connecting to communicate without going through the server 200). When the above-mentioned multi-play is realized locally by a single user terminal 100, the user terminal 100 may further include at least some of the various functions of the server 200, which will be described later. In addition, when the above-mentioned multi-play is realized locally by multiple user terminals 100, the multiple user terminals 100 may have various functions of the server 200, which will be described later, distributed among them.

Even when the above-mentioned multiplayer mode is implemented locally, the user terminal 100 may communicate with the server 200. For example, information indicating the results of a game, such as the score or win/loss, may be associated with user identification information and transmitted to the server 200.

The controller 1020 may be configured to be detachable from the user terminal 100. In this case, a connection part for the controller 1020 may be provided on at least one of the faces of the housing of the user terminal 100. When the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 are connected by a wire via the connection part, the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 transmit and receive signals via the wire.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 may accept the attachment of a storage medium 1030 such as an external memory card via the input/output IF 14. This allows the user terminal 100 to read programs and data recorded on the storage medium 1030. The program recorded on the storage medium 1030 is, for example, a game program.

The user terminal 100 may store in the memory 11 of the user terminal 100 a game program acquired by communicating with an external device such as the server 200, or may store in the memory 11 a game program acquired by reading it from the storage medium 1030.

As described above, the user terminal 100 includes a communication IF 13, an input/output IF 14, a touch screen 15, a camera 17, and a distance sensor 18 as examples of mechanisms for inputting information to the user terminal 100. Each of the above-mentioned components as input mechanisms can be considered as an operation unit configured to accept input operations by the user.

For example, when the operation unit is composed of at least one of the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18, the operation unit detects an object 1010 in the vicinity of the user terminal 100 and identifies an input operation from the detection result of the object. As an example, a user's hand or a marker of a predetermined shape is detected as the object 1010, and the input operation is identified based on the color, shape, movement, or type of the object 1010 obtained as the detection result. More specifically, when the user's hand is detected from an image captured by the camera 17, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a gesture (a series of movements of the user's hand) detected based on the captured image as the user's input operation. Note that the captured image may be a still image or a video.

Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with a touch screen 15, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a user operation performed on the input unit 151 of the touch screen 15 as a user input operation. Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with a communication IF 13, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a signal (e.g., an output value) transmitted from the controller 1020 as a user input operation. Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with an input/output IF 14, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a signal output from an input device (not shown) connected to the input/output IF 14 and different from the controller 1020 as a user input operation.

<Hardware components of each device>
The processor 10 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 100. The processor 20 controls the overall operation of the server 200. The processors 10 and 20 each include a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), and a graphics processing unit (GPU).

Processor 10 reads the program from storage 12, which will be described later, and expands it in memory 11, which will be described later. Processor 20 reads the program from storage 22, which will be described later, and expands it in memory 21, which will be described later. Processor 10 and processor 20 execute the expanded programs.

Memories 11 and 21 are main storage devices. Memories 11 and 21 are composed of storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 11 provides a working area for processor 10 by temporarily storing programs and various data that processor 10 reads from storage 12, which will be described later. Memory 11 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 10 is operating according to a program. Memory 21 provides a working area for processor 20 by temporarily storing various programs and data that processor 20 reads from storage 22, which will be described later. Memory 21 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 20 is operating according to a program.

In this embodiment, the program may be a game program for realizing a game by the user terminal 100. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200. Note that the game realized through cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200 may be, as an example, a game executed on a browser launched in the user terminal 100. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between multiple user terminals 100. Furthermore, the various data include data related to the game, such as user information and game information, as well as instructions or notifications transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the server 200 or between multiple user terminals 100.

Storages 12 and 22 are auxiliary storage devices. Storages 12 and 22 are configured with storage devices such as flash memory or HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). Storage 12 and storage 22 store various data related to the game.

The communication IF 13 controls the transmission and reception of various data in the user terminal 100. The communication IF 23 controls the transmission and reception of various data in the server 200. The communication IFs 13 and 23 control, for example, communication via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Internet communication via a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a mobile phone network, and communication using short-range wireless communication, etc.

The input/output IF 14 is an interface through which the user terminal 100 accepts data input, and is also an interface through which the user terminal 100 outputs data. The input/output IF 14 may input and output data via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like. The input/output IF 14 may include, for example, a physical button, a camera, a microphone, or a speaker of the user terminal 100. The input/output IF 24 of the server 200 is an interface through which the server 200 accepts data input, and is also an interface through which the server 200 outputs data. The input/output IF 24 may include, for example, an input unit that is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display unit that is a device that displays and outputs images.

The touch screen 15 of the user terminal 100 is an electronic component that combines an input unit 151 and a display unit 152. The input unit 151 is, for example, a touch-sensitive device, and is configured, for example, by a touchpad. The display unit 152 is, for example, configured by a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

The input unit 151 has a function of detecting the position where a user operation (mainly a physical contact operation such as a touch operation, a slide operation, a swipe operation, or a tap operation) is input on the input surface, and transmitting information indicating the position as an input signal. The input unit 151 may be provided with a touch sensing unit (not shown). The touch sensing unit may be of any type, such as a capacitive type or a resistive film type.

Although not shown, the user terminal 100 may have one or more sensors for identifying the holding orientation of the user terminal 100. The sensor may be, for example, an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor. If the user terminal 100 has a sensor, the processor 10 may identify the holding orientation of the user terminal 100 from the output of the sensor and perform processing according to the holding orientation. For example, when the user terminal 100 is held in portrait orientation, the processor 10 may perform a portrait screen display in which a vertically elongated image is displayed on the display unit 152. On the other hand, when the user terminal 100 is held in landscape orientation, the processor 10 may perform a landscape screen display in which a horizontally elongated image is displayed on the display unit. In this way, the processor 10 may be able to switch between portrait screen display and landscape screen display according to the holding orientation of the user terminal 100.

The camera 17 includes an image sensor and generates a captured image by converting the light incident through the lens into an electrical signal.

The distance measurement sensor 18 is a sensor that measures the distance to the measurement object. The distance measurement sensor 18 includes, for example, a light source that emits pulse-converted light and a light receiving element that receives the light. The distance measurement sensor 18 measures the distance to the measurement object based on the timing of light emission from the light source and the timing of receiving reflected light that is generated when the light emitted from the light source hits the measurement object and is reflected. The distance measurement sensor 18 may have a light source that emits directional light.

