JP2024058236A - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To promote mutual use of multiple services. [Solution] The information processing device according to this embodiment includes a linking unit that sets up a link between an account of a first service that can play a game and an account of a second service that can display predetermined content based on a user's linking operation, and a content determination unit that determines the content of the predetermined content to be displayed to the user, and the content determination unit determines the first content as the content to be displayed to a user for whom linking has not been set, and determines the second content, different from the first content, as the content to be displayed to a user for whom linking has been set and a predetermined condition has been achieved in the first service. [Selected Figure] Fig. 11

Description

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

Conventionally, there are known services that deliver multiple different types of content, such as games, videos, or e-books, to a terminal device. In addition, among these services, there are some in which the respective contents are related to each other. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for controlling a second content that is pre-associated with a first content so that it can be played when a pre-set condition regarding the first content is satisfied.

JP 2020-123201 A

However, in Patent Document 1, if the related content is related, the related second content (e.g., a game) can be played by satisfying the conditions set for the first content (e.g., a video) without linking the accounts for playing the respective contents. Therefore, users have little need to link their accounts, which may result in the mutual use of multiple services being hindered.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of multiple services.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a linking unit that sets up a link between an account of a first service that can play a game and an account of a second service that can display a specified content based on a user's linking operation, and a content determination unit that determines the content of the specified content to be displayed to the user, and the content determination unit determines the first content as the content to be displayed to a user for whom the linking has not been set, and determines the second content, different from the first content, as the content to be displayed to a user for whom the linking has been set and a specified condition has been met in the first service.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to promote the mutual use of multiple services.

1 is a diagram showing an information processing system including an information processing device and a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of services available to a user according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a content viewing screen displayed in a second service. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a content viewing screen displayed in the second service. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a content viewing screen displayed in the second service. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a content viewing screen displayed in the second service. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a content viewing screen displayed in the second service. A figure showing an example of a game play screen displayed in a first service. A figure showing another example of a game play screen displayed in the first service. A figure showing another example of a game play screen displayed in the first service. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of functions of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of game information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of content information. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of condition and content information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first information processing flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second information processing flow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, giving specific embodiments. For ease of explanation, the following description may be given in terms of a GUI (Graphic User Interface). However, the basic data processing technologies (communication/transmission technologies, data acquisition technologies, data recording technologies, data processing/analysis technologies, image processing technologies, visualization technologies, etc.) required to realize the content are well-known technologies, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in this specification, a user is a person who uses a service through the functions of the information processing device of the present invention, and more specifically, a user can enjoy the benefits (services) provided by the functions of the information processing device of the present invention by operating a specific device. The specific device may be a device owned by the user (e.g., the user terminal 12 described below), or a device installed in a store or the like, and may be a terminal or computer that is not owned by the user but can be used by entering a PIN number, password, or the like or making a deposit when visiting the store or the like.

<Overview of the Invention>
The present invention relates to an information processing technology that promotes the use of multiple different types of content, and more specifically, to a technology that promotes the use of both a first service that provides game content (hereinafter simply games) and a second service that provides content other than games (hereinafter simply content). An information processing system (hereinafter information processing system S) according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter this embodiment) is a computer system that can provide games and content to users, and is a communication system that includes an information processing device constituted by a server computer (hereinafter server 10) and a user terminal 12, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the game provider who provides the game and the content provider who provides the content are the same business operator, and a common server 10 is used to provide each service to the user. However, the game provider and the content provider may be different business operators, and different servers 10 may be used for each service.

(About the game)
A game is content (content in a broad sense) such as an online game provided using an information processing system S in which a user plays a game by operating a user terminal 12 while viewing the screen of the user terminal 12. Online games include browser games using a web browser, social games provided on a social networking service (SNS), games that can be played by downloading dedicated application software such as mobile games, and regularly updated online games such as play-by-web (PBW). The genre of the game is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, when a user performs game play operations on the user terminal 12, the user terminal 12 receives data for game progress distributed from the game provider's server computer, i.e., the server 10. The user terminal 12 outputs video and audio corresponding to the received data, and the user progresses through the game while checking the output video and audio. The user terminal 12 also transmits data indicating the user's operation content to the server 10, and the server 10 transmits data for game progress corresponding to the user's operation content. This data transmission and reception between the server 10 and the user terminal 12 is repeated until the user finishes playing the game.

In a game, a user can obtain (acquire) and own (possess) game media, and can use or consume the game media that the user owns. Game media are game objects that the user can use to progress through the game, including gameplay, and include characters, items, cards, and avatars used in the game. Game media also include in-game currencies, such as coins, medals, tickets, gold, or stones, that can be exchanged for other game media such as items or characters in the game, or that have value as a price consumed to play quests, which are the constituent units of the game, lotteries, which are a random item provision method called gacha, or other events. In-game currencies include paid in-game currencies that can be obtained by charging, and free in-game currencies that can be obtained without charging. Charging refers to a user paying a game usage fee to a game provider, etc., and specifically, the game usage fee is paid using cash, electronic money, a credit card, a prepaid card, etc. in response to a charging request. Note that a user can obtain game media by purchasing it at a shop, playing or clearing events such as quests, playing lotteries, etc.

Each game medium (excluding in-game currency) has its own individuality, and each game medium is set with a name, rarity, attributes, appearance, and various parameters that indicate abilities (values related to level, stamina, attack power, special abilities, etc.). These parameters are indicators that affect the progress of the game, and include those expressed numerically, those expressed as ranks written in alphabets such as "A, B, C...", and those expressed by indicators such as gauges. In addition, some parameters change as the game progresses, and others are constant and do not change regardless of the game progress. In the following, unless otherwise specified, parameters that change as the game progresses will be simply called parameters.

A quest is played with the main objective of being cleared, and in the game of this embodiment, multiple quests are set, and each quest has different content (e.g., attributes, difficulty level, enemy characters that appear, clearing conditions, clearing rewards, etc.). Quests are also classified into multiple categories, such as quests that are always held, quests that have a set playable period, and quests that have special play conditions for playing, and each quest has one or more stages prepared according to the difficulty level. Therefore, when selecting a quest to play, a player selects an arbitrary quest from multiple playable quests, and if the selected quest has multiple stages prepared, the player selects a stage according to the desired difficulty level. When the player clears a quest, the player can obtain game media, etc. associated with the cleared quest as a clearing reward. Note that quests with special play conditions include, for example, quests that can be played when the user's level is above a certain value, or quests that can be played when the conditions described below are met.

In the present embodiment, the game can be played by a single user, or multiple users can simultaneously play a common quest by operating their respective user terminals 12 in what is called multiplay (hereinafter, "cooperative play"). Cooperative play is performed through the communication function of each user's user terminal 12, and when a cooperative relationship is formed, the progress of the play is synchronized between the users who are playing cooperatively. Cooperative play may be either a cooperative play game in which multiple users cooperate, or a competitive game in which players compete against each other. In addition, members who play cooperatively are not particularly limited, but the user may play cooperatively with other users who have a friendship relationship with the user and who have a mutually approved relationship with each other (hereinafter, "friends"). In addition to being able to cooperate with friends to progress through the game, users can also borrow game media owned by friends to play the game.

