JP7139473B2 - Information processing device and game image display method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for distributing game images.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a widespread use of services that broadcast images of a game being played by a user to a plurality of viewing users via a sharing site. Patent Literature 1 discloses a sharing process for broadcasting live distribution images including images of a game being played to viewing users. The live distribution image disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a display area for the player user's shot image, a comment display area for sequentially displaying comments from the viewing user, a participation button for participating in the distribution user's game, and the like. . When the viewing user operates the participation button, the game is started and the viewing user can participate in the distribution user's game.

WO2014/068806

In the sharing process in Patent Document 1, a mechanism is realized in which a viewing user who has the same game as the distribution user participates in the game and plays with the distribution user. , cannot participate in the game. Also, when a game image is broadcast via a sharing site, if a message containing personal information or privacy information is displayed on the game image, the message may also be seen by the viewing user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for enhancing the usefulness of a sharing system that distributes game images to viewing users.

In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an image processing unit that generates a distribution image including a game image; A processing unit, a participation processing unit that accepts a play request from a viewing user who operates an information processing terminal, approves the game play of one viewing user who requested the play, and information operated by the viewing user whose game play is approved. an application execution unit that processes a game using operation information transmitted from the processing terminal;

A game image distribution method according to another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of generating a distribution image including a game image, distributing the distribution image to one or more information processing terminals via a shared server, and operating the information processing terminal. a step of accepting a play request from a viewing user who wants to play the game, a step of approving the game play of the one viewing user who requested the play, and operation information transmitted from an information processing terminal operated by the viewing user who has been approved to play the game. and processing the game using.

Any combination of the above constituent elements, and any conversion of expressions of the present invention into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc. are also effective as embodiments of the present invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a technique for enhancing the usefulness of a sharing system that distributes game images to viewing users.

1 is a diagram showing an image sharing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional block of an information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of an information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the game screen displayed on a user's output device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a popup window; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen showing options for shared processing; It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on a distribution user's output device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a list screen of content to be streamed. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on a viewing-and-listening user's output device. It is a figure which shows the example of a game screen displayed on a distribution user's output device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing user selection screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a popup window; FIG.

FIG. 1 shows an image sharing system 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The image sharing system 1 realizes an environment in which user A, who is the distributor, live-distributes the image and sound of the game being played, and other viewing users B, C, and D view the game image and sound. In the embodiment, the streaming distribution of the game image will be particularly described, but it should be noted that the game sound is also streamed at the same time. The viewing users B, C, and D are examples, and the number is not limited to three. The viewing users are not limited to the users registered as friends of the distribution user A in the image sharing system 1, and the management server 5 and the sharing server 11 can be an unspecified user.

The image sharing system 1 includes an information processing device 10 operated by a distribution user A, and information processing terminals 12b, 12c, and 12d operated by viewing users B, C, and D (hereinafter referred to as "information processing terminals 12 ), a management server 5, and a shared server 11, which are connected via a network 3 such as the Internet. Since the configuration around the information processing terminal 12 of the viewing user is the same as the configuration around the information processing device 10 of the distribution user A, the configuration around the information processing device 10 of the distribution user A will be described below as a representative. .

An access point (hereinafter referred to as "AP") 8 has the functions of a wireless access point and a router. The shared server 11 and the information processing terminal 12 are communicably connected.

The input device 6 operated by the user is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the information processing device 10 and outputs operation information by the user to the information processing device 10 . When receiving operation information from the input device 6 , the information processing device 10 reflects the operation information in the processing of the system software and application software, and causes the output device 4 to output the processing result. In the embodiment, the application software is game software, the information processing device 10 is a game device that executes the game software, and the input device 6 is a device that supplies user operation information to the information processing device 10, such as a game controller. you can The input device 6, which is a game controller, includes a plurality of input units such as a plurality of push-type operation buttons, analog sticks capable of inputting analog amounts, rotary buttons, and the like. As will be described below, the input device 6 has at least an operation button called a "SHARE button" for displaying a screen related to sharing processing and a "home button" for displaying a predetermined system screen.

