JP7617981B2 - PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, GAME SERVER AND GAME SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a program, an information processing device, a game server, and a game system.

To increase the entertainment value of a game, there is a system that grants bonuses to players when they play the game. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a game bonus granting system that creates time information based on a time selected by the player, and grants a bonus to the player when the time information matches the time when the player plays the game. With such a system, bonuses for a game can be granted to the player according to the player's convenience, thereby improving the entertainment value of the game while improving the player's satisfaction with the game.

Patent No. 5389331

In recent years, electronic games have become easy to enjoy wherever one is using a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone. As described in Patent Document 1, if the condition for granting a bonus is set to a time when the player can play at their convenience, the player can easily obtain the bonus, which reduces the effect of increasing the entertainment value of the game by granting the bonus.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problem, and its purpose is to provide a program or the like that increases the entertainment value of the game while improving player satisfaction by granting bonuses to the game.

To achieve the above object, the program disclosed herein is a program for executing a game in which a bonus is awarded to a player based on bonus awarding conditions, and causes a computer to function as a condition receiving unit that receives bonus awarding conditions, including position information, from a player of the game, a play information acquiring unit that acquires play information related to the situation in which the player plays the game, and a bonus awarding unit that awards a bonus to the player based on the bonus awarding conditions and the play information.

To achieve the above object, the information processing device disclosed herein is a device that executes a game in which a bonus is awarded to a player based on bonus awarding conditions, and includes a condition receiving unit that receives bonus awarding conditions, including position information, from a player of the game, a play information acquiring unit that acquires play information related to the situation in which the player plays the game, and a bonus awarding unit that awards a bonus to the player based on the bonus awarding conditions and the play information.

In order to achieve the above object, the game server according to the present disclosure is a server that executes a game in which a bonus is granted to a player based on bonus granting conditions, and includes a condition receiving unit that receives the bonus granting conditions, including position information, from a player of the game, a play information acquiring unit that acquires play information related to the situation in which the player plays the game, and a bonus granting unit that grants a bonus to the player based on the bonus granting conditions and the play information.

In order to achieve the above object, the game system disclosed herein is a system for executing a game in which a bonus is granted to a player based on bonus granting conditions, and includes a computer, a condition receiving unit that receives bonus granting conditions, including position information, from a player of the game, a play information acquiring unit that acquires play information related to the situation in which the player plays the game, and a bonus granting unit that grants a bonus to the player based on the bonus granting conditions and the play information.

According to the present disclosure, by providing bonuses to a game, it is possible to improve player satisfaction while also increasing the entertainment value of the game.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a game system 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game server 100. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a terminal 200. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a privilege granting condition. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of play information of each player. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the terminal 200. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a terminal 300.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In all drawings describing the embodiments, common components are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted. Note that the following embodiments do not unduly limit the contents of the present disclosure described in the claims. Furthermore, not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of the present disclosure.

<Embodiment 1>
(Overview of First Embodiment)
In this embodiment, in a game in which a reward is given to a player based on a reward condition, the reward condition is received from the player of the game. Conventionally, game developers have enhanced the entertainment value of a game by granting a reward when a condition set for the convenience of the developer (for example, a condition for the number of consecutive login days or a login during a campaign period) is satisfied. However, in today's world where lifestyles are diversifying, the environment in which players enjoy games is diverse, and the difficulty level at which the condition can be achieved varies depending on the player under the condition set uniquely by the game developer, which may be a factor that reduces motivation to continue playing the game. Therefore, in this embodiment, a reward is given to a player based on the reward condition including the position information received from the player. This can improve the entertainment value of the game while improving the satisfaction of the player.

(Configuration of Game System 1)
Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a game system 1. The configuration of the game system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

The game system 1 includes a game server 100 and terminals 200-1, 200-2, ..., 200-N (N is a natural number), which are communicatively connected via a network NW. The network NW is composed of a WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), etc. In the following description, the terminals 200-1, 200-2, ..., 200-N will be referred to as terminals 200 unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them.

The game server 100 is a game server that manages the game according to this embodiment, and distributes a game program to the terminal 200 that has accessed the game via the network NW, for example. The game according to this embodiment is a game in which a bonus is awarded to give an advantage in the game progression, based on the bonus awarding conditions set by the player. As the bonus, for example, parameters related to virtual currency and items in the game, character strength, stamina, experience points, etc. are determined to give an advantage in the game progression.

