JP7201931B2 - Game program and game system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game program and game system for providing online games.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are various online games that are executed by having a player character act in a virtual space via a communication network such as the Internet. In addition, some game systems that execute this type of online game allow users who are not participating in the game to watch other users' gameplay videos (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

In Patent Document 1, by transmitting video data of a game play video played on a first terminal device to a second terminal device via a server device, a user who is not participating in the game can play a game played by another user. A technology is disclosed that enables viewing of a play video.

JP 2018-134409 A

However, with conventional game programs and game systems, it has not been possible to simultaneously execute a game and watch a game play video on a single game device. Therefore, when a user wants to learn excellent operation techniques of a professional gamer or the like, it has been necessary to watch a video of the game played by the professional gamer on a viewing facility (computer) other than the game device. In addition, since the game image being played and the gameplay video being viewed are displayed on separate devices, the display positions of the game image being played and the gameplay video being viewed are physically separated, making it difficult to view at the same time. It was difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a game program and a game system that enable the execution of a game and the viewing of a game play moving image at the same time on a game device.

A first invention is stored in the storage unit of a game device comprising a storage unit, a display unit, and an audio output unit, the game device is caused to execute a game, and a game image of the game being executed is displayed in a moving image format. game execution means for displaying on the display unit and outputting a game sound of the game being executed to the sound output unit, video data for displaying a game play video on the display unit, and corresponding to the game play video Acquisition means for acquiring game viewing data including audio data for outputting game play audio from the audio output unit via a network, and the game play based on the video data A game program for functioning as game viewing means for displaying moving images on the display unit, wherein the game viewing means displays the game play moving images on a partial area of the screen of the display unit during execution of the game. When the game is not being executed, the game viewing means reproduces the game play sound based on the sound data when displaying the game play moving image on the display unit. output from the audio output unit, and display the game play video on the display unit only when there is an output instruction from the user to output the game play audio from the audio output unit during execution of the game. The game program is characterized in that the game play sound is output from the sound output unit based on the sound data when the game is played .

A second invention is stored in the storage section of a game device comprising a storage section, a display section, and an audio output section, causes the game device to execute a game, and displays game images of the game being executed in a moving image format. game execution means for displaying on the display unit and outputting a game sound of the game being executed to the sound output unit, video data for displaying a game play video on the display unit, and corresponding to the game play video Acquisition means for acquiring, via a network, game viewing data including audio data for outputting game play audio from the audio output unit; and displaying the game play video on the display unit based on the video data. wherein the game viewing means displays the game play moving image in a viewing area, which is a partial area of the screen of the display unit, during execution of the game. allowing the user to select either the game sound or the game play sound to be output from the sound output unit when the game play moving image is displayed on the display unit during execution of the game. It is a game program characterized by:

A third aspect of the invention is a game device comprising a storage unit storing the game program of the first or second aspect, a display unit, and an audio output unit, and displaying a game play moving image on the display unit of the game device. and a computer for distributing game viewing data, including video data for playing the game and audio data for outputting the game play sound corresponding to the game play video from the audio output unit, to the game device via a network. It's a game system.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game program and a game system that allow a game device to simultaneously execute a game and view a game play moving image.

1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration and functional configuration of a game system in an embodiment; FIG. It is an example of a display screen when executing a game and viewing a game play moving image at the same time on the game device of the game system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of operations when viewing a game play video, among a series of processing operations of the game system in the embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of viewing processing of a game play video of the game system in the embodiment.

<Embodiment>
A game system 1 and a game program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a game system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a video distribution server device 2, a game server device 3, and a plurality of game devices 5 are connected to communicate with each other via a communication network 6. ing.

In addition, in the game system 1, the game program described in the present embodiment is executed, so that the game is executed and the video of the game play distributed via the communication network 6 is viewed on the game apparatus 5. will be

Examples of the game device 5 include home game machines such as PlayStation (registered trademark), portable game machines such as PlayStation Vita (registered trademark), personal computers, tablets, mobile phones, and smart phones. A case where the game device 5 is a home-use game machine will be described below.

<Description of the game>
The game described in this embodiment is a battle-type action in which a player character operated by a user and an enemy character operated by another user or a computer (game device 5) compete in a virtual space (game space) to determine the winner. It's a game. In particular, in the present embodiment, a so-called fighting game, in which a player character fights a one-on-one fighting match with an enemy character, will be described as an example.

In the above fighting game, the user plays the game in the selected mode. In the above fighting game, an online battle mode, an offline battle mode, a training mode, and a trial mode are set as play modes for playing the game.

The online competition has an online competition mode in which users compete online (fighting match) via the communication network 6 . Online battles between users are sometimes held in computer game competitions, so-called E-sports (Electronic Sports) competitions. The online matches that take place in this tournament are uploaded to the video distribution server device 2 so that third parties can watch (view) the matches.

The offline battle mode is a mode in which a player character selected by the user is made to battle off-line with another user or an enemy character operated by a computer (game device 5).

