JP7242950B2 - Game server, game program, information processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game server, a game program, and an information processing method.

In recent years, wearable devices equipped with various sensors acquire user's biometric information and are used to provide various services.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses that the user's motion state is determined based on motion data such as acceleration data generated by the user's movement, and the volume of the notification sound emitted from the information processing device is adjusted. there is

JP 2019-161340 A

Patent Literature 1 mentioned above does not describe utilization of the obtained sensor data in a game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game server, a game program, and an information processing method that make it possible to determine a predetermined game effect based on a player's biological information.

According to the present invention, it comprises a data acquisition unit that acquires sensor data related to the player's biological information, and an effect determination unit that determines output conditions for a predetermined effect during the game played by the player based on the sensor data. A game server characterized by:

According to the present invention, it is possible to further enhance the realism of the game.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the system by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the server apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the player terminal by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the effect information by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing flow by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification 1 by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification 2 by embodiment of this invention.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention are listed and explained. The present invention has the following configurations.
[Item 1]
a data acquisition unit that acquires sensor data related to the player's biometric information;
A game server, comprising: an effect determination unit that determines an output condition of a predetermined effect during a game played by the player based on the sensor data.
[Item 2]
A game server according to item 1, wherein the biometric information includes the heart rate or pulse rate of the player.
[Item 3]
3. The game server according to item 1 or 2, further comprising an analysis unit that evaluates the excitement state of the player based on the sensor data.
[Item 4]
4. The game server according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the effect determination unit determines at least the volume or tempo of sound during the game based on the sensor data.
[Item 5]
4. The game server according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the effect determination unit determines at least a line or facial expression of the character during the game based on the sensor data.
[Item 6]
The data acquisition unit further acquires sensor data of another player who plays jointly with the player,
The game server according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the effect determination unit determines output conditions for the effect based on sensor data of the player and the other players.
[Item 7]
7. The game server according to any one of items 1 to 6, comprising a screen data generation unit that generates an image representing the player's state indexed based on the sensor data.
[Item 8]
to the computer,
a data acquisition process for acquiring sensor data relating to the player's biometric information;
A game program for executing an effect determination process for determining an output condition of a predetermined effect in a game played by the player based on the sensor data.
[Item 9]
a data acquisition step of acquiring sensor data relating to the player's biometric information;
and an effect determining step of determining an output condition of a predetermined effect in a game played by the player based on the sensor data.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the game system provides players with various game-related services via a network 3 (for example, the Internet). device 4. Although only one player terminal 2 and one sensor device 4 are shown in the figure, the server device 1
can be connected to multiple player terminals 2 and sensor devices 4 . Moreover, the sensor device 4
may be integrated with the player terminal 2 .

<Configuration of Server Apparatus 1>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 1. As shown in FIG. The server device 1 is an information processing device (computer) used when a system administrator or the like operates and manages various services. It may also be logically embodied by computing technology.

The server device 1 has a control section 11 , a storage section 12 , an input section 13 , a display section 14 and a communication section 15 . When receiving various commands (requests) from the player terminal 2 via the communication unit 15, the server device 1 executes processing by the game program in the control unit 11, etc.) is transmitted to the player terminal 2 . A part of the game program is transmitted to the player terminal 2 and played on the player terminal 2.
may be performed on

The control unit 11 exchanges data between units and controls the entire server device 1, and is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. . Control unit 11 of the present embodiment includes at least game execution unit 111 , screen data generation unit 112 , sensor data acquisition unit 113 , analysis unit 114 and effect determination unit 115 . These various functional units will be described later in detail.

The storage unit 12 includes a ROM (R
memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a rewritable storage area used as a work area for arithmetic processing by the control unit 11
ry), and is implemented by a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 12 in this embodiment includes a game information storage unit 121,
It has various storage units such as a player information storage unit 122, a sensor data storage unit 123, an effect information storage unit 124, and the like. These various types of information will be described later in detail.

The input unit 13 is used by the system administrator to input various data (for example, game information, etc.) relating to game services, and is realized by, for example, a keyboard and a mouse.

The display unit 14 is for displaying an operation screen for the system administrator based on a command from the control unit 11. For example, the display unit 14 is a liquid crystal display (LCD).
1 Display) or the like.

The communication unit 15 is for performing communication between the player terminal 2 and the sensor device 4, and functions as a receiving unit for receiving various data and signals transmitted from the player terminal 2 and the sensor device 4; It has a function as a transmission section that transmits various data and signals to the player terminal 2 and the sensor device 4 according to commands from the control section 11 . The communication unit 15 uses, for example, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), HTTPS,
Communication with the player terminal 2 is performed by WebSocket, P2P (Peer To Peer), or the like.

