JP2001239066A - Network game system, distributing method of network game, and method of participating in network game - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To significantly improve the presentation of a game by complementing the performance of a game terminal. SOLUTION: A game production company 1 produces a game program and a broadcasting program similar to or faking the story of the game or including key information necessary for the progress of the game. A broadcasting station 2 distributes the broadcasting program, and a service provider 4 distributes the game program. A user 5 has a broadcasting program reproducing means for reproducing the distributed broadcasting program to be watched/listened to, and a game executing means of reproducing the distributed game program to be executed. Since the story development of the broadcasting program watched/listened to by means of the broadcasting program reproducing means is similar to that of the game program executed by means of the game executing means, the concept of the world in the game will be complemented by the broadcasting program together with the game program with the high-quality presentation of the broadcasting program by a player executing the game while watching the broadcasting program or while the memory of the broadcasting program is still on the player's mind.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network game system, a network game distribution method, and a network game participation method, and more particularly to a game terminal for executing a game and a server on a network appropriately accessed by the game terminal. A network game constructed by integrating a distribution system such as a television broadcasting system for distributing a program that matches the game content or a program including key information necessary for progressing the game to the user. The present invention relates to a system, a network game distribution method, and a network game participation method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, the amusement (fun) of a game executed on a game terminal naturally depends on the content of the game, but in particular, it has a story with a background of virtual reality called a role playing game. In games, the complexity of story development and the difficulty in predicting them are important points for enhancing interest. For this reason, many game designers design game programs with various ingenuity, but such ingenuity leads to an increase in the program size, which hinders the development of programs for portable game terminals, especially with a small memory capacity. In addition to the above, it is difficult to create works that exceed the game designer's thinking frame even with the above ideas, and there is a limit to the improvement of interest.

Therefore, a game system using a network is used. A conventional network game system includes a network medium such as a public telephone line network, and a server connected to the network medium. A user's game terminal is connected to the server via the network medium to execute a required game program. Download to the game terminal and execute.

According to this, a user can quickly obtain and enjoy a new game program, and selectively obtain only necessary game data (for example, data of a specific episode of a role playing game). As a result, a large-scale game can be enjoyed even with a portable game terminal having a small memory capacity. In addition, the server side collects the game results of each user and reflects the results in the game contents, thereby enabling the development of the story. The advantage is that the complexity and the difficulty of prediction can be improved.

[0005]

However, the conventional network game system is merely a so-called server / client type system for connecting a server and a game terminal via a network, and is a game system operating on a game terminal. Since the expressive power is determined solely by the performance of the game terminal, the problem is that all the abilities, such as the beauty of the game screen, the reality of the characters appearing, and the presentation of a larger amount of information, are limited by the performance of the game terminal. There was a point.

[0006] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to focus on the fact that many game users are regularly blessed with a simultaneous distribution type information viewing opportunity such as a television broadcast. It is intended to complement the performance of the game terminal by integrating the use of the game terminal, thereby significantly improving the game expression power.

[0007]

(1) A network game system according to the present invention has the following objects.
Game production means for producing a game program, broadcast program production means for producing a broadcast program that is similar to or imitates the story development of the game or includes key information necessary for the progress of the game, and distributes the broadcast program Broadcast program distribution means, a game distribution means for distributing the game program, a broadcast program reproduction means for reproducibly reproducing the distributed broadcast program, and an executable reproduction of the distributed game program. Game execution means. In this system, a similarity is found between the story development of the broadcast program viewed by the broadcast program reproducing means and the story development of the game executed by the game execution means.
Therefore, by playing the game while watching the broadcast program or while the memory of the broadcast program is maintained, it is as if the two are united and complement the world view of the game with the high expressiveness of the broadcast program. The amusement can be improved. (2) In the network game distribution method of the present invention, a step of co-producing video data and game execution data by a consultant in order to associate the contents of the two, and a video data of the co-produced video data and game execution data Distributing using a predetermined transmission medium, and a step of distributing the game execution data of the co-produced video data and game execution data using a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium, The above-mentioned process provides the user with a game in which the world view is expanded. In this method, the moving image data and the game execution data are co-produced by a consulting body, and the contents are associated with each other before being distributed. At the distribution destination, the world view of the game is complemented by the high expressive power of the moving image data, and the interest of the game is improved. (3) The network game participation method of the present invention includes a step of receiving, via a predetermined transmission medium, video data of video data and game execution data co-produced by a consultation body for associating the two contents, Receiving the game execution data of the video data and the game execution data via a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium, reproducing the received video data so as to be visually recognizable, and A step of reproducing the execution data so as to be executable, and playing a game having a wide view of the world through the steps. In this method, the moving image data and the game execution data, which are co-produced by the consultation body and whose contents are associated with each other, are received and used. On the receiving side, the world view of the game is complemented by the high expressive power of the moving image data, and the interest of the game is improved.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a business model structure of the network game system according to the present embodiment. The business model structure is a model of the business activity or concept of the target business, and is generally structured around three models: a strategic model, an operation model, and a profit model. However, the illustrated model shows these three models in a mixed manner.

In FIG. 1, portions indicated by elliptical figures are main model elements of the network game system of the present invention, which are a production company 1, a broadcasting station 2, an advertiser 3, a service provider 4, and a user 5, respectively. Production Company 1
Corresponds to the game production means and the broadcast program production means described in the summary of the invention, the broadcasting station 2 corresponds to the broadcast program distribution means described in the summary of the invention, and the service provider 4 corresponds to the game distribution means described in the summary of the invention Is equivalent to Or production company 1
Corresponds to the consultation body described in the summary of the invention.