(About the Content)
The content includes services such as video and audio including video and still images that a user can view (including browsing, the same applies below) on a user terminal 12 for viewing content. The content includes, for example, video works such as movies, dramas, and animations (hereinafter, anime), manga (pictures and text), novels, videos of sports games, music, seminars, news, blogs, SNS, and advertisements. The content also includes so-called interactive content in which a story branches and progresses depending on the options selected by the user. Note that the content may correspond to a game. For example, content corresponding to a game includes anime and manga (including, for example, derivative works derived from the game or the original work of the game) in which game characters appear, and sports videos in the same genre as the game (for example, videos of professional baseball games in the case of a professional baseball game).

In this embodiment, when a user performs an operation to view content on the user terminal 12, for example, an operation to select and view any content on a content selection screen serving as a standby screen, the user terminal 12 receives data for viewing the content distributed from a server computer of the content provider, i.e., the server 10. The user terminal 12 outputs video and audio corresponding to the received data, and the user views the video and audio output on the content viewing screen. The user terminal 12 also transmits data indicating the user's operation to the server 10, and the server 10 transmits data for viewing the content corresponding to the user's operation. Such data transmission and reception between the server 10 and the user terminal 12 is repeated while the user is playing and viewing the content.

(Regarding the relationship between games and content)
The game and the content can be used through communication between the server 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the user terminal 12 used by the user. In this embodiment, in order to play the game or view the content, i.e., to use the first service or the second service, a dedicated software is installed, and an account for using the respective service is obtained and the user is registered (registered as a member). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the game can be played on the user terminal 12 by, for example, starting a game app or the like installed on the user terminal 12. On the other hand, the content can be viewed on the user terminal 12 by, for example, starting a content viewing app (software different from the game app) or the like installed on the user terminal 12. The game app and the content viewing app may be installed on the same user terminal 12, or may be installed separately on multiple user terminals 12 in which the respective services are different from each other.

The game app and the content viewing app are different application software, and each is launched individually to perform its own unique function. The functions of each piece of software allow the user to play or view the game or content provided by the server 10 on the user terminal 12. Specifically, based on the information or data received from the server 10, the information or data is displayed, played, or output in other ways to the user terminal 12, allowing the user to play the game on the game play screen while the game app is running, and to view the content on the content viewing screen while the content viewing app is running.

In this embodiment, the account for the first service and the account for the second service can be linked to each other, in other words, the game and the content can be associated with each other. To explain in detail, when playing a game, the user downloads a game app and obtains an account for playing the game (hereinafter, a game account). When viewing content, the user downloads a content viewing app and obtains an account for viewing content (hereinafter, a content account). Then, the user operates the user terminal 12 to perform a predetermined setting (hereinafter, a link setting) in order to link these accounts. This allows the account for the first service and the account for the second service to be linked, and the game account and the content account to be associated. The accounts that can be linked may be limited to games and content that have a corresponding relationship, or may be linked between games and content that do not have a corresponding relationship. The accounts that can be linked do not need to be in a one-to-one relationship, but may be in a one-to-multiple or multiple-to-multiple relationship. In addition, regarding these accounts, the user may obtain a game account and a content account separately, or may obtain a common account for both, but the following explanation will use as an example the case where a game account and a content account are obtained separately.

The link setting between the account for the first service and the account for the second service may be performed at any time, and the specific procedure for link setting is not particularly limited. For example, if the game app is running, the link setting with the account for the second service may be performed before, during, or after playing the game (strictly speaking, a quest). Furthermore, if the content viewing app is running, the link setting with the account for the first service may be performed before, during, or after viewing the content. Furthermore, the link setting with the account for the other software may be performed on a setting screen displayed while the game app and the content viewing app are running, or the link between the software may be set by linking the already registered account when registering one account after registering the other account.

In this embodiment, the content to be displayed or otherwise changed may vary depending on whether the user has linked the content account and the game account and whether a predetermined condition related to playing the game has been met. Specifically, if the user has not linked the content account and the game account or has not met a predetermined condition related to playing the game, the content corresponding to the first content is displayed or otherwise changed. On the other hand, if the user has linked the content account and the game account and then plays a game different from the content, and the play history meets a predetermined condition related to playing the game, the content corresponding to the second content different from the first content set in accordance with the met predetermined condition is displayed or otherwise changed.

The specified conditions are conditions stipulated regarding game play in order to determine the content. The specified conditions include, for example, conditions regarding quest clearing, conditions regarding the number of times played, conditions regarding play time, conditions regarding play scenes such as which scene to play until, and conditions regarding the date and time of play. The specified conditions also include conditions regarding user operations such as the user rating, spreading, tipping, or commenting on the game. In other words, the specified conditions are contents resulting from the user's game play behavior, and include contents corresponding to the play history. The game play history is recorded for each user, and whether or not the specified conditions have been achieved is determined based on that data.

The content of the content is different between the first content and the second content. The difference between the first content and the second content includes, for example, a case where a different story unfolds. In addition, if the content is interactive content, it also includes a case where different options are displayed to be selectable.
The contents include the following patterns:
(a) When the second content is better than the first content; (b) When the content is interactive content and the options for the second content are better than the options for the first content; (c) When the content is interactive content and the number of options for the second content is greater than the number of options for the first content; (d) When the content is interactive content and the information added to the options for the second content is greater than the information added to the options for the first content; (e) When the content is a mixture of (a) to (d) above.

As mentioned above, the content is determined by linking accounts and fulfilling certain conditions, so the certain conditions and the content are associated with each other. Furthermore, the greater the benefit the content brings to the user, the higher the difficulty of the corresponding certain conditions will be, and the less the benefit the content brings to the user, the lower the difficulty of the corresponding certain conditions will be. For example, in the former case, the quest difficulty will be high. On the other hand, in the latter case, the quest difficulty will be low.

In this embodiment, the content of the content changes by linking accounts and playing the game. Therefore, the user aims to change the content of the content to be better and more diverse, so they link their accounts and play the game more actively to achieve the specified conditions. As a result, user satisfaction with the app with more diverse content increases, which also leads to more opportunities for users to install and play multiple different apps, leading to the widespread use of multiple different apps. In addition, the user sets up account linking between the first service and the second service in an attempt to complete a quest in the game app of the first service, effectively encouraging the user to use both content play and game play, etc.

(Screen transitions when playing games and content)
Here, as an example of this embodiment, screen transitions when using a game app that can use the first service and a viewing app that can use the second service will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 10. Figures 3 to 7 are display screens of the content viewing app of the second service on the user terminal 12. Figures 8 to 10 are display screens of the game app of the first service on the user terminal 12.
In the explanation of the screen transition, a case where the content is interactive content is taken as an example, and a case where the predetermined condition in a game application is clearing a quest is taken as an example.