Here, an example will be further described in which the user terminal 100 uses the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18 to detect an object 1010 in the vicinity of the user terminal 100, and receives the detection result as a user input operation. The camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18 may be provided, for example, on the side of the housing of the user terminal 100. The distance measurement sensor 18 may be provided near the camera 17. For example, an infrared camera can be used as the camera 17. In this case, a lighting device that irradiates infrared rays and a filter that blocks visible light, etc. may be provided on the camera 17. This can further improve the accuracy of object detection based on the image captured by the camera 17, regardless of whether it is outdoors or indoors.

The processor 10 may perform, for example, one or more of the processes shown in (1) to (5) below on the image captured by the camera 17. (1) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 17 to determine whether or not the captured image includes the user's hand. The processor 10 may use, for example, a pattern matching technique as an analysis technique employed in the above-mentioned image recognition processing. (2) The processor 10 also detects a user's gesture from the shape of the user's hand. The processor 10, for example, determines the number of fingers of the user (the number of fingers extended) from the shape of the user's hand detected from the captured image. The processor 10 further determines the gesture made by the user from the determined number of fingers. For example, if the number of fingers is five, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "paper" gesture. If the number of fingers is zero (no fingers are detected), the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "rock" gesture. Furthermore, when the number of fingers is two, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "scissors" gesture. (3) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 17 to detect whether the user's fingers are in a state where only the index finger is raised, or whether the user's fingers are moving like flicking. (4) The processor 10 detects the distance between the object 1010 (such as the user's hand) near the user terminal 100 and the user terminal 100 based on at least one of the image recognition result of the image captured by the camera 17 and the output value of the distance measuring sensor 18. For example, the processor 10 detects whether the user's hand is near the user terminal 100 (e.g., a distance less than a predetermined value) or far away (e.g., a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined value) based on the size of the shape of the user's hand identified from the image captured by the camera 17. Note that when the captured image is a video, the processor 10 may detect whether the user's hand is approaching or moving away from the user terminal 100. (5) When it is determined that the distance between the user terminal 100 and the user's hand is changing while the user's hand is detected based on the image recognition result of the image captured by the camera 17, the processor 10 recognizes that the user is waving his/her hand in the capturing direction of the camera 17. When an object is sometimes detected and sometimes not detected by the distance measuring sensor 18, which has a higher directivity than the capturing range of the camera 17, the processor 10 recognizes that the user is waving his/her hand in a direction perpendicular to the capturing direction of the camera.

In this way, the processor 10 detects whether the user has clenched his/her hand (whether it is a "rock" gesture or another gesture (e.g., "paper")) by image recognition of the image captured by the camera 17. The processor 10 also detects how the user is moving the hand along with the shape of the user's hand. The processor 10 also detects whether the user is moving the hand closer to or farther away from the user terminal 100. Such an operation can correspond to an operation using a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel. For example, the user terminal 100 moves the pointer on the touch screen 15 in response to the movement of the user's hand and detects the user's "rock" gesture. In this case, the user terminal 100 recognizes that the user is continuing the selection operation. The continuation of the selection operation corresponds, for example, to the mouse being clicked and kept pressed, or to the touch panel being kept touched after a touchdown operation. Furthermore, when the user moves his/her hand further while the user terminal 100 has detected the user gesture "rock," the user terminal 100 can recognize such a series of gestures as an operation corresponding to a swipe operation (or a drag operation). Furthermore, when the user terminal 100 detects a gesture of the user flicking his/her fingers based on the detection result of the user's hand from the image captured by the camera 17, the user terminal 100 may recognize the gesture as an operation corresponding to a mouse click or a tap operation on a touch panel.

＜Game Overview＞
The game executed by the game system 1 (hereinafter, the game) is a game that includes a part that presents some content to the user. The content is composed of character strings, images, videos, sounds, and any other output form that the user terminal 100 can output, as well as combinations of these.

In this embodiment, content may represent the story, worldview, characters, etc., of the game. In this embodiment, content refers to content whose contents remain unchanged regardless of the user's currently presented operations, unless otherwise specified. For example, content in this embodiment refers to content in the form of a scenario in which a linear story is read through.

The game is not limited to a specific genre, and may be a game of any genre. For example, it may be a game based on a sport such as tennis, table tennis, dodgeball, baseball, soccer, or hockey, a puzzle game, a quiz game, an RPG, an adventure game, a shooting game, a simulation game, a training game, or an action game.

The game is not limited to a specific play format, and may be a game of any play format. For example, it may be a single-player game played by a single user, a multiplayer game played by multiple users, and within the multiplayer game, it may be a competitive game in which multiple users compete against each other, or a cooperative game in which multiple users cooperate.

<Functional Configuration of Game System 1>
2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 included in the game system 1. Each of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 may include a functional configuration (not shown) required to function as a general computer, and a functional configuration required to realize well-known functions in a game.

The user terminal 100 functions as an input device that accepts input operations from the user, and as an output device that outputs game images and sounds. The user terminal 100 functions as a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 through cooperation of the processor 10, memory 11, storage 12, communication IF 13, input/output IF 14, etc.

The server 200 has a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 and assisting the user terminal 100 in progressing through the game. If the game is a multiplayer game, the server 200 may have a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 participating in the game and mediating interactions between the user terminals 100. The server 200 functions as a control unit 210 and a storage unit 220 through cooperation of the processor 20, memory 21, storage 22, communication IF 23, input/output IF 24, etc.

The memory unit 120 and the memory unit 220 store a game program 131, game information 132, and user information 133. The game program 131 is a game program executed by the user terminal 100. The game program 231 is a game program executed by the server 200. The game information 132 is data referenced by the control unit 110 and the control unit 210 when executing the game program. The user information 133 is information managed for each user account. The memory unit 120 stores the user information 133 of the account corresponding to the user terminal 100. Meanwhile, the memory unit 220 stores the user information 133 collected from each user terminal 100 collectively.

(Content data)
The game information 132 includes content data 132A. The content data 132A is data related to content presented to the user in the game. The content data 132A includes, for example, data indicating the data itself to be presented as content, such as character strings, images, videos, and sounds, and data defining the timing of presenting each component of the content and the wait time. It is desirable for the game to present different content in accordance with the user's input operation or the progress of the game. Therefore, it is desirable for the content data 132A to be multiple.