The training mode is a mode in which a player character selected by the user is allowed to compete against an enemy character operated by the computer (game device 5) without a time limit so that the user can improve his/her playing technique (operation technique of the game controller 63, etc.). . In the training mode, the position of the player character, the movement of the enemy character, the display of battle information, etc. can be switched instantaneously.

The trial mode is a mode in which a player character selected by the user can practice consecutive techniques (combos) and cooperative operations by taking on a plurality of prepared tasks.

The training mode and trial mode are play modes for the user to practice the technique of operating the game controller 63 (operation unit).

Furthermore, in the fighting game, in addition to the play mode for playing (executing) the game, a viewing mode for viewing the game play video distributed from the video distribution server device 2 via the communication network 6 is set. It is In the present embodiment, the game program enables simultaneous viewing of the game play video in the viewing mode and execution of the game in the play mode for practicing the technique of operating the game controller 63 (operation unit) by the user. can.

<Outline of game system>
A game system 1 includes a video distribution server device 2 , a game server device 3 and a plurality of game devices 5 .

The moving image distribution server device 2 is a server device for providing a moving image distribution service to users of game devices 5 who log in to the moving image distribution server device 2 . A user or a distributor such as an organizer of an E-sports tournament uploads game viewing data for viewing a game play video to the video distribution server device 2 . The video distribution server device 2 distributes the game viewing data that has been uploaded or is being uploaded to the game device 5 of the user who wishes to view the data.

The game viewing data is multimedia data in which moving image data and audio data are combined. The moving image data is data for displaying, on the display 61 of another game device 5, a game image (game play moving image) drawn in a moving image format on the display 61 of the game device 5 on which the game was played. The sound data is data for outputting the game sound (game play sound) output from the speaker 62 of the game device 5 on which the game was played from the speaker 62 of another game device 5 .

The game server device 3 provides game programs, manages game data, and performs match matching.

Each game device 5 allows the user to view the game play video distributed from the video distribution server device 2 and to execute the game according to the game program. In executing the game, the game device 5 can receive (specifically, download and install) the game program (including updated versions) and game data from the game server device 3 via the communication network 6 . .

In particular, in the present embodiment, each game device 5 can not only execute the game and view the distributed game play moving image individually but also simultaneously according to the game program. When executing the game and viewing the game play video at the same time, the display 61 of each game device 5 displays both the game image being executed by the user and the game play video distributed by the video distribution server device 2. be done.

<Hardware configuration>
The hardware configurations of the video distribution server device 2, the game server device 3, and the game device 5 that implement the game system 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[Video distribution server device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the video distribution server device 2 has a network interface 21, a storage section 22 and a control section 23. Network interface 21 and storage unit 22 are electrically connected to control unit 23 via bus 29 .

The network interface 21 is communicably connected to the game server device 3 and the plurality of game devices 5 via a communication network 6 such as the Internet and a LAN.

The storage unit 22 is composed of an HDD, an SDD, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 22 stores account information for verifying users (distributors and viewers) who use the video distribution service of the game, login history of users who use the video distribution service, Various programs required for execution are stored. In addition, a moving image DB 221 is stored in the storage unit 22 .

The moving image DB 221 is a database in which game viewing data distributed to each game device 5 is accumulated. For example, the video DB 221 contains identification information (ID) of the user who is the distributor of the game viewing data, play date and time, delivery title, game title, keywords characterizing the game viewing data, and the number of views of the game viewing data. , is stored as one record.

The keywords include the place where the game is played (country or region), the name of the tournament in which the game was played, the name of the character used, the name of the special move performed by the character, the number of continuous moves, and the like.

The control unit 23 is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU and a semiconductor memory, and controls the operation of the video distribution server device 2 . A functional configuration of the control unit 23 will be described later.

[Game server device]
The game server device 3 has a network interface 31 , a storage section 32 and a control section 33 . Network interface 31 and storage unit 32 are electrically connected to control unit 33 via bus 39 .

The network interface 31 is communicably connected to the video distribution server device 2 and the plurality of game devices 5 via the communication network 6 . The game server device 3 transmits game data and game programs to each game device 5 and receives account information from each game device 5 via the network interface 31 .

The storage unit 32 is composed of an HDD, an SDD, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 32 stores account information of users (distributors and viewers) who log in to the game server device 3, user login histories, game programs, game data, various programs other than game programs, and the like. It is

The storage unit 32 also stores a user DB 321 including user account information (ID and password) managed by the game server device 3 . In the user DB 321, user names, user account information (ID and password) used in the game server device 3, languages preset by each user via the game device 5, etc. are stored as one record.

The control unit 33 is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU and semiconductor memory, and controls the operation of the game server device 3 . A functional configuration of the control unit 33 will be described later.

[Game device]
A plurality of game devices 5 all have the same configuration.

The game device 5 has a network interface 51 , a graphics processing section 52 , an audio processing section 53 , an operation section 54 , a storage section 55 and a control section 56 . Network interface 51 , graphics processing unit 52 , audio processing unit 53 , operation unit 54 and storage unit 55 are electrically connected to control unit 56 via bus 59 . A display 61 , a speaker 62 and a game controller 63 are externally connected or built into the game device 5 .