First, various buttons arranged on the content viewing screen (FIGS. 3 to 7) or the game play screen (FIGS. 8 to 10) will be described.
The option buttons 41 are options that control the progress of the content in the content viewing application by using one or more buttons to indicate the next development in the story currently in progress. The option buttons 41 are preferably displayed near the bottom of the display screen of the user terminal 12 so that they are easy to press. Each option has a different story, and the progress and results of the story may differ depending on the selected option. In this case, the options are divided into stages such as BAD, NORMAL, GOOD, and BEST depending on the progress and results of the story.
The link setting button 42 is a button that, when pressed in the game app and the content viewing app, allows an operation of setting up a link between the accounts used for the game app and the content viewing app and registering the content account and the game account in association with each other (hereinafter, a link operation), and may be a part of the option button 41. The link setting button 42 may be displayed near the bottom of the display screen of the user terminal 12 so as to be easy to press, similar to the option button 41. Furthermore, the link setting button 42 may state that a new option is added when linking is set. Note that the linking may be automatically performed by pressing the link setting button 42, or the user may select another account to be linked after pressing the link setting button 42. Furthermore, the link setting button 42 may prompt the user to install the game app or the content viewing app if the game app or the content viewing app is not installed in the user terminal 12.
The condition notification button 43 is a button in the content viewing application that, when pressed, transitions to a screen (e.g., a game play screen) where a predetermined condition of the game application can be achieved, and may be a part of the options. The condition notification button 43 may be displayed in an easy-to-press position near the bottom of the display screen of the user terminal 12, similar to the option button 41. Furthermore, the condition notification button 43 may state a predetermined condition required to display a second content (e.g., an option that the user cannot select before the predetermined condition is achieved).
The challenge button 44 is a button in the game application that, when pressed, challenges a quest and actually starts playing the game.

The content viewing screen (a screen displaying the first content when the accounts are not yet linked) shown in Fig. 3 is a screen that displays options for the first content for selecting a story to be developed later when the accounts being used have not yet been linked. The content viewing screen shown in Fig. 3 displays the video of the story currently in progress, option buttons 41, a link setting button 42, and other content such as information about the story.
The video of the story currently in progress should be clearly displayed near the center of the display screen of the user terminal 12. The user uses the content viewing application mainly by viewing the video of the story. The other story information is detailed information related to the story, including descriptions of scenes in the story, remarks made by the characters, and descriptions of the protagonist's situation. The option button 41 is an option (first content) that the user can select when not linked, and is a button that controls the progress of the content.

On the content viewing screen shown in Figure 3, the user can select any story from the option buttons 41. For example, if the user selects "2. Tell tale", the screen transitions to the BAD story content viewing screen shown in Figure 4, and the selected story is played.
When the link setting button 42 is pressed on the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 3, link setting between the content account and the game account is completed, but if a predetermined condition has not yet been met in the game app, the screen transitions to a content viewing screen (a screen displaying the first content at the time of linking) shown in Fig. 5. On the other hand, when the link setting button 42 is pressed on the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 3, link setting between the content account and the game account is completed, and furthermore, a predetermined condition has already been met in the game app, the screen transitions to a content viewing screen (a screen displaying the second content) shown in Fig. 6.
In this way, when the first content is displayed on the user terminal 12, the user can change the content displayed on the user terminal 12 by performing a linking operation, which is advantageous for the user to set up linkage between accounts for multiple services. Thus, the service provider can promote linkage between accounts for multiple services. Furthermore, since the user is prompted to set up linkage before playing a story, the service provider can encourage the user to set up linkage on various occasions, not just after playing a story.

The BAD story content viewing screen shown in FIG. 4 is a screen that displays the story when an option that leads to a BAD story is selected. The content viewing screen shown in FIG. 4 displays content such as video of the currently ongoing story, a link setting button 42, and other story information. The content viewing screen may also display selected and unselected options so that they can be confirmed.

When the link setting button 42 is pressed on the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 4, link setting between the content account and the game account is completed. Then, if a predetermined condition has already been met in the game app, the content viewing screen (screen displaying the second content) shown in Fig. 6 is displayed, i.e., the state before the selection of the option leading to the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 4 is made is returned to.
On the other hand, if the link setting between the content account and the game account is complete but the predetermined condition in the game app has not yet been met, the screen transitions to a content viewing screen for a BAD story (not shown) in which the link setting button 42 has been changed to a condition notification button 43. However, if the condition notification button 43 is pressed on the content viewing screen and the predetermined condition is met as a result of playing the game app, the screen also returns to the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 6 (a screen displaying the second content), i.e., the state before the option leading to the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 4 was selected.
In this way, even if a predetermined option is selected in the first content and the story progresses, if the user subsequently sets up a link between their accounts and achieves a predetermined condition, the user can rewind the story to the time before the option was selected and can select an option again in the second content that is different from the first content. Furthermore, since the user is prompted to set up the link after playing the story, the user can confirm that there are additional options and that there are actually benefits to linking.

The content viewing screen (screen that displays the first content when linking) shown in FIG. 5 is a screen that displays options for the first content to select the story to be developed next when the account linking has been set and the specified conditions have not been met. The content viewing screen shown in FIG. 5 displays the video of the currently ongoing story, option buttons 41, condition notification button 43, and other content such as story information.

On the content viewing screen shown in Figure 5, the user can select any story from the option buttons 41. For example, if the user selects "2. Tell tale", the screen transitions to the BAD story content viewing screen shown in Figure 4, and the selected story is played.
On the content viewing screen shown in FIG. 5, if the condition notification button 43 is pressed and a predetermined condition is achieved as a result of playing the game application, the screen transitions to the content viewing screen shown in FIG. 6 (a screen displaying the second content).
In this way, when the first content is displayed on the user terminal 12, the user can change the content displayed on the user terminal 12 by achieving a predetermined condition in the game app, which is an advantage for the user in achieving the predetermined condition of the game app. Thus, the service provider can promote the mutual use of multiple services.

The content viewing screen (screen displaying the second content) shown in Fig. 6 is a screen that displays options for the second content to select the story to be developed next when the linking of the usage accounts has been set and a predetermined condition has been met. The content viewing screen shown in Fig. 6 displays the video of the currently ongoing story, option buttons 41, and other content such as information about the story.
On the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 6, the user can select any story from the option buttons 41, and for example, when the user selects "2. Tell tale", the screen transitions to the BAD story content viewing screen shown in Fig. 4, where the selected story is played. Also, on the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 6, when the user selects any story from the option buttons 41 (for example, the newly added option "3. Join"), the screen transitions to the BEST story content viewing screen (not shown), where the selected story is played.
In this way, by achieving certain conditions and linking the accounts, the user can develop a story from more options, and so there is an advantage for the user in linking the accounts of multiple services and in achieving certain conditions for the game app. Therefore, service providers can promote the linking and mutual use of multiple services.