(Functional configuration of server 200)
The control unit 210 performs overall control of the server 200 by executing the game program 231 stored in the storage unit 220. For example, the control unit 210 transmits various data, programs, and the like to the user terminal 100. The control unit 210 receives a part or all of the game information or user information from the user terminal 100. If the game is a multiplayer game, the control unit 210 may receive a request for multiplayer synchronization from the user terminal 100 and transmit data for synchronization to the user terminal 100.

The control unit 210 functions as a transmission/reception unit 211, a server processing unit 212, and a data management unit 213 according to the description of the game program 231. The control unit 210 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) to support the progress of the game on the user terminal 100 according to the nature of the game being executed.

The transmission/reception unit 211 receives various data and requests from the user terminal 100. For example, the transmission/reception unit 211 receives part or all of the game information 132 or the user information 133 from the user terminal 100. The transmission/reception unit 211 also transmits various data and requests to the user terminal 100. For example, the transmission/reception unit 211 transmits part or all of the game information 132 or the user information 133 to the user terminal 100.

The server processing unit 212 performs the computational processing required to provide the game. The server processing unit 212 instructs the transmission/reception unit 211 to transmit various data. The server processing unit 212 instructs the data management unit 213 to add, update, or delete various pieces of information contained in the game information 132 and user information 133.

The data management unit 213 manages the data stored in the memory unit 220. The data management unit 213 adds, updates, or deletes various information included in the game information 132 and the user information 133 in response to instructions from the server processing unit 212. The data management unit 213 may read at least one of the game information 132 and the user information 133 from the memory unit 220 in response to instructions from the server processing unit 212. The data management unit 213 may read a portion of the game program 131 to be executed on a certain user terminal 100 from the memory unit 220 in response to instructions from the server processing unit 212, and transmit the program to the user terminal 100 via the transmission/reception unit 211.

(Functional configuration of user terminal 100)
The control unit 110 executes the game program 131 stored in the storage unit 120 to comprehensively control the user terminal 100. For example, the control unit 110 progresses the game in accordance with the game program 131 and the user's operations. Furthermore, while the game is progressing, the control unit 110 communicates with the server 200 as necessary to send and receive information.

The control unit 110 functions as an operation reception unit 111, a game progression unit 112, a display control unit 113, and a communication unit 114 according to the description of the game program 131. The control unit 110 can also function as other functional blocks not shown in the figures in order to progress the game according to the nature of the game being executed. The control unit 110 can also function as other functional blocks not shown in the figures in order to progress the game according to the nature of the game being executed.

The operation reception unit 111 detects and accepts user input operations on the input unit 151. The operation reception unit 111 determines what kind of input operation has been performed from the action performed by the user on the touch screen 15 and the console via the other input/output IF 14, and outputs the result to each element of the control unit 110. The operation reception unit 111 accepts at least a skip operation and a presentation start operation.

A skip operation (first input operation) refers to an input operation that instructs skipping or fast-forwarding content. Here, skipping content means canceling the display of unpresented components of the content and forcibly completing the presentation of the content. On the other hand, fast-forwarding content means speeding up the presentation of unpresented components of the content. Therefore, skipping or fast-forwarding content refers to a process that shortens the time it takes to complete the presentation of the content. A presentation start operation (second input operation) refers to an input operation that instructs the start of presentation of content.

The communication unit 114 transmits various data and requests to the server 200. For example, the communication unit 114 transmits part or all of the game information 132 or the user information 133 to the server 200. The communication unit 114 receives various data and requests from the server 200. For example, the communication unit 114 receives part or all of the game information 132 or the user information 133 from the server 200.

The game progression unit 112 performs various processes related to the progression of the game. For example, the game progression unit 112 identifies the user's instructions based on the coordinates of the position of the input operation received by the operation reception unit 111, the type of operation, and the progress of the game. The game progression unit 112 also performs various determination processes related to the progress of the game. The game progression unit 112 also adds, updates, or deletes various pieces of information contained in the game information 132 and user information 133 stored in the memory unit 120. The game progression unit 112 includes a presenting unit 112A, a skip processing unit 112B, an assigning unit 112C, and a notifying unit 112D.

The presentation unit 112A executes various processes related to the presentation of content. When the operation reception unit 111 receives a presentation start operation, the presentation unit 112A responds to the operation by reading data related to the content specified by the operation from the content data 132A. The presentation unit 112A starts presenting the content based on the read data. Furthermore, when the presentation unit 112A has finished presenting all the components of the content included in the read data, it determines that the presentation of the content is complete. When the presentation of the content is complete, the presentation unit 112A notifies the assignment unit 112C of that effect.

The skip processing unit 112B executes processing to shorten the time it takes to present content. In this embodiment, the skip processing unit 112B executes skipping or fast-forwarding the presentation of content. Specific skipping and fast-forwarding processing will be described later.

The granting unit 112C grants the user a benefit in the game. The granting unit 112C grants the user a benefit when the presentation unit 112A completes the presentation of the content without the skip processing unit 112B shortening the time until the content presentation is completed. The benefit that the granting unit 112C grants to the user is not particularly limited. For example, the granting unit 112C may grant the user a benefit directly or indirectly.

Specifically, the granting unit 112C may grant the user at least one of valuable data, an item, and a game object that can be used in the game. In this embodiment, the granting unit 112C grants the user an item called a lottery ticket, which is necessary to execute a lottery within the game in which a game object can be won. Here, the lottery is a type of processing executed by the game progression unit 112, and is a process of selecting a game object based on a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule may be random, or may be determined according to a set rule.

The granting unit 112C may also grant the user certain rights in game play. For example, the granting unit 112C may grant the user the right to have a lottery performed once as a benefit. For example, the granting unit 112C may grant the user the right to change the appearance of a game object owned by the user as a benefit. The granting unit 112C may also grant the user the right to view or play additional content (third content) in the game as a benefit.

The granting unit 112C may also provide the user with a benefit that increases the probability that a game object related to the content that has been presented will be selected in a lottery performed by the game progression unit 112.