The network interface 51 is communicably connected to the communication network 6 in order to transmit and receive various data between the game device 5 and each of the server devices 2 and 3 .

During game execution, the graphics processing unit 52 draws game images of the game being executed, including various objects and characters related to the virtual space (game space), in a moving image format according to the game image data output from the control unit 56. do. The graphics processing unit 52 is connected to the display 61 and displays a game image drawn in a moving image format on the display 61 as a game screen.

In addition, the graphics processing unit 52 causes the display 61 to display a game play moving image based on moving image data in the game viewing data distributed from the moving image distribution server device 2 according to an instruction from the control unit 56 . The details of the instructions from the control unit 56 will be described later.

The audio processing unit 53 reproduces and synthesizes the game sound of the game being executed according to the game sound data output from the control unit 56 during game execution. The audio processing unit 53 is connected to the speaker 62 and causes the speaker 62 to output the reproduced and synthesized game sound.

In addition, the audio processing unit 53 causes the speaker 62 to output the game play sound based on the sound data in the game viewing data distributed from the video distribution server device 2 according to the instruction of the control unit 56 . The details of the instructions from the control unit 56 will be described later.

The operation unit 54 is connected to the game controller 63 , receives various operation information input to the game controller 63 by the user, and outputs an instruction signal to the control unit 56 according to the operation information. For example, when the user performs various operations such as pressing a button or tilting a lever of the game controller 63, the operation unit 54 sends a signal (instruction signal) regarding an instruction corresponding to this operation to the control unit. 56.

The storage unit 55 is configured with an HDD, SSD, RAM, ROM, and the like. The storage unit 55 stores game programs and game data downloaded from the game server device 3 . Further, the storage unit 55 stores a user ID 551 used in each of the video distribution server device 2 and the game server device 3 .

Control unit 56 is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU and a semiconductor memory, and controls the operation of game device 5 . A functional configuration of the control unit 56 will be described later.

The display 61 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays game images of the game being executed and game play moving images distributed via the communication network 6 .

The speaker 62 outputs the game sound of the game being executed and the game play sound corresponding to the game play video distributed together with the game play video via the communication network 6 .

The game controller 63 receives a user's operation for executing a game or viewing a game play moving image, and inputs the operation information to the operation unit 54 . The game controller 63 has buttons and levers, and receives operations such as pushing down the buttons and tilting the levers by the user.

<Functional configuration of each control unit>
Hereinafter, functional configurations of the control unit 23 of the video distribution server device 2, the control unit 33 of the game server device 3, and the control unit 56 of the game device 5 that realize the game system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[Functional Configuration of Control Unit of Video Distribution Server Device]
By executing various programs, the control unit 23 functions as an information processing unit 231, a matching unit 232, a moving image distribution unit 233, a moving image DB management unit 234, and a moving image search unit 235, as shown in FIG.

The information processing means 231 mainly transmits/receives various data necessary for a video distribution service for distributing game viewing data to/from each game device 5 . The data that the information processing means 231 receives from each game device 5 include account information, login requests, search conditions and instructions for searching game viewing data, and selection results and distribution instructions for game viewing data. On the other hand, the data that the information processing means 231 transmits to each game device 5 includes a search screen for game viewing data, search results for game viewing data, and the like.

The verification unit 232 uses the account information for the moving picture distribution service received from the game device 5 to authenticate users (viewers and distributors).

The video distribution means 233 extracts the designated game viewing data from the video DB 221 based on the selection result and the distribution instruction received from each game device 5, and distributes it to the game device 5 that has transmitted the distribution instruction. The moving image distribution means 233 not only distributes the game viewing data uploaded to the moving image distribution server device 2, but also performs real-time distribution of sequentially distributing the game viewing data being uploaded from the portion stored in the moving image DB 221. can.

The moving picture DB management means 234 manages the moving picture DB 221 . For example, the video DB management means 234 adds new game viewing data to the video DB 221 . At this time, the video DB management means 234 associates the data for viewing the game with the distributor's identification information (ID), play date and time, distribution title, game title, keyword, viewing count, etc., and stores the data in the video DB 221. .

The video search means 235 searches for one or more pieces of game viewing data that match the search conditions from the video DB 221 based on the search instruction and the search conditions for the game viewing data received from the game device 5 . One or more pieces of game viewing data retrieved by the moving image retrieval means 235 are transmitted to the game apparatus 5 by the information processing means 231 as retrieval results.

Search conditions include information directly input to the game device 5 by the user who is the viewer, such as user name (distributor name), game name, character name, deathblow name, tournament name, and the like. These pieces of information can be said to represent the game viewing data that the user desires to view. Also, one or more of these search conditions can be used in combination.

[Functional Configuration of Control Unit of Game Server Device]
The control unit 33 functions as information processing means 331, matching means 332, game distribution means 333, and matching determination means 334 by executing various programs.

The information processing means 331 mainly transmits and receives various data necessary for executing the game to and from each game device 5 . The data that the information processing means 331 receives from each game device 5 includes download request information of a game program, account information, a battle request, and the like. The data that the information processing means 331 transmits to each game device 5 includes information for confirming whether the game device 5 has received the game program.