The content viewing screen (screen displaying the second content) shown in Fig. 7 is a screen that displays options with hints for selecting the story to be developed next when the linking of the user accounts has been set and a predetermined condition has been met, and more information is added to the options compared to the content viewing screen for the first content. The content viewing screen shown in Fig. 7 displays content such as video of the currently ongoing story, option buttons 41, and other story information.
For example, when the user presses and holds the option button 41 on the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 7, more detailed information about the option is added and displayed on the user terminal 12. On the other hand, when the user does not press and hold the option button 41, a screen similar to the content viewing screen shown in Fig. 6 is displayed.
In this way, many hints that provide clues to the content of the options are provided, making it easier for users to select the option for the story they like, and the user benefits from linking accounts for multiple services and achieving certain conditions for the game app. In addition, the user can progress through the game as they like, which results in increased user satisfaction. Thus, service providers can promote the linking and mutual use of multiple services.

The gameplay screen shown in Fig. 8 (screen before attempting a quest when not linked) is a screen for confirming whether to attempt a quest before attempting a quest when the linking of the accounts being used has not been set up. The gameplay screen shown in Fig. 8 displays a video image of the quest currently in progress, a link setting button 42, and other game information. In addition, the gameplay screen shown in Fig. 8 may display a challenge button 44 in a darkened state, although it cannot be pressed.
It is preferable that the video image of the currently ongoing quest is clearly displayed near the center of the display screen of the user terminal 12. A user mainly uses a game app by challenging game quests.
Other game information is detailed information related to the game, including a description of the scene in the game, the enemy's situation, and a description of the user's situation.
When the link setting button 42 is pressed on the game play screen shown in FIG. 8 and the link setting between the content account and the game account is completed, the screen transitions to the game play screen shown in FIG. 9 (the screen before attempting a quest when linking).
In this way, users who have not yet set up account linking cannot challenge quests and therefore cannot achieve the specified conditions.

The gameplay screen shown in Fig. 9 (screen before attempting a quest when linked) is a screen for confirming whether to attempt a quest before attempting a quest when the linking of the accounts has already been set. The gameplay screen shown in Fig. 9 displays a video image of the quest currently in progress, a challenge button 44, and other game information. Note that the challenge button 44 could not be pressed on the gameplay screen shown in Fig. 8, but can be pressed on the gameplay screen shown in Fig. 9.
When the challenge button 44 is pressed on the game play screen shown in Figure 9, the quest is cleared, and the specified conditions are met, the user can display the content viewing screen (a screen displaying the second content) shown in Figure 6 in the content viewing app.
In this way, since a user who has already set up a link can challenge a quest and achieve a predetermined condition, there is an advantage for the user in setting up linkage of accounts for multiple services, and therefore service providers can promote linkage of accounts for multiple services.

The game play screen (screen after a quest is completed without linking) shown in Fig. 10 is a screen for confirming whether or not a quest has been completed if linking between the accounts has not yet been set up. The quest completion screen displays a video of the quest currently in progress, a link setting button 42, and other game information.
When the link setting button 42 is pressed on the game play screen shown in Figure 10 and the link setting between the content account and the game account is completed, the user can display the content viewing screen (a screen displaying the second content) shown in Figure 6 in the content viewing app.
In this way, when a user achieves a predetermined condition in the game app, the user can change the content displayed on the user terminal 12 from the first content to the second content by performing a linking operation, which is advantageous for the user in setting up linking of accounts for use of multiple services. Thus, service providers can promote linking of accounts for use of multiple services.

<Configuration of information processing device and user terminal according to this embodiment>
Next, the configurations of the server 10 and user terminal 12 constituting the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described. The server 10 is an example of a computer capable of distributing game data and content data, and as shown in Fig. 1, is communicatively connected to a plurality of user terminals 12 via a network 14, and together with the user terminals 12, constitutes an information processing system S. The network 14 is a communication line network consisting of, for example, the Internet or a mobile communication network, and may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, etc.

In the information processing system S of this embodiment, the server 10 and the user terminal 12 cooperate with each other in the above configuration to progress the game and play the content. Specifically, part of the game progress processing or content distribution processing is performed on the server 10 side, and part of the graphic processing, etc. is performed on the user terminal 12 side. For example, the server 10 side executes a program including certain rules, logic, and algorithms. Meanwhile, the user terminal 12 side progresses the game and plays the content according to the same rules, logic, and algorithms as the program executed on the server 10 while synchronizing with the server 10. That is, while playing the game, the user terminal 12 displays a game play screen, which is a display screen of the game, on a display, etc., and also expands display data sent from the server 10 at any time, and displays the video and text information, etc. indicated by the display data on the game play screen. Also, while watching the content, the user terminal 12 displays a content viewing screen, which is a display screen of the content, on a display, etc., and also expands display data sent from the server 10 at any time, and displays the video and text information, etc. indicated by the display data on the content viewing screen.

The server 10 is an example of an information processing device of the present invention, and is a computer that executes various information processing related to the progress of the game, such as generating and transmitting and receiving data necessary for the progress of the game and the reproduction of the content, and more specifically, in this embodiment, is an SNS server. The server 10 may be composed of one computer, or may be composed of multiple computers distributed in parallel. The server 10 may also be a server computer for ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, a series of information processing steps related to the progress of the game (excluding input and display of information) are executed by the server 10, so that the user terminal 12 only needs to input information to be handed over to the server 10 and display information delivered from the server 10. In this way, the server 10 delivers information or data necessary for the progress of the game and the reproduction of the content to each user, and also collects and stores information or data from each user. The server 10 also executes various other information processing related to the progress of the game and the reproduction of the content.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 10 has a processor 21, a memory 22, a communication interface 23, and a storage 24 as hardware devices, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 25. In addition, the server 10 has installed therein, as software, an operating system (OS), a dedicated program for processing information about games, and a dedicated program for processing information about content. These programs correspond to the program of the present invention. When the processor 21 operates according to the above programs, the server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention and executes a series of processes related to the progress of the game and content distribution. The program of the present invention may be obtained by reading it from a computer-readable recording medium, or may be obtained (downloaded) via a network 14 such as the Internet or an intranet.

The processor 21 may be configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

The memory 22 may be composed of semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The communication interface 23 may be, for example, a network interface card or a communication interface board. The standard of data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by wireless LAN, communication by 3G to 5G or later generation mobile communication systems, and communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution).

The storage 24 may be configured with a flash memory, a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disc (FD), a magneto-optical disc (MO disc), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a secure digital card (SD card), or a universal serial bus memory (USB memory). The storage 24 may be built into the server 10, or may be attached to the server body in an external format. The storage 24 may also be configured with an external computer (e.g., a database server) communicably connected to the server body. A distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain may be used as a technology for recording various data in order to avoid unauthorized data tampering.

The user terminal 12 is a client terminal that is operated by the user to play games and view content. The user terminal 12 may be, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a game console, a television set capable of inputting information, or a wearable terminal. Note that for convenience of illustration, two user terminals 12 are shown in FIG. 1, but of course, in reality, the number of user terminals 12 will correspond to the number of users.