The granting unit 112C may also grant the user items, valuable data, in-game currency, etc. that are of higher value or in greater quantity if skipping or fast-forwarding is not performed before the presentation of the content is complete than if skipping or fast-forwarding is performed. This provides a greater benefit to the user if skipping or fast-forwarding is not performed than if skipping or fast-forwarding is performed. In other words, when comparing these cases, it can be said that the granting unit 112C grants a benefit to the user.

The granting unit 112C may also provide the user with data that can be used outside of the game as a benefit, for example.

The notification unit 112D presents various notifications to the user. For example, the notification unit 112D instructs the display control unit 113 to display on the touch screen 15 a message corresponding to the notification from the presentation unit 112A and the skip processing unit 112B.

The display control unit 113 causes the display unit 152 to display an image. For example, the display control unit 113 generates an image including an object and a background image that serves as the background of the object, and causes the display unit 152 to display the image.

The display control unit 113 may control 2D or 3D objects (UI objects) for constructing a UI (user interface). For example, the display control unit 113 may superimpose UI objects necessary for various game operations, such as icons, buttons, lists, and menu screens, on a background image. A UI object is a tool that enables a user to make inputs required for the progress of the game to the user terminal 100. A UI object is also a tool that enables a user to obtain information output from the user terminal 100 while the game is progressing.

Note that the functions of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples. The server 200 may have at least some of the functions of the user terminal 100. The user terminal 100 may also have at least some of the functions of the server 200. Furthermore, devices other than the user terminal 100 and the server 200 may be components of the game system 1, and the other devices may execute some of the processing in the game system 1. That is, the computer that executes the game program in this embodiment may be any of the user terminal 100, the server 200, and other devices, or may be realized by a combination of multiple devices.

<Processing Overview>
(Content presentation screen)
After the game starts, the presentation unit 112A of the user terminal 100 refers to the content data 132A in response to an input operation by the user to determine the content to be presented. The presentation unit 112A instructs the display control unit 113 to create an image showing a game screen for presenting the content. The instruction may include information specifying the content to be presented.

Hereinafter, images showing various screens will be referred to simply as "screens." Also, hereafter, game screens for presenting content will be referred to as "content presentation screens." The display control unit 113 creates a content presentation screen based on instructions from the game progression unit 112, and displays it on the touch screen 15.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a content presentation screen. Note that Figure 3 illustrates a case in which a story expressed at least in sentences is presented as content. The content presentation screen 500 includes at least a content display area 510 and a skip button 520.

When the content presentation screen is displayed, the presentation unit 112A reads out data relating to one piece of content from the content data 132A. The presentation unit 112A then sends instructions to the display control unit 113 as needed so that the content of that piece of content is displayed on the content presentation screen at the timing specified in the content data 132A.

3, a portion of the text of the story is displayed in the content display area 510 as dialogue 511 of a character in the scenario. Thereafter, the presentation unit 112A displays the next dialogue 512 in the content display area 510 at the timing specified in the content data 132A. In this manner, the presentation unit 112A displays text in the content display area 510 as needed, according to the timing specified in the content data 132A. Then, when the display of the text specified in the content data 132A, i.e., all elements of a certain piece of content, is completed, the presentation unit 112A determines that the presentation of the content is completed. The presentation unit 112A notifies the assignment unit 112C that the presentation of the content is completed. The presentation unit 112A may also notify the notification unit 112D that the presentation of the content is completed.

When the content is a video, the presentation unit 112A plays the video from the beginning and sends it to the display control unit 113. The display control unit 113 displays a content presentation screen on the touch screen 15 in which a UI object, such as a button 520 described below, is superimposed on the video. In this case, the presentation unit 112A does not need to send any particular instruction to the display control unit 113 until playback ends. Also in this case, the presentation unit 112A determines that presentation of the content is complete when playback ends.

The presentation of content may be started by using a presentation start operation as a trigger. For example, the presentation unit 112A may start presenting text in the display area 510 when the user performs a presentation start operation after the content presentation screen is presented. The presentation start operation is, for example, a touch operation on an area other than the button 520 on the content presentation screen 500. Note that the presentation start operation may be an input operation for displaying the content presentation screen 500.

The content may be expressed as a combination of text, images or video, and audio. For example, an image display area 550 may be provided on the content presentation screen 500. The presentation unit 112A may then display, together with the lines 511 and 512, an image of the character who is the speaker of each line in the image display area 550. The character image may also be displayed as an animation depending on the content of the text. The display control unit 113 may also create and display a content presentation screen with a different layout depending on the type of content specified by an instruction from the presentation unit 112A.

When a skip operation is performed by the user before or during the presentation of content by the presentation unit 112A, the skip processing unit 112B skips or fast-forwards the presentation of the content. Here, "before the content is presented" may mean before the content presentation screen is presented, or the period from when the content presentation screen is displayed until the presentation of the content begins. Furthermore, "during the presentation of the content" refers to the period from when the presentation unit 112A begins presenting the content until the presentation of all elements of the content is completed.

In the content presentation screen 500 shown in FIG. 3, when the operation reception unit 111 receives an input operation on the skip button 520, the game progression unit 112 determines that the input operation is a skip operation. Then, the skip processing unit 112B skips or fast-forwards the presentation of the content in response to the skip operation.

For example, the skip processing unit 112B forcibly ends the presentation of the content without causing the presentation unit 112A to present each element of the content that may be presented after the dialogue 512. Alternatively, the skip processing unit 112B presents each element of the content that may be presented after the dialogue 512 at an earlier timing and with a shorter wait time than the presentation by the presentation unit 112A, instead of the presentation unit 112A. This realizes skipping or fast-forwarding the presentation of the content. When the skip processing unit 112B executes a skip or fast-forward, it notifies the assignment unit 112C to that effect. The skip processing unit 112B may also notify the notification unit 112D to the effect that a skip or fast-forward has been executed.

(Granting of Benefits)
The granting unit 112C grants a benefit to the user when the presentation of the content is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed. For example, the granting unit 112C may determine that "the presentation of the content is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed" when the granting unit 112C is notified by the presenting unit 112A that the presentation of the content is completed without receiving a notification from the skip processing unit 112B that skipping or fast-forwarding has been performed.

When the presentation of the content is completed without a skip operation being performed, the granting unit 112C determines the content of the benefit to be granted to the user and grants the benefit to the user. The granting unit 112C may notify the notification unit 112D of the content of the benefit that has been granted or will be granted.

