JP2014132436A - Server device recommending electronic content - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user with more reliable recommendation information on an electronic content.SOLUTION: A server device includes: a game progress control unit which controls progress of a game; an information storage unit which stores information; and a display control unit. The information storage unit includes: a use state management table which manages a state of use of each user using a plurality of online games provided by the server device; and a user relation management table which manages information on a relation between users. The display control unit decides a game to be recommended to a user on the basis of information in the use state management table and the user relation management table, and causes a terminal device to display related information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a server device and a method for recommending electronic content using the same, and more specifically, a server device capable of providing a plurality of electronic contents to a user who operates a plurality of terminal devices connected to be communicable, And an electronic content recommendation method using the same.

  Conventionally, as this type of server device, a system that is intended to recommend content that suits individual user preferences has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, content recommendation information that matches the user's preference is obtained by exchanging content recommendation information among users in the SNS network group created according to the user's preference. Can be done.

JP 2008-191768 A

However, such content recommendation utilizing the SNS network is premised on participation in the SNS network, and therefore cannot cope with users who do not like to participate in the SNS network. In addition, since the user who provides the recommended information does not know how much the content is actually used, the reliability of the recommended information is also uncertain. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user may hesitate to use the recommended content.

  An object of the present invention is to provide users with more reliable recommended information about electronic content. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent by referring to the entire specification.

  A server device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a server device that can provide a plurality of electronic contents to a user who operates a plurality of terminal devices connected to be communicable, and each of the plurality of electronic contents can be provided. Information storage means for storing the usage status information indicating the usage status in a plurality of stages for each user, the usage status information of the user operating the terminal device in response to a request from the terminal device, and the terminal device Display control means for causing the terminal device to display information on the electronic content recommended to the user operating the terminal device based on the usage status information of other users other than the operating user.

  An electronic content recommendation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for recommending electronic content using a server device capable of providing a plurality of electronic contents to a user who operates a plurality of terminal devices connected to be communicable. (A) storing usage status information indicating the usage status of each of the plurality of electronic contents in a plurality of stages in the server device for each user; (b) responding to a request from the terminal device; Information on the electronic content recommended to the user operating the terminal device based on the usage status information of the user operating the terminal device and the usage status information of the user other than the user operating the terminal device Is displayed on the terminal device.

Various embodiments of the present invention can provide users with more reliable recommendation information for electronic content.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a network configuration of a system including a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows roughly the architecture of the terminal device in one Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the function of the server apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the utilization condition management table in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the user relationship management table in one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the display control process in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the my game screen in one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the component which is common in drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system including a server device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the server device 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of terminal devices 30-1, 30-2,..., 30 -N (with a communication function) via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. (Hereinafter, collectively referred to as “terminal device 30”), and various types of communication including online games, electronic books, moving image content, and music content for users who operate the terminal device 30. It is possible to provide electronic contents and various services such as an SNS service.

  As illustrated, the server device 10 according to the embodiment includes a CPU 11, a main memory 12, a user I / F 13, a communication I / F 14, an external memory 15, and a disk drive 16. Are electrically connected to each other via a bus 17. The CPU 11 loads an operating system and various programs from the external memory 15 to the main memory 12 and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The main memory 12 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 11, and is constituted by, for example, a DRAM.

  As illustrated, the server device 10 includes a CPU 11, a main memory 12, a user I / F 13, a communication I / F 14, an external memory 15, and a disk drive 16, and each of these components has a bus 17. Are electrically connected to each other. The CPU 11 loads various programs for controlling the progress of the operating system and the online game from the external memory 15 to the main memory 12 and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The main memory 12 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 11, and is constituted by, for example, a DRAM.

  The user I / F 13 includes, for example, an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse that accepts an operator input, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs a calculation result of the CPU 11. The communication I / F 14 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the terminal device 30 via the communication network 20.

The external memory 15 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk drive, and stores various programs such as a control program for controlling the progress of the online game. The external memory 15 can also store various data used in the game. Various data that can be stored in the external memory 15 may be stored in a database server that is physically separate from the server device 10 that is communicably connected to the server device 10. The disk drive 16 reads data stored in various storage media such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-R, or writes data to these storage media. For example, data such as game applications and game data stored in the storage medium is read by the disk drive 16 and installed in the external memory 15.