The user terminal 12 receives data from the server 10, and displays the images (video) represented by the data on the display of the user terminal 12 or on a display device such as a TV connected to the user terminal 12, and outputs audio from a speaker or the like. That is, in this embodiment, the user terminal 12 functions as a display unit and an audio output unit. For example, a game play screen, a content viewing screen, etc. are displayed on the user terminal 12.

The user terminal 12 also accepts user operations and transmits information or data corresponding to the operation to the server 10. For example, the user performs operations on the user terminal 12 such as operations for linking a game account with a content account, operations for playing a game (including a character selection operation, a quest selection operation, a lottery application operation, and a joint play solicitation operation), and operations for viewing content (including a content selection operation, a content viewing operation, etc.), and transmits information or data based on these operations to the server 10. In addition to the above operations, the user also performs appropriate operations on the user terminal 12 required to enjoy the services provided by the information processing system S of this embodiment.

<Functions of the information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention>
The configuration of the server 10, which is an information processing device according to this embodiment, will be described again from the functional standpoint.
11 , the server 10 has a storage unit 30, an information acquisition unit 31, a display control unit 32, a linking unit 33, a content management unit 34 including a content determination unit 341, a game control unit 35 including an execution control unit 351, a first recommendation unit 36, a second recommendation unit 37, and a notification unit 38. Of these, the storage unit 30 is realized by the memory 22 or the storage 24, and the other functional units are realized by cooperation between the hardware devices constituting the server 10 and the programs installed in the server 10. When the server 10 is composed of multiple computers, the above functions may be distributed so that each of the multiple computers performs a different function.
Each functional unit will be described in detail below.

The storage unit 30 stores various information necessary for playing games and viewing content. Specifically, the storage unit 30 stores user information, game information, content information, condition and content information, and various other information (for example, game medium information, quest information, etc.).

Information about a user (user information) is stored for each user with various information linked to identification information (such as a user ID) that identifies each user, as shown in Fig. 12. For example, items of user information include information indicating the user's name, attributes, the user's account in each service, whether or not a linkage setting has been made between each account, services for which a linkage setting has been made, etc.
The information indicating the name includes the real name or nickname of the user. The information indicating the attributes includes the gender and age of the user. The information indicating the user's account in each service includes the account names of the game account acquired by the user to use the first service for playing games, the content account acquired by the user to use the second service for viewing content, and the account acquired by the user to use other services. The information indicating the presence or absence of a link setting includes, for example, information for identifying whether or not a link setting has been made between the game account and the content account. The information indicating a link setting-set service includes information for identifying services (for example, a game and a content) that are in a linking relationship when a link setting has been made.
In addition, the user information may include information other than the above, such as information indicating the expiration date of each account, information for identifying other users who are friends with the user (such as the friend's user ID), and the user's personal information such as contact information, profile, and hobbies and preferences.

Information (game information) related to the account used for the game app is generated and stored for each user by linking various information of each user as shown in Fig. 13. For example, items of game information include a game ID for identifying the target game, a user rank, game media owned, game play history, and information indicating predetermined conditions, etc.
The information indicating game media includes information indicating the type and number of game media owned by the user, such as characters, items, and coins. The information indicating the game play history includes information indicating the current state of the game (play status), i.e., the progress of the quest (including the parameters of the character being used in the quest), as well as the number of times each quest has been played and cleared. The information indicating the predetermined conditions includes information indicating progress, such as whether each set predetermined condition has been achieved, and if not, how many more views are required to achieve the condition. Whether or not a predetermined condition has been achieved is determined based on the play history information.
In addition, the game information may include information other than the above, such as login history, play date and time, number of plays and play time, information indicating the number of times collaborative play has been performed and the users who have performed collaborative play, and billing history indicating the number of times and amount of charges made for the game.

Information (content information) related to the account of the content viewing application is generated and stored for each user by linking various information of each user as shown in Fig. 14. For example, items of the content information include a content ID for identifying the target content, a viewing history of the content, and information indicating the content details, etc.
The information indicating the viewing history of the content includes information indicating the viewing date and time of the content, the number of viewings, the viewing duration, etc. The information indicating the content of the content includes information indicating which content the content is (e.g., the first content, the second content, etc.) and whether the content pattern is (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e).
Note that the content information may include information other than the above, such as a billing history indicating the number of times and amount of charges for the content.

Information on the predetermined conditions and the contents of the content (condition and content information) is defined as information on the contents of the content corresponding to the predetermined conditions, as shown in Fig. 15. However, the correspondence between the predetermined conditions and the contents of the content does not have to be a one-to-one relationship, and may be a one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many relationship. Furthermore, the condition and content information is determined in advance on the system side, and may be appropriately changed as necessary.
The information on the predetermined condition (condition information) is a predetermined condition related to game play that is necessary to change the content, as shown in Fig. 15. Specific condition information includes, for example, clearing a quest and content related to a user's operation. Content related to a user's operation includes, for example, conditions for rating, sharing, tipping, commenting, etc.
15, information on the content (content information) is the content of the content to be displayed on the user terminal 12, and can be changed when a predetermined condition related to game play is satisfied after setting up account linkage. Specific content information includes, for example, the content of the content being changed from a first content to a second content, the content story being reverted, and more information on the content of the content being added.

The information acquisition unit 31 acquires information (data) based on an operation performed by a user on the user terminal 12 by communicating with the user terminal 12. Then, the information acquisition unit 31 communicates with the user terminal 12 and acquires information related to the first service and the second service.
The information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 includes, for example, information based on operations for setting up a link between a game account and a content account, information based on operations for playing a game (including a character selection operation, a quest challenge operation, a lottery application operation, and a joint play solicitation operation, etc.), information based on operations for viewing content, etc. (including an option selection operation, a content selection operation, a content viewing operation, an evaluation operation, a spreading operation, a tipping operation, and a comment input operation, etc.) In addition to the above information, the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 includes information based on various selections, designations, instructions, requests, commands, permission or refusal, registration, and other input operations performed by the user in each situation.

The display control unit 32 controls the user terminal 12 and, as shown in Figures 3 to 10, communicates with the user terminal 12 to transmit information for playing games and information for viewing content, etc., and displays that information.
Specifically, the display control unit 32 generates display data for displaying the results of information processing by the collaboration unit 33, content management unit 34, game control unit 35, first recommendation unit 36, second recommendation unit 37, notification unit 38, etc., which will be described later, and transmits the generated display data to the user terminal 12 via the network 14.
For example, the display control unit 32 causes a content viewing screen for a first content, a content viewing screen for a second content, a content viewing screen for a story, a game play screen, etc. to be displayed on the user terminal 12. In particular, the display control unit 32 displays and controls the content of the content to be displayed (a content viewing screen on which options can be selected) determined by the content determination unit 341 of the content management unit 34.
To explain in more detail, for example, in a content viewing application, the display control unit 32 displays the first content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the user terminal 12 to progress the story. After that, when the content determined by the content determination unit 341 is changed from the first content to the second content, the display control unit 32 displays the second content newly determined by the content determination unit 341 on the user terminal 12 instead of the first content to progress the story. In addition, the display control unit 32 returns to a scene before the story where the first content and the second content differ, and displays the second content on the user terminal 12 to progress the story. Note that the first content, the second content, etc., which are the returned scene, may be options that control the progress of the story.

