JP5358703B2 - Game system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game system and a game system capable of providing a service for introducing another player from a server device via a network to a personal terminal device of a user.

  A game system that matches players with each other via a network and executes a game using communication is well known (see, for example, cited documents 1 and 2). In these game systems, as matching conditions, users with similar game skills are matched with reference to play data. On the other hand, a community space mainly for exchanges between players via a network is provided from the server device to the personal terminal device of the player.

JP 2003-225469 A JP 2009-273492 A

  For a player who newly registers in such a community space, if there is no acquaintance in the community space, there is a possibility that the player is not interested because there is no connection with other players.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game system that can introduce players with many common items.

The game system of the present invention includes a game terminal (2) that executes a game, a personal terminal (8) of a player who plays the game, and a predetermined number of the game terminal and the personal terminal via a network. A server (3) for providing a service, the server targeting the game terminal, a game service necessary for executing the game, and the game terminal and the personal terminal were, to register the other players as fellow predetermined association exists for the player, and community services said player to each other to provide a place via the network (5) to exchange information, as one of the predetermined service is capable of providing, in the server, the game play history of, and the player is operated at the community service Operation history, in a game system in which data holding means for holding the play data (43) (21) is provided with, in the server, reference to at least one of the history of the play history and the operation history There are provided fellow candidate discriminating means for discriminating fellow candidates as the fellow candidates for the player, and fellow candidate presenting means for presenting the fellow candidates discriminated by the fellow candidate discriminating means to the player. The above-mentioned problem is solved.

  According to the game system of the present invention, the fellow candidates to be presented to the player are determined with reference to the play data in which the play history and the operation history of the player are recorded. Since the player's play data is referred to, the game tendency and preference of the player are reflected in the identification of the fellow candidates. Therefore, since it has a common term with a fellow candidate, it becomes easy to communicate and the isolation of a player can be prevented.

  One form of the game system of this invention WHEREIN: The said friend candidate presentation means may make the said player present at least one part of the said play data which the said friend candidate has. According to this, a common item with a fellow candidate can be shown and a sense of affinity with a fellow candidate can be obtained. Therefore, it becomes easy to communicate with fellow candidates.

  In one form of the game system of the present invention, the friend candidate discriminating means is accumulated every time a player plays a game or uses a service providing a place for exchanging information among the play data. The fellow candidates may be determined with reference to data. According to this, since the game tendency of the player is determined when the player continues to play the game, it is possible to present fellow candidates that are closer to his / her preference and lifestyle.

  In one form of the game system of the present invention, the play data is recorded with a play time when the player has played the game, and the fellow candidate discriminating unit discriminates the fellow candidate with reference to the play time of the play data. May be. According to this, since the player who is playing at a time close to the play time at which the player plays the game is specified as a fellow candidate, it is possible to promote communication with the players having overlapping play time zones. When play time zones overlap, there is a high possibility that the life cycle is similar, and there are many common topics. Therefore, communication between players can be activated.

  In one form of the game system of the present invention, the game has a plurality of play modes, the play data is recorded with a play mode played by a player, and the friend candidate determination means is configured to play the play data. You may discriminate | determine the said friend candidate with reference to a mode. According to this, a friend candidate having a common play mode to play is presented to the player. Therefore, since players with similar game preferences are presented as fellow candidates, communication between players can be promoted through the game.

  In one form of the game system of the present invention, the server device can further provide a service for allowing the player to play a terminal game on the personal terminal device as a kind of the predetermined service, and the play data The terminal play time at which the player played the terminal game may be recorded, and the friend candidate determination unit may determine the friend candidate with reference to the terminal play time of the play data. According to this, since the play time zones overlap, there is a high possibility that the life cycle is similar, and common topics increase. Therefore, communication between players can be activated.

  In one form of the game system of the present invention, the play data records an access time during which the player accesses a place where information is exchanged via the network, and the friend candidate determination means stores the play data You may discriminate | determine the said friend candidate with reference to access time. According to this, since the fellow candidates who share the time zone for accessing the place to exchange information are presented, it is possible to connect players having similar lifestyles.