The auxiliary storage device 2 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or flash memory, and may be an external storage device connected to the information processing device 10 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like, or a built-in storage device. may be The output device 4 may be a television having a display for outputting images and a speaker for outputting audio. The output device 4 may be connected to the information processing device 10 with a wired cable or wirelessly.

The camera 7 is a stereo camera and photographs the space around the output device 4 . In an embodiment, a camera 7 is used to capture an image of user A for inclusion in the distributed image. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the camera 7 is attached to the top of the output device 4, it may be arranged to the side of the output device 4. is placed at a position where the user A can be photographed.

The information processing device 10 broadcasts the game image to the information processing terminals 12 that access the shared server 11 by streaming the game image being played to the shared server 11 . Thus, the image sharing system 1 in the embodiment operates as a game image distribution system. The information processing terminal 12 may be the same device as the information processing device 10 .

The management server 5 provides network services for the information processing device 10 and the information processing terminal 12 and manages them. The management server 5 manages network accounts that identify users, and users use network accounts to sign in to network services. By signing in to the network service, each user can register game save data and virtual prizes (trophies) obtained during game play in the management server 5, and can also transmit game images and sounds to the shared server 11. Streaming distribution is possible, and game images and sounds can be viewed by accessing the shared server 11.例文帳に追加

In the embodiment, the user A operates the input device 6 to play the game, and the output device 4 displays an image of the game being played (hereinafter also referred to as a "play image"). At this time, the play images are distributed from the information processing device 10 to the information processing terminals 12b, 12c, and 12d of the viewing users via the shared server 11, and the play images are output to the output devices 14b, 14c, and 14d (hereinafter, when not particularly distinguished). (hereinafter referred to as "output device 14"). Note that the resolution of the distributed play image is set lower than the resolution of the play image displayed on the output device 4 .

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the information processing device 10. As shown in FIG. Information processing terminal 12 is the same game device as information processing device 10, and therefore information processing terminal 12 also has the functional blocks shown in FIG. The information processing apparatus 10 includes a main power button 20, a power ON LED 21, a standby LED 22, a system controller 24, a clock 26, a device controller 30, a media drive 32, a USB module 34, a flash memory 36, a wireless communication module 38, and wired communication. It comprises a module 40 , a subsystem 50 and a main system 60 .

The main system 60 includes a main CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory that is a main storage device, a memory controller, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and the like. The GPU is mainly used for arithmetic processing of game programs. These functions may be configured as a system-on-chip and formed on one chip. The main CPU has a function of executing a game program recorded in the auxiliary storage device 2 or the ROM medium 44 .

The subsystem 50 includes a sub CPU, a memory that is a main storage device, a memory controller, and the like, but does not include a GPU and does not have the function of executing a game program. The number of circuit gates of the sub CPU is smaller than the number of circuit gates of the main CPU, and the operating power consumption of the sub CPU is smaller than the operating power consumption of the main CPU. The sub CPU operates even while the main CPU is in the standby state, and its processing functions are restricted in order to keep power consumption low.

The main power button 20 is an input unit for inputting an operation from the user, is provided on the front surface of the housing of the information processing apparatus 10, and turns on or off the power supply to the main system 60 of the information processing apparatus 10. operated for The power ON LED 21 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned on, and the standby LED 22 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned off.

The system controller 24 detects pressing of the main power button 20 by the user. When the main power button 20 is pressed while the main power is in the off state, the system controller 24 acquires the pressing operation as an "on instruction". When the button 20 is pressed, the system controller 24 acquires the pressing operation as an "off instruction".

The clock 26 is a real-time clock that generates current date and time information and supplies it to the system controller 24 , subsystem 50 and main system 60 . The device controller 30 is configured as an LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) that exchanges information between devices like a south bridge. As illustrated, devices such as a system controller 24, a media drive 32, a USB module 34, a flash memory 36, a wireless communication module 38, a wired communication module 40, a subsystem 50 and a main system 60 are connected to the device controller 30. be. The device controller 30 absorbs differences in electrical characteristics and data transfer speeds of the respective devices, and controls the timing of data transfer.