The linking unit 33 performs linking settings between a game account and a content account.
Specifically, when the linking unit 33 receives an operation from the user to set up linkage between the game app and the content viewing app from the link setting button 42 shown in Figures 3, 4, 8, and 10, the linking unit 33 links the game account used by the user in the game app and the content account used by the user in the content viewing app. At this time, the linking unit 33 sets up linkage between the game account and the content account by updating the user information by rewriting information on items related to the presence or absence of linkage setting and services in a linked relationship.

3 to 7, the content management unit 34 distributes content to users, manages the content viewing history for each user, and progresses through the content based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31. The content management unit 34 also has a content determination unit 341.
Specifically, when the content management unit 34 receives an operation from a user to view or otherwise process content, it identifies the user requesting content viewing, and distributes the selected content to the identified user by communicating with the identified user's user terminal 12. The content management unit 34 also counts the content viewing history for each user, and manages the content viewing history by updating the content information by rewriting information on items related to the content viewing history among the content information associated with the user.

The content determination unit 341 is one of the elements constituting the content management unit 34, and determines the content (e.g., a content viewing screen on which options can be selected) to be displayed on the user terminal 12 to be the first content, the second content, or other content according to various conditions. Specifically, the content determination unit 341 determines the content to be displayed on the user terminal 12 of a user for whom linkage has not been set or for whom a predetermined condition has not been achieved in a game app to be a first content option, and determines the content to be displayed on the user terminal 12 of a user for whom linkage has been set and a predetermined condition has been achieved in a game app to be a second content option different from the first content option.
For example, if the content corresponding to the achieved predetermined condition is to give a hint to the option, the content determining unit 341 gives the user a hint to the option by updating the content information by rewriting information on an item related to the content among the content information associated with the user. Also, if the content corresponding to the achieved condition is to change from a first content to a second content, the content determining unit 341 changes the content for the user from the first content to the second content by updating the content information by rewriting information on an item related to the content among the content information associated with the user.
Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 7, when the content is the second content, the content determining unit 341 adds more information to the content than when the content is the first content. In particular, when the content is two or more options that control the story progress of the content viewing application, the content determining unit 341 adds more information to the options of the second content. Thus, the user can predict how the story will unfold for each option.
4, even after the content has been determined, the content determination unit 341 may be able to re-determine content different from the determined content, and may allow the user to freely display a plurality of contents on the user terminal 12. For example, the content determination unit 341 may determine a different story after the story has progressed.

8 to 10, the game control unit 35 executes information processing necessary for the progress of the game, and progresses the game based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31. The game control unit 35 also has an execution control unit 351, which controls the execution of the game app based on the information stored in the game information in the storage unit 30.
Specifically, the game control unit 35 performs effects corresponding to operations, such as moving game media such as characters in response to operations performed by the user to play the game. In addition, the game control unit 35 changes parameter settings of the game media in response to the progress of the game. For example, based on information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31, the game control unit 35 controls the character operated by the user to move or attack other characters. When an attack by a character hits another character, parameters such as physical strength associated with the other character are reduced based on parameters such as the character's attack power and the defense power of the other character.

The execution control unit 351 is one of the elements constituting the game control unit 35, and controls the execution of the game as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Specifically, the execution control unit 351 controls the execution of the game so that for users who have not yet set up a link, it is impossible to achieve a predetermined condition in the game app, and controls the execution of the game so that for users who have already set up a link, it is possible to achieve a predetermined condition in the game app.
For example, for a user for whom linkage has not been set up, the execution control unit 351 controls the game app so that the challenge button 44 cannot be pressed in order to prevent the user from challenging a quest that satisfies a specified condition, as shown in Figure 8, and for a user for whom linkage has been set up, the execution control unit 351 controls the game app so that the challenge button 44 can be pressed in order to enable the user to challenge a quest that satisfies a specified condition, as shown in Figure 9.

3, when the content is determined to be the first content by content determination unit 341 in the content viewing application, first recommendation unit 36 recommends a cooperative operation to the user. Specifically, first recommendation unit 36 prompts a user who has not yet set up a cooperative operation to set up a cooperative operation between the accounts of the game application and the content viewing application.
3 and 4, the first recommendation unit 36 displays a link setting button 42 on the user terminal 12 of a user who has not yet set up linkage in a content viewing app, thereby recommending account linkage. Also, the first recommendation unit 36 may display a link setting button 42 on the user terminal 12 of a user who has not yet set up linkage in a game app, thereby recommending account linkage.

As shown in Fig. 10, second recommendation unit 37 recommends a linked operation to a user when a predetermined condition is met in a game app. Specifically, for a user who has not yet set up a link, second recommendation unit 37 recommends linking between a game account and a content account and prompts the user to set up the link when a predetermined condition is met in the game app.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , when a quest that meets a specified condition is cleared in a game app, the second recommendation unit 37 displays a link setting button 42 on the user terminal 12 of a user who has not yet set up linkage, thereby recommending that the user link their accounts.

5, when the content determining unit 341 determines that the content is to be the first content in the content viewing application, the notification unit 38 notifies the user of information related to the predetermined condition. Specifically, the notification unit 38 notifies a user who has not yet achieved the predetermined condition in the game application of the predetermined condition in the game application, and urges the user to achieve the condition.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the notification unit 38 displays a condition notification button 43 on the user terminal 12 of a user who has not yet achieved the predetermined condition in the content viewing application, to notify and recommend that the predetermined condition be achieved.

The above describes the configuration of the server 10 and the user terminal 12. Generally, the server 10 and the user terminal 12 have various functions other than those described above, but here we will only describe the characteristic functions that provide the desired effect in the information processing system S of the present invention, and will not illustrate or describe other known functions, etc.

<Information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention>
Next, the flow of information processing (hereinafter, information processing flow) executed in the information processing system S configured as described above will be described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. The information processing flow according to this embodiment employs the information processing method of the present invention, and is realized by using the information processing system S functioning as a computer system. In other words, each step in the information processing flow (specifically, each step shown in Figure 16) corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention. Note that the information processing flow described below is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the order of steps may be changed within the scope of the present invention.

(First information processing flow)
This first information processing flow links a game account and a content account, and controls the content so that the content can be changed from a first content to a second content when certain conditions related to playing the game are satisfied, and proceeds, for example, according to the flow shown in Figure 16.