In one form of the game system of the present invention, the server further includes privilege granting means for granting a privilege to a player registered on the condition that the friend candidate presented by the friend candidate presenting means is registered as a friend. It may be provided . According to this, since a privilege is given when a friend candidate is registered as a friend, it becomes a motivation to communicate with the friend candidate. In addition, this leads to communication with fellow candidates and excitement because there are many common topics, so that the community space can be activated.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, in the game system of the present invention, fellow candidates to be presented to the player are determined with reference to the play data in which the player's play history is recorded. Since the player's play data is referred to, the game tendency and preference of the player are reflected in the identification of the fellow candidates. Therefore, since it has a common term with a fellow candidate, it becomes easy to communicate and the isolation of a player can be prevented.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the game system which concerns on one form of this invention. The functional block diagram in the principal part of a game system. The figure explaining the community service in a game system. The figure which shows an example of a structure of play data. The figure which shows an example of a structure of community data. The flowchart which shows the basic process which each control unit performs, when a user plays a game by operating a game machine or a user terminal, or utilizes a community service. The flowchart which shows the fellow candidate presentation process which the control unit of a user terminal and the control unit of a center server perform in cooperation. The flowchart which shows the fellow candidate registration process which the control unit of a user terminal and the control unit of a center server perform in cooperation.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a game system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The game system 1 includes a game machine 2 as a plurality of game terminals and a center server 3 as a server. Each game machine 2 is installed in a facility such as a store 4 and is configured as a commercial (business) game machine that allows a user to play a game within a range corresponding to the play fee in exchange for payment of the play fee. Yes. An appropriate number of game machines 2 are installed in each store 4. In FIG. 1, the game machine 2 is drawn without distinction, but the content of the game executed on the game machine 2 may be appropriately selected. The game may be different between the game machines 2. The game machine 2 may be configured as a dedicated machine having a physical configuration (for example, an operation unit) suitable for a specific game, or a general-purpose device capable of playing various games by rewriting software. It may be configured as a machine. The center server 3 is configured as a single logical server device by combining a plurality of server units 3A, 3B. However, the center server 3 may be configured by a single server unit. Alternatively, the center server 3 may be logically configured using cloud computing.

  The game machine 2 and the center server 3 are connected via a network 5 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 5 accommodates a WAN (wide area network) 5A, a LAN (local area network) 5B that is constructed for each store 4 and accommodates these game machines 2, and server units 3A, 3B,. LAN 5C for connecting these server units 3A, 3B. As an example of the WAN 5A, the Internet that implements network communication using the TCP / IP protocol is used. The LANs 5B and 5C are also constructed by an intranet using the TCP / IP protocol. The LANs 5B and 5C are connected to the WAN 5A via the router 6. In addition, a local server may be installed between the game machine 2 and the router 6 of the store 4, and the game machine 2 may be connected to the center server 3 via the local server. The server units 3A, 3B... Of the center server 3 may be connected to each other by the WAN 5A instead of or in addition to the LAN 5C.

  A management PC (abbreviation of personal computer, the same shall apply hereinafter) 7 may be connected to the LAN 5B of the store 4 as well. The management PC 7 is provided for the purpose of an operator (sometimes called an operator) of the store 4 managing the game machine 2 or transmitting and receiving various information by accessing the center server 3. In the game system 1, the user terminal 8 can access the center server 3 via the network 5. The user terminal 8 may be appropriately used as long as it is a computer device that functions as a personal terminal capable of network connection, such as a PC 8a or a mobile phone (including a smartphone) 8b. In the present specification, the user is a person who can be a player of the game machine 2. When the user operates the game machine 2, the user may be particularly referred to as a player. In addition, an operator that operates the center server 3 and provides various services directed to the game machine 2 or the user terminal 8 may be referred to as a service operator. The operator is a business operator who operates the game machine 2 in the store 4 and is conceptually classified as a service business operator.