  In one embodiment, the server device 10 is a web server that manages a website including a plurality of hierarchical web pages, and can provide a game service to the terminal device 30. The terminal device 30 can acquire HTML data for displaying a web page from the server device 10, analyze the acquired HTML data, and present the web page to the user of the terminal device 30. A game provided through such a web page may be referred to as a browser game. The external memory 15 also stores HTML data for displaying this web page. The HTML data is composed of an HTML document described in a markup language such as HTML, and various images are associated with the HTML document. A program written in a script language such as ActionScript or Javascript (registered trademark) can be embedded in the HTML document.

  The external memory 15 can also store game applications that are executed on the terminal device 30 in an execution environment other than browser software. The game application can include various data such as a game program for executing the game and image data referred to when the game program is executed. The game program is created in an object-oriented programming language such as Objective-C or Java (registered trademark). The created game program is stored in the external memory 15 as application software together with various data. The application software stored in the external memory 15 is distributed to the terminal device 30 in response to the distribution request. The application software distributed from the server device 10 is received by the terminal device 30 via the communication I / F 34 under the control of the CPU 31, and the received game program is transmitted and stored in the external memory 35. This application software is activated in response to an operation of the terminal device 30 by the user, and is executed on a platform such as NgCore (trademark) or Android (trademark) installed in the terminal device 30. The server device 10 provides various data necessary for the progress of the game to the game application running on the terminal device 30. In addition, the server device 10 can manage the progress of the game for each user by storing various data transmitted from the terminal device 30 for each user.

  As described above, the server device 10 can manage the website that provides the game service, and can advance the game by distributing the web pages constituting the website in response to a request from the terminal device 30. . Further, the server device 10 can advance the game based on communication with a game application executed on the terminal device 30 in place of or in addition to the browser game. The server device 10 can store data necessary for the progress of the game for each piece of identification information for identifying each user, regardless of the manner in which the game is provided. Although a detailed description is omitted, the server device 10 can also have a function of performing a user authentication process at the start of the game and a billing process that occurs in accordance with the progress of the game. The games provided by the server device 10 include arbitrary games such as action games, role playing games, baseball battle games, card games, and the like. The types of games realized by the website of the server device 10 or the game application are not limited to those specified in this specification.

  In one embodiment, the terminal device 30 is an arbitrary information processing device that displays a web page of a game website acquired from the server device 10 on a web browser and implements an application execution environment for executing a game application. is there.

  The architecture of the terminal device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing the architecture of the terminal device 30. As illustrated, the terminal device 30 includes a CPU 31, a main memory 32, a user I / F 33, a communication I / F 34, and an external memory 35, and these components are electrically connected to each other via a bus 36. Connected.

  The CPU 31 loads various programs such as an operating system from the external memory 35 to the main memory 32 and executes instructions included in the loaded program. The main memory 32 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 31, and is constituted by, for example, a DRAM.

  The user I / F 33 includes, for example, an information input device such as a touch panel that accepts user input, a keyboard, buttons, and a mouse, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs the calculation results of the CPU 31. The communication I / F 34 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the server device 10 via the communication network 20.

  The external memory 35 is configured by, for example, a magnetic disk drive, a flash memory, or the like, and stores various programs such as an operating system. Further, when a game application is received from the server device 10 via the communication I / F 34, the external memory 35 stores the received game application.

  The terminal device 30 having such an architecture includes, for example, browser software for interpreting an HTML format file (HTML data) and displaying it on the screen, and the HTML acquired from the server device 10 by the function of the browser software. The data can be interpreted to display a web page corresponding to the received HTML data. Further, the terminal device 30 includes plug-in software (for example, Flash Player provided by Adobe Systems) incorporated in browser software, and acquires a SWF format file embedded in HTML data from the server device 10. The SWF format file can be executed using browser software and plug-in software.

  When the game is executed on the terminal device 30, for example, an animation or an operation icon specified by the program is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 30. The user can input an instruction for progressing the game using the input interface of the terminal device 30. The instruction input from the user is transmitted to the server device 10 through a browser function of the terminal device 30 or a platform function such as NgCore (trademark).