When the presentation of the content is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed, the notification unit 112D may present a message (second message) indicating that a benefit will be given for not skipping or fast-forwarding. Hereinafter, this message will be referred to as a "result message." For example, when the notification unit 112D is notified by the presentation unit 112A that the presentation of the content is completed without receiving a notification from the skip processing unit 112B that a skip or fast-forward has been performed, the notification unit 112D may determine that "the presentation of the content is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed."

Figure 4 is a diagram showing a game screen when content presentation is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed on the content presentation screen 500 shown in Figure 3. When the notification unit 112D determines that content presentation is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed, it instructs the display control unit 113 to display, for example, a pop-up 560 as shown in the figure.

The pop-up 560 contains at least a result message. If the notification unit 112D has been notified of the content of the profit by the granting unit 112C, the notification unit 112D may instruct the display control unit 113 to display a pop-up 560 that further contains information indicating the content of the profit. In the illustrated example, one lottery ticket is granted to the user as a reward for not performing a skip operation.

This allows the user who has obtained the benefit to clearly recognize that the benefit was given to him or her by not skipping or fast-forwarding until the content presentation was completed. Therefore, when the user views other content, the user can be motivated to view the other content without skipping or fast-forwarding.

(Processing flow)
Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the game system 1. In the example of Fig. 5, it is assumed that a skip operation is an operation that is accepted while content is being presented.

In step S101, the game progression unit 112 determines whether or not a presentation start operation has been received from the user at the operation reception unit 111. If the answer is NO in step S101, i.e., if the operation reception unit 111 has not received a presentation start operation, the game progression unit 112 waits without performing any special processing. On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S101, i.e., if the operation reception unit 111 has received a presentation start operation, the game progression unit 112 executes step S102 in response to receiving the presentation start operation.

In step S102, the presentation unit 112A of the game progression unit 112 presents the content to the user. Thereafter, as soon as an input operation is received by the operation reception unit 111 until the presentation unit 112A completes the presentation of the content, the game progression unit 112 executes the determination of step S103.

In step S103, the game progression unit 112 determines whether the input operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 is a skip operation. This determination is made each time an input operation is performed on the operation acceptance unit 111 until the start of step S105. If the answer is NO in step S103, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has not accepted a skip operation before the start of step S105, the game progression unit 112 executes step S105. On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S103, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has accepted a skip operation before the start of step S105, the game progression unit 112 executes step S104 in response to accepting the skip operation.

In step S104, the skip processing unit 112B skips or fast-forwards the presentation of the content. When skipping or fast-forwarding is performed, the presentation of the content is forcibly completed. That is, the presentation unit 112A executes step S105. In addition, after starting the presentation of the content in step S102, if the presentation of all elements of the content has finished while the result in step S103 remains NO, the presentation unit 112A also executes step S105.

In step S105, the presentation unit 112A completes the presentation of the content.

In step S106, the assigning unit 112C determines whether or not skipping or fast-forwarding was performed before the presentation of the content was completed. If the answer is YES in step S106, that is, if it is determined that skipping or fast-forwarding was performed, the assigning unit 112C ends the process. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S106, that is, if it is determined that skipping or fast-forwarding was not performed, the assigning unit 112C executes step S107.

In step S107, the granting unit 112C grants the benefit to the user. When the notification unit 112D displays the result message shown in FIG. 4, the notification unit 112D may display the result message at any timing between the determination of NO in step S106 and the end of the series of processes shown in FIG. 5. For example, the result message may be displayed either before or after step S107.

According to the above process, if the content is presented from beginning to end without skipping or fast-forwarding being performed, a benefit is given to the user. In other words, if the user completes viewing of the content without performing a skip operation, the user can obtain a benefit. Therefore, according to the above process, it is possible to motivate the user to view the content.

Furthermore, by allowing the user to view the content without skipping or fast-forwarding, the user can increase his/her understanding of what the content expresses, such as the game's story, worldview, and the personalities of the characters that appear. This allows the user to become more engrossed in the game, thereby increasing the user's interest in the game.

The content according to this embodiment is content whose contents remain unchanged regardless of the user's operation during presentation. It is believed that there are many users who wish to shorten the time it takes to present such content that does not involve any intervention. Therefore, it is possible to motivate users to view such content, which tends to require a shorter viewing time.

The granting unit 112C may grant a benefit for each piece of content only once. In this case, the storage units 120 and 220 store, as content data 132A, information about each piece of content and benefit granting information indicating whether or not a benefit has been granted for that piece of content in association with each other.

When the granting unit 112C grants a benefit in step S107, it updates the benefit granting information of the content in the content data 132A that has been presented in step S105. That is, the granting unit 112C rewrites the benefit granting information of the content from information indicating that a benefit has not been granted to information indicating that a benefit has been granted.

(Modification before content presentation)
Before skipping or fast-forwarding is executed by the skip processing unit 112B, i.e., before step S104 is executed, the notification unit 112D may present a confirmation message (first message) on the content presentation screen 500, etc. For example, when the game progression unit 112 determines that the operation receiving unit 111 has received a presentation start operation, the notification unit 112D may present a confirmation message on the content presentation screen 500, etc.

A "confirmation message" is a message indicating at least one of the following: that a benefit will be awarded if a skip or fast-forward is not performed, and that a benefit will not be awarded if a skip or fast-forward is performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a content presentation screen when a confirmation message is presented. The notification unit 112D presents the confirmation message by, for example, superimposing the illustrated pop-up 570 on the content presentation screen 500 before the presentation unit 112A starts presenting the content. The pop-up 570 includes at least the confirmation message.

Note that the notification unit 112D may present the confirmation message at any timing before the presentation of the content. For example, the notification unit 112D may present the confirmation message during the period from immediately after the presentation start operation is received in step S101 until the presentation unit 112A starts presenting the content in step S102.

This allows the user to be informed of the benefits they may be able to benefit from before they skip or fast forward, thus encouraging the user to view the content to the end without skipping or fast forwarding.

In addition, when the user performs the presentation start operation, a confirmation message is presented, so that the user can start viewing the content with a clear understanding of the above-mentioned benefits. This can motivate the user to view the content to the end without skipping or fast-forwarding.