  The game machine 2 and the center server 3 are assigned unique IP addresses for identifying them on the network 5. In communication between the game machines 2 or between the game machine 2 and the center server 3, a communication partner is specified using the IP address. When the WAN 5A is a public network such as the Internet, a unique fixed address on the WAN 5A is set in each router 6. In the game machine 2, a private address for uniquely identifying the game machine 2 on the network 5 is set as an IP address in combination with the fixed address. In this case, a virtual private network (VPN) is constructed between the game machine 2 and the center server 3, and the game machine 2 is uniquely specified on the VPN using a private address. The same applies to the management PC. The user terminal 8 is also given a unique IP address for uniquely identifying the user terminal 8 on the network 5. The IP address may be a so-called dynamic address that changes every time it is connected to the network 5, or may be a fixed address that does not change. Hereinafter, information for identifying the game machine 2, the center server 3, the management PC 7, and the user terminal 8 on the network 5 is referred to as address information. In communication via the network 5, it is assumed that a communication partner is specified based on the address information unless otherwise specified. In the game system 1, apart from the address information described above, a unique store ID is set for each store 4 for each store 4, and a unique chassis ID is set for the game machine 2. The center server 3 can uniquely identify the store 4 and the game machine 2 to which the communication partner game machine 2 belongs by receiving the store ID and the chassis ID from the communication partner game machine 2.

  The center server 3 provides various services via the network 5 to the game machine 2, users (players), and operators. For example, the center server 3 provides various game machine services to the game machine 2 or its players. As a service for the game machine, for example, a service for receiving player identification information from the game machine 2 and authenticating the player, and receiving and storing the play data of the player from the game machine 2 or providing the game machine 2; There is a service for updating a program or data of the game machine 2 via the network 5. The center server 3 also provides various Web services to the user terminal 8 as a personal terminal device accessed via the network 5. Examples of the Web service include a service for playing a predetermined game in response to an access from the user terminal 8, and a game information service for providing a user with various information related to a game to be executed on the game machine 2 or the user terminal 8. Etc. In the following description, a game to be executed on the game machine 2 may be referred to as an arcade game, and a game to be executed on the user terminal 8 may be referred to as a mobile game to distinguish between the two games.

  The center server 3 is also provided with a billing service function that charges the user as a fee for providing a paid service and collects the fee from the user. In order to realize the charging service, a virtual currency account for each user is provided on the center server 3. When a user pays a charge fee using a settlement means such as cash or a credit card, an amount of virtual currency corresponding to the charge fee is charged to the user's account. On the other hand, when a user uses a paid service, an amount of virtual currency corresponding to the usage fee is consumed from the user's account.

  In the game system 1, various hardware and software are prepared as components necessary for allowing the user to use various services. At least some of those components are transferred or loaned from the service provider to the operator. As an example, the game machine 2 is transferred from a service provider to an operator for a fee. On the other hand, so-called content such as a game program or data to be executed on the game machine 2 is lent (provided) to the operator from the service provider.

  When the user plays the arcade game, the operator collects a play fee as the consideration. On the other hand, the service provider pays the play fee paid by the user, in other words, the fee according to the monetary value consumed when the user plays the arcade game, as the consideration for lending the content. Charge the operator. In other words, the game system 1 employs a mechanism in which the play fee consumed by the player in the game machine 2 is used as revenue, and the revenue is distributed between the operator of the store 4 where the game machine 2 is installed and the service provider. ing. In order to realize such a mechanism, the game machine 2 is provided with a function for providing the center server 3 with timely information necessary for specifying the actual consumption of the play fee for each content. In addition, the center server 3 identifies the consumption amount of the play fee for each store 4 based on the information provided from the game machine 2, and the service provider informs the operator of a predetermined rate for the obtained consumption amount. A function for calculating the usage fee to be charged is implemented. By providing such a function, the play fee collected from the player can be distributed between the service provider and the operator.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the structure of the principal part of the control system regarding the game machine 2, the center server 3, and the user terminal 8 of the game system 1 is demonstrated. The center server 3 is provided with a control unit 20 and a storage device 21. The control unit 20 includes a microprocessor, a ROM in which a program such as an operating system to be executed by the microprocessor is recorded, and an internal storage device (not shown) such as a RAM that provides a work area for the microprocessor. A computer unit provided. Although an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a monitor are connected to the control unit 20, they are not shown. The storage device 21 stores a server program to be executed by the control unit 20 and various data to be referred to by the program. Data recorded in the storage device 21 will be described later.