The verification means 332 performs user authentication processing using the game server account information (ID and password) received from the game device 5 .

After the information processing means 331 receives the game program download request information and the account information, the game distribution means 333 distributes (transmits) the game program and the game data corresponding to the received account information to the corresponding game device 5. .

When the information processing means 331 receives a match request and match conditions, the matching determination means 334 searches for a match match for the match conditions, and matches the match match with the user who sent the match request. is possible. When the matching determination means 334 determines that matching is possible, the information processing means 331 connects the game devices 5 of the opponent and the user so that they can communicate with each other.

[Functional Configuration of Controller of Game Device]
The control unit 56 functions as communication means 561, game execution means 562, search display means 563, and game viewing means 564 by executing game programs.

The communication means 561 has a function of communicating with the video distribution server device 2 and the game server device 3 via the network interface 51 .

Specifically, the communication means 561 transmits account information including the user ID 551 for the video distribution server device 2, search instructions and search conditions for game viewing data, selection results and distribution instructions for game viewing data, and the like. Send to the server device 2 . The communication means 561 receives search results of game viewing data, game viewing data, and the like from the video distribution server device 2 .

In addition, the communication means 561 transmits account information including the user ID 551 for the game server device 3 , a battle request, game data download request information, and the like to the game server device 3 . The communication means 561 receives new game data, battle information, and the like from the game server device 3 .

The game executing means 562 reads out image data such as various objects and characters included in the game data from the storage unit 55 or executes the game program using the image data received from the game server device 3 according to the user's operation. while generating two-dimensional or three-dimensional game image data. As the game image data is processed by the graphics processing unit 52, the processed game images are sequentially displayed on the display 61 in a moving image format.

Further, the game executing means 562 generates game sound data corresponding to the game image data when generating the game image data. As the game sound data is processed by the audio processing unit 53 , the processed game sound is sequentially output to the speaker 62 .

For example, in the first embodiment in which the game by the game program is a fighting game, as shown in FIG. and an image of an enemy character C2 operated by another user or a computer (game device) who will be an opponent of the player character.

When the user of the game device 5 competes with another user, the other user also connects his/her own game device 5 to the communication network 6 in advance and logs in to the game server device 3 . Thus, in this game program, other users can also operate the enemy character C2 by operating the game controller 63 .

The game executing means 562 progresses the game according to the operation signal representing the details of the operation of the game controller 63 by the user of the game device 5 or another user, and causes the player character C1 and the enemy to perform actions according to the details of the operation. Control to be performed by the character C2 is performed.

In particular, in this game, the player character C1 and the enemy character C2 can unleash martial arts such as punches and kicks by operating the game controller 63 by the user of the game device 5 or another user.

For example, when the player character C1's martial arts (attack) shown in FIG. 2 effectively hits the enemy character C2, the physical strength of the enemy character C2 decreases (the bar B2 in FIG. 2 becomes shorter). Similarly, when the player character C1 is hit by a martial art from the enemy character C2, the physical strength of the player character C1 decreases (the bar B1 in FIG. 2 becomes shorter). When a predetermined condition such as the physical strength value of one of the characters C1 and C2 becoming zero is met, the outcome of the battle is determined.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, in E-sports, spectator seats in a fighting arena and various advertisements are often displayed as a background.

The game executing means 562 advances the game by having the player character C1 and the enemy character C2 battle each other in four different modes, ie, the online battle mode, the training mode, the offline battle mode, and the trial mode.

The search display means 563 displays a search screen for game viewing data transmitted from the video distribution server device 2 and a search result screen on the display 61 via the graphic processing section 52 .

The game viewing data search screen is a screen for allowing the user to input search conditions and distribution instructions for game viewing data by operating the game controller 63 .

The search result screen is a screen that allows the user to input the selection result of the game viewing data that the user wishes to view by operating the game controller 63 . For example, the search result screen is a screen in which thumbnail images based on one or more pieces of game viewing data that match the search conditions searched by the video search means 235 are arranged in correspondence with the character notation of the matching search conditions. be.

Game viewing means 564 allows the user to view a game play video. Specifically, the game viewing means 564 displays on the display 61 via the graphics processing section 52 a game play moving image based on the moving image data in the game viewing data distributed from the moving image distribution server device 2 .

Note that the game viewing means 564 displays the game play video in the viewing area VA, which is a partial area of the screen of the display 61, while the game execution means 562 is executing the game. On the other hand, the game viewing means 564 displays the game play moving image on the entire screen of the display 61 when the game is not played.

FIG. 2 shows how the user is watching a game play video on the game device 5 while executing the game in the training mode.

In this embodiment, when a game is played and a game play video is viewed at the same time, a player character C1 operated by the user and an enemy character C2 operated by a computer (game device) are displayed on the entire screen of the display 61. A game image showing the state of the battle is displayed. On the other hand, the game play video distributed from the video distribution server device 2 is displayed in the viewing area VA which is a partial area of the screen of the display 61 and which is also a partial area of the game image.