As shown in FIG. 16, first, the server 10 judges whether or not the link between the game account and the content account of the user is set (S101). Next, when the server 10 judges that the link between the game account and the content account is not set (S101: NO), the server 10 determines the content of the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the first content (S102). At the same time as this step (S102), the server 10 may control so that the predetermined condition cannot be achieved in the game account of the user. Then, the server 10 displays the first content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S103). Furthermore, the server 10 displays the link setting button 42 on the screen of the user terminal 12, and recommends the user to set up the link between the accounts (S104). After that, when the server 10 accepts the setting of the link between the accounts from the user (S105), it sets up the link between the accounts (S106). When the server 10 completes the setting of the link between the user's game account and the content account, the server 10 proceeds to a step of determining whether a predetermined condition has been met in the user's game account (S107).
On the other hand, if the server 10 determines that a link has been set between the game account and the content account (S101: YES), it determines whether a predetermined condition has been met in the user's game account (S107).

In the step of determining whether a predetermined condition is met (S107), if the server 10 determines that the predetermined condition is not met in the user's game account (S107: NO), the server 10 determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the first content (S108). Then, the server 10 displays the first content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S109). Furthermore, the server 10 displays the condition notification button 43 on the screen of the user terminal 12 to notify the user of the predetermined condition (S110) and recommend the achievement of the predetermined condition. After that, if the server 10 determines that the user has achieved the predetermined condition (S111), the server 10 determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the second content (S112).
On the other hand, in the step of determining whether the specified conditions have been met (S107), if the server 10 determines that the specified conditions have been met in the user's game account (S107: YES), it determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the second content (S112).
Then, the server 10 displays the second content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S113), and ends the process.
The above is an example of the information processing flow of the present invention.

(Second information processing flow)
In the above-described first information processing flow, it is determined whether the account linkage is set and then it is determined whether the predetermined condition is met, but this is not limited thereto. For example, it may be determined whether the account linkage is set and then it may be determined whether the predetermined condition is met. In this case, the information processing of the second information processing flow proceeds, for example, according to the flow shown in FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 17, first, the server 10 judges whether a predetermined condition is met in the user's game account (S201). Next, if the server 10 judges that the predetermined condition is not met in the user's game account (S201: NO), the server 10 determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 as the first content (S202). Then, the server 10 displays the first content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S203). Furthermore, the server 10 displays the condition notification button 43 on the screen of the user terminal 12 to notify the user of the predetermined condition (S204) and recommend the achievement of the predetermined condition. After that, if the server 10 judges that the user has met the predetermined condition (S205), the server 10 proceeds to a step of judging whether the user's game account and content account are linked (S206).
On the other hand, if the server 10 determines that the specified conditions have been met for the user's game account (S201: YES), it then determines whether the user's game account and content account have been linked (S206).

In the step of determining whether or not the account linkage is set (S206), if the server 10 determines that the linkage between the user's game account and the content account is not set (S206: NO), the server 10 determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the first content (S207). Then, the server 10 displays the first content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S208). Furthermore, the server 10 displays the linkage setting button 42 on the screen of the user terminal 12 and recommends the user to set up the account linkage (S209). After that, when the server 10 accepts the setting of the account linkage from the user (S210), it sets up the account linkage (S211). After that, when the server 10 completes the setting of the linkage between the user's game account and the content account, it determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the second content (S212).
On the other hand, in the step of determining whether account linkage is set up (S206), if the server 10 determines that linkage between the user's game account and content account is set up (S206: YES), it determines the content to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 to be the second content (S212).
Then, the server 10 displays the second content determined by the content determination unit 341 on the screen of the user terminal 12 (S213), and ends the process.
The above is an example of another information processing flow according to the present invention.

<Other embodiments>
Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are merely examples given to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved from the above embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

In the above embodiment, the server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention, but this is not limited thereto, and some of the functions of the server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 12. For example, some or all of the functions of the memory unit 30, the information acquisition unit 31, the display control unit 32, the collaboration unit 33, the content management unit 34 including the content determination unit 341, the game control unit 35 including the execution control unit 351, the first recommendation unit 36, the second recommendation unit 37, and the notification unit 38 may be provided in the user terminal 12.

In the above embodiment, the user information, game information, content information, condition information, and content information are stored in the server 10, but a separate database server (not shown) may be provided and the information may be stored all together in the database server, or may be stored on the user terminal 12.

In the above embodiment, the user can enjoy all functions free of charge in principle, but some functions can be restricted and can be used by paying a specified usage fee. In addition, various other conditions may be set for paying users who have paid the specified usage fee to give them an advantage in playing the game. For example, paying users may be able to obtain game media that is difficult to obtain depending on the amount of their payment. Note that this usage fee may be a pay-as-you-go system, or may be a subscription-like system in which a one-time payment has an effect on the user for a certain period of time (e.g., one month or one year).

In addition, the screen examples shown in the drawings referenced in the description of the above embodiment are merely examples, and the screen configuration examples, the content of the information displayed, and the GUI, etc. can be freely designed according to the system design specifications and user preferences, etc., and can be changed as appropriate.

In addition, the means of notifying, contacting, and presenting various information in the above embodiments are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, by email, or a message may be displayed on the user terminal 12 or a sound/audio may be played. In addition, when notifying, contacting, and presenting information to a user who has an account for a social networking service (SNS), posting or message exchange on the SNS may be utilized. In addition, the screen on which messages are displayed may be the initial screen of the user terminal 12 (specifically, the standby screen).

In addition, in the above embodiment, a service for playing a game and a service for viewing content are given as an example of a combination of the first service and the second service, but the combination is not limited to this. For example, an education (learning) service may be set as the first service, and the playback of content may be substituted as a condition for achieving progress in learning. Instead of tests and study assignments provided by the education service, which is the first service, a service that can play educational videos, books, etc. may be executed, and the achievement status may be updated as if the education has been achieved.

In the above embodiment, the manner in which the user terminal 12 displays the image includes a manner in which the image is displayed on a display device (display) provided on the terminal itself, and a manner in which the image is displayed on a display device connected to the terminal in a wired or wireless manner. Note that the display device connected to the user terminal 12 may include a general stationary display, as well as an HMD (Head Mounted Display) such as VR goggles.

<Summary>
[General-purpose Project]
One object of the present invention is to popularize games by improving user satisfaction with games, while also promoting the viewing of content and revitalizing both the game market and the content market.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 1] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 1]
The information processing device of this embodiment includes a collaboration unit that sets up a collaboration between an account for a first service that can play a game and an account for a second service that can display specified content based on a user's collaboration operation, and a content determination unit that determines the content of the specified content to be displayed to the user, and the content determination unit determines the content to be displayed to a user for whom collaboration has not been set to be a first content, and determines the content to be displayed to a user for whom collaboration has been set and specified conditions have been met in the first service to be a second content different from the first content.
According to the above configuration, the account for using the first service and the account for using the second service are linked, and further, for a user who has already achieved a predetermined condition in the first service, the content to be displayed in the second service is determined to be a second content different from the first content, thereby promoting the mutual use of multiple services.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 2] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote the linking of usage accounts of multiple services.
[Appendix 2]
An information processing device according to [Supplementary Note 1], further comprising a first recommendation unit that recommends a cooperative operation to a user when the content is determined to be the first content.
According to the above configuration, when the content to be displayed in the second service is determined to be the first content, the user is recommended to perform a linking operation to link the account used for the first service with the account used for the second service, thereby promoting the linking of accounts used for multiple services.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 3] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote the linking of usage accounts of multiple services.
[Appendix 3]
The information processing device according to [Supplementary Note 1], further comprising a second recommendation unit that recommends a collaborative operation to a user when a predetermined condition is achieved in the first service.
According to the above configuration, when a specified condition is met in a first service, the user is encouraged to perform a linking operation to link the account used for the first service with the account used for the second service, thereby promoting the linking of accounts used for multiple services.