  Inside the control unit 20, a game machine service management unit 22 and a web service management unit 23 are provided. Each of the units 22 and 23 is a logical device realized by a combination of computer hardware of the control unit 20 and predetermined software. The game machine service management unit 22 executes processing related to the game machine service described above, and the Web service management unit 23 executes processing related to the Web service described above.

  Next, the game machine 2 is provided with a control unit 10 and a storage device 11. The control unit 10 is configured as a computer unit that combines a microprocessor and peripheral devices such as an internal storage device necessary for the operation of the microprocessor. The storage device 11 is a storage device capable of storing data, such as a hard disk storage device. The storage device 11 stores a game machine program to be executed by the control unit 10 and various data to be referred to by the program. As an example, at the time of execution of the arcade game, at least a part of the play data 43 associated with the player is provided from the center server 3 to the game machine 2 and recorded in the storage device 11. The play data 43 will be described later.

  In addition to the above, the control unit 10 is provided with various input / output devices such as an input operation device, a display device, a sound reproduction device, a card reader, and a coin authentication device, as in known game machines, but these are not shown. did. The card reader is provided for reading information on the card 9 possessed by the player and outputting a signal corresponding to the information to the control unit 10. The card 9 is provided with a non-volatile storage medium (not shown) such as an IC chip or a magnetic stripe, and the medium has a unique ID for each card 9 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a card ID). It is recorded. The card ID is used to call the play data 43 stored on the center server 3. The center server 3 identifies a user (player) using a unique user ID for each user, and the play data 43 is also recorded in a one-to-one correspondence with the user ID. The card ID is associated with the user ID one-to-one or many-to-one. By referring to the ID management data 40, the center server 3 can determine the correspondence between the card ID and the user ID and specify the user ID of the player. That is, in this embodiment, both the card ID and the user ID function as user identification information. The card ID may be recorded on the card 9 in the form of a barcode or the like. Alternatively, instead of the card 9, the card ID may be recorded on a storage medium such as an IC chip mounted on a mobile phone or the like.

  A game service processing unit 12 is provided inside the control unit 10. The game service processing unit 12 is a logical device realized by a combination of computer hardware of the control unit 10 and predetermined software. The game service processing unit 12 executes various processes related to the play of the arcade game, such as management of the start, progress, and end of the arcade game in the game machine 2 and collection of a play fee. A part of the game machine service is realized by the cooperation of the game service processing unit 12 and the game machine service management unit 22 of the center server 3.

  The user terminal 8 is also provided with a control unit 30 as a computer unit and a storage device 31. The control unit 30 is provided with a Web service processing unit 32 as a logical device realized by a combination of computer hardware and predetermined software. The web service processing unit 32 executes processes necessary for causing the user to use the web service in cooperation with the web service management unit 23 of the center server 3. For example, the web service processing unit 32 cooperates with the web service management unit 23 of the center server 3 to execute processing necessary for causing the user to play the mobile game. Further, the Web service processing unit 32 operates the user terminal 8 as a terminal device for using the community service. In addition, what is necessary is just to implement | achieve a community service function using the software mounted in each of the center server 3 and the user terminal 8 in order to implement | achieve well-known community services, such as SNS. In the community service, it is possible to set a friendship relationship between users by a predetermined procedure. “Buddy” is a term used as a concept indicating that a predetermined connection exists between users.

  The storage device 31 is a storage device capable of storing data such as a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device. The storage device 31 stores a mobile game program to be executed by the control unit 30 and various data to be referred to by the program. As an example, at the time of executing a mobile game, at least a part of the play data 43 associated with the player is provided from the center server 3 to the user terminal 8 and recorded in the storage device 31.

  A community service in the game system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The community service is provided by the Web service management unit 23 of the center server 3. In the community service, a virtual community space is formed through the network 5 for the game machine 2 or the user terminal 8 such as the PC 8a or the mobile phone 8b, and the exchange of users who access the virtual community space is mainly aimed at. . The user can register other users as associates (companion users) using the community service, and can communicate with the associates via the user terminal 8 such as message exchange. In the community service, comments may be transmitted / received also from the game machine 2.