The game server 100 also stores information uploaded from the terminals 200. In this embodiment, the game server 100 acquires and stores information about the game (e.g., each player's account information (ID) and game progress information, etc.) and play information about the situation in which the players are playing the game from multiple terminals 200.

The terminal 200 is an information processing terminal that executes game processing by executing a game program (application) distributed from the game server 100 as described above. The terminal 200 also uploads game-related information and play information to the game server 100. The terminal 200 may be configured to store the game program in advance.

(Functional configuration of the game server 100)
Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game server 100. Note that the game server 100 of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) shown in Fig. 2 are omitted.

The game server 100 is an information processing device and includes a communication unit 110, a memory unit 120, and a processing unit 130.

The communication unit 110 performs various controls for communication with the terminal 200 via the network NW, and its functions can be realized by hardware such as various processors or a communication ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programs, etc.

The memory unit 120 is a storage device for storing programs and various data for the functioning of the computer, and includes game information 121 and play information 122.

The game information 121 stores information about the game according to this embodiment. The game information 121 is, for example, a game program delivered to the terminal 200 via the communication unit 110, and player account information and game progress information uploaded from the terminal 200. The memory unit 120 may also include a temporary memory area and storage.

The play information 122 is information about the situation in which the player is playing the game, which is uploaded from the terminal 200 via the communication unit 110. The play information is, for example, the location where the player is playing the game, the date and time when play started, etc., and is stored in association with the player's account information.

The processing unit 130 executes various information processing executed in the game server 100. The processing unit 130 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and the CPU uses the memory to execute an information processing program stored in the storage unit 120 to execute various information processing. In this embodiment, the processing unit 130 provides the terminal 200 with a program for the game according to this embodiment as the above-mentioned information processing.

In this embodiment, the term "server" refers not only to one information processing device (i.e., server device), but also to the entire group of server devices (i.e., server system) when the server is made up of multiple server devices. In this embodiment, the game server 100 is described as an integrated configuration, but the game server 100 may be configured to include multiple server devices divided according to functions and/or roles.

(Functional configuration of terminal 200)
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the terminal 200. Note that the terminal 200 of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) shown in Fig. 3 are omitted.

The terminal 200 is an information processing device equivalent to a game terminal, and in this embodiment, is, for example, a smartphone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a portable game console, a stationary game console, a wearable terminal such as a head-mounted display, or a multi-function device such as a multi-function television receiver (smart TV) with information processing capabilities.

That is, the terminal 200 has various functions that a typical multifunction device has (e.g., an input function, an output (display) function, an information processing function, a network communication function, a sensor function, a telephone function, a camera function, etc.). The network communication function is a communication function via the Internet, etc., and/or a communication function via a mobile communication network.

The terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210, an input unit 220, an output unit 230, a location information acquisition unit 235, a memory unit 240, and a processing unit 250.

The communication unit 210 performs various controls to communicate with the game server 100 via the network NW, and its functions can be realized by hardware such as various processors or communication ASICs, or programs.

The input unit 220 is an interface for receiving input from the player and sends the player's input to the processing unit 250. The input unit 220 is, for example, a touch panel, a button, a controller, etc.

The input unit 220 may also be a measuring device that detects various states of the terminal 200. For example, it may be a sound sensor that collects sounds around the terminal 200, a posture sensor (acceleration sensor or gyro sensor) that detects the posture and tilt of the terminal itself, a gaze sensor that detects the direction of the player's gaze, a light sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings, a UV sensor that detects the amount of ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight, or an infrared sensor that detects the player's movements. The input unit 220 may also be an image sensor that extracts image features of an object from an image captured by a camera (not shown), a humidity sensor that detects the humidity around the terminal 200, a geomagnetic sensor that detects the magnetic field at the location of the terminal 200, a proximity sensor that detects an object in the vicinity of the terminal 200, an illuminance sensor that detects the brightness around the terminal 200, or the like. The input unit 220 sends the detected sensing data to the processing unit 250 as the player's input.

The output unit 230 is, for example, a display device such as a display or an audio output device such as a speaker, and displays and outputs various images and sounds generated in the terminal 200 in response to input to the input unit 220, and displays and outputs various images and sounds based on data received from the game server 100. The output unit 230 includes an artificial intelligence-equipped speaker (smart speaker).