<Player terminal 2>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the player terminal 2. As shown in FIG. The player terminal 2 is
It is a game device that a player can possess and use. The game device may be a stationary or portable game device, or an information processing device (for example, a smart phone, a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal). An example in which the player terminal 2 is an information processing device such as a smart phone will be described below, but the form of the player terminal 2 is not limited to this as long as the gist of the present invention can be realized. The player terminal 2 outputs the processing result of the game program transmitted from the server device 1 via a game application or a web browser (for example, game screen display, game sound output, etc.).
can do. The player terminal 2 has a control unit 21 that controls the entire player terminal 2,
Communication that performs information communication between a storage unit 22 that stores various data and programs, an input unit 23 that allows a player to perform operation input, an output unit 24 that outputs game screens/operation screens and sounds, and the server device 1 It has a portion 25 . The control unit 21 of this embodiment includes at least an operation information reception unit 211 and a game operation unit 212 . The storage unit 22 also includes at least a game action information storage unit 221 . Each functional unit of the control unit 21 is stored in the memory or the game operation information storage unit 2
21 by executing the program stored in the CPU.

The operation information receiving unit 211 of the player terminal 2 receives game-related operations from the player. The operation information receiving unit 211 receives a game-related operation using the input unit 23 by the player. Then, the operation information receiving unit 211 transmits the received operation contents to the game operation unit 2.
output to 12.

The game operation unit 212 executes processing for operating the game. Game operation part 21
2 operates the game based on the game software included in the game operation information stored in the game operation information storage unit 221 and the player's operation details input from the input unit 23 . The game action unit 212 generates a game image from the image data included in the game action information and performs control processing for outputting the generated image to the output unit 24 in accordance with the game action. Similarly, the game operation unit 212 generates game music and sound from the music data and sound data included in the game operation information in accordance with the game operation, and causes the output unit 24 to output the generated music and sound. control processing for It should be noted that here, the description has been given of the configuration in which the native application partially executes the functions of the Web application, that is, the game operation unit 212 of the player terminal 2 partially executes the functions of the server device 1, but the game operation unit 212 Alternatively, the server device 1 may be configured to generate all game images and sounds as a processing result, or the game operation unit 212 may be configured to generate all game images and sounds. may be

When the game operation unit 212 is provided, predetermined parameters in the game operated by the game operation unit 212 can be managed by the server device 1 . For example, parameters such as stamina and paid points in the game are managed by the server device 1 . Therefore, the game operation unit 212 updates the parameters managed by the server device 1 by communicating with the server device 1 when a process involving changes in these predetermined parameters occurs in the game. Then, the game operation unit 212 receives the updated parameters from the server device 1 and continues the operation of the game based on the updated parameters.

Next, the sensor device 4 in this system will be described. The sensor device 4 is
It is a device equipped with a sensor that can acquire the player's biological information. The biological information of the player includes, for example, heartbeat, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, body temperature, brain waves, blood flow, blood substance concentration, body color such as skin, facial expression, etc., and may be information indicating the physical condition of the player. Just do it. The sensor device 4 is equipped with a sensor capable of measuring one or more of these biological information. For example, it may be a wearable device equipped with an optical sensor capable of measuring heartbeat or pulse, or a camera capable of acquiring image information.

The sensor device 4 continuously or intermittently senses the biometric information of the player. The acquired sensor data is transmitted from the sensor device 4 to the server device 1 via the player terminal 2 by communication means or the like. Moreover, the sensor data is directly transmitted from the sensor device 4 to the server device 1 . Alternatively, the sensor data may be transmitted directly from the sensor device 4 or via the player terminal 2 to a server separate from the server device 1, and the server device 1 may access the separate server to obtain the data. . In addition, in this system,
The sensor device 4 may be integrated with the player terminal 2 or may be separate. In other words, the player terminal 2 equipped with various sensors may be able to perform both acquisition of biometric information and execution processing of the game program.

The game system in this embodiment acquires sensor data relating to the player's biological information by the sensor device 4, and determines a predetermined game effect based on the sensor data. The player can feel more realistic by changing the volume of the game according to his/her excitement state and emotions. Effects determined according to biometric information include those related to the output of sounds such as game sound effects and background music (e.g., volume and tempo), screen brightness, and screen transitions (e.g., dialogue output and screen transitions). switching)
can be the speed of

The game information storage unit 121 of the server device 1 stores information about games. The game information is appropriately configured according to the type of game. For example, in the case of a battle game, the stage name, enemy character information, and the like are included in association with the stage ID.