Also, the game viewing means 564 automatically changes the display position of the viewing area VA to a position not overlapping the characters C1 and C2 in accordance with the positions of the characters C1 and C2 in the game image being executed by the game execution means 562. do. For example, in the scene of FIG. 2, when the player character C1 retreats (moves to the left) by the user's operation and is about to overlap the viewing area VA, the game viewing means 564 shifts the viewing area VA to the characters C1 and C2. is moved to a position (for example, the lower right of the screen of the display 61).

The game viewing means 564 can also change the display position of the viewing area VA in accordance with the operation of the game controller 63 by the user.

Specifically, when the user inputs an instruction to change the display position of the viewing area VA (instruction to change the screen position), the game viewing means 564 displays the position change setting screen on the display 61, and displays the desired viewing area. The user is allowed to select the display position of the VA. Then, the game viewing means 564 changes the display position of the viewing area VA to the display position selected by the user (for example, lower left position, upper left position, lower right position, upper right position, upper center position, etc.).

Furthermore, the game viewing means 564 can also change the size of the viewing area VA according to the operation of the game controller 63 by the user.

Specifically, when the user inputs an instruction to change the size of the viewing area VA (screen size change instruction), the game viewing means 564 displays the size change setting screen on the display 61 and displays the desired viewing area VA. Let the user choose the size of Then, the game viewing means 564 changes the size of the viewing area VA to the size selected by the user (for example, small size, medium size, large size (full screen size), etc.).

Also, the game viewing means 564 causes the speaker 62 to output the game play voice based on the voice data in the game viewing data distributed from the video distribution server device 2 via the audio processing section 53 .

During execution of the game, the game viewing means 564 outputs the game play sound from the speaker 62 only when the user inputs an output instruction to output the game play sound from the speaker 62 via the game controller 63. do. Conversely, at this time, the game executing means 562 does not output the game sound of the game being executed from the speaker 62 .

Therefore, when the user inputs through the game controller 63 a non-output instruction not to output the game play sound from the speaker 62 during execution of the game, the game viewing means 564 causes the display 61 to display the game play video. The game play sound is not output from the speaker 62 even when the game is played. Therefore, in this case, the game sound of the game being executed by the game executing means 562 is output from the speaker 62 .

The output instruction and the non-output instruction are given by the user, for example, when the user inputs a game execution instruction when viewing a gameplay video or when the user inputs a game play video viewing instruction when the game is executed. is entered.

Specifically, at the time described above, the game viewing means 564 displays on the display 61 a sound setting screen for setting whether or not to output the game play sound from the speaker 62 . When the user operates the game controller 63 to select the command “output the sound of the viewed moving image”, the output instruction is input to the game device 5 . On the other hand, when the user operates the game controller 63 to select the command “do not output the sound of the viewed moving image”, the non-output instruction is input to the game device 5 .

<Flow of processing operations in the game system>
In the following, among the processing operations in the game system 1, the flow of operations when viewing a game play video shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

[Flow of operations when viewing gameplay videos]
In the game device 5, when the user operates the game controller 63 (such as selecting a viewing icon on the screen) to input a viewing instruction to view the game play moving image, the operation unit 54 receives the viewing instruction. Then, the operation unit 54 transmits a signal regarding the viewing instruction to the control unit 56 (step st11). When a signal relating to the viewing instruction is input to the control unit 56, the communication means 561 transmits the account information and a login request to the moving picture distribution server device 2 to make a login request (step st12).

In the video distribution server device 2, the verification means 232 uses the account information to perform user authentication processing (login authentication). (step st13).

In the game device 5, the search display means 563 displays a search screen on the display 61 based on the search screen data, and receives a search instruction from the user (step st14). Specifically, the user is caused to operate the game controller 63 to input a search condition and a search instruction for searching for the desired game viewing data to the operation unit 54 . The operation unit 54 accepts this and transmits a signal regarding the search condition and the search instruction to the control unit 56 .

When a signal relating to the search condition and the search instruction is transmitted from the operation unit 54 to the control unit 56, the communication means 561 issues a search request to the moving picture distribution server device 2 (step st15). Specifically, the communication means 561 transmits the search condition and the search instruction to the video distribution server device 2 based on the signal.

In the video distribution server device 2, based on the search request, the video search means 235 performs a search process for searching one or more pieces of game viewing data satisfying the search conditions from the video DB 221 (step st16). Then, the information processing means 231 transmits search result screen data showing the search results by the moving image search means 235 to the game device 5 (step st17).

In the game device 5, the search display means 563 displays the search result screen on the display 61 based on the search result screen data, and receives a distribution instruction from the user (step st18). Specifically, the user is caused to operate the game controller 63 to input the selection result of the game viewing data and the distribution instruction to the operation unit 54 . The operation unit 54 accepts this and transmits a signal regarding the selection result and distribution instruction to the control unit 56 .

When the operation unit 54 transmits a signal regarding the selection result and the distribution instruction to the control unit 56, the communication means 561 requests distribution to the moving picture distribution server device 2 (step st19). Specifically, the communication means 561 transmits the selection result and the distribution instruction to the video distribution server device 2 based on the signal.