[Embodiment 2]
In the user terminal 100 of the game system 1, the input operation for instructing to shorten the time required to complete the presentation of the content may include a preparatory skip operation (third input operation) input before the skip operation, and the skip operation itself. The preparatory skip operation is an operation that prepares for performing the skip operation.

The operation reception unit 111 may receive the preliminary skip operation. The notification unit 112D may present a confirmation message when the operation reception unit 111 receives the preliminary skip operation. Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the same content as that described in the first embodiment will not be described again.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the game system 1 according to this embodiment. Steps S201 to S202 in Figure 7 are similar to steps S101 to S102 in Figure 5. Steps S205 to S206 in Figure 7 are similar to steps S103 to S104 in Figure 5. Steps S207 to S209 in Figure 7 are similar to steps S105 to S107 in Figure 5.

The operation acceptance unit 111 in this embodiment accepts a preparatory skip operation before a skip operation. In this embodiment, for example, when the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts an input to button 520 on the content presentation screen 500 shown in FIG. 3, the game progression unit 112 determines that the input operation is a preparatory skip operation.

In step S203, the game progression unit 112 determines whether the input operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 is a preparatory skip operation. If the answer is NO in step S203, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has not accepted a preparatory skip operation, the game progression unit 112 waits until the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts the next input operation. On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S203, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has accepted a preparatory skip operation, the game progression unit 112 executes step S204 in response to accepting the preparatory skip operation.

In step S204, the notification unit 112D of the game progression unit 112 instructs the display control unit 113 to present a confirmation message.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing another example of the content presentation screen when a confirmation message is presented. The notification unit 112D, for example, superimposes a pop-up 580 on the content presentation screen 500. The pop-up 580 includes at least the confirmation message. The pop-up 580 may also include a button 582 for instructing skip or fast-forward, and a button 581 for canceling the skip or fast-forward. In other words, the button 582 is also a button for confirming the execution of the skip or fast-forward.

If an input operation is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 after the confirmation message is presented, the game progression unit 112 executes step S205.

In step S205, the game progression unit 112 determines whether the input operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 is a skip operation. If the answer is NO in step S205, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has not accepted a skip operation, the game progression unit 112 returns to the determination in step S203. For example, if the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts an input operation for button 581 shown in FIG. 8, the game progression unit 112 may determine that a skip operation has not been accepted.

On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S205, i.e., if the operation reception unit 111 has received a skip operation, the game progression unit 112 executes step S206. For example, if the operation reception unit 111 receives an input operation for button 582 shown in FIG. 8, the game progression unit 112 may determine that a skip operation has been received. The processing from step S206 onwards is the same as the processing from step S105 onwards in FIG. 5.

According to the above process, when a user performs a preliminary skip operation, a confirmation message is displayed and the skip operation is accepted. Therefore, a user who is about to skip or fast-forward the content can be urged to reconsider. In other words, the user can be urged to view the content to the end.

[Embodiment 3]
The operation reception unit 111 of the game system 1 may receive a re-presentation operation (fourth input operation) which is an input operation instructing re-presentation of content that has been completed after shortening the time required for the presentation of the content. Furthermore, when the operation reception unit 111 receives the re-presentation operation, the presentation unit 112A may re-present the content from a point in time before the time required for the presentation to be completed was shortened. Then, the granting unit 112C may grant a benefit to the user when the re-presentation of the content is completed without shortening the time required for the presentation of the content after the presentation unit 112A starts re-presentation.

When executing a skip or fast-forward, the skip processing unit 112B according to this embodiment identifies the point in time at which to execute the skip or fast-forward of the content to be skipped or fast-forwarded. The skip processing unit 112B then stores information indicating the point in time at which to skip or fast-forward in the storage unit 110 as information relating to the content in the content data 132A.

The presenter 112A in this embodiment identifies the aforementioned point in time by referencing information related to the content in the content data 132A, and re-presents the content from that point in time.

The third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the game system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 shows the processing flow after the presentation of a certain piece of content has started once in the processing flow shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 7 and the presentation of the content has been completed by skipping or fast-forwarding. In other words, before the skip processing unit 112B executes the processing shown in FIG. 9, information indicating the point in time at which the content to be re-presented in the figure was skipped or fast-forwarded is stored in the content data 132A.

In step S301, the game progression unit 112 determines whether the input operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 is a re-presentation operation. If the answer is NO in step S301, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has not accepted a re-presentation operation, the game progression unit 112 waits until the operation acceptance unit 111 accepts the next input operation. On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S301, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has accepted a re-presentation operation, the game progression unit 112 executes step S302.

In step S302, the presentation unit 112A re-presents the content from a point before the skip or fast-forward. More specifically, the presentation unit 112A refers to the content data 132A in the storage unit 120 to identify the point at which the previous skip processing unit 112B started skipping or fast-forwarding for the content to be re-presented. Next, the presentation unit 112A starts presenting the content from a point before the identified point. In other words, it resumes presenting the skipped or fast-forwarded part of the content. Note that the start point of re-presentation need only be before the point at which the previous skip processing unit 112B started skipping or fast-forwarding. For example, the presentation unit 112A may reproduce the presentation state of the content 5 seconds before the point in time, and resume presentation of each component of the content from that point in time.

In step S303, the game progression unit 112 determines whether the input operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 is a skip operation. This determination is performed each time an input operation is performed on the operation acceptance unit 111 until the start of step S306. The processing of step S303 is similar to the processing of step S101 in FIG. 5. If the answer is YES in step S303, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has not accepted a skip operation before the start of step S306, the game progression unit 112 executes step S304. On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step S303, i.e., if the operation acceptance unit 111 has accepted a skip operation before the start of step S306, the game progression unit 112 executes step S304.

In step S304, when skipping or fast-forwarding is to be performed, the skip processing unit 112B identifies the point in the content at which the skip or fast-forwarding is to be performed, and stores information indicating the point in time at which the skip or fast-forwarding is to be performed in the storage unit 110 as information relating to the content in the content data 132A.

In step S305, the skip processing unit 112B skips or fast-forwards the presentation of the content. The processing in step S305 is similar to the processing in step S104 in FIG. 5.

In step S306, the presentation unit 112A completes the re-presentation of the content. For example, the presentation unit 112A may determine that the re-presentation of the content is complete when, after starting re-presentation of the content in step S302, presentation of all components of the content from the point of re-presentation onward is completed.