The player information storage unit 122 stores information about players. Player information is
A player name, player rank, possessed character information, play stage information, possessed item information, etc. can be included in association with the player ID. The player rank is the rank or level of the player in the game, and is determined according to the playing time, progress of the game, acquired items, and the like. The possessed character information includes the level,
Various ability values (attack power, defense power, physical strength, etc. for fighting games, singing ability for music games,
dance ability, performance ability, etc.).
The play stage information is information about a stage that the player has played so far among the set stages, and can include the number of times played, clear information, and the like. Possessed item information includes information about the holding status of one or more paid items and free items, and can include information such as the number of owned items in association with the ID of each owned item. In addition, information about the player and game play status can be included.

The player information storage unit 122 also includes information for identifying the player terminal 2 used by the player and information for identifying the sensor device 4 used by the player in association with the player ID. If the sensor device 4 is integrated with the player terminal 2 , it can contain only the identification information of the player terminal 2 . When a player uses two or more sensor devices 4 , two or more sensor devices 4 may be registered in association with one player terminal 2 .

The sensor data storage unit 123 stores sensor data acquired from the sensor device 4 . The sensor data stored in the sensor data storage unit 123 may be raw data that has not been processed, or may be processed data that has undergone data processing. Secondary data obtained by analyzing sensor data may also be used.

The effect information storage unit 124 includes a correspondence table that defines the correspondence between sensor data analysis results and game effects. FIG. 4 is a configuration example of an effect information table stored in the effect information storage unit 124. As shown in FIG. The effect information table includes the analysis result of the biological information and the corresponding relation between the effects. Analysis results of biological information include information that specifies the type of biological information (heartbeat, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, body temperature, brain waves, blood flow, blood substance concentration, body color such as skin, facial expression, etc.) Contains content. The content of the biometric information may be specified by a numerical value if it can be represented by a numerical value, and may be a numerical range or a change (increase, decrease, or degree thereof). In addition, when the facial expression cannot be expressed numerically, it is identified by a predetermined expression. Further, when calculating a predetermined index such as the degree of excitement of the player based on sensor data, it is also possible to define the correspondence relationship between the index and the effect. As the effect output condition, it is possible to specify that the volume or tempo of the sound is set to a specific value, or that the volume or tempo is increased (decreased) continuously or stepwise. As an example, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the volume and tempo of the background music in the game are set within a predetermined range when the heart rate is within a predetermined numerical range. again,
As another example, for example, the tempo of the sound may be set to be the same as the heart rate, or to a value obtained by multiplying the heart rate by a predetermined coefficient.

Effect information may also include scene information that identifies the particular in-game scene in which the setting of the effect is performed. In the example of FIG. 4, the scene information specifies that sound effects and music should be set to a specific volume and/or tempo when there is a specific heart rate during a specific battle in the game. In this way, it is possible to set conditions for specifying predetermined situations in the game other than battle, such as boss battle, quest, item discovery, lottery game, and walking.

Furthermore, the effect information may be set by the player himself/herself. That is, the player
Type of biometric information to be used, conditions (numerical range, etc.), type of effect to be output (loudness,
You can select the tempo of the sound, the speed of other screen transitions, etc.). Also, it may be possible to specify a scene in the game in which the output condition of the effect is executed. For example, the setting may be executed during a battle with all enemies, or may be executed only during a battle with specific conditions (for example, a battle with a boss). By allowing the player to set the effect information, the player can change the setting according to the biometric information that can be obtained from the sensor device 4 that can be used by the player. In addition, you can set your favorite conditions according to your own feeling.

The game execution unit 111 of the server device 1 has a function of executing processing for progressing the game according to the game program. The game by the game system in this embodiment is
Any type of game may be used, for example, a competitive game, a puzzle game, an action game, a baseball game, a soccer game, other sports games, a quiz game, a pinball game, a card game, a rhythm game, and an RPG (role-playing game). , location information games, board games, adventure games, casino games, simulation games, strategy games, racing games, and the like.

The screen data generation unit 112 has a function of executing processing for generating screen data for displaying a game screen on the player terminal 2 . The screen data generation unit 112 generates screen data regarding any game described above. The generated screen data is transmitted to the player terminal 2 and output by the output unit 24 .