In the moving image distribution server device 2, the moving image distribution means 233 extracts the instructed one game viewing data from the moving image DB 221 based on the selection result and the distribution instruction, and distributes it to the game device 5 that transmitted the distribution instruction. (step st20).

In the game device 5, the game viewing means 564 performs viewing processing of a game play moving image, which will be described later (step st21). As a result, the game play video distributed from the video distribution server device 2 is displayed on the display 61 of the game device 5 .

In the game device 5, when the user operates the game controller 63 to input a viewing stop instruction for stopping viewing to the operation unit 54, the operation unit 54 accepts the instruction. Then, the operation unit 54 transmits a signal regarding the viewing stop instruction to the control unit 56 (step st22).

When a signal related to the viewing stop instruction is transmitted from the operation unit 54 to the control unit 56, the control unit 56 causes the communication means 561 to transmit the distribution stop instruction to stop the distribution of the game viewing data to the video distribution server based on the signal. Send to device 2. Also, the game viewing means 564 stops viewing the game play moving image by stopping the display of the game play moving image and the output of the game play sound (step st23).

In the moving picture distribution server device 2, the moving picture distribution means 233 stops distribution of the game viewing data based on the viewing stop instruction (step st24).

《Flow of viewing process of gameplay videos》
FIG. 4 shows the flow of viewing processing of a game play moving image in step st21 of FIG. The game viewing means 564 of the game apparatus 5 performs viewing processing of the game play video.

First, the game viewing means 564 determines whether or not the game is being executed (step st31).

When the game viewing means 564 determines that the game is not being executed (No in step st31), the game viewing means 564 performs a game play based on the moving image data in the game viewing data distributed from the moving image distribution server device 2. A moving image is displayed on the display 61 via the graphics processing unit 52 . At this time, the game viewing means 564 performs full-screen display in which the game play moving image is displayed on the entire screen of the display 61, and outputs the game play sound from the speaker 62 (step st41).

On the other hand, if the game viewing means 564 determines that the game is being executed (Yes in step st31), it sets the output sound when viewing the game play moving image (step st32). Specifically, the game viewing means 564 displays a sound setting screen on the display 61 and allows the user to select whether or not to output the game play sound from the speaker 62 .

On the audio setting screen, for example, a command "output audio of viewed moving image" and a command "do not output audio of viewed moving image" are displayed. When the user selects the command “output the audio of the viewed moving image”, an output instruction to output the game play audio from the speaker 62 is input to the operation unit 54 . Conversely, when the user selects the command “do not output the audio of the viewed moving image”, a non-output instruction is input to the operation unit 54 to prevent the game play audio from being output from the speaker 62 . This output instruction or non-output instruction is stored in the storage unit 55 as audio output information.

When the above audio output setting is completed, the game viewing means 564 displays the game play moving image based on the moving image data in the game viewing data distributed from the moving image distribution server device 2 on the display 61 via the graphics processing unit 52. . At this time, the game viewing means 564 performs small screen display for displaying the game play moving image in the viewing area VA, which is a partial area of the screen of the display 61 (step st33).

Further, the game viewing means 564 outputs the game play sound from the speaker 62 when the sound output information in the storage unit 55 is the output instruction when performing the small screen display. On the other hand, the game viewing means 564 does not output the game play sound from the speaker 62 when the sound output information in the storage section 55 is the non-output instruction. Therefore, in this case, the game sound of the game being executed by the game executing means 562 is output from the speaker 62 .

By such processing, the game image of the game being executed is displayed on the entire screen of the display 61, and the video of the game play distributed from the video distribution server device 2 is viewed on a partial area of the screen of the display 61. is displayed in the display area VA. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously execute the game and view the game play video on the game device 5 .

After starting the display of the game play video on the small screen as described above, the game viewing means 564 displays the size of the viewing area VA (screen size), the display position of the viewing area VA (screen position), and the output sound. , whether or not change is necessary (steps st34, st36, st38). When the game viewing means 564 determines that a change is necessary in each determination (Yes in steps st34, st36, and st38), it changes these settings. No), the next processing operation is performed without changing these settings.

Specifically, when a user operates the game controller 63 to input an instruction to change the size of the viewing area VA (an instruction to change the screen size) to the operation unit 54, the game viewing means 564 changes the size of the viewing area VA. It is determined that the change is necessary (Yes in step st34), and the size (screen size) of the viewing area VA is changed (step st35). Specifically, the game viewing means 564 displays a size change setting screen on the display 61, and allows the user to select the size of the desired viewing area VA.

On the size change setting screen, each size of the viewing area VA that can be changed (for example, small size, medium size, large size, etc.) is displayed. When the user operates the game controller 63 to select a desired size on the size change setting screen, the game viewing means 564 changes the size of the viewing area VA to the selected size.

In addition, by the user operating the game controller 63, an instruction to change the display position of the viewing area VA (instruction to change the screen position) is input to the operation unit 54, or characters C1 and C2 in the game image being executed are displayed for viewing. When the display position overlaps the area VA, the game viewing means 564 determines that the display position of the viewing area VA needs to be changed (Yes in step st36), and changes the display position (screen position) of the viewing area VA. (step st37).