The location information acquisition unit 235 acquires location information of the terminal 200. The location information acquisition unit 235 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor (for example, a GPS module) and detects the location using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The location information acquisition unit 235 may acquire location information by any method, for example, using a beacon. The location information acquisition unit 235 may also detect location information that can be acquired from a specific access point when the terminal 200 communicates with the access point. The location information acquisition unit 235 may also detect the location where the terminal 200 is estimated to be located based on identification information (such as an IP address) when the terminal 200 is connected to the Internet.

The position information acquisition unit 235 may also calculate information indicating the player's altitude (e.g., information indicating which floor of a building the player is on) by calculating changes in altitude based on the detection results of the air pressure sensor.

The memory unit 240 is a storage device for storing programs and various data for causing the computer to function. The memory unit 240 may include a temporary storage area and storage. The memory unit 240 includes game information 241, bonus granting conditions 242, and play information 243.

Game information 241 stores information about the progress of the game, game programs distributed from the game server 100, etc.

The bonus granting conditions 242 store the bonus granting conditions that are accepted by the condition accepting unit 252 (described later) from the player via the input unit 220. The player inputs, for example, information about the date and time of play and the position (location), and information about multiple players participating in the game, as the bonus granting conditions.

The information on the date and time of play that is input as a condition for granting a bonus may be, for example, a day of the week such as Saturday, a time such as 8 p.m., a specific date such as January 12th, or a specific period such as 9 a.m. on January 10th to 1 p.m. on January 11th. The information on the date and time of play may be the date and time that indicates the time when play begins, or may be a period that includes the time when play begins.

In addition, information about the location to play may be a pre-registered location such as the player's home, workplace, or a frequently visited cafe, or it may be input by having the player select from map information, such as a location the player wants to visit.

Information on multiple players participating in a game is information that can identify a player, such as player account information. Note that multiple players participating in a game may be players who participate in the game (log in, etc.) at the same time, or players who participate at different times but whose participation times (periods) overlap. In addition, players participating in a game that are set as a bonus condition may be players who can share the virtual game space in real time, such as cooperating with each other to progress through the game, competing against each other, or cheering on each other in the game, or may be players who are together with other players in real space. The bonus condition can be set by the player at will.

The play information 243 stores information about the situation in which the player plays the game, acquired by the play information acquisition unit 253 described below. The play information is, for example, the date and time when the player joined (logged in) the game, and the location. In addition, the play information may store information about players who have a companionship relationship (predetermined relationship) with the player in the game space, such as friends, and the play information of the player. For example, information about players who become companions as the game progresses is acquired from the game information 241 and stored as the play information.

The processing unit 250 executes various information processes executed in the terminal 200. The processing unit 250 has a CPU and a memory. In the terminal 200, the CPU uses the memory to execute an information processing program stored in the storage unit 240, thereby executing the various information processes described above. In this embodiment, the processing unit 250 executes, as the information processes described above, a process for granting a bonus based on the bonus granting conditions and play information, a process related to the game, and the like. Furthermore, when the terminal 200 operates as a multi-function device, the processing unit 250 executes information processes for realizing each function.

The processing unit 250 includes a game execution unit 251, a condition reception unit 252, a play information acquisition unit 253, a bonus award unit 254, and an award probability setting unit 255.

The game execution unit 251 executes processing related to the game. For example, it executes processing based on input from the player via the input unit 220.

The condition receiving unit 252 receives the bonus granting conditions from the player via the input unit 220 and stores them in the bonus granting conditions 242. Note that the condition receiving unit 252 may, for example, cause the output unit 230 to output options regarding the conditions (date, time, place, player, etc.) for granting the player a bonus, and allow the player to select one. By setting the bonus granting conditions based on the player's own schedule or promises with other players such as friends, the player can feel a sense of satisfaction when the conditions he or she set are met, and can enjoy the fun of playing with friends.

The play information acquisition unit 253 acquires information about the situation in which the player is playing the game, and stores it in the play information 243. It also uploads the acquired play information to the game server 100. The game server 100 stores the uploaded play information in association with the player's account information.