The sensor data acquisition unit 113 (data acquisition unit) acquires sensor data related to the player's biometric information from the sensor device 4 . The sensor data acquisition unit 113 may continuously acquire sensor data, or may acquire sensor data at intervals of a predetermined period. Alternatively, the acquisition of sensor data may be executed only when a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, in the case where the effect information shown in FIG. 4 determines the effect only in a specific game scene, sensor data may be acquired only when the specific game scene is being executed. good. Further, when the player can select whether to acquire the sensor data or not, the acquisition of the sensor data is carried out only when the player selects to acquire the sensor data. The acquired sensor data is stored in the sensor data storage unit 123 . The sensor data is linked to information identifying the player or information identifying the player terminal 2, and can include time information and the like.

The analysis unit 114 analyzes the acquired sensor data. The analysis includes processing the acquired raw data into a form that can be used to determine the effect, and calculating predetermined numerical information based on the sensor data. For example, when heartbeat data is acquired, the heartbeat rate per minute can be calculated from the heartbeat data, whether the heart rate is increasing/decreasing, and the amount of change can be calculated. . When calculating changes in biological information, sensor data measured over a predetermined period of time is acquired, and changes in certain biological information are obtained by comparing the biological information in a certain period with the biological information in a certain period thereafter. can be determined. Biometric information may also be obtained by obtaining image data of a part of the body such as the player's face and analyzing the image. For example, by recognizing a predetermined portion of the face from an image including the player's face and extracting color data, it is possible to evaluate the complexion and estimate the emotion from the player's expression. In addition, arbitrary analysis can be performed for each acquired sensor data. Note that the analysis unit 114 may not be provided if analysis is not required depending on the type and nature of data that can be acquired from the sensor device 4 .

Also, the analysis unit 114 may index the player's state based on sensor data.
The player's state may indicate, for example, the degree of excitement, preoccupation, concentration, fear, arousal, and the like. Analysis unit 114 can calculate these indicators based on one or more sensor data. For example, two or more sensor data may be combined, such as calculating the degree of excitement from heart rate and body temperature sensor data. A method for calculating each index can be determined as appropriate.

The effect determination unit 115 determines a predetermined effect during the game based on the acquired sensor data or the analysis result of the sensor data. Specifically, the effect can be determined by applying sensor data or analysis results to a preset effect information table. For example, if a heart rate is obtained, it is determined whether the heart rate value falls within a predetermined value range to determine a particular effect. The effect determination unit 115 generates an output instruction based on the determined effect information, and notifies the game execution unit 111 of the output instruction. The game execution unit 111 executes output on the player terminal 2 by instructing output conditions to the output unit 24 of the player terminal 2 or the like.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of basic operation of the system according to this embodiment.

First, the sensor device starts sensing (S101). Sensing may be performed all the time while the sensor device is activated, or may be performed when a predetermined condition in the game is met. Alternatively, sensing may be started when the player performs an operation to start sensing. The sensor data acquisition unit 113 acquires sensor data from the sensor device 4 (S102). It is checked whether the sensor data has been acquired for a sufficient time required for analysis (S103), and if sufficient data has been acquired (S103=Y
es), the analysis unit 114 analyzes the sensor data (S104). If the acquisition of sensor data is insufficient (S103=No), the acquisition of sensor data is continued.

The analysis unit 114 generates arbitrary numerical information by analyzing sensor data. The effect determination unit 115 determines whether or not the sensor data or the analysis result satisfies a predetermined condition defined in the effect information table (S105). If a predetermined condition is satisfied, it is determined that the effect will be executed (S106). The effect determining unit 115 issues an output instruction so that the determined effect information is executed (S107).

The above is the basic configuration of the game system according to the present invention. According to the system of the present invention,
Since the effect of the game can be determined based on the player's biological information, it is possible to make the player feel the change according to the physical condition of the player.

(Modification 1)
In the above, an example was described in which effects such as volume and tempo are determined based on the player's biometric information, but the character's lines and facial expressions may be changed based on the player's biometric information. FIG. 6 is a screen display example of the player terminal in Modification 1. As shown in FIG. As an example, based on the heart rate of the player, the lines and facial expressions of the character operated by the player in the battle scene are shown to change. FIG. 6A is a configuration example of an effect information table in Modification 1. FIG. As an example, a heart rate range and a character's dialogue corresponding to it are set. In addition, although not shown, it also includes information on settings of facial expressions of characters to be displayed corresponding to each heart rate range. FIG. 6(b) is an example of a screen display when the player's heart rate is low.
is displayed. FIG. 6(c) is an example of a screen display when the player's heart rate is slightly increased, and the line 31 of the character (CH) is changed to be displayed when the heart rate is slightly increased. It is Further, FIG. 6(d) shows an example of screen display when the player's heart rate further increases, and the line 31 of the character CH changes to what is displayed when the heart rate is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. indicates that