Specifically, when an instruction to change the display position of the viewing area VA is input to the operation unit 54 by the user operating the game controller 63, the game viewing means 564 displays a position change setting screen on the display 61, The user is allowed to select the desired display position of the viewing area VA.

The changeable display positions of the viewing area VA (for example, lower left position, upper left position, lower right position, upper right position, upper center position, etc.) are displayed on the position change setting screen. When the user operates the game controller 63 to select a desired display position on the position change setting screen, the game viewing means 564 changes the display position of the viewing area VA to the selected position.

On the other hand, when the positions of the characters C1 and C2 in the game image being executed overlap with the viewing area VA, the game viewing means 564 changes the display position of the viewing area VA to the position of the game image being executed. is automatically changed to a position that does not overlap the characters C1 and C2 of .

Further, when an instruction to change the output sound is input to the operation unit 54 by the user operating the game controller 63, the game viewing means 564 determines that the output sound needs to be changed (Yes in step st38). The output voice to be output is changed (step st39). Specifically, the game viewing means 564 displays an output sound setting screen on the display 61, and allows the user to select a desired output sound (game sound of the game being executed, game play sound corresponding to the game play video). .

The output sound setting screen displays sounds that can be output from the speaker 62 (game sound during play, sound of viewed video (game play sound)). When the user operates the game controller 63 to select a desired output sound on the output sound setting screen, the game viewing means 564 changes the sound output from the speaker 62 to the selected sound.

Next, the game viewing means 564 confirms whether or not the execution of the game has ended (step st40).

When the execution of the game is completed (Yes in step st40), the game viewing means 564 switches the game play moving image displayed on the small screen to the full screen display in which the entire screen of the display 61 is displayed, and displays the game play sound. is output from the speaker 62 (step st41). On the other hand, if the game execution has not ended (No in step st40), the game viewing means 564 returns to step st34 and continues the small screen display without switching the display of the game play moving image.

After switching from the small screen display to the full screen display in step st41, the game viewing means 564 confirms whether or not there is a game execution instruction from the user (step st42).

When the game viewing means 564 receives a game execution instruction from the user (Yes at step st42), the game viewing means 564 returns to step st32 and starts over from the output sound setting. On the other hand, if there is no game execution instruction from the user (No in step st42), the game viewing means 564 returns to step st41 and continues full-screen display.

The game viewing means 564 performs the viewing processing of the game play video as described above until the user inputs a viewing stop instruction.

To summarize the above, the game program of the present embodiment is stored in the storage unit 55 of the game device 5 having the storage unit 55 and the display unit (display) 61, and causes the game device 5 to execute the game. game execution means 562 for displaying the game image of the game in a moving image format on the display unit (display) 61; and a game viewing means 564 for displaying the game play moving image on the display unit (display) 61 based on the moving image data. The game viewing means 564 displays the game play moving image in a viewing area VA, which is a partial area of the screen of the display unit (display) 61, during execution of the game.

Further, the game system 1 of the present embodiment includes a game device 5 including a storage unit 55 storing the game program and a display unit (display) 61; and a computer (video distribution server device) 2 for distributing game viewing data including video data to be displayed on 61 to the game device 5 via a network.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the game program of the present embodiment, in the game device 5, the game viewing means 564 displays the game play moving image acquired via the network on the screen of the display 61 during execution of the game. is displayed in the other area (viewing area VA). In other words, according to the game program of the present embodiment, it is possible to display not only the game image of the game being executed on the display 61 but also the game play moving image obtained via the network during execution of the game. Therefore, according to the game program of the present embodiment, it is possible to execute the game and view the game play moving image at the same time on one game device 5 . This eliminates the need for the user to view the game play video on a computer or the like other than the game device 5 when trying to learn the excellent operation techniques of a professional gamer or the like, unlike in the conventional art. Therefore, the user can improve the game operation technique at a low cost without obtaining a computer other than the game device 5 .

In addition, since the game image being played and the game play video being viewed are displayed on the single display 61 in this way, the user can easily view the game image being played and the game play video being viewed at the same time. can see. Therefore, according to the game program of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user's body when the user simultaneously views the game play video and executes the game to improve the operation technique.

Further, according to the game program of the present embodiment, while the game is being executed, the game image of the game being executed is displayed in a moving image format on the entire screen of the display 61, and a part of the game image is displayed as the game image. It becomes a viewing area VA for displaying a play moving image. In other words, in this embodiment, when executing a game and viewing a game play video at the same time, the game image of the game being executed is displayed on the entire screen of the display 61, and the game play video is displayed in the game image. can do. According to such a configuration, the display position of the game play video and the position of the player character C1 operated by the user can be arranged relatively close to each other. As a result, when the user watches the game play video and the player character C1 at the same time, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the user's body.

Further, according to the game program of the present embodiment, during execution of the game, the display position of the viewing area VA is changed by the game viewing means 564 according to the positions of the characters C1 and C2 in the game image. , C2. Therefore, the characters C1 and C2 are not hidden by the game play moving image during game execution, and it is possible to easily perform the game and view the game play moving image at the same time.