  In the community space, the user A who has newly created an account is isolated and cannot fully enjoy the functions of the community service when there is no user acquaintance to be a friend. In such a case, the Web service management unit 23 extracts fellow candidates suitable for the user A from other users and introduces them to the user A. Specifically, the Web service management unit 23 refers to the play data 43 of the user A, and extracts a user B who has similar hobbies and preferences as the user A compared to the play data 43 of other users. To do. In order to discriminate users with similar hobbies and preferences, from the data recorded in the play data 43, the time when the game machine 2 was played, the play mode, the time when the mobile game was played on the user terminal 8, The access time to the community space, etc. is acquired, compared with the corresponding data of the play data 43 of other users, the user having close data is specified, and it is set as a friend candidate. User A presented as a candidate for user B can register user B as a friend and can communicate with user B. Since user B has similar hobbies and preferences, more topics can be shared, and communication can be facilitated.

  Next, details of data recorded in the storage device 21 of the center server 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the ID management data 40, the arcade game data 41, the mobile game data 42, the group of play data 43, and the group of community data 44 are recorded in the storage device 21 of the center server 3. ing. The ID management data 40 is data describing the correspondence between various IDs used in the game system 1. For example, the correspondence relationship between the card ID and the user ID described above is recorded in the ID management data 40.

  The arcade game data 41 is data that is appropriately referred to by the control unit 20 of the center server 3 in relation to an arcade game to be executed on the game machine 2. The mobile game data 42 is data that the control unit 20 of the center server 3 appropriately refers to in relation to the mobile game to be executed on the user terminal 8. A plurality of types of arcade game data 41 and mobile game data 42 are prepared according to the type of game, but FIG. 2 shows only data corresponding to a set of arcade games and mobile games for which a cooperative relationship is set. ing. Note that the arcade game and the mobile game for which a cooperative relationship should be set are configured based on a common motif. For example, when a mobile game is configured with mahjong as a motif, an arcade game that should be linked with the mobile game is also configured with mahjong as a motif. The motif is not limited to mahjong, and various other motifs such as card games, shogi, quiz games, etc. can be used.

  The play data 43 is created for each user ID, and a set of them is a group of play data 43. When a player plays an arcade game on any of the game machines 2, the card ID that the player has recognized by the game machine 2 is provided to the center server 3 and corresponds to the user ID associated with the card ID. At least a part of the play data 43 is provided from the center server 3 to the game machine 2 and stored in the storage device 11 of the game machine 2. An example of the play data 43 is shown in FIG. In the play data 43 of FIG. 4, arcade data, mobile data, and community data are recorded in association with the user ID. The arcade data includes information associated with the play of the arcade game, such as the results recorded in the arcade game, the time of play, the play mode played, and the acquired item. On the other hand, the mobile data includes information related to the play of the mobile game such as the results recorded by the user in the mobile game, the time of play, the play mode played, and the acquired item. Such information may be recorded in the arcade data. Moreover, the access time etc. which accessed the community space are recorded on the data for community. The community data may be recorded in the community data 44. The arcade data corresponds to the play history, and the mobile data and community data correspond to the operation history.

  The community data 44 shown in FIG. 2 is data in which various types of information to be referred to when the user uses the community service, and is created for each community ID. A set of these data is a group of community data 44. An example of the community data 44 is shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, the community data 44 includes comment data in which a comment sent by a user to a friend or a comment received from the friend is recorded, and the registered community ID (friend ID) of the user is the community ID of the user. Are recorded in association with each other. In addition, the procedure for registering a friend is similar to that of a general community service, and the center server 3 is accessed from the user terminal 8 to send an invitation as a friend to another user, and the consent of the transmission partner is obtained. In this case, a process of recording the other party's community ID in each user's fellow ID may be performed, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the setting of the friendship relationship is not limited to online processing via the network 5, but may be applied offline and the operator of the center server 3 may describe the application content in the community data 44 at an appropriate time.