The media drive 32 is a drive device that loads and drives a ROM medium 44 that records application software such as games and license information, and reads programs, data, and the like from the ROM medium 44 . The ROM medium 44 may be a read-only recording medium such as an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, or a Blu-ray disc.

The USB module 34 is a module that connects to an external device with a USB cable. The USB module 34 may be connected to the auxiliary storage device 2 and camera 7 with a USB cable. The flash memory 36 is an auxiliary storage device that constitutes internal storage. The wireless communication module 38 wirelessly communicates with, for example, the input device 6 using a communication protocol such as the Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol or the IEEE802.11 protocol. The wired communication module 40 performs wired communication with an external device and connects to the network 3 via the AP8.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an information processing device 10 that operates as a streaming data distribution device. The information processing apparatus 10 includes a processing unit 100, a communication unit 102, and a reception unit 104. The processing unit 100 includes an application execution unit 110, a message generation unit 112, a setting unit 114, an audio providing unit 116, an image processing unit 118, and a sharing unit. A processing unit 120 is provided. The sharing processing unit 120 has an audio acquisition unit 122 , an image acquisition unit 124 , a distribution processing unit 126 , a participation processing unit 128 , a connection control unit 130 and a setting image generation unit 132 .

In FIG. 3, each element described as a functional block that performs various processes can be configured by circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs in terms of hardware, and system software, memory It is implemented by a game program or the like loaded in the . Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof, and are not limited to either.

The application execution unit 110 executes game software (hereinafter also simply referred to as “game”) to generate game image data and audio data. The function shown as the application execution unit 110 is implemented by system software, game software, hardware such as a GPU, and the like. A game is an example of an application, and application execution unit 110 may execute an application other than a game.

While the user A is playing the game, the application execution unit 110 performs arithmetic processing to move the game character in the virtual space based on the operation information input by the user A to the input device 6 . The application execution unit 110 includes a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that executes rendering processing and the like, receives arithmetic processing results in the virtual space, and generates game image data from a viewpoint position (virtual camera) in the virtual space. The application execution unit 110 also generates game audio data in the virtual space.

In the information processing device 10 , the communication unit 102 receives operation information when the user operates the input unit of the input device 6 and transmits image and sound data generated by the processing unit 100 to the shared server 11 and the information processing terminal 12 . . The communication unit 102 is expressed as a configuration having both the functions of the wireless communication module 38 and the wired communication module 40 shown in FIG.

The reception unit 104 is provided between the communication unit 102 and the processing unit 100 and transmits data or information between the communication unit 102 and the processing unit 100 . Upon receiving operation information of the input unit provided in the input device 6 via the communication unit 102 , the reception unit 104 supplies the operation information to the application execution unit 110 and/or the shared processing unit 120 in the processing unit 100 .

FIG. 4 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the output device 4 of user A. As shown in FIG. Note that the game screen shown in FIG. 4 is before streaming distribution. During user A's game play, the application execution unit 110 generates a play image and a play sound, the image processing unit 118 provides the play image to the output device 4, and the sound providing unit 116 provides the play sound to the output device 4. As a result, the play image and the play sound are output from the output device 4 .

FIG. 5 shows an example of a pop-up window superimposed on the game screen. The management server 5 registers user A's friends. send status information and messages. When the reception unit 104 receives the status information and the message of the friend, the message generation unit 112 generates a notification message addressed to the user A and provides the image processing unit 118 with the notification message. The image processing unit 118 superimposes the generated notification message in the form of a pop-up window 180 on the upper left corner of the game screen.

Pop-up window 180 includes a username 184 that identifies the user for the notification message. For example, if management server 5 requests registration of a real name as a user name, pop-up window 180 will include the real name, which is personal information. Since the real name display in this case can only be seen by user A who is a friend, there is no problem of personal information. A pop-up window 180 notifies that a message has been received from Mr. "Yamada Taro" who is a friend, and a message body 182 indicates a part (first sentence) of the message from Mr. "Yamada Taro".