  Next, functions of the server device 10 realized by the components shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As described above, the server device 10 can provide various services including provision of electronic content, but as an example suitable for the description of an embodiment of the present invention, functions related to provision of an online game as electronic content. The explanation will be focused on. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the server device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the server device 10 includes a game progress control unit 51 that controls the progress of the game, an information storage unit 52 that stores information, and a display control unit that displays information about the game recommended to the user on the terminal device 30. 53. These functions are realized by the cooperation of various programs and tables stored in the CPU 11, main memory 12, and external memory 15 of the server device 10.

  The game progress control unit 51 can control the progress of the game for each user by transmitting / receiving various data necessary for the progress of the game to / from the terminal device 30 and managing the data for each user. For example, the game progress control unit 51 causes the terminal device 30 to sequentially display web pages constituting a website that provides game services in response to a request from the terminal device 30. When a hyperlink on the displayed web page is selected by the user, the game progress control unit 51 transmits new HTML data corresponding to the hyperlink to the terminal device 30. In the terminal device 30, a web page based on the new HTML data is displayed. Thus, since the game progress control unit 51 sequentially provides the web pages stored in the server device 10 to the terminal device 30 according to the user's operation, the user can use the function of the game progress control unit 51 to The game can be advanced based on its own operation.

  When a game application is executed on the terminal device 30, the game progress control unit 51 can transmit various data used in the game to the game application. For example, when the game progress control unit 51 receives a control signal indicating that a predetermined mission has been cleared from the game application of the terminal device 30, the game progress control unit 51 sets various parameters related to the next mission of the cleared mission to the game application. Provide against. The game application can load the data provided from the server device 10 and advance the game.

  The terminal device 30 progresses the game, such as information indicating various parameter values used in the game (such as information regarding the number of acquired game points and items acquired) and information indicating the status (such as information specifying the missions achieved). Can be appropriately transmitted to the server device 10 using the function of the browser software or the game application. The game progress control unit 51 can control the progress of the game for each user by storing the information related to the progress of the game received from the plurality of terminal devices 30 for each user. Accordingly, when the user logs in to the server device 10 using his / her ID, the server device 10 responds to the progress of the user based on the information on the progress of the game held in association with the user. The game is resumed from the stage (for example, the stage immediately before the interruption). Information necessary for the progress of the game can be managed by various functions of the server device 10 in addition to the game progress control unit 51.

The information storage unit 52 includes a usage status management table 52a that manages the usage status of each of the plurality of online games provided by the server device 10, and an inter-user relationship management table 52b that manages information related to the relationship between users. Is provided. A specific example of the usage status management table 52a is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the usage status management table 52a is associated with a combination of a “user ID” for identifying a user and a “game ID” for identifying a game used by the user. It manages information such as “usage status” that shows the status in multiple stages. In one embodiment, “installation”, “play”, and “special play” are set as the values of “usage status”. “Install” is a stage in which the user can start the game by installing an application for executing the game in the terminal device 30 or by executing the game once through the browser. Show. “Play” indicates a stage where the user actually plays the game after “installation”, and “special play” indicates that the user is actually playing the game, and further, the game is played more deeply. Shows the stage. Here, each stage of “installation”, “play”, and “special play” can be set by applying various rules based on the use history of the game by the user. For example, a rule may be applied in which “installation” is set when the number of logins to the game is less than 5 times, “play” is set when the number is 6 times or more and less than 100 times, and “special play” is set when the number is 100 times or more. When the game play time is less than 1 hour, “install” is set, and when the game time is 1 hour or more and less than 200 hours, “play” is set.
A rule of “special play” can be applied when the time is over. In addition, a rule that “play” can be applied when a special game medium (card, item, etc.) is not used in the game, and “special play” can be applied when a special game medium is used. . Such a game usage history can be managed using a table or the like (not shown) of the information storage unit 52. Thus, the usage status management table 52b is updated according to the usage history of each user's game. It should be noted that the rules listed here are merely examples, and other rules may of course be applied. Further, “uninstalled” indicating a stage in which the game cannot be started may be further set as the value of “usage status”.