The play information acquisition unit 253 may acquire, for example, the date and time when the player operates the input unit 220 and the game execution unit 251 starts executing a process related to the game as the date and time of participation in the game. The play information acquisition unit 253 may also acquire location information from the location information acquisition unit 235 as the game execution unit 251 executes a process related to the game. The play information acquisition unit 253 may also acquire, for example, play information about other players set as a bonus granting condition from the game server 100. The timing at which the play information acquisition unit 253 acquires the play information may be when the player starts the game, may be a predetermined timing during the period from the start to the end of the game, or may be set to any timing.

The bonus granting unit 254 grants a bonus to the player based on the bonus granting conditions and the play information. For example, the bonus granting unit 254 determines whether the bonus granting conditions stored in the bonus granting conditions 242 match the play information acquired by the play information acquisition unit 253, and if they match, grants a bonus to the player.

The bonus granting unit 254 may also vary the content of the bonus to be granted based on the bonus granting conditions and play information. For example, the content of the bonus may be changed depending on the difficulty level of achieving the conditions set as the bonus granting conditions. For example, the bonus granting conditions may be set so that the greater the number of players participating in the game, the higher the difficulty level, and the bonuses to be granted may be increased, or parameters may be set to provide an advantage in progressing through the game. The difficulty level may be determined in advance by the game developer, or may be set by the player.

However, it is desirable that the content of the rewards remain unchanged even if the reward conditions are changed. This is to prevent players from changing the reward conditions in order to obtain various rewards, and from adopting unreasonable lifestyles in order to achieve them.

The bonus granting unit 254 may also grant a bonus when it determines that at least one player included in the bonus granting condition is participating in the game. In other words, when all of the multiple players set as the bonus granting condition are participating, the bonus granting unit 254 grants a bonus regardless of the probability set by the bonus granting probability setting unit 255 described later.

The bonus granting unit 254 may also grant a bonus if it determines that a player who has a predetermined relationship with a player included in the bonus granting conditions is participating instead of the player.

For example, if player B, who is a friend (a specified relationship) of player A in the game, participates in the game instead of player A, as set as the bonus granting condition, it may be determined that the bonus granting condition is met. In other words, it may be determined that the bonus granting condition is met if a player who cannot participate in the game has an introducing player participate in the game instead. By making the introducing player also satisfy the bonus granting condition, it is possible to prevent a player who cannot participate in the game from feeling guilty about missing out on an opportunity to receive a bonus for another player. In addition, the bonus may be granted to both the introduced player and the player who made the introduction, or it may be granted only to the introduced player who participated in the game.

The award probability setting unit 255 variably sets the probability of awarding a bonus to a player according to the satisfaction rate of the bonus award condition according to the play information. Here, the satisfaction rate indicates the rate at which the bonus award condition is satisfied by the play information. For example, if the play time is set to 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. as the bonus award condition, and the play time acquired as the play information is 8:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the satisfaction rate of the bonus award condition is 75%. Also, if the bonus award condition is set to four players participating in the play, and the play information acquired shows that there are two participants in the play, the satisfaction rate is 50%. Also, if the position and date and time are set as the bonus award condition, and only the play date and time match, the satisfaction rate may be 50%.

For example, if two items, play time and participating players, are set as the conditions for granting a bonus, the product of the fulfillment rates of each item may be calculated as the fulfillment rate of the conditions for granting a bonus based on the play information. Also, for example, the number of players who gather at the same location among multiple players may be calculated as the fulfillment rate for the location condition.

The bonus award probability setting unit 255 sets the probability of awarding a bonus according to the fulfillment rate when a specified end condition is met. For example, if the fulfillment rate is 100% (i.e., the bonus award condition matches the play information), the bonus award probability is set to 100%. If the fulfillment rate is 50%, the bonus award probability is set to 50%. The fulfillment rate and the bonus award rate may correspond to each other, or the bonus award probability may be set to a constant value for a specified range of fulfillment rates (for example, the bonus award probability is set to 80% for a fulfillment rate of 80-90%).

Conventionally, whether or not a bonus was awarded was determined based on whether the bonus awarding conditions were met, which led to an issue that players who had only played partway through were left with unfulfilled conditions, which led to a decrease in player motivation. To solve the above issue, it is also possible to set multiple bonus awarding conditions in stages, but even in this case, players who had only played partway through were left with some conditions that they had not yet fulfilled, which led to an issue of a decrease in player motivation for the game.