The production company 1 produces a broadcast program material (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “broadcast content”) and a game program (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “game content”).
Each content is provided to the broadcasting station 2 and the service provider 4 in exchange for a price (production cost). The relationship between the broadcast program material and the game program will be described in detail later, but the story development is very similar or similar, or the content of the broadcast program material contains information (key information) necessary for the progress of the game. is there. That is, by viewing the broadcast program material on the television receiving equipment of the user 5, it is possible to supplement the story development of the game program produced in pair with the broadcast program material, or The key information obtained by viewing the broadcast program can be utilized in the progress of the game. In short, while listening to (or after listening to) the broadcast program material at the stage of the user 5, a game program forming a pair with the broadcast program material is played. When the game program is executed on the terminal, the interest of the game can be increased much more than when the game program is executed alone.

Here, the "game program (or game program)" in the present specification is executed on a game terminal described later, and includes an input means (key operation) provided in the game terminal. Electronic data designed to produce various screen changes, various sound effects changes, or changes in internal data (all or part of them) in response to user input to a unit, touch panel, or various pointing devices. Refers to the product. The product of the electronic data corresponds to the game execution data described in the gist of the invention. In addition, “broadcast program material” generally refers to a moving image (moving image or frame-by-frame image shot with a studio camera, video camera, or movie camera, or image processing software produced for a specific visual effect). In this specification, the electronic program is a program created in a pair with the game program (or game program), and the program includes This refers to a moving image (as defined above) that has the content of copying all or part of the screen change and / or sound effect change. This moving image data corresponds to the moving image data described in the gist of the invention. The term “and / or” as used herein refers to the concatenation or alternative selection of the preceding and following words. For example, when used with "A and / or B",
It means both "A and B" and "A or B".

The broadcasting station 2 broadcasts the broadcast program material provided by the production company 1 in the service area of its own station and, if there is an affiliated station, also in the service area of the affiliated station. The broadcast medium may be terrestrial, satellite communication or cable television. In the case of the present embodiment, the broadcast station 2 receives a request to broadcast a commercial message (hereinafter, referred to as “CM”) material from the advertiser 3, and is referred to as a so-called “private broadcast” that operates a business based on the revenue from the advertising expenses. Is a general broadcasting company, and the broadcasting station 2 uses the network game system of the present invention to transmit C
The status of listening to M is grasped, and the grasped result is used for business activities, but is not limited to this. For example, a general broadcasting company may be read as a broadcasting company that performs so-called public broadcasting. In this case, the broadcast station 2 can use the network game system of the present invention to grasp the listening situation of the public broadcast program by the user 5 and reflect the situation on the broadcast program production plan.

The service provider 4 receives the game program from the production company 1 and stores and stores the game program in a server (storage device 13 described later: see FIG. 4). A service is provided for delivering the game program to the user. The service provider 4 is connected to a network capable of performing two-way communication with all the users 5 using the network game system of the present invention (a network 7 described later: see FIG. 2). This network is, for example, but not limited to, an analog or digital public network supporting the Internet protocol. If the flow of data from the service provider 4 to the user 5 is referred to as “download” and the reverse is referred to as “upload”, the network media for download and upload may be different. For example, uploading may be performed through a public line network, and downloading may be performed through satellite communication or terrestrial communication.

The service provider 4 distributes the requested game program in response to a request from the user 5 who uses the network game system of the present invention, and obtains a fee for use in return for business. Perform activities. The user 5 has a receiving facility (television receiver) capable of listening to a broadcast program material broadcast from the broadcasting station 2 and a facility (modem or terminal) for transmitting and receiving data to and from the service provider 4 via a network. Adapter), and further have equipment (game terminal) capable of executing the game program downloaded from the service provider 4. However, this is an individual who has registered the use of the network game system of the present invention in accordance with a predetermined procedure in advance, and the registration information is stored in the service provider 4 and used for authentication when accessing via the network.

For each of these factors, the three models described above, namely, the strategy model, the operation model, and the profit model, are clarified as follows. -Strategic model of production company 1 Customers are broadcasting station 2 and service provider 4. The production company 1 produces and provides broadcast program materials and game programs whose operation is guaranteed for these customers. The style of production will be described later. As described above, the appeal to the customers (broadcasting station 2 and service provider 4) is that while listening to (or after) listening to the broadcast program material at the stage of the user 5,
By executing a game program that forms a pair with the game terminal, it is possible to increase the interest of the game much more than when the game program is executed alone. " This contributes to the improvement of the audience rating and the number of game distributions at the service provider 4, whereby the customer (the broadcast station 2 and the service provider 4) can be expected to increase the profit. Operation model of production company 1 In response to a joint request from a customer (broadcasting station 2 and service provider 4), the above-mentioned broadcast program material and game program are produced and provided without delay. The timing of the request must be in accordance with the business plan of the customer, and the timing of the provision must be at least before the broadcast schedule of the broadcast program material. -Profit model of production company 1 Contract money between customers (broadcasting station 2 and service provider 4) and production costs of individual contents are used as the revenue base. The more users (users 5) of the network game system of the present invention, the more customers (broadcasting station 2 and service provider 4)
Requests for content production from Yahoo!