  Each data mentioned above is only an example of data recorded in the storage devices 11, 21, and 31. In addition to the illustrated data, various kinds of data necessary for processing such as game execution and collection of play fees are recorded in the storage devices 11, 21, and 31.

  With reference to FIG.6 and FIG.7, the process relevant to the various services which the center server 3 provides is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing basic processing when the user plays the game by operating the game machine 2 or the user terminal 8 or uses the community service. In the user terminal 8, a process when using the community service will be described. The control unit 10 of the game machine 2 first requests the card 9 from the user and reads the card ID of the card with a card reader. The control unit 20 notifies the center server 3 of the read card ID and makes a login request (step S101). Based on the notified card ID, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 refers to the ID management data 40 to identify the user ID corresponding to the card ID (step S201). And the control unit 20 extracts the play data 43 matched with the user ID (step S201). The control unit 20 provides the extracted play data 43 to the game machine 2 (step S203).

  On the other hand, the control unit 10 of the game machine 2 acquires the play data 43 provided from the center server 3 (step S102), and executes the game (step S103). When the game executed on the game machine 2 is mahjong, the user selects a preset play mode such as a Dongfeng battle, a half-village battle, or a three hemp game and plays the game. When the game is over, the control unit 10 notifies the center server 3 of the user's game play result (step S104).

  The control unit 20 of the center server 3 receives the notification of the play result from the game machine 2 (step S204), and updates the play data 43 (step S205). Various data such as a play mode played by the user this time, play time, play time, and results are recorded. The control unit 20 of the center server 3 notifies the update completion of the play data 43 to the control unit 10 of the game machine 2, and the control unit 10 displays to the user that the update of the play data 43 has been completed (step S105). .

  When using the community service from the user terminal 8, first, the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 makes a login request to the control unit 20 of the center server 3 (step S301). The control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 requests the user to input a user ID, and notifies the center server 3 when the user ID is input. On the other hand, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 identifies the notified user ID (step S201), extracts community data 44 associated with the user ID (step S202), and uses the community data 44 as the user terminal 8. (Step S203).

  In response to the provision from the center server 3, the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 acquires community data 44 (step S302). The control unit 30 provides a community space to the user based on the community data 44. In the community space, the user deepens exchanges with registered friends and communicates with other users. When there is an operation for updating the community data 44 such as application of a friend by a user or transmission of a comment to another user, the control unit 30 requests the center server 3 to update the community data 44 (step S303). Upon receiving the update request, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 updates the community data 44 (step S206), and notifies the user terminal 8 of the completion of the update.

  In the above-described processing, the operation from the user terminal 8 that uses the community service has been described. However, the operation from the user terminal 8 that uses the mobile game also includes a combination of the above-described steps S301, S102 to S105, S204, and S205. It is the same. In this case, the user ID is input by the user in the login request from the user terminal 8 instead of the game machine 2 (step S301), and the corresponding play data 43 is extracted based on the user ID notified to the center server 3. Then, the play data 43 is provided to the user terminal 8 (step S203). The control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 that has acquired the play data 43 executes the mobile game (step S103), notifies the play result to the center server 3 after the game ends (step S104), and acquires the play result. The control unit 20 of 3 updates the play data 43 (step S205), notifies the user terminal 8, and the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 displays to the user that the update of the play data 43 is completed. (Step S105).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the fellow candidate presentation process which the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 and the control unit 20 of the center server 3 perform in cooperation will be described. The friend candidate presentation process is a process for introducing a user whose hobbies and preferences are similar to a user who has not yet been registered or who wants to meet a new friend. The control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 requests the center server 3 to show fellow candidates (step S311). In this case, it may be set to automatically request a user who has logged in to the community space, or may be requested when the user performs an operation for requesting presentation of a fellow candidate.

  In response to the presentation request for the fellow candidate from the user terminal 8, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 extracts the play data 43 of the user who made the request (step S211). The extracted play data 43 is determined in accordance with the tendency of the user who wants to select as a friend candidate. For example, when a user whose play time is close when playing the same game A on the game machine 2 is presented as a fellow candidate, the play time of the arcade game data recorded in the play data 43 is extracted. The play time is recorded every time the user plays the game A. However, the play time may be divided for each time zone by determining a time zone in which the play frequency is high. Note that the data to be extracted may be determined randomly or according to the user's wishes.