  A specific example of the inter-user relationship management table 52b is shown in FIG. The inter-user relationship management table 52b manages information such as “relation” indicating the relationship between users in association with a combination of two user IDs (“user ID 1” and “user ID 2”) as shown in the figure. To do. As a value of “relation”, in one embodiment, “friend”, which is a relationship formed by approving a friend application of one user by another user, or a relationship belonging to the same circle “ "Circle friends" is set. Here, the circle is one of SNS services provided by the server device 10 for exchanging information with other users about a specific topic via a bulletin board or the like. In addition, in one Embodiment, although the friend and the circle associate shall be managed by the user relationship management table 52b, the table structure for managing such information is not restricted to this. For example, with respect to “circle friends”, it is possible to manage circles to which a user belongs in a table for managing information about the user, and to specify users belonging to the same circle based on this information.

Next, the operation of the server device 10 configured as described above as an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the display control process executed by the server device 10. This display control process is executed when a display request for a screen for displaying recommended game information related to a recommended game is received from the terminal device 30. Such recommended game information can be displayed on various screens, for example, a my game screen that is a starting point for a user to start a game or a screen that is a starting point for a user to start an SNS service. It can be displayed on various screens such as My Page screen.

  In the display control process, first, the usage status management table 52a is accessed to acquire the usage status of each user's game (step S102). When the usage status of each user's game is acquired, the usage status of the game of the user who operates the terminal device 30 that has requested display of the screen for displaying the recommended game information, and the usage status of the game of one or more other users A series of processes for determining a game recommended for this user is executed based on (steps S104 to S110).

  First, a game being used by the user is specified (step S104). In one embodiment, a game whose usage status by the user is “play” or “special play” is identified as a game in use. Referring to the specific example of FIG. 4, for example, the user with the user ID “U0001” has the usage status of the game IDs “G003” and “G007” as “play” and the usage status of the game ID “G014” as “ Since it is “special play”, the games with the game IDs “G003”, “G007”, and “G014” are specified as the games currently being used by the user with the user ID “U0001”.

Next, one or a plurality of other users who are using the game specified as the game being used by the user are specified (step S106). In one embodiment, another user whose usage status of the game in use is “play” or “special play” is specified. Referring to the specific example of FIG. 4, for example, the user with the user ID “U0004” is identified as another user because the usage status of the game with the game IDs “G003” and “G007” is “play”. . The user with the user ID “U0009” is another user because the usage status of the game with “G003” and “G014” is “play” and the usage status of the game with the game ID “G007” is “special play”. Identified as

  Subsequently, another game used by one or a plurality of other users specified in this way (a game other than the currently used game specified in step S104) is specified as a recommended game candidate (step S108). In one embodiment, another game whose usage status by one or more other users is “play” or “special play” is identified as a candidate for a recommended game.

  Next, a recommended game that is actually recommended to the user is determined from the identified recommended game candidates (step S110). Here, various rules can be applied as a rule for determining a recommended game that is actually recommended to the user from among recommended game candidates. For example, the number of recommended games is determined in advance (for example, two), and a plurality of identified recommended game candidates are ranked according to a predetermined rule, and a game with the number of games recommended from the top is designated as a recommended game. The rule of determining can be applied. As a predetermined rule for ranking a plurality of recommended game candidates, for example, a rule in which a released game has a higher rank is applied, or the number of users of other users who are using it is A rule can be applied such that the higher the game, the higher the game. When a game with a larger number of users is ranked higher, a value obtained by adjusting the number of users according to the stage of showing the usage status (for example, a user whose usage status is “play” is counted as one user and a user who is “special play” Can also be used to rank the recommended game candidates.

  Once the recommended game that is actually recommended for the user is determined in this way, next, the user who uses the determined recommended game is identified from other users who have a relationship with the user as a “friend” or “circle friend”. (Step S112). Specifically, the usage status management table 52a is accessed to extract other users whose usage status of the recommended game is “play” or “special play”, and the user relationship management table 52b is accessed to By extracting other users who are in the relationship of “friends” or “circle friends” and matching them, use the recommended game that is in the relationship of “friends” or “circle friends” with the user and has been determined Can be identified.