Strategy Model of Service Provider 4 The customer is a user (user 5) of the network game system of the present invention. A network environment is constructed between the user 5 and the user 5, and the user 5
To provide interesting game programs. The appeal depends on the content of the game program,
By cooperating with this strategic model, its appeal can be doubled. Operation model of service provider 4 A server for authentication of user 5 and accumulation and distribution of game programs is always operated. Server is multiple users 5
Is accessible from A required game program is distributed to the authenticated user 5, and an access log thereof is recorded. As this type of server, for example, Internet Protocol HTTP (Hyper)
Text Transfer Protocol (FTP) server or FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
ocol) server or the like can be used. This is because these server services can manage access rights, control download of requested data files, and manage their logs. -Profit model of service provider 4 The usage fee (membership fee, basic fee, or game program download fee) from the user (user 5) of the network game system of the present invention is used as a revenue base. Increasing the number of registered users leads to higher profits.

Strategy Model of Broadcasting Station 2 Since the broadcasting station 2 of the present embodiment is a general broadcasting company, the customer becomes the advertiser 3. The broadcast station 2 broadcasts a CM in response to a request from the advertiser 3. Since the advertiser 3 desires to improve the audience rating of the CM, the broadcasting station 2 will devise the content of the program broadcast during the time frame of the CM frame. In the case of broadcast program material that is paired with a game program, advertisers can secure a basic audience rating that is at least commensurate with the number of game user registrants, because it is highly probable that users will reliably view the game program. 3 can be guaranteed. Operation Model of Broadcasting Station 2 The broadcasting station 2 broadcasts various programs according to a broadcasting schedule. In particular, specific broadcast program materials forming a pair with a game program correspond to the game distribution schedule of the service provider 4 (both of them). Broadcast over a temporal link). For example, when the game distribution schedule of the service provider 4 changes the game program every week and distributes the program, the broadcast station 2
Broadcasts a broadcast program material corresponding to a game program to be distributed in the week, for example, on an arbitrary day at the beginning of the week. As a more specific example, when a predetermined game program is scheduled to be distributed from the service provider 4 on a certain Saturday, the broadcasting station 2 broadcasts a broadcast program material corresponding to the game program on Sunday the next day. User 5
Can watch the broadcast on Sunday, expand the image of the game program sufficiently, and enjoy the game program on the game terminal for the next week while maintaining the image. Therefore, the performance of the game terminal (especially the performance of display and sound effects) is inferior to that of the television receiver. When a broadcast program material corresponding to the game program is viewed on a game machine, the reality of the game content obviously differs greatly. Therefore, in the network game system of the present invention, the broadcast program material and the game program In addition to the merit that the interest in the game can be improved by the proper use, the merit that the audience rating of the broadcast program material can be expected to increase according to the number of registrants of the user 5 is obtained. -Profit model of broadcasting station 2 Ad revenue from advertiser 3 is used as the revenue base. The profit can be expanded according to the audience rating of the broadcast program material.

The business model of the advertiser 3 varies depending on its business form, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In short, the user 5 of the advertiser 3 can use the products and services provided by the advertiser 3. Alternatively, it is a purchase target group of services and the like, which intends to disseminate products, services or services, etc. using a CM broadcast notification requested to the broadcasting station 2 and intends to stabilize and expand the profit base.

Next, the infrastructure elements required for the network game system of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 2, the broadcasting station 2 includes a station 2a having broadcasting facilities, a transmitting facility 2c for emitting a terrestrial broadcasting wave 2b, and the like, and the service provider 4 includes a station building 4a having server facilities.
Further, the service provider 4 is always connected to a network 7 such as the Internet, and all the users 5 (users 5 _{1 to} 5 _{n in the} figure) can be connected to the network 7 as appropriate. The broadcast terrestrial wave 2b corresponds to a “predetermined transmission medium” or “broadcast network” described in the gist of the invention, and the network 7 corresponds to a “transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium” or “communication” described in the gist of the invention. Network ".

FIG. 3 is a schematic system configuration diagram of the broadcasting station 2. The broadcast station 2 has a storage device 8 for storing the above-mentioned broadcast program material and CM material, a transmission schedule unit 9 for sequentially extracting and transmitting the material from the storage device 8 according to a predetermined broadcast schedule, and a transmission material. A transmission unit 10 that modulates the signal with a carrier of a predetermined television broadcasting method and outputs the modulated signal to the transmission facility 2c. With such a configuration, the broadcasting station 2 sequentially extracts broadcast program materials and CM materials from the storage device 8 according to a predetermined broadcast schedule, and
c.

FIG. 4 is a schematic system configuration diagram of the service provider 4. The service provider 4 is a storage device 1 for storing game programs and user authentication information.
3, a data transfer control unit 14 for controlling data transfer between the user 5 performed through the network 7, and audience rating information for generating audience rating information of broadcast program material based on user data from the user 5. A generation unit 15 is provided. These units are generally realized integrally by a computer dedicated to a server or the like, but are shown here by blocks to clarify functions. The service provider 4 has such a configuration,
In response to a game program download request from the user 5, the game program can be retrieved from the storage device 13 and transferred to the requesting user 5 via the network 7, and based on user data from the user 5. The audience rating information of the broadcast program material can be generated.