In step S307, the assigning unit 112C determines whether or not skipping or fast-forwarding was performed before the re-presentation of the content was completed. If the answer is YES in step S307, that is, if it is determined that skipping or fast-forwarding was performed before the re-presentation was completed, the assigning unit 112C ends the process. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S307, that is, if it is determined that skipping or fast-forwarding was not performed before the re-presentation was completed, the assigning unit 112C executes step S308.

In step S308, the granting unit 112C grants the benefit to the user.

According to the above process, when the presentation of content is completed after skipping or fast-forwarding, the content can be re-presented later. Then, after the start of re-presentation, if the re-presentation is completed without skipping or fast-forwarding, a benefit is given to the user. Therefore, it is possible to motivate the user to view content that has been once skipped or fast-forwarded and viewed, again without skipping or fast-forwarding.

(Content list screen and resubmission instructions)
The game progression unit 112 of the game system 1 may cause the display control unit 113 to create a game screen on which presentable content can be listed, and display it on the touch screen 15. In addition, the game screen may include a UI object for receiving a re-presentation instruction.

Figure 10 shows an example of a content list screen. The content list screen is a game screen that displays a list of presentable content. After the game starts, the game progression unit 112 causes the content list screen to be displayed on the touch screen 15 via the display control unit 113 at any timing.

The content list screen 900 shown in FIG. 10 includes information indicating at least one piece of content. On the content list screen 900, banners 910, 920, 930, and 940 indicating the names of the content are displayed in a list. Note that on the content list screen 900, the content indicated by the banner displayed at the top of the screen is newer, i.e., the content that has recently become presentable. The game progression unit 112 determines whether or not each piece of content can be presented depending on the progress of the game.

When creating the content list screen 900, the game progression unit 112 or the display control unit 113 may identify, from among the listed contents, the content for which the time point at which skipping or fast-forwarding was started is stored in the content data 132A. Then, on the content list screen 900, a UI object for accepting an instruction to re-present the content may be displayed together with information indicating the identified content. In the example of FIG. 10, a resume button 941, which is a UI object for accepting an instruction to re-present the content, is displayed together with the banner for the content "Story 1".

This allows the user to easily identify the content that has still been skipped or fast-forwarded. In other words, the user can identify the content for which no benefit has been granted. Therefore, the user can be prompted to re-present the content.

[Embodiment 4]
The game progression unit 112 may present a different type of content than the content described in embodiments 1 to 3. For example, the game progression unit 112 may present content in which different results are output depending on the operation performed by the user during the presentation of the content.

Below, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, for convenience, the content described in the first to third embodiments, whose contents remain unchanged regardless of the user's operation, will be referred to as the "first content." And the content described above, which outputs different results depending on the user's operation being presented, will be referred to as the "second content."

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a content presentation screen. The content presentation screen 600 shown in FIG. 11 includes a display area 610 for the first content and a skip button 620. The content presentation screen 600 may also include a label 651 indicating the name of the first content. In the illustrated example, a case will be described in which a story expressed at least in sentences is presented as the first content, similar to the example of FIG. 3. In addition, in this game, a second content that provides a quiz game is provided as content other than the first content. The second content may be provided as additional content as described in embodiment 1.

The presentation unit 112A may present the first content including a hint for obtaining a desired result for the user in the second content. The hint may be a hint for obtaining a desired result or a result of the user's choice in at least one of the second contents.

In the example of FIG. 11, lines 611 and 612 are presented on the content presentation screen 600 as part of the first content. Line 611 of the first content is spoken by character AAA and includes information that a quiz will be asked in the next stage and the subject of the quiz, i.e., information that may serve as a hint for answering the quiz correctly.

In this way, by including hints for playing the second content in the first content, a user who did not skip or fast-forward through the first content is more likely to achieve a desirable result when playing the second content than a user who did skip or fast-forward through the first content. Thus, in order to achieve a desirable result in the second content, the user is more likely to view the first content from start to finish. Therefore, the above-described configuration can motivate the user to view the content without skipping or fast-forwarding.

[Software implementation example]
The control block of the control unit 210 and the control block of the control unit 110 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

In the latter case, the information processing device equipped with the control unit 210 or the control unit 110, or both, includes a CPU that executes the commands of a program, which is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or storage device (these are referred to as "recording media") in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by the computer (or CPU), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which the program is expanded. The object of the present invention is achieved by the computer (or CPU) reading and executing the program from the recording medium. As the recording medium, a "non-transient tangible medium", such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, or a programmable logic circuit, can be used. The program may also be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments.

[Additional Notes]
The contents related to one aspect of the present invention are as follows.

(Item 1) A game program (131, 231) has been described. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the game program is executed by a computer (at least one of the user terminal 100 and the server 200) including a processor (10, 20) and a memory (11, 21). The game program causes the processor to execute the steps of presenting a first content in a game based on the game program (steps S102 and S202), accepting a first input operation by the user before or during the step of presenting the first content (steps S103, S205, and S303), shortening the time required to complete the presentation of the first content in response to the acceptance of the first input operation (steps S104, S206, and S305), and, when the presentation of the first content is completed without executing the step of shortening the time (steps S107, S209, and S308), granting the user a game advantage.

As a result, a benefit is given to the user when the first content is presented from start to finish without shortening the time it takes to complete presentation of the first content. In other words, the user can obtain a benefit when the user completes viewing of the first content without performing the first input operation. Therefore, according to the above process, it is possible to motivate the user to view the first content. In particular, it is possible to motivate the user to view the first content from start to finish. In the following description, "viewing the first content" means viewing the first content from start to finish without shortening the time it takes to complete presentation.

(Item 2) In (Item 1), the game program further causes the processor to execute a step (step S204) of presenting a first message before executing the step of shortening the time, the first message indicating at least one of the following: if the time is not shortened, a benefit will be awarded; and if the time is shortened, no benefit will be awarded.

This makes it possible to notify the user of the benefit that the user may potentially receive before the user performs the first input operation. Thus, it is possible to encourage the user to view the first content to the end.

(Item 3) In (Item 2), the game program may further cause the processor to execute a step (step S101) of receiving, from the user, a second input operation instructing the presentation of the first content. The step of presenting the first message may present the first message in response to the second input operation being received in the step of receiving the second input operation.