  Next, the recommended game information related to the determined recommended game is transmitted to the terminal device 30 and displayed (step S114), and the display control process is terminated. FIG. 7 is an example of a my game screen 70 as an example of a screen that displays recommended game information. As shown in the figure, the my game screen 70 includes a game list display unit 72 that displays a list of games that the user has already started, and a recommended game information display unit 74 that displays recommended game information for the user. . The game list display unit 72 displays a game icon on the left side of each game displayed in the list, and displays a game title that is the name of the game on the right side of the game icon. When the user selects a game icon or a game title, an application or browser installed in the terminal device 30 is activated, and the selected game can be started. In one embodiment, the game list display unit 72 displays a game registered as a game used by the user in the usage status management table 52a.

As shown in the figure, the recommended game information display unit 74 of the my game screen 70 displays a plurality of recommended games (for example, two recommended games) recommended to the user, and a game icon and a game title are displayed for each recommended game. Is displayed. Further, a related information display area 76 for displaying related information of a recommended game is provided below the area where the game icon and the game title are displayed. As shown in the figure, the related information display area 76 displays other games used by this user and other users who are using the recommended game (“(icon B) (icon D in FIG. 7)”. ) And other friends who use recommended games and circle friends are displayed ("Friends aa and bb in Figure 7 are playing") ! "," Circle friends cc and dd are playing! " For example, the number of games to be displayed in advance (for example, two) is determined and used together for the display of other games used by this user and other users who use recommended games. This can be done by ranking a plurality of other games and displaying the number of games displayed from the top. In this case, the ranking of a plurality of other games can be performed by applying various rules. For example, a rule in which a released game has a higher rank is applied or used. It is possible to apply a rule such that a game with a higher number of other users is higher. Furthermore, it is possible to preferentially display a game whose usage status by the user (a user who operates the terminal device 30 that displays recommended game information) is “special play”. For the display of friends and circle friends who use recommended games, for example, the number of users (for example, two people) to be displayed in advance is determined, and friends and circle friends who use recommended games are ranked, This can be done by displaying only the number of displays determined from the top. In this case, the ranking of friends and circle friends can be performed by applying various rules. For example, the rules for ranking according to the time when the friends and circle friends become friends (for example, friends and circle friends) The rules that are higher in the older period can be applied. When the user selects a game icon or a game title of each recommended game displayed on the recommended game information display unit 74 of the my game screen 70, the screen transitions to an application download screen corresponding to the selected game, or the selected game is displayed. The game can be started by transitioning to the corresponding game start screen.

  The recommended game information display unit 74 on the my game screen 70 may display information on the usage status of the recommended game recommended to the user. For example, when the usage status of the user's recommended game is “installation”, the fact and the last login time (for example, year and month) can be displayed. In addition, for example, when the number or percentage of users who use the special game among other users who use the recommended game is larger than a predetermined value (for example, 1 million users or 50%), Information indicating that (for example, information indicating that many players are playing using a special game medium, etc.) may be displayed. As described above, by performing display according to the usage situation of the recommended game of the user or another user, the game can be recommended more effectively.

  Further, information indicating the characteristics of the recommended game and event information may be displayed on the recommended game information display unit 74 of the my game screen 70. For example, “unprecedented image quality!” Indicating features of the recommended game, “presently presenting a rare card!” Indicating event information, and the like can be displayed. Thereby, it is possible to further recommend an effective game for the user.

  The recommended game displayed on the recommended game information display unit 74 of the my game screen 70 can be controlled not to be displayed again according to the situation after the initial display. For example, the number of times of display (number of times of transmission) is measured, and when it reaches a predetermined number (for example, 10 times), the display is not performed again, or the date and time of the first display is recorded, and the number of elapsed days is the predetermined number of days. When it reaches (for example, 30 days), it is also possible not to display again. In the case where the display is not performed again in this way, a new recommended game may be determined and displayed.

According to the server device 10 in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the recommended game recommended to the user who operates the terminal device 30 based on the game usage status of each user managed by the usage status management table 52a. Information about the determined recommended game is displayed on the terminal device 30. Accordingly, since the recommended game is determined based on the actual game usage status of each user, more reliable recommended information can be provided to the user. Furthermore, as information on the recommended game, other users who are using the recommended game together with the user who operates the terminal device 30 and other users who are using the recommended game are displayed. Since the circle friends are displayed, the user can know the common points with other users who use the recommended game, and use it as a reference when deciding whether to start using the recommended game. Can do.