  Next, the control unit 20 searches for data close to the user's play time by using the play time data of the other user's play data 43 (step S212). And the control unit 20 specifies the user with data close | similar to a user's play time as a friend candidate, and notifies the user terminal 8 (step S213). When there are a plurality of users that match the user's play time, a fellow candidate may be specified at random, or a plurality of users may be specified as a fellow candidate. You may set according to a user's hope. At this time, since the play time of the play data 43 to be referenced is recorded every time the user plays the game, a plurality of data is accumulated if the user continues to play the game. By referring to the accumulated play time data, the time at which the user is always playing is specified, and the fellow candidates who are playing in the same time zone are also specified. Therefore, if the player continues to play the game, the game tendency of the player is determined, so that it is possible to present fellow candidates closer to his / her preference and lifestyle.

  Upon receiving the notification from the center server 3, the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 acquires the user information of the identified fellow candidate (step S312). As user information, the handle name in the community space of a fellow candidate, the profile etc. which the fellow candidate has permitted to release are acquired. The control unit 20 displays the acquired user information of the fellow candidates and presents it to the user (step S313). If the friend candidate is presented and the user shows interest, the friend can be registered or a comment can be sent to the friend candidate. Thereby, the user can get an opportunity to communicate with fellow candidates who have similar hobbies and preferences, and can register as a fellow if the topic and the topic bounce. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the user from being isolated in the community space and enjoy the community service sufficiently.

  With reference to FIG. 8, the friend candidate registration process which the control unit 20 of the center server 3 and the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 cooperate and performs is demonstrated. A fellow candidate registration process is a process when the user who received the fellow candidate presentation in the fellow candidate presentation process registers the fellow candidate as a fellow. The control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 makes a friend candidate registration request to the center server 3 based on an operation of a user who wishes to register the friend candidate as a friend (step S321). Upon receiving the friend candidate registration request, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 requests the friend candidate's approval for friend registration (step S221). When there is approval of the user of the fellow candidate (step S222), the control unit 20 records each other's community ID in the fellow ID of the community data 44 of the user and the fellow candidate user (step S224). Approval from the fellow candidate user is accepted for a certain period of time, and when timed out, the control unit 20 discards the fellow candidate registration request (step S223).

  The control unit 20 gives a privilege to the user who registered the friend candidate as a friend (step S225). As benefits, items that can be used in the game or community space, items that can be used in the game space, and the like that are advantageous for the progress of the game are given. Then, the control unit 20 notifies the user terminal 8 that the friend registration has been accepted and that the privilege has been granted (step S226). Upon receiving the registration result notification, the control unit 30 of the user terminal 8 displays the registration result on the user terminal 8 (S322). Thereby, if the user who received presentation as a fellow candidate is made into a friend, a user will get a privilege and will become motivation to friend registration. Encourage communication with fellow candidates and realize community space activation.

  In the above-described processing, the processing of steps S211 to S213 executed by the center server 3 functions as a fellow candidate determination unit, in particular, the processing of step S213 functions as a fellow candidate presentation unit, and the processing of step S225 functions as a privilege granting unit. In addition, the storage device 21 that stores the play data 43 functions as a data holding unit.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described form and can be implemented in various forms. For example, in this embodiment, the search is performed by the play time of the arcade data of the play data 43 as the process of step S212 executed by the control unit 20 of the center server 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a play mode of a game executed on the game machine 2 may be extracted and searched. The play mode data may store a play mode that the user often plays, or may hold a plurality of play mode data that the user has played in the past. Similar to the processing in step S212 described above, the user's play mode is extracted, and the user who matches (or is close to) the user's play mode with respect to the other user's play mode is specified as a friend candidate. For example, when a mahjong game is provided on the game machine 2, if the user is playing with the three hemp, the play mode is recorded as the mode in which the three hemp plays most, and there are three users who are fellow candidates. A user who plays hemp well is identified. By connecting users who have common points that they often play sanja, the number of common topics increases and communication can be facilitated.