When the user performs the second input operation, the first message is presented, and the user starts viewing the content with a clear understanding of the above-mentioned benefits. This can motivate the user to view the content to the end.

(Item 4) In (Item 2) or (Item 3), the input operation instructing a reduction in time may include at least the first input operation and a third input operation input before the first input operation. The game program may further cause the processor to execute a step of accepting the third input operation (step S203). The step of presenting the first message may present the first message in response to the acceptance of the third input operation in the step of accepting the third input operation.

In this way, when the user performs the third input operation, the first message is presented and then the first input operation can be accepted. Therefore, it is possible to make a user who is about to instruct a reduction in the time it takes to complete the presentation of the first content reconsider whether or not he or she really wants to instruct the reduction. In other words, it is possible to urge the user to view the first content to the end.

(Item 5) In any one of items (Item 2) to (Item 4), the game program may further cause the processor to execute a step of presenting a second message indicating that a benefit will be awarded for not shortening the time when the presentation of the first content is completed without executing the step of shortening the time.

As a result, the user who has obtained the benefit can clearly recognize that the benefit has been granted by not performing the first input operation until the presentation of the first content is complete. Therefore, even when the user views another piece of first content, the user can be motivated to view the other piece of first content without skipping or fast-forwarding.

(Item 6) In any one of items 1 to 5, the game program may further cause the processor to execute a step of receiving a fourth input operation (step S301) instructing re-presentation of the first content, the presentation of which has been completed after the step of shortening the time has been executed, and a step of re-presenting the first content from a point before the step of shortening the time has been executed, if the fourth input operation has been received (step S302). The step of granting a benefit to the user may grant a benefit when, after the start of re-presentation, re-presentation is completed without executing the step of shortening the time.

In this way, when the time required to complete presentation of the first content is shortened and then presentation is completed, the content can be re-presented later. Then, if re-presentation is completed after re-presentation has started without shortening the time required to complete re-presentation, a benefit is given to the user. Therefore, it is possible to motivate the user to view the first content that was once skipped or fast-forwarded and viewed again without shortening the viewing time.

(Item 7) In any one of items 1 to 6, the step of presenting the first content may present the first content whose content remains unchanged regardless of the user's operation during presentation.

It is believed that many users would like to shorten the time it takes to present such first content that does not involve user intervention. This therefore gives users an incentive to view the first content, which tends to be presented in a shortened time, to the end.

(Item 8) In any one of items 1 to 7, the step of presenting the first content may present the first content including hints for obtaining a desired result for the user in a second content in which different results are output according to the user's operation during the presentation.

In this way, by including hints for playing the second content in the first content, a user who views the first content to the end without shortening the time is more likely to achieve a more desirable result when playing the second content than a user who views the first content in a shortened time.

Therefore, the user is more likely to view the first content from start to finish in order to obtain the desired results in the second content. Therefore, the above-described configuration can motivate the user to view the first content from start to finish.

(Item 9) In any one of items (1) to (8), the step of granting a benefit to the user may grant the user at least one of valuable data, an item, and a game object that can be used in the game.

This can motivate the user to view the first content to the end.

(Item 10) In any one of items (1) to (9), the step of granting a benefit to the user may grant the user the right to view or play third content in the game.

This allows users who did not perform the first input operation to view or play the third content in addition. This provides an incentive for users who want to view or play more content to view the content.

(Item 11) In any one of items 1 to 10, the game program may further cause the processor to execute a step of selecting a game object based on a predetermined rule. And, the step of granting a benefit to the user may provide, as a benefit, an increase in the probability that a game object related to the first content will be selected in the selecting step.

This increases the probability that a game object related to the first content will be selected for a user who did not perform the first input operation when a game object is selected based on a predetermined rule. The selected game object may be given to the user. In this way, by selecting an object related to the first content in the game, a game object that the user recognizes through browsing the first content can be made to appear in the game. This increases the interest of the game.

In addition, when a selected game object is given to a user, the user is given a game object related to the content they viewed, and is therefore likely to feel more attached to that game object. This makes the game more interesting.

(Item 12) In any one of items (1) to (11), the step of granting a benefit to the user may grant the user the right to change the appearance of a game object owned by the user.

This allows users who did not perform the first input operation to change the appearance of the game object. This provides an incentive for users who want to change the appearance of the game object to view the content.

(Item 13) In any one of items (1) to (12), the step of granting a benefit to the user may provide the user with data usable outside the game as the benefit.

As a result, users who did not execute the first input operation can obtain data that can be used outside of the game. This provides an incentive for users who desire that data to view the content.

(Item 14) A method for executing a game program has been described. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the game program is executed by a computer including a processor and a memory (11). The method is a method in which the processor executes each of the steps described in (Item 1). The method according to (Item 14) has the same effect as the game program according to (Item 1).

(Item 15) An information processing device has been described. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device includes a memory that stores a game program according to (Item 1), and a processor (10) that controls the operation of the information processing device (user terminal 100) by executing the game program. The information processing device according to (Item 15) achieves the same effects as the game program according to (Item 1).

1 Game system, 2 Network, 10, 20 Processor, 11, 21 Memory, 12, 22 Storage, 13, 23 Communication IF (operation unit), 14, 24 Input/output IF (operation unit), 15 Touch screen (display unit, operation unit), 17 Camera (operation unit), 18 Distance measurement sensor (operation unit), 100 User terminal (information processing device), 110, 210 Control unit, 111 Operation reception unit, 112 Game progress unit, 112A Presentation unit, 112B Skip processing unit, 112C Granting unit, 112D Notification unit, 113 Display control unit, 114 Communication unit, 120, 220 Memory unit, 131, 231 Game program, 132 Game information, 132A Content, 133 User information, 151 Input unit (operation unit), 152 Display unit, 200 Server, 211 Transmitting/receiving unit, 212 server processing unit, 213 data management unit, 1010 object, 1020 controller (operation unit), 1030 storage medium

Claims (1)

A program executed by a computer,
a first presentation means for presenting a first content in a game based on the program;
a receiving means for receiving a first input operation by a user before or during presentation of the first content;
a shortening means for shortening a time required for completing presentation of the first content in response to receipt of the first input operation;
a program that functions as a display means for displaying, when the shortening is performed by the shortening means, suggestive information indicating that the shortening has been performed on a display screen capable of displaying at least the first content.

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