Therefore, by changing the probability of granting a bonus depending on the fulfillment rate, a player is given the opportunity to obtain a bonus even if the bonus conditions are not met, and since the bonus conditions are not left as unfulfilled conditions, a decrease in the player's motivation to play the game can be alleviated.

When the bonus granting unit 254 determines that the bonus granting conditions are satisfied by the introducing player, it may grant a bonus based on the probability set by the granting probability setting unit 255, assuming that the satisfaction rate of the bonus granting conditions based on the play information is not 100%.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus condition. In Figure 4, a location, date and time, and player are set as bonus conditions. The location "P11" indicates a specific location, such as "home", "friend's house", or "XX cafe", which is registered in advance as location information. The date and time "D11" may be a specific date and time indicating the start time of play, such as "January 10th, 8:00 PM", or a period indicating a range of play start times, such as "January 10th, 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM". It may also be set as the length of time to play.

Furthermore, players "A", "B", "C", and "D" indicate players who will participate in the game. It is preferable to set the conditions to include the player who set the conditions for granting the bonus, but it may be set only for other players. For example, even if it is clear in advance that the player who sets the conditions for granting the bonus cannot participate in the game, it is possible to set the conditions for granting the bonus for a friend player.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of play information for each player. The play information acquisition unit 253 acquires play information of multiple players participating in the game set as the bonus granting conditions from the server 100, for example, based on the bonus granting conditions stored in the bonus granting conditions 242, and stores the information in the play information 243. In the example of Figure 5, play information for players A, B, C, and D set as participating players under the bonus granting conditions shown in Figure 4 is shown in list form. Note that play information may also be acquired for player E, who is registered as having a predetermined relationship with player D.

The award probability setting unit 255 sets the probability of awarding a bonus based on the bonus awarding conditions and play information shown in Figures 4 and 5. Even if the play information does not match the bonus awarding conditions, the player can have the expectation that a bonus may be awarded, which can increase the entertainment value of the game.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an example of processing in the terminal 200. With reference to Figure 6, an example of processing in the terminal 200 owned by player A will be described. Note that the terminal 200 may use a timing set according to the progress of the game or a timing set by the player as a trigger for starting the processing.

In step S101, the condition receiving unit 252 receives the conditions for granting the bonus from the player. The conditions for granting the bonus may be presented to the player as a notification prompting the player to enter the conditions when playing the game for the first time, or may be entered at any time.

In step S102, the condition receiving unit 252 stores the bonus granting conditions received in step S101 in the bonus granting conditions 242.

In step S103, the game execution unit 251 determines whether an input to start the game has been received from the player. If it is determined that no input has been received (N in step S103), the game execution unit 251 repeats the determination of whether or not an input has been received.

If it is determined that the input has been accepted (Y in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the play information acquisition unit 253 acquires play information. For example, it acquires the location information of the terminal 200 from the location information acquisition unit 235. It also acquires the date and time when the input to start the game was accepted, and transmits the location information and date and time to the server 100 as play information for player A. The play information acquisition unit 253 also acquires from the server 100 play information of players who are set as players participating in the game based on the bonus granting conditions stored in the bonus granting conditions 242.

In step S105, the award probability setting unit 255 calculates the satisfaction rate of the bonus award conditions based on the play information acquired in step S104, and sets the award probability. The game developer or the player can arbitrarily set which item of the bonus award conditions is used to calculate the satisfaction rate.

In step S106, the bonus granting unit 254 grants a bonus to the player according to the probability set by the granting probability setting unit 255 in step S105. The bonus granted to the player is stored, for example, in the game information 241. In addition, if a bonus has also been granted to other players participating in the game together with player A, this is notified to the server 100 via the communication unit 210.

In step S107, the game execution unit 251 executes game processing according to the player's input.

Processing in the terminal 200 is executed in the manner described above. Note that, rather than accepting the bonus granting conditions from the player every time a game is played, once the bonus granting conditions are accepted, the bonus granting conditions may be maintained for a predetermined period of time and the game may be executed. Alternatively, the bonus granting conditions may be maintained until the game has been played a predetermined number of times. This makes it possible to prevent players who wish to always be granted a bonus under the same conditions from the hassle of inputting the bonus granting conditions.

A time limit may also be set for the bonus granting conditions so that new conditions cannot be accepted until a certain period of time has passed (or a certain number of plays) since the conditions were accepted. This makes it possible to motivate a player who wants to maintain a certain lifestyle rhythm for a certain period of time to maintain that lifestyle rhythm by setting a time limit for changing the bonus granting conditions and encouraging the player to continue achieving the conditions for the certain period of time.