FIG. 5 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a user 5 _i (i is 1 to n). The user 5 _i receives a receiving antenna 17 for receiving a broadcast wave from the broadcasting station 2 and a program (including broadcast program material and CM) received by the receiving antenna 17.
And a game terminal 19 that can be connected to the network 7 as needed. The television receiver 18 corresponds to a broadcast program reproducing unit described in the gist of the invention, and the game terminal 19 corresponds to a game execution unit described in the gist of the invention. By providing such a configuration, the user 5 _i can reproduce and display the broadcast from the broadcast station 2 on the television receiver 18 for viewing, and can download the game program from the service provider 4 to the game terminal 19. Run and enjoy the game. Therefore, when a broadcast program material forming a pair with a game program is listened to by the television receiver 18, the television receiver 18 not only allows the user to enjoy the expressive world view of the game, but also while the image remains. By executing the game program paired with the broadcast program material on the game terminal 19,
The interest in the game can be significantly improved as compared to the case where the game is played alone.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the game terminal 19. The illustrated game terminal 19 executes a game program to control the overall operation of the game terminal 19 (CPU
lProcessor Unit) 20 and a program memory 21 for rewritably storing a game program
A data memory 22 for rewritably storing data required for the game program (user data that changes with the progress of the game); a display control unit 23 for controlling the display on the liquid crystal display 24; An audio output unit 25 for driving an electrical vibration element 26; a communication unit 27 for controlling data transfer between the service provider 4 via the network 7; a key operation unit 28 having various key buttons; And a bus 29 for connection.

The illustrated game terminal 19 has a key operation unit 28.
With the operation of, access to the service provider 4, display of the authentication result by the service provider 4, inquiry display as to whether or not to download the game program, progress display during download execution, download completion display (or failure display), etc. It is possible to switch between an access mode to be executed and a game mode to execute the downloaded game program in an offline state (a state in which the connection to the network 7 is cut off). The data (including game result data) of each user can be uploaded to the service provider 4.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship among the production company 1, the broadcasting station 2, and the service provider 4. In the illustrated example, the management team 1a and the staff 1b of the production company 1 are composed of dispatched personnel from affiliated companies (the broadcasting station 2 and the service provider 4). For example, it is composed of personnel skilled in the production of broadcast program materials (for example, animation creator 1c of broadcast station 2), personnel skilled in the production of game programs (game designer 1d), and personnel 1e accustomed to sales of these. ing.

The animation creator 1c and the game designer 1d of the production company 1 cooperate with each other to produce a desired broadcast program material and a game program. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the production, in which an example of producing contents of an exploration type role playing game is shown. Generally, a broadcast unit is called a “scene”, and this scene can correspond to an “episode” (chapter) in the case of a game. The animation creator 1c creates images and sounds for each scene, and the game designer 1d similarly describes a program for each episode. Actually, a script for a broadcast program (referred to as “broadcast program script” in this specification) such as a scene 1
A script for a broadcast program of a scene (town in the figure) is created, and the game designer 1d creates a script for a game program (hereinafter, referred to as a “script for game”) based on the script for the broadcast program. . If there is an inconvenience in the production of the script for the game, the game designer 1d consults with the animation creator 1c to modify both scripts while finding a compromise. After the reworking operation is repeated to match the contents of the two screenplays, the production of the broadcast program material and the production of the game program are started based on the screenplays. Here, the production of the script for the broadcast program is advanced, but the production of the script for the game may be advanced.

[0027] Therefore, by reprinting the script in both the animation production section and the game design section, it is possible to produce a broadcast program material and a game program whose contents match or are important in the progress of the game. it can.

Here, comparing the broadcast program material with the game program, the former broadcast program material talks promptly according to the produced story, whereas the latter game program has various types according to user operations. They differ in that they show development. The user advances the episode by performing necessary operations in a timely and appropriate manner while watching the game screen, and the game ends when the final episode is reached. Operation hints (key information) for advancing the episode must be found in the course of the game. However, the resolution of the liquid crystal display 24 of the game terminal 19 and the sound quality from the loudspeaker 26 are lower than those of the television receiver 18. Significantly inferior. For this reason, elaborate game expressions are not good, and there is naturally a limit in improving the difficulty and interest of the game. The network game system of the present invention is a television receiver 1.
By supplementing the performance of the game terminal 19 by using the good image expression power and the good sound quality of the game device 8, it is possible to improve the difficulty level and interest of the game.

Hereinafter, a specific use example of the network game system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a storage structure of the program memory 21 of the game terminal 19. In this figure, a boot program 2 executed when the power of the game terminal 19 is turned on is stored in a boot-up address (usually the first address 0000) of the program memory 21.
1a is stored. When the boot program 21a is started, each part of the game terminal 19 is initialized, and then a specific episode (for example, episode 1) of the game program corresponding to the game program is started. The game program is a management program 21b (character management program) for various game characters.
And a processing program 21c for various episodes (an episode 1 processing program, an episode 2 processing program, ...
.., Episode N processing programs) and stored in the program memory 21. These management programs 21b and processing programs 21c are indirectly addressed by a pointer unit 21d secured in a predetermined area of the program memory 21.