Issues with regard to [Supplementary Note 4] One of the objectives of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 4]
The information processing device according to [Supplementary Note 1], further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user of information relating to a specified condition when the content is determined to be the first content.
According to the above configuration, when the content to be displayed in the second service is determined to be the first content, the user is notified of information regarding specified conditions for changing the content to the second content, thereby promoting mutual use of multiple services.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 5] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 5]
An information processing device as described in [Appendix 1], wherein the specified content includes two or more options that control the progress of the second service, and the content determination unit adds more information to the options when the content is the second content compared to the first content.
According to the above configuration, when the content displayed in the second service is the second content, more information is added to the options controlling the progress of the second service than in the case of the first content, so that users can benefit from linking multiple services, thereby promoting mutual use of multiple services.

Issues with regard to [Supplementary Note 6] One of the objectives of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 6]
An information processing device as described in [Appendix 1], wherein the specified content includes two or more options that control the progress of the second service, and the options of the second content have at least one option that differs from the options of the first content.
According to the above configuration, when the content to be displayed in the second service is the second content, the options for controlling the progress of the second service are made different from the options for the first content, and the user can use different content with different options, thereby promoting mutual use of multiple services.

Issues with regard to [Supplementary Note 7] One of the objectives of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 7]
An information processing device as described in [Appendix 6], comprising a display control unit that displays options on a user's terminal based on content determined by a content determination unit, and when a specific option is selected on the terminal in the first content, and collaboration has been set and a specific condition has been met, the display control unit returns the progress of the second service to a state before a selection was made based on the option in the first content, and displays on the terminal new options in the second content that were not displayed in the first content so as to be selectable.
According to the above configuration, after a specific option is selected in the first content, when a specific condition is met by linking the account for using the first service with the account for using the second service, the progress of the second service is returned to the state before the selection was made based on the option in the first content, and the second content including new options not displayed in the first content is displayed, thereby providing the user with the advantage of being able to use content based on the new options, thereby promoting the mutual use of multiple services.

Problems with [Supplementary Note 8] One of the objects of the present invention is to link accounts of multiple services.
[Appendix 8]
An information processing device as described in [Appendix 1], comprising a game control unit that controls the execution of a game, and the game control unit controls the execution of the game so that for users who have not set up a link, it is impossible to achieve a specified condition in the first service, and controls the execution of the game so that for users who have set up a link, it is possible to achieve the specified condition in the first service.
According to the above configuration, for a user for whom linkage has already been set, the execution of the game is controlled so that a predetermined condition can be achieved in the first service, so that the user has the advantage of setting up linkage of accounts for use with multiple services, and thus the service provider can promote linkage of accounts for use with multiple services.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 9] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote the mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Appendix 9] An information processing method in which a processor sets up a link between an account for a first service that can play a game and an account for a second service that can display specified content based on a user's link operation, the processor determines the content of the specified content to be displayed to the user, the processor determines the content to be displayed to users for whom the link has not been set to be a first content, and the processor determines the content to be displayed to users for whom the link has been set and who have achieved specified conditions in the first service to be a second content different from the first content.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to promote mutual use of a plurality of services.

Problems to be Solved by [Supplementary Note 10] One of the objects of the present invention is to promote mutual use of a plurality of services.
[Supplementary Note 10] A program that executes processing to cause a processor to set up a link between an account for a first service that can play a game and an account for a second service that can display specified content based on a user's link operation, to determine the content of the specified content to be displayed to the user, to determine the first content as the content to be displayed to users for whom the link has not been set, and to determine the second content, different from the first content, as the content to be displayed to users for whom the link has been set and who have achieved specified conditions in the first service.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to promote mutual use of a plurality of services.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Server 12 User terminal 14 Communication network 21 Processor 22 Memory 23 Communication interface 24 Storage 25 Path 30 Memory unit 31 Information acquisition unit 32 Display control unit 33 Collaboration unit 34 Content management unit 341 Content determination unit 35 Game control unit 351 Execution control unit 36 First recommendation unit 37 Second recommendation unit 38 Notification unit 41 Choice button 42 Collaboration setting button 43 Condition notification button 44 Challenge button S Information processing system

Claims (10)

a linking unit that sets up a link between an account for a first service that can play a game and an account for a second service that can display predetermined content based on a linking operation by a user;
a content determination unit that determines a content of the predetermined content to be displayed to the user,
The content determination unit is
determining the content to be displayed to the user for whom the link has not been set as a first content;
The information processing device determines the content to be displayed to the user for whom the collaboration has been set and a predetermined condition has been achieved in the first service to be second content different from the first content. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a first recommendation unit that recommends the collaborative operation to the user when the content is determined to be the first content. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a second recommendation unit that recommends the collaborative operation to the user when the predetermined condition is met in the first service. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user of information related to the predetermined condition when the content is determined to be the first content. the predetermined content includes two or more options for controlling a progress of the second service;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the content determining unit is configured to add more information to the option when the content is the second content than when the content is the first content. the predetermined content includes two or more options for controlling a progress of the second service;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the options of the second content are different from the options of the first content by at least one option. a display control unit that displays the options on a terminal of the user based on the content determined by the content determination unit;
After a predetermined option is selected on the terminal in the first content, when the cooperation is already set and the predetermined condition is satisfied,
The information processing device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the display control unit returns the progress of the second service to a state before a selection was made based on an option in the first content, and causes the terminal to display, in the second content, a new option that is not displayed in the first content so as to be selectable. A game control unit that controls execution of the game,
2. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the game control unit controls the execution of the game for a user for whom the linkage has not been set so that the specified condition cannot be achieved in the first service, and controls the execution of the game for a user for whom the linkage has been set so that the specified condition can be achieved in the first service. The processor sets a link between an account for a first service that can play a game and an account for a second service that can display predetermined content based on a link operation by a user;
A processor determines the content of the predetermined content to be displayed to the user;
A processor determines the content to be displayed to the user for whom the link has not been set as a first content;
The processor determines the content to be displayed to the user for whom the link has been set and a predetermined condition has been achieved in the first service to be a second content different from the first content.
Information processing methods. causing the processor to set a link between an account for a first service capable of playing a game and an account for a second service capable of displaying predetermined content based on a link operation performed by a user;
causing a processor to determine what the predetermined content is to be displayed to the user;
causing a processor to determine the content to be displayed to the user for whom the link has not been set as a first content;
causing a processor to determine, as the content to be displayed to the user for whom the link has been set and a predetermined condition has been achieved in the first service, a second content different from the first content;
A program that executes a process.

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