The bonus-granting conditions accepted from the player may also be used in other games installed on the terminal 200. For example, the terminal 200 that accepted the bonus-granting conditions from the player uploads the bonus-granting conditions to the game server 100. The game server 100 manages the bonus-granting conditions for each player, and transmits the bonus-granting conditions in response to a request from the terminal 200 that is executing the other game. This allows the player to enjoy the fun of receiving bonuses in other games as well.

(Explanation of effects)
As described above, in this embodiment, in a game in which a bonus is awarded to a player based on a bonus-awarding condition, the bonus-awarding condition is accepted from the player of the game, and a bonus is awarded to the player based on the bonus-awarding condition and play information. By achieving the bonus-awarding condition set by the player himself, the player is given a sense of satisfaction and the entertainment value of the game can be increased.

In addition, in this embodiment, the probability of granting a bonus to a player is variably set according to the satisfaction rate of the bonus granting conditions based on the play information, and the bonus is granted based on the set probability. This allows the player to have hope that the bonus will be granted even if the bonus granting conditions are not satisfied, thereby increasing the entertainment value of the game.

In addition, in this embodiment, the conditions for granting a bonus include information about the location where the player will play the game. This allows the player to enjoy playing in a variety of locations.

In addition, in this embodiment, the conditions for granting a bonus include information about multiple players participating in the game, and the bonus is granted when all players are present. This allows players to have fun playing together.

In this embodiment, the conditions for granting a bonus are also met when a player who has a certain relationship with the player (such as a friend or other friendship) participates in the game instead of the player who is participating in the game, and the bonus is then determined to be satisfied, and a bonus is awarded. This allows players who are unable to participate in the game to feel satisfied that they can fulfill the conditions for granting a bonus by helping each other out.

<First Modification of First Embodiment>
In a first variation of the first embodiment, the terminal 200 is configured to play a game by executing a game program previously stored in the storage unit 240. The game program stored in the terminal 200 may be configured to be updateable via a recording medium or the like. This allows the player to enjoy the training game even in an environment that is not connected to a game server via a network.

<Modification 2 of First Embodiment>
In the second modification of the first embodiment, the game server 100 is a server device that executes a game progress process, and is configured to obtain a bonus granting condition and play information from the terminal 200, and grant a bonus to a player. That is, the game process and bonus granting process performed by the terminal 200 are performed by the game server 100, and the terminal 200 transmits the play information to the game server 100.

The terminal 200 receives the processing results of the game progress from the game server 100 and presents them to the player. Note that the processing related to probability allocation is similar to the processing in the terminal 200, so a description thereof will be omitted. This allows the player to enjoy the game by accessing the game server 100.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the reward granting conditions are received from the player. In the second embodiment, the condition setting unit sets the reward granting conditions based on the player's action history. This sets the reward granting conditions according to the player's lifestyle (such as the places he or she frequently goes to and the time of day when he or she frequently plays the game), thereby reducing the effort required for the player to input the reward granting conditions.

Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the terminal 300 according to this embodiment. Components common to the terminal 200 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and only components different from the terminal 200 will be described below.

The terminal 300 has a memory unit 340 and a processing unit 350 instead of the memory unit 240 and processing unit 250 of the terminal 200.

The memory unit 340 includes game information 241, bonus granting conditions 242, play information 243, and behavior history 344.

The processing unit 350 includes a game execution unit 251, a condition reception unit 252, a play information acquisition unit 253, a bonus granting unit 254, and a bonus granting probability setting unit 255, as well as a behavior history acquisition unit 356 and a condition setting unit 357.

The behavioral history acquisition unit 356 periodically acquires information related to the location information of the terminal 300, the application usage history of the terminal 300, and the web browsing history as behavioral history, and stores the information in the behavioral history 344 of the memory unit 340. For example, the behavioral history acquisition unit 356 may acquire location information from the location information acquisition unit 235 at a predetermined time interval, and infer the player's home, workplace, school, etc. from the time period and length of stay. The behavioral history acquisition unit 356 may also infer the player's hobbies and interests from the history of websites viewed by the player.