Sharing processing according to the embodiment will be described below.
The sharing processing unit 120 performs processing for sharing the image and sound data of the game being played by the user A with other users via the shared server 11 . Users who access the shared server 11 are not limited to users A's friends, and include unspecified users who use the services of the shared server 11 . The game image/sound data sharing process is started when user A operates a specific input unit (SHARE button) provided on the input device 6, and the sharing processing unit 120 selects an option for sharing the image/sound data. generates the input image shown.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an input screen showing options for sharing processing. The setting image generation unit 132 generates an input image showing options for shared processing, and causes the image processing unit 118 to display the input image on the output device 4 . On this input screen, three options regarding sharing of image and sound data are displayed. "Upload video clip" is a GUI for designating uploading of the image recorded in the auxiliary storage device 2 to the shared server 11, and "Upload screenshot" is the image of the screen shot. “Broadcast game play” is a GUI for designating live relaying of image and sound data of the game via the shared server 11 . The user A operates the input device 6 to move the selection frame 200, select one of the GUIs, and press the enter button to execute the selected sharing process.

In an embodiment, the "Broadcast Gameplay" GUI is selected. After this GUI is selected, the setting image generation unit 132 causes the output device 4 to display a setting screen for selecting the resolution of the game image in the broadcast distribution, and after the user selects the resolution of the distribution image, the broadcast Delivery may begin. Note that the selectable resolution is lower than the resolution of the game image displayed on the output device 4 .

FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen displayed on the output device 4 of distribution user A. In FIG. When streaming distribution is started, the image processing unit 118 generates a display image according to the screen layout shown in FIG. In this screen layout, a play image generated by the application execution unit 110 is displayed in the play image display area 210 . Since the play image display area 210 is reduced compared to the play image display area shown in FIG. A captured image captured by the camera 7 is displayed in the camera image display area 212 , and an audience number display area 220 is provided below the camera image display area 212 . The number of viewers is provided from the management server 5 or the shared server 11, and the number of viewers is counted as 315 in this example.

Comments from viewing users are displayed in the comment display area 214 . The viewing user can input comments from the information processing terminal 12 , and the input comments are transmitted to the information processing device 10 via the shared server 11 . The message input area 216 is a column for the play user A to input a message to the viewing user. During streaming distribution, the image processing unit 118 generates display images including game images in the screen layout shown in FIG. If play user A permits, the audio providing unit 116 superimposes the audio input to the microphone of the information processing device 10 on the game audio generated by the application executing unit 110 and provides it to the shared processing unit 120. do.

The audio acquisition unit 122 acquires audio provided from the audio providing unit 116 , and the image acquisition unit 124 acquires images provided from the image processing unit 118 . The sound obtained by the sound obtaining unit 122 and the image obtained by the image obtaining unit 124 are the distribution sound and the distribution image distributed to the shared server 11, respectively. The distribution processing unit 126 adjusts the resolution of the obtained distribution sound and distribution image as necessary, encodes them, and streams the audio data and image data to one or more information processing terminals 12 via the shared server 11 . As a result, the information processing terminal 12 of the viewing user can access the shared server 11 and output the streamed game image and sound from the output device 14 .

The image sharing system 1 of the embodiment implements a mechanism in which the user A temporarily passes the right to operate the game (control right) to the viewing user. For example, if user A has a friend who is good at soccer games next to him, when he loses in the soccer game, he gives the input device 6 to the friend so that he can play instead. In the image sharing system 1 of the embodiment, although the viewing users are in separate locations, they are viewing the same game image together and are aware of the situation in which user A is placed. Therefore, the image sharing system 1 provides a mechanism in which the user A hands over the right to operate the game to the viewing user, and the viewing user temporarily performs proxy play.