That is, in the illustrated example, the address 180
When address 0 is accessed, the character management program 21b refers to the pointer 1A5A described at that address.
Is executed, or when the address 1802 is accessed, the episode 1 processing program 21c is executed with reference to the pointer 25C8 described at the address, or when the address 1804 is accessed, the pointer described at the address is read. Episode 2 with reference to 2865
The processing program 21c is executed. The reason for adopting such a memory structure is that when changing the character management program 21b or the episode processing program 21c, the storage destination address of the changed program can be freely set only by rewriting the pointer value of the pointer section 21d. is there.

FIG. 10 shows the data memory 2 of the game terminal 19.
2 is a memory structure diagram of FIG. In this figure, address 02
After 5A, the game program (program memory 21
Area 22a of the game program stored in the
This data area 22a is used to store data that may change as the game progresses. For example, in the illustrated example, addresses 025A and 0
25B stores an item 1 flag and an item 2 flag. Similarly, an address 0321 indicates a town arrival flag, 0322 indicates an arrival date, 0324 indicates an arrival time, and 032
6 stores data such as a conversation 1 flag, and 0488 stores data such as a boss battle time. The values of these data change as the game progresses. The data memory 22 is also provided with an area (not shown) for storing user data of the game terminal 19 (specific information such as a name and an age, and authentication information such as a user ID and a password).

The data memory 22 is provided with a pointer section 22b similar to the above-mentioned program memory 21, so that each data in the data area 22a is indirectly addressed. For example, in the example shown in the figure, when the address 0000 is accessed, the item 1 flag can be operated by referring to the pointer 025A described at that address, or when the address 0002 is accessed, the address 0002 is described. Pointer 0321
Refer to the episode 1 data (town arrival flag, ......,
Conversation 1 flag,...) Or access to address 0004, referring to the pointer 0488 described at that address, episode 2
Data (boss battle time, ...) can be manipulated.

FIG. 11 shows the user 5_iNetwork as seen from
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a use state of the game system. User 5_i
First listens to the broadcast program material from broadcast station 2 and then
A game produced in response to the broadcast program material
Download the program from service provider 4
After executing the game program,
Follow the procedure for uploading to service provider 4.
Use a network game system. This series
Operation (~) is a unit of a predetermined period (for example, one week)
And it is repeated every
Game program (or reflect past game results)
The same game program with modified content)
Can be used. The above series of actions
If you change the order of the work (~), the user
5 _iWhile watching broadcast program material from broadcast station 2,
A game program created for the broadcast program material
System can be executed.

FIG. 12 is an action schedule table of the user 5 _i when it is repeated on a weekly basis, where i week represents the current week, i−1 week represents last week, and i + 1 week represents the next week. Here, assuming that the beginning of the week is Sunday, the user 5 _i uses the television receiver 18 to view the broadcast program material on Sunday of the i week. The game terminal 19 at hand of the user 5 _i has i
A game program downloaded from the service provider 4 on one Saturday (weekend) is stored, and this game program is produced in pairs with broadcast program materials to be viewed on Sunday of i week. It is. Then, on the weekend of the i-th week (Saturday), the game result of the i-th week is uploaded to the service provider 4, and the game program for the (i + 1) -th week is downloaded from the service provider 4.

The number of days in which the game can be executed is five days (Monday to Friday) excluding the viewing date of the broadcast program material. During this time, the user 5 _i operates the game terminal 19 and enjoys the game program. Here, assuming that watching a broadcast program material on Sunday of the i-th week, in the mind of the user 5 _i have left world of high expressive game by television broadcasting, the user 5 _i is rumination this image While enjoying the game program from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, the game program is executed using the game hint (key information) indicated in the broadcast program material. For example, in a broadcast program material, if a story "a hero discovers a door hidden in a building by pressing a wall in a certain place" is developed, after watching the broadcast program material, According to the image, a similar operation in the game program, namely:
"If you push the wall at the same place, it becomes a secret door,
Open this door and proceed to another episode ". A user who has not viewed the broadcast program material cannot advance to another episode because the user cannot know the above hint (secret door hidden in the wall), but the user who has watched can easily advance to another episode. it can. Therefore, it is possible to control the degree of difficulty of the game progress depending on whether or not the broadcast program material forming a pair with the game program is viewed.

When the key operation is performed by the user 5 _i , information indicating the key operation is recorded in a predetermined area of the data memory 22 of the game terminal 19, and the information is stored by the user 5 _i on the weekend. Uploading to the service provider 4 when connecting to the service provider 4 is desirable because the service provider 4 can collect the viewing information of the broadcast program material. Execution of the above key operation
The service provider 4 can obtain the viewing information of the broadcast program material by collecting and analyzing the information indicating that the key operation has been performed. To the Bureau 2 etc.
This is because it can be used as material for producing subsequent broadcast program materials and game programs.

FIG. 13 shows the action schedule table (FIG. 1).
It is a judgment flowchart of user 5 _i corresponding to 2). In FIG. 13, the user 5 _i first determines whether or not it is a weekend (step S11). If it is not a weekend, it is determined whether it is the beginning of the week (step S1).
2) If it is not the beginning of the week, it is determined whether or not the game program for this week has been downloaded (step S13). According to the above user judgment, (A) "the day is Saturday", (B) "the day is Sunday", (C)
"The day is either Monday to Friday and the game program for this week has been downloaded.", (D)
One of the four determination results of "the current day is one of Monday to Friday, but the game program for this week has not been downloaded" is obtained.