  Furthermore, you may search with the play time of the mobile game in which the play data 43 was recorded. In this case, the same process as the search based on the play time of the arcade game may be performed. Or you may search by the access time to a community space. The play data 43 may record a time (login time) for using the community service, or may record a time zone most used by the user. In this case, users who tend to have similar time zones for accessing the community space are presented as fellow candidates. For example, people who often access during the daytime hours or people who often access during the nighttime hours are linked to facilitate communication. Each time a service that provides a community space (place for exchanging information) is used, access time data is accumulated. If the user continues to use this service, the time zone for frequent access is specified. Therefore, it is possible to present fellow candidates that are closer to their own preference and lifestyle.

  Moreover, since the data of a plurality of games are recorded in the play data 43, users who have a plurality of games to be played may be linked. For example, when the user is playing the game A and the game B, the user who is playing the game A and the game B from other users may be specified as a friend candidate. Moreover, you may identify a fellow candidate with reference to the results information of the play data 43. Users with similar game skills may be linked together, or advanced users and beginners may be linked like a teacher-student relationship.

  The search of the play data 43 may be performed using a plurality of data recorded in the play data 43. For example, both play mode and access time data may be searched. These combinations may be set as desired by the user. In this case, an average of a plurality of data may be taken, and the user closest to the user data may be specified as a fellow candidate. In this embodiment, the mahjong game has been described as an example of the game, but is not limited to the mahjong game. For example, various board games such as a shogi game and a go game, a quiz game, a music game, and an action game may be used.

1 game system 2 game machine (game terminal)
3 Center server (server)
4 stores 5 networks 8 user terminals (personal terminals)
10 Control unit of game machine 20 Control unit of center server (mate candidate discrimination means, friend candidate presentation means)
21 Storage device of center server (data holding means)
30 Control unit of user terminal 43 Play data

Claims (8)

A game terminal that executes a game, a personal terminal of a player who plays the game, and a server that provides a predetermined service to the game terminal and the personal terminal via a network, , A game service required for executing the game for the game terminal, and a friend who has a predetermined connection with another player for the player for the game terminal and the personal terminal. is registered as a community service for the player to each other to provide a place via a network to exchange information, it is capable of providing a kind of said predetermined service, wherein the server, the game play history, and the community A data storage that stores, as play data, operation histories operated by the player at the service. In the game system unit is provided,
The server includes
With reference to at least one of the play history and the operation history, fellow candidate discriminating means for discriminating a fellow candidate as the fellow candidate for the player;
Fellow candidate presenting means for presenting the fellow candidates determined by the fellow candidate determining means to the player;
Is a game system.   The game system according to claim 1, wherein the fellow candidate presenting unit causes the player to present at least a part of the play data of the fellow candidate.   The fellow candidate discriminating means refers to the accumulated data each time the player plays a game or uses the service for providing the place for exchanging information, among the play data, and selects the fellow candidate. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game system is determined. In the play data, a play time at which the player played the game is recorded,
The game system according to claim 3, wherein the fellow candidate discriminating unit discriminates the fellow candidate with reference to a play time of the play data. The game has a plurality of play modes,
In the play data, a play mode in which the player plays is recorded,
The game system according to claim 3, wherein the fellow candidate discriminating unit discriminates the fellow candidate with reference to a play mode of the play data. The server can further provide a service that allows the player to play a terminal game on the personal terminal as a kind of the predetermined service,
In the play data, a terminal play time at which the player played the terminal game is recorded,
The game system according to claim 3, wherein the fellow candidate discriminating means discriminates the fellow candidate with reference to a terminal play time of the play data. In the play data, an access time during which the player accesses a place where information is exchanged via the network is recorded,
The game system according to claim 3, wherein the fellow candidate discriminating unit discriminates the fellow candidate with reference to an access time of the play data. The server includes
The privilege grant means which provides a privilege to the user who registered on condition that the friend candidate shown by the said friend candidate presentation means is registered as a friend is provided in any one of Claims 1-7. The described game system.

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