The condition setting unit 357 sets the bonus condition based on the action history. For example, the conditions convenient for the player are calculated based on the action history, such as the place and time where the player often plays the game, and set them as the bonus condition. Also, among the conditions previously stored in the storage unit 340, the conditions convenient for the player based on the action history are set as the bonus condition. For example, it can be inferred that the place and time where the player often plays the game are convenient conditions for the player to play the game. Therefore, in order to prevent the player from getting bored of playing the game, the bonus condition is set based on the action history of the place and time where the player often plays the game, and the like, and the fun of bonuses is given to everyday game play, which can lead to improved motivation to play continuously. The condition receiving unit 252 receives the bonus condition set by the condition setting unit 357 as the bonus condition input by the player, and stores it in the bonus condition 242.

The condition setting unit 357 may also set bonus granting conditions based on attributes classified from the behavior history acquired by the behavior history acquisition unit 356. That is, the characteristics of the player are analyzed from the behavior history and classified into attributes. The condition setting unit 357 may, for example, classify the player into heavy players or light players from the player's behavior history and set bonus granting conditions according to the attributes. In this case, a bonus granting condition for a long play time may be set for heavy players, and a bonus granting condition for a short play time may be set for light players. Setting bonus granting conditions appropriate for each attribute can give the player a moderate sense of satisfaction in achieving the conditions, which can lead to increased motivation to play continuously.

<Embodiment 3>
In the second embodiment, the bonus granting condition is set based on the player's action history. In the third embodiment, instead of the player's action history such as the player's location information and playing time, the bonus granting condition may be set based on information input by the player in another application other than the game, in cooperation with the other application installed on the player's terminal. For example, the player's frequent places and leisure time are inferred from the information input by the player in the other application, and set as the bonus granting condition. More specifically, the schedule input by the user from the calendar application and the transfer information (station name, departure/arrival time, etc.) input by the user from the transfer guide application are obtained, and the player's frequent places are inferred to set the bonus granting condition. Since the information input by the player from the other application is obtained, the conditions convenient for the player can be accurately inferred and set as the bonus granting condition.

The above-described embodiment may be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and spirit of the invention.

The methods described in the above embodiments can be stored as a program (software means) that can be executed by a computer on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, etc.), semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), or can be distributed by transmitting it via a communication medium. The programs stored on the medium also include configuration programs that configure within the computer the software means (including not only execution programs but also tables and data structures) that can be executed by a computer.

The computer that realizes this server reads the program recorded on the recording medium, and in some cases constructs software means using a configuration program, and executes the above-mentioned processes by having the operation controlled by this software means. Note that the recording medium referred to in this specification is not limited to one for distribution, but also includes storage media such as magnetic disks and semiconductor memories installed inside the computer or in devices connected via a network.

1 Game system, 100 Game server, 200, 300 Terminal, 110, 210 Communication unit, 120, 240, 340 Storage unit, 130, 250, 350 Processing unit, 220 Input unit, 230 Output unit, 235 Position information acquisition unit

Claims (7)

A game program to be executed by a computer having a processor and a memory,
The game program causes the processor to
receiving, from a player, designation of information regarding a player who is scheduled to participate in the game as a condition for granting a benefit in the game;
adding other players introduced by the prospective participating players to the prospective participating players of the game;
acquiring information about players who have participated in the game as play information about a situation in which the game is being played;
when the information on the participating player includes information on the other player instead of information on the expected participating player who introduced the other player, granting a privilege to the player who participated in the game;
A game program that executes the above. causing the processor to variably set a probability of granting the bonus to the player in accordance with a satisfaction rate of the condition for granting the bonus based on the play information;
2. The game program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of awarding the bonus, a bonus is awarded to a player who has participated in the game based on the set probability. In the step of accepting, the designation of information regarding a plurality of prospective participating players is accepted;
2. The game program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of granting the bonus, if the information about the participating player includes , among the specified plurality of expected participating players, information about another player introduced by the expected participating player instead of information about the expected participating player who introduced the other player, a bonus is granted to the player who participated in the game. 2. The game program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of granting the bonus, the bonus is also granted to the prospective participating player who introduced the other player but did not participate in the game. A method executed by a computer having a processor and a memory, the processor executing all of the steps executed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An information processing device comprising a control unit and a storage unit, the control unit executing all steps executed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A game system having means for executing all steps executed in any of the inventions according to claims 1 to 4.