  In the server device 10 according to the embodiment, when specifying a game being used by the user, when specifying another user who is using the game being used, and other games used by other users (recommended) In specifying a game candidate), the usage status is “play” or “special play”, but other criteria may be used. For example, when the game being used by the user is specified, the game being used may be specified including the game whose usage status is “installation”. Further, for example, when specifying a candidate for a recommended game, it may be possible to specify only those that are “special play”, excluding those whose usage status is “play”. As described above, the recommended game can be determined more flexibly by determining the recommended game in accordance with the stage indicating the usage status of the game.

  In the server device 10 of the embodiment, the online game recommendation has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to the recommendation of other electronic contents such as an electronic book, moving image content, and music content. In this case, a plurality of stages indicating usage status may be set according to the type of electronic content. For example, in the case of moving image content and music content, stages such as “free trial listening” and “paid download” may be set as the usage status.

  The processes and procedures described in this specification are implemented by software, hardware, or any combination thereof other than those explicitly described in the embodiments. More specifically, the processes and procedures described in this specification are performed by mounting logic corresponding to the processes on a medium such as an integrated circuit, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical storage. Realized. Further, the processes and procedures described in this specification can be implemented as a computer program and executed by various computers.

  Even if the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, multiple software, multiple Component and / or multiple modules. In addition, even though the data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single memory, such data, tables, or databases are provided on a single device. Alternatively, the data can be distributed and stored in a plurality of memories or a plurality of memories arranged in a plurality of devices. Further, the software and hardware elements described herein may be implemented by integrating them into fewer components or by decomposing them into more components.

  In the present specification, when the constituent elements of the invention are described as one or a plurality, or when they are described without being limited to one or a plurality of cases, they should be understood separately in context. The component may be either singular or plural.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Server apparatus 20 Communication network 30 Terminal apparatus 51 Game progress control part 52 Information storage part 53 Display control part 70 My game screen

Claims (8)

A server device capable of providing a plurality of electronic contents to a user who operates a plurality of terminal devices connected to be communicable,
Information storage means for storing, for each user, usage status information indicating the usage status of each of the plurality of electronic contents in a plurality of stages;
In response to a request from the terminal device, the terminal device is operated based on the usage status information of the user who operates the terminal device and the usage status information of a user other than the user who operates the terminal device. Display control means for displaying on the terminal device information related to the electronic content recommended for the user to perform,
A server device comprising:   The display control means specifies at least one first electronic content whose usage status by a user operating the terminal device is a first predetermined stage, and the usage status of the specified first electronic content is the first usage status. One or a plurality of other users that are two predetermined stages are identified, and the usage status by the identified other users is at least one second other than the first electronic content that is the third predetermined stage The server device according to claim 1, wherein the server device is means for specifying electronic content and displaying information related to the specified second electronic content on the terminal device as information related to electronic content recommended to the user.   3. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the first predetermined stage, the second predetermined stage, and the third predetermined stage are the same stage.   The display control means stores information related to the first electronic content whose usage status by another user whose usage status of the second electronic content is in the third predetermined stage is in the first predetermined phase. 4. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the server device is a means for displaying on the terminal device.   5. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit is a unit that causes the terminal device to display information related to a usage status of the second electronic content. The server device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The information storage means is means for storing inter-user relationship information related to a predetermined relationship between the users in addition to the usage status information,
When the other electronic user whose usage status of the second electronic content is at the third predetermined stage is a user who has the predetermined relationship with a user who operates the terminal device, It is means for causing the terminal device to display information that can identify a user having the predetermined relationship.
Server device.   The server device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic content includes at least one of an online game, an electronic book, a moving image content, and a music content. A method for recommending electronic content using a server device capable of providing a plurality of electronic contents to a user who operates a plurality of terminal devices connected to be communicable,
(A) storing usage status information indicating the usage status of each of the plurality of electronic contents in a plurality of stages in the server device for each user;
(B) In response to a request from the terminal device, based on the usage status information of a user who operates the terminal device and the usage status information of a user other than the user who operates the terminal device, the terminal Displaying information on the electronic content recommended to the user who operates the device on the terminal device;
Recommended method of electronic content.

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