Explaining each judgment result, in the case of (A), since the current day is a weekend Saturday, the user 5 _i operates the game terminal 19 to connect to the service provider 4 (step S 14). If game result data for this week is stored in the game terminal 19 ("YES" in step S15), the game result data is uploaded to the service provider 4 (step S1).
6) After that, the game program for the next week is downloaded from the service provider 4 to the game terminal 19 (step S17), and the flow ends. On the other hand, if the game terminal 19 does not store the game result data for this week ( ("NO" in step S15) is that the game program for the next week is downloaded from the service provider 4 to the game terminal 19 (step S17), and the flow is ended. In the case of (B), the current day is the first Sunday of the week. The user 5 _i watches the television receiver 18 (step S18). The viewing channel is a channel assigned to the broadcasting station 2 or a channel of an affiliated station of the broadcasting station 2, and the viewing time zone is a broadcasting time zone of a broadcast program material produced in a pair with the game program. is there. (C)
In the case of, since the current day is Monday to Friday and the game program for this week has been downloaded to the game terminal 19, the user _5i operates the game terminal 19 to execute the game program (step S1
9). In the case of (D), but the day is Monday to Friday, because not downloaded the game program for this week to the game terminal 19, the user 5 _i can not run the game, as it is the flow ends.

As described above, in the illustrated determination flow, the user 5 _i connects to the service provider 4 on the weekend to download a game program for the next week (referred to as “game program A” for convenience). At the same time, if there is game result data for this week, the data is uploaded, and at the beginning of the next week, a broadcast program material paired with the game program A (referred to as “broadcast program material A” for convenience) Is watched on the television receiver 18, and the game program A is executed while operating the game terminal 19 to find time until the next weekend.

Therefore, by viewing the broadcast program material A with the television receiver 18 having good image quality and sound quality, the world view of the game can be enlarged and imaged.
The game program A can be enjoyed until the end of the weekend while maintaining the image, so that the limitation of the game expression power due to the performance limit of the game terminal 19 can be overcome, and the interest of the game program can be improved. Can be planned. As a result, looking at the business model,
(B) The broadcasting station 2 can increase the advertisement rate by increasing the audience rating of the broadcast program material. (B) The advertiser 3 can expect the increase in the number of purchases by increasing the advertising effect of the product, etc. (c) The service provider No. 4 can increase the usage fee by increasing the number of users of the game program. (D) The production company 1 can expect an increase in the production of broadcast program materials and game programs. The special effect that profit can be obtained is obtained.

Here, the flow of data transfer between the user 5 _i and the service provider 4 will be described. FIG.
Is a flowchart of a download process. The data transfer control unit 14 of the service provider 4
The data transfer control unit 14 constantly monitors the connection request from the game terminal 19 (step S21, step S31).
It requests user data from the game terminal 19 (step S22, step S32). The user data is authentication information such as a user ID and a password, and is data including version information of the game program downloaded to the game terminal 19 in addition to the authentication information.

The data transfer control section 14 has a game terminal 19
When the user data is received (step S23, step S33), the authentication process and the version check of the game program are performed (step S34). If the result is NG (“NO” in step S35), an error notification message is generated. After transmitting to the game terminal (step S36), the flow ends, and if the result is OK (“YES” in step S35), a download permission message is generated and transmitted to the game terminal (step S36). S37) Then, the subsequent steps, that is, the process of receiving the download request from the game terminal 19 (step S38), the process of extracting the download data from the storage device 13 and transmitting the data to the game terminal 19 (step S39), and End of download from game terminal 19 Knowledge receiving process (step S40)
Are sequentially executed.

The game terminal 19 includes a data transfer control unit 14
Is received (step S24), and if the message is an error notification (“Y” in step S25).
ES "), the terminal process is terminated, and if an error notification is not received (" NO "in step S25), the subsequent steps, that is, a download start request process to the data transfer control unit 14 (step S26), a data transfer control unit The process of storing the download data from the memory 14 into the program memory 21 or the data memory 22 (step S27) and the process of notifying the end of the download (step S28) are sequentially executed.

According to the above flowchart, the data transfer control unit 14 of the service provider 4 responds to a game program download request from the game terminal 19 registered in advance by the user and stores the requested game program in the storage device 13. From the game terminal 19, and can be transmitted to the requesting game terminal 19.
Can store the downloaded game program in the program memory 21 or the data memory 22 of the own terminal.

Therefore, the content of the game program executed on the game terminal 19 can be updated successively, and a fresh game can be enjoyed. Further, in the above flowchart, in addition to the check of the authentication information, the version check of the game program is also performed. This is a contrivance for forcibly downloading data at predetermined intervals in order to maintain consistency with the broadcast program material. That is,
According to an exemplary of the, it is that a request from the user 5 _i doing the download every weekend Saturday accepts, but a request from the user 5 _i otherwise refuse. As a result, regular access to the service provider 4 is forced, stable profits of the service provider 4 can be secured, and the game progress of the user 5 _i can be controlled from the service provider 4. For example, if the user's game progresses too far compared to the broadcast program material and the television broadcast is far ahead, or if it is too late and the episode has not been executed yet, check the user data. , You can check the game progress of the user,
Downloading is permitted only when it is determined from the user's game progress that it is suitable for downloading, and when inappropriate, downloading is prohibited by displaying an error message. Thereby, due to the production schedule of the game program, even if it is produced considerably earlier than the broadcast and stored in the service provider 4,
The broadcast time of the broadcast program material and the download time of the game program that forms a pair with the broadcast program material can be matched, and inappropriate download of the game program can be prohibited.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a game operation in the game terminal 19 (one scene of the game operation: episode 1 for convenience). In this flowchart, first, the user waits for a key input (step S
51) If the operation of “move” is performed, the destination is determined. Although the destination is naturally different depending on the content of the game program, for example, when the destination is any of “town”, “detached islet” or “shop”, the processing for each destination is executed.