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6B to 6D, biometric information such as the heart rate of the player may be visualized and displayed on the screen of the player terminal 2 (32 in the figure). That is, the screen data generation unit 11
2 may generate an image representing the indexed state of the player based on the sensor data.
As an example, an example in which the degree of excitement calculated from the heart rate data of the player is displayed as a "pounding meter" 32 is shown. By visualizing and displaying the biological information, the player can grasp changes in his/her own heartbeat, etc., and can easily feel that the effects of the game change according to the changes. In addition, the type of image based on the player's biometric information is "Doki Doki Meter"
32 is not limited to a bar graph-like (gauge-like) display, the value of biometric information (heart rate, etc.) may be displayed as it is, or a value calculated by multiplying a predetermined coefficient may be displayed, or based on biometric information. It may be displayed as an icon or the like that changes in number or color. In addition, the display based on biometric information,
The biometric information is not limited to current biometric information, but may be biometric information at a point in time a predetermined period ago (past), or a history from a predetermined point in the past to the present may be displayed in chronological order.

(Change example 2)
In this variation 2, a case will be described in which an effect is output based on the biometric information of another player who plays together with the player. For example, when a player battles together with another player such as a friend, sensor data of the other player is also obtained and analyzed to determine the effect of the other player.

FIG. 7 exemplifies a case where the expression and lines of the character on the game screen are determined by biometric information, as in the first modification. In FIG. 7, facial expressions and lines of a friend player who plays together with the player are determined based on the biometric information of the friend player. The sensor data acquisition unit 113 acquires sensor data from sensor devices linked to other players who play together with the player. The effect determination unit 115 determines the lines and facial expressions of the characters operated by the player and the friend player based on the sensor data of the player and the friend player. In FIG. 7, an image and lines 33 of a character CH operated by a player, and an image and lines 33 of a character CH2 operated by a friend player are shown.
4 is displayed, the heart rate of the friend player is higher than the heart rate of the player, and the lines and facial expressions of the two are different.

As in Modified Example 2, by changing the presentation based on the biometric information of other players playing together, communication with other players becomes more active.

In the embodiments and modifications described above, with respect to the processing of the software function units provided in the server device 1 and the player terminals 2, a part or all of the functions of the server device 1 are replaced with the player terminals 2 as long as the gist of the present invention can be realized. may be provided.

Moreover, the processing in FIG. 5 shows an example of processing by the information processing system of the present embodiment, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Each process included in the process of FIG. 5 may be executed in an order different from that shown in the figure, part of the process may be executed in parallel, or part of the process may be executed in parallel. may be omitted, or other steps may be added.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit and interpret the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and that equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

1 server device (game server)
2 player terminal 3 network 4 sensor device

Claims (9)

a data acquisition unit that acquires sensor data related to the player's biometric information;
an effect determination unit that determines an output condition for a predetermined effect in a game played by the player based on the sensor data;
The effect determination unit determines an output condition of the predetermined effect only in a specific game scene during the game,
The game server, wherein the effect determination unit determines whether or not to acquire the sensor data and reflect it in the output condition of the predetermined effect based on the player's selection. 2. The game server according to claim 1, wherein said data acquisition unit acquires said player's sensor data only in said specific game scene. 3. The game server according to claim 1, further comprising an analysis unit that evaluates the excitement state of the player based on the sensor data. 4. The game server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said effect determination unit determines at least the volume or tempo of sound during said game based on said sensor data. 4. The game server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said effect determination unit determines at least lines or facial expressions of said character during said game based on said sensor data. The data acquisition unit further acquires sensor data of another player who plays jointly with the player,
6. The game server according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said effect determination unit determines output conditions for said effect based on sensor data of said player and said other players. 7. The game server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a screen data generation unit that generates an image representing the player's state indexed based on the sensor data. to the computer,
a data acquisition process for acquiring sensor data relating to the player's biometric information;
executing an effect determination process for determining an output condition of a predetermined effect in a game played by the player based on the sensor data;
The effect determination process determines an output condition of the predetermined effect only in a specific game scene during the game,
The game program, wherein, in the effect determination process, it is determined by the player's selection whether or not to acquire the sensor data and reflect it in the output condition of the predetermined effect. a data acquisition step of acquiring sensor data relating to the player's biometric information;
an effect determination step of determining an output condition of a predetermined effect in a game played by the player based on the sensor data;
The effect determination step determines an output condition of the predetermined effect only in a specific game scene during the game;
The information processing method by a computer, wherein the effect determination step determines whether or not to acquire the sensor data and reflect it in the output condition of the predetermined effect, according to the player's selection.

Images