When user A operates a specific input unit (SHARE button) provided on input device 6 during streaming distribution, a plurality of menu items relating to share play are displayed on the screen. When the user A selects the item "give the viewing user the right to operate the game play", the participation processing unit 128 notifies the management server 5 and the shared server 11 that the viewing user's participation in the game is being accepted. As a result, an environment is prepared in which the viewing user can request the user A to play the game and play the game on behalf of the user A.

Next, a mechanism for a viewing user to perform proxy play will be described.
First, the viewing user operates the input device 6 to start the viewing application for the live distribution image. The information processing terminal 12 has the same configuration as the information processing apparatus 10, and therefore the application execution unit 110 executes the live distribution image viewing application. When the viewing application is activated, the information processing terminal 12 displays on the output device 14 a list of contents streamed from the shared server 11 .

FIG. 8 shows a list screen of contents to be streamed. The management server 5 manages information about the content live-delivered in the shared server 11, and the viewing application acquires the information about the content from the management server 5 and generates a list screen. The content information includes captured images of games, game titles, information specifying distributors, and comment data. The user operates the input device 6 to move the selection frame 300 and place it on the content information that the user wants to view. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a selection frame 300 is arranged in the content information of the game title "ABC Soccer" distributed by User A. In the example shown in FIG.

As illustrated, user A's content information includes a comment from user A saying, "Somebody help me with share play." This comment is automatically input by management server 5 when management server 5 is notified by information processing apparatus 10 that game participation is being accepted. When the viewing user operates the enter button of the input device 6 , the information processing terminal 12 accesses the shared server 11 and outputs user A's streaming image and sound data from the output device 14 .

FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen displayed on the output device 14 of the viewing user. The information processing terminal 12 displays the distribution image of the user A on the output device 14 in a predetermined screen layout. In the example shown in FIG. 9 , a distribution image stream-distributed from the shared server 11 is displayed in the distribution image display area 302 . In this screen layout, a comment display area 304 for displaying comments may be provided on the right side of the distribution image display area 302 . The distributed image also includes a comment display area, but the comments displayed in both may be the same or different.

Below the distribution image display area 302, a participation button 306 is provided for the viewing user to express participation in the share play requested by the user A. FIG. The share play in which the viewing user participates here is a game play performed by the viewing user on behalf of the distribution user A. When distribution user A approves the viewing user's participation, the viewing user operates his/her own input device 6 instead of user A to play the game. When the viewing user operates the participation button 306, the operation information is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 10 via the management server 5 as a play request.

When the management server 5 transmits the viewing user's play request to the information processing apparatus 10, the management server 5 also transmits information indicating the viewing user's proficiency level regarding the game. In the image sharing system 1, the management server 5 manages trophy information obtained by completing various missions prepared for the game as information indicating the proficiency level of each user with respect to the game. Therefore, the management server 5 transmits the trophy information acquired by the viewing user to the information processing apparatus 10 together with the play request. The information about proficiency level is not limited to acquired trophy information, and may be other types of information.

Returning to FIG. 3 , the reception unit 104 receives a play request from the viewing user who operates the information processing terminal 12 from the management server 5 and passes it to the sharing processing unit 120 . The participation processing unit 128 receives play requests from viewing users and counts the number of play requests. The participation processing unit 128 notifies the counted number of play requests to the image processing unit 118 , and the image processing unit 118 displays the counted number of play requests on the right side of the viewer number display area 220 .

FIG. 10 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the output device 4 of distribution user A. As shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the number of play requests received, that is, the number of people waiting for share play is displayed in a share play waiting number display area 222 on the right side of the viewer number display area 220 . Here, the number of viewers is counted as 413, and the number of people waiting for share play is counted as 5.