For example, if the destination is "town", the internal processing of Episode 1 is executed (steps S56 to S59). This internal processing is included in the current module, and executes processing without jumping to another module. In this internal process, first, of the user data stored in the data area 22a (see FIG. 10) of the data memory 22, a part managed by the episode 1 is referred to (step S56). Then, for example, the address town arrival flag of the address 0321 and the arrival time of the address 0322 are updated (steps S57 to S5).
9) After that, the process returns to the key input waiting process.

On the other hand, if the destination is "store", a basic character management program (address 1800 → pointer 1A5A → character management program in FIG. 9) commonly used for each episode is called (step S64),
Further, the data memory 22 also stores character data (item 1 at address 025A in FIG. 10) which is indirectly addressed by the item of character data (address 0000 → pointer 025A in FIG. 10) of the user data management table.
Flag).

When the destination is "Island",
First, the program management table (pointer section 21d) in the program memory 21 is referred to (step S60).
Then, if a jump address exists, it jumps there (step S61, step S62). For example, as shown in FIG. 9, if the jump address of the episode 2 (the pointer 2865 of the address 1804) exists, the processing is performed at the address (28) indicated by the pointer.
Jump to address 65) to read out and execute the episode 2 module.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the game program is divided into a portion common to each episode and a module portion for each episode, so that the download from the service provider 4 can be performed for each module. According to this, it is possible to match the broadcast program material with the game story. In other words, if it is not preferable to branch to a certain episode based on the development of the story that the user has followed, for example, a story that cannot be reached on the island due to the action taken by the hero before on the broadcast program material develops This corresponds to the case where the user has performed the same action. In such a case, the user data is checked when downloading from the service provider 4, and the module part of the episode 2 relating to the remote islet is not downloaded. By doing so, the relevant portion (pointer to episode 2:
Since the pointer 2865 at the address 1804 in FIG. 9 is not described, the determination result in the step S61 is “NO” in the flowchart in FIG. 15, and a necessary message (for example, a message indicating that it is not possible to pass to a remote islet) Is displayed (step S63), and the process returns to waiting for a user key operation for designating another destination.

According to the above embodiment, the broadcast program material and the game program world view can be matched,
It is possible to provide a game environment with much more reality than before. In addition, in order to connect between the user and the service provider via a network that allows two-way communication,
The service provider can acquire user data, analyze the user data, and provide an appropriate game program that matches the game progress of the user.
In addition, since the viewing information of the broadcast program material can also be collected from the user data, it is possible to investigate the audience and the audience rating of the broadcast program material. Furthermore, since the distribution of the game program can be performed in units of modules, there are obtained various advantages that different modules can be distributed for each user and the contents of the game program can be variously changed.

In the embodiment, the distribution medium of the broadcast program material is a television broadcast. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, distribution by a portable storage medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory device may be used. Even with such a storage medium, for example, when distributed in a form attached to a periodic publication, or when a new work is regularly announced for rental, the same as watching the television broadcast. Is obtained. In the embodiment, the television receiver 18
Although the game terminal 19 and the game terminal 19 are configured separately, they may be integrally configured. For example, the game terminal 19 incorporates a television receiving unit so that the received program is reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal display 24 (or another liquid crystal display), or the television receiver 18 is provided with the game terminal 19 shown in FIG. May be incorporated.

Further, the production company 1 in the embodiment
The business form is based on an alliance between a specific broadcasting station 2 and a specific service provider 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each time a broadcast program is issued by an order from an arbitrary broadcasting station 1 'and an arbitrary service provider 4'. A business form that creates pairs of materials and game programs, that is, a flexible business form that does not fix the ordering source may be taken, or
The production company 1 itself is the broadcasting station 2 or the service provider 4
The business form may belong to one division.

In the embodiment, when checking for the presence or absence of a module, the pointer unit 2 of the program memory 21 is used.
The definition of 1d is being examined.
The definition of the pointer section 22b may be checked, or a flag may be provided at a specific address of the data memory 22 to determine the presence or absence of the pointer.

[0055]

(1) According to the network game system of the present invention, by playing a game while watching a broadcast program or while the memory of the broadcast program is maintained,
As if the two were united, the world view of the game was complemented by the high expressiveness of the broadcast program, and the interest of the game was improved. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of game users, improve the audience rating of broadcast programs, and realize a useful network business that can increase the profit of the system participating companies. Alternatively, by distributing only necessary data, not only can it be applied to a portable game terminal having a small memory capacity without any trouble, but also by distributing different data for each user, each user can be changed. A game can be played. Alternatively, the communication cost can be reduced by executing the game offline. Alternatively, by uploading user data and / or game result data to the server side, for example, audience rating information of a broadcast program can be generated using the upload data. Alternatively, by determining that the user is a legitimate user on the server side, it is possible to ensure the reliability of user management. Alternatively, it is possible to provide useful information to a broadcasting station by analyzing data transferred from the game execution means and generating viewing status information of a broadcast program. Alternatively, by selecting a part of the data constituting the game program based on the data transferred from the game executing means and distributing the selected data, data having different contents can be distributed for each user. . (2) According to the network game distribution method of the present invention, the moving image data and the game execution data are co-produced by the consultation body, and are distributed after the contents of the two are associated. The high level of expressiveness complements the world view of the game, and the fun of the game is improved. Alternatively, the video data and the game execution data are distributed with a temporal link relationship,
Both delivery schedules are matched. Alternatively, since the predetermined transmission medium is a broadcast network or a portable storage medium, and a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium is a communication network, both distribution styles (simultaneous distribution and one-to-one distribution) are supported. It can be a suitable transmission medium. (3) According to the network game participation method of the present invention, the video data and the game execution data which are co-produced by the consulting body and the contents of both are received and used are used. The high expressive power of the video data complements the world view of the game, thereby improving the interest of the game. Alternatively, since the predetermined transmission medium is a broadcast network or a portable storage medium, and a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium is a communication network, both distribution styles (simultaneous distribution and one-to-one distribution) are supported. It can be a suitable transmission medium.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a business model structure of a network game system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating infrastructure elements required for the network game system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a broadcasting station 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a service provider 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a user 5 _i (i is 1 to n).

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the game terminal 19.

FIG. 7 is a relationship diagram of a production company 1, a broadcasting station 2, and a service provider 4.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of production of a broadcast program material and a game program by an animation producer 1c and a game designer 1d of the production company 1.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a storage structure of a program memory 21 of the game terminal 19;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a storage structure of a data memory 22 of the game terminal 19.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a use state of the network game system as viewed from a user 5 _i .

FIG. 12 shows a user 5 _i when it is repeated on a weekly basis.
It is a figure showing an action schedule.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the judgment of the user 5 _i corresponding to the action schedule table (FIG. 12).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a data transfer (download) process between a user 5 _i and a service provider 4;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a game operation in the game terminal 19.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 Production company (game production means, broadcast program production means, consultant) 2 Broadcasting station (broadcast program distribution means) 2b Broadcasting terrestrial wave (predetermined transmission medium, broadcast network) 4 Service provider (game distribution means) 7 Network ( A transmission medium different from a predetermined transmission medium, a communication network) 18 a television receiver (broadcast program reproducing means) 19 a game terminal (game executing means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C001 AA00 AA17 CB00 CB01 CB08 CC02 5B089 GA11 GA23 JA09 JA33 JB06 KA18 KB09 5C025 CA02 DA04 DA05 9A001 JJ25 JJ76 KK45 KK62

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A game program itself designed to generate various screen changes and / or sound effect changes in response to a user operation, or a game script referred to when designing the program, and the program A broadcast program itself or a broadcast program script that is referred to when producing the broadcast program, and a broadcast program that distributes the broadcast program A distribution unit, a game distribution unit that distributes the game program, a broadcast program reproduction unit that reproduces the distributed broadcast program so that it can be viewed, and a game execution unit that reproduces the distributed game program so as to be executable. A network game system comprising: 2. A game production means for producing a game program, a broadcast program production means for producing a broadcast program which is similar to or imitates the story development of the game or which contains information necessary for the progress of the game, A broadcast program distribution unit that distributes a broadcast program; a game distribution unit that distributes the game program; a broadcast program reproduction unit that reproduces the distributed broadcast program in a viewable manner; and executes the distributed game program. A network game system, comprising: a game execution unit that reproducibly reproduces the game. 3. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein said game distribution means distributes a part of data constituting a game program. 4. The game execution means according to claim 1, wherein said game execution means executes the game offline.
The network game system according to any one of the above. 5. A two-way communication is possible between the game distribution means and the game execution means, and user data and / or game result data can be transferred from the game execution means to the game distribution means. 3. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The network game system according to claim 5, wherein said game distribution means distributes the game after analyzing the data transferred from said game execution means and judging that the user is a valid user. . 7. The network game system according to claim 5, wherein said game distribution means analyzes data transferred from said game execution means and generates viewing status information of a broadcast program. 8. The game distribution means selects a part of data constituting a game program based on data transferred from the game execution means, and distributes the selected data. 5. The network game system according to 5. 9. A step of co-producing video data and game execution data by a consultant in order to correlate both contents, and using a predetermined transmission medium to convert the co-produced video data and game execution data to video data using a predetermined transmission medium. And distributing the game execution data of the co-produced video data and game execution data using a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium. A network game distribution method that makes it possible to provide a user with a game having a game. 10. The network game distribution method according to claim 9, wherein the moving image data and the game execution data are distributed with a temporal link relationship. 11. The transmission medium according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined transmission medium is a broadcast network or a portable storage medium, and a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium is a communication network. The network game distribution method described in 1. 12. A step of receiving, via a predetermined transmission medium, moving image data of the moving image data and the game execution data co-produced by the council for associating the two contents, the moving image data and the game execution data Receiving the game execution data out of the predetermined transmission medium via a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium; visually reproducing the received moving image data; and reproducing the received game execution data in an executable manner. A network game participation method that enables the player to play a game having a wide view of the world through the above steps. 13. The network game participation method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined transmission medium is a broadcast network or a portable storage medium, and a transmission medium different from the predetermined transmission medium is a communication network. .