In addition, the participation process part 128 may provide the message production|generation part 112 with the number which received the play request|requirement, ie, the number of waiting people of a share play, periodically. The message generation unit 112 generates a notification message to inform the user A of the number of people waiting for share play, and the image processing unit 118 superimposes the generated notification message on the game screen in the form of a pop-up window 190. When the user A operates a predetermined button (home button) of the input device 6, a system screen for selecting the viewing user who requested the play is displayed.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a viewing user selection screen displayed on the output device 4 of distribution user A. As shown in FIG. The participation processing unit 128 provides the received play request to the image processing unit 118 . The image processing unit 118 displays a list of viewing users who have requested to play the game, together with information indicating their level of proficiency with respect to the game. Here, the number of trophies acquired by each viewing user in the ABC soccer game is shown. The viewing user selection screen shown in FIG. 11 shows the number of platinum trophies, gold trophies, silver trophies, and bronze trophies won in descending order of difficulty from the left. When the distribution user A moves the selection frame 230 to the frame of the desired viewing user and operates the decision button, the participation processing unit 128 approves the game play of one viewing user included in the selection frame 230 .

In this example, the selection frame 230 is arranged in the user B frame, and the participation processing unit 128 approves that the viewing user B plays the game instead of the distribution user A by operating the decision button. The participation processing unit 128 transmits a game play approval to the information processing terminal 12b of the selected viewing user B via the management server 5 . On the condition that the viewing user B notifies the management server 5 that the viewing user B will undertake the game play, it is decided that the viewing user B will play as a proxy. As shown in FIG. 11, by displaying information indicating the proficiency levels of viewing users, distribution user A can easily find viewing users who are familiar with ABC soccer.

When distribution user A moves selection frame 230 to the position of automatic selection button 232 and operates the enter button, participation processing unit 128 approves the game play of one viewing user selected according to predetermined criteria. The participation processing unit 128 may approve one viewing user with the highest level of proficiency, or may approve one viewing user who expressed participation earliest. Since the participation processing unit 128 automatically selects the viewing user, the distribution user A can save the trouble of selecting the viewing user who performs proxy play.

Note that the participation processing unit 128 approves the gameplay of at least one viewing user instead of user A, but may approve the gameplay of two or more viewing users who play simultaneously.

After the participation processing unit 128 approves the viewing user B's game play, the connection control unit 130 establishes a P2P (peer-to-peer) connection with the information processing terminal 12b operated by the viewing user B. FIG. This P2P connection establishes a low-delay, high-quality, two-way communication channel compared to the connection between the shared server 11 and the information processing terminal 12b. Until the P2P connection is established, the information processing terminal 12b continues to display the live distribution image from the shared server 11 on the output device 14b. Start acquiring game image and sound data from .

The viewing user B operates the input device 6b to play the game while watching the game image displayed on the output device 14b. The communication unit 102 of the information processing device 10 receives operation information transmitted from the information processing terminal 12b operated by the viewing user B through the P2P communication path with the information processing terminal 12b. The game is processed using user B's operation information. The game image and sound data processed by the application execution unit 110 is transmitted to the information processing terminal 12b through the P2P communication path. Thus, in the image sharing system 1, an environment in which the viewing user plays the game on behalf of the distribution user A is realized.

Note that the message generation unit 112 may generate a notification message addressed to user A during distribution of the game image. FIG. 5 shows a pop-up window 180 superimposed on the game screen. From the viewpoint of personal information protection, it is not preferable to broadcast the contents of

Therefore, in the embodiment, a setting unit 114 is provided that allows the user A to set whether or not the notification message is to be visually included in the distribution image. Specifically, the setting unit 114 registers in the auxiliary storage device 2, as setting information, the content set by the user A as to whether or not the notification message is visibly included in the distribution image. There are various types of notification messages generated by the message generator 112 . Listed below are the notification contents of the notification message.
・Received a message from a friend ・Received a friend request ・Invited to a game by a friend ・A friend has gone online ・A trophy has been obtained.

The distribution user A may be able to set whether or not to visually include the notification message in the distribution image for each type of notification content. The setting unit 114 notifies the image processing unit 118 of the settings set by the user A. FIG. Thereby, the image processing unit 118 grasps the types of notification messages that may be visibly included in the distribution image and the types of notification messages that should not be visibly included in the distribution image. When the notification message is generated by the message generating unit 112 , the image processing unit 118 generates a distribution image according to the setting contents of the setting unit 114 . Specifically, the image processing unit 118 determines whether or not to visibly include the notification message in the distribution image according to the type of the notification message generated by the message generation unit 112 .

To be visibly included in the distribution image means, for example, to superimpose a pop-up window 190 as shown in FIG. 10, but there are at least two methods of not visibly including it in the distribution image. One method is that the image processing unit 118 does not superimpose the pop-up window on the distribution image. It is masking (covering) with a black image. The image processing unit 118 performs image processing to determine whether or not to include the notification message in the distribution image in a visible manner according to the settings made by the setting unit 114 .

Note that the message generation unit 112 may generate different notification messages depending on whether or not distribution images are being distributed. For example, when user A has set the notification message to be visible in the distribution image, it is not good for the notification message to include personal information or privacy information. Therefore, the message generation unit 112 removes the personal information from the message generated normally (at times other than the time of streaming distribution) or replaces the message itself with an innocuous one, thereby reducing the notification message displayed during streaming distribution. Generate.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a popup window superimposed on the game screen. Pop-up window 180a is generated instead of pop-up window 180 shown in FIG. 5 because streaming is being delivered. The message confirmation method 182a replaces the message body 182, and the online ID 184a is an identifier managed by the management server 5, unlike the user name 184, which is a real name. In this way, during streaming distribution, the message generation unit 112 generates a notification message that does not include personal information or privacy information, so that a problem-free notification message can be included in the distribution image. Although the amount of information is reduced, by displaying the notification message on the game screen, sharing processing that is highly convenient for distribution user A is realized.

The present invention has been described above based on the examples. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that this embodiment is merely an example, and that various modifications can be made to combinations of each component and each treatment process, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. .

1 image sharing system 3 network 4 output device 5 management server 10 information processing device 11 shared server 12b, 12c, 12d Information processing terminal 14 Output device 100 Processing unit 102 Communication unit 104 Reception unit 110 Application execution unit 112 Message generation unit 114 Setting unit 116 Audio providing unit 118 Image processing unit 120 Shared processing unit 122 Audio acquisition unit 124 Image acquisition unit 126 Distribution processing unit 128 Participation processing unit 130 Connection control unit 132 Setting image generation unit.

Claims (7)

An information processing device,
list display means for displaying a list of a plurality of streamed game images;
determining means for determining viewing of one game image from among the plurality of game images displayed as a list according to a user's operation;
an output means for acquiring streaming data of the determined game image from a shared server and outputting it from an output device;
The list display means displays information indicating that the viewing user can participate in the game as game image information.
An information processing device characterized by: The list display means displays, as information indicating that the viewing user can participate in the game, information indicating that the viewing user can play the game instead of the game image distribution user.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by: When the game image management server is notified by the distribution user that game participation is being accepted, information indicating that the viewing user can participate in the game is added to the content information and transmitted to the information processing device. death,
the list display means acquires content information from a management server and displays a list of game images;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The output means outputs streaming data of the game image and displays a participation button for participating in the game on the output device.
4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by: means for transmitting, when a participation button is operated, the operation information to a device operated by a distribution user via a management server;
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, comprising: A method of displaying a game image, comprising:
displaying a list of a plurality of streamed game images;
determining viewing of one game image from among a plurality of game images displayed in a list according to a user's operation;
a step of acquiring streaming data of the determined game image from a shared server and outputting it from an output device;
The step of displaying the list of game images includes the step of displaying information indicating that the viewing user can participate in the game as information of the game images;
A game image display method characterized by: to the computer,
A function to display a list of multiple game images that are streamed,
a function of determining viewing of one game image from among a plurality of game images displayed in a list according to a user's operation;
A program for realizing a function of acquiring streaming data of a determined game image from a shared server and outputting it from an output device,
The function of displaying a list of game images includes a function of displaying information indicating that the viewing user can participate in the game as game image information.
program.

Images