Further, according to the game program of the present embodiment, the game viewing means 564 can change the display position of the viewing area VA also according to the user's operation. Therefore, by changing the display position of the game play video (the display position of the viewing area VA) to a position where the user can easily view the game play video, the user can perform operation practice (execution of the game) can be performed more easily.

Further, according to the game program of the present embodiment, the game viewing means 564 can change the size of the viewing area VA according to the user's operation. Therefore, by changing the display size of the game play video (the size of the viewing area VA) to a size that is easy to see, the user can practice operations (play the game) while watching the game play video. execution) can be done more easily.

Further, according to the game program of the present embodiment, when the game is not being executed, the game play sound corresponding to the game play video is output to the speaker 62 (audio output unit) by the game viewing means 564 when the game is not being executed. ). On the other hand, during execution of the game, if the user gives an output instruction to output the game play sound from the speaker 62, the game viewing means 564 outputs the game play sound from the speaker 62, and if there is no output instruction. , the game sound of the game being executed by the game executing means 562 is output. According to the game program of this embodiment, the user can select between the game sound and the game play sound to be output from the speaker 62 during execution of the game.

Furthermore, according to the game system 1 of the present embodiment, the game program cooperates with the game device 5 to execute the game on the game device 5 and play the game play video distributed from the video distribution server device (computer) 2 . It is possible to provide a game system in which viewing and viewing of the game can be performed at the same time.

<Other embodiments>
The various control means and processing procedures described in the above embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses. Various control means and processing procedures can be appropriately modified in design without changing the gist of the present invention.

The game executed by the game program according to the present invention is not limited to fighting games such as fighting games, and can be applied to any kind of games such as action games and card games. Further, when the above game is a battle type game, it is not limited to one-on-one games, and can be applied to multiple-to-multiple games. The game may be, for example, a game based on a sport such as soccer.

The game viewing data distributed to the game device 5 by the game program according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In addition to the video data of the game play video and the audio data of the game play sound, the above game viewing data includes comments accompanying the game play video, commentary image data, commentary voice data, webcam etc. when the game is executed It may include image data captured by the camera. Conversely, the game viewing data may include only video data of game play videos.

Also, the game program according to the present invention is not limited to being downloaded from the game server device 3 to the game device 5 and installed. For example, it may be installed in the game device 5 from a recording medium such as an optical disc.

Also, the display pattern of the game image of the game being played and the game play video on the display 61 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, the screen of the display 61 may be divided into two halves, and the game image may be displayed in one area and the game play video in the other area. In this case, the other area where the game play video is displayed is the viewing area VA according to the present invention.

Also, the search processing in the moving image distribution server device 2 is not limited to that described in the above embodiment. For example, when performing user authentication processing in the video distribution server device 2, game play videos that the user prefers are extracted from the viewing history and user information, and the user selects one game play video from among them and requests distribution. may be performed.

Also, the video distribution server device 2 and the game server device 3 may be configured by one server device.

Also, the division of functions as to which devices 2, 3, and 5 have which functions described in the above embodiments is an example. A function for executing a game and displaying a game image of the game being executed in a moving image format on the display 61, and game viewing data including moving image data for displaying a game play moving image on the display 61 are transmitted via the communication network 6. and the function of displaying a game play moving image based on the moving image data during execution of the game in the viewing area VA, which is a partial area of the screen of the display 61, are the functions of the game device 5. , and other functional assignments can be changed as appropriate.

The game program and game system according to the present invention may not be capable of outputting game play sound from the speaker 62 (audio output unit) when watching a game play moving image.

Further, the game program and game system according to the present invention may not be able to change the display position or size of the viewing area VA.

Further, according to the game program of the above embodiment, the play mode of the game that can be executed at the same time as viewing the game play moving image is limited to the play mode for practicing the technique of operating the game controller 63 by the user. However, the game program according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be, for example, one capable of simultaneously executing a game in online battle mode or offline battle mode and viewing a game play video.

Further, the game program and the game system according to the present invention can provide comments, commentary image data, and game data included in the game viewing data distributed to the game device 5 when viewing the game play video. may be displayed on the display 61 at the same time as image data captured by a web camera or the like.

Further, the game program and the game system according to the present invention may be configured so that a comment or the like to the game play video can be input when viewing the game play video. It should be noted that, when executing the game and viewing the game play moving image at the same time, the game being executed may be automatically interrupted when comment input is started.

Even when these other embodiments are employed, the effects of the present invention are exhibited. Further, it is also possible to appropriately combine this embodiment with other embodiments, and other embodiments with each other.

1 game system 2 video distribution server device (computer)
5 game device 6 communication network (network)
55 storage unit 61 display (display unit)
62 speaker (audio output part)
561 Communication Means (Acquisition Means)
562 Game execution means 564 Game viewing means VA Viewing area

Claims (3)

stored in the storage unit of a game device comprising a storage unit, a display unit, and an audio output unit;
the above game device,
game execution means for executing a game, displaying a game image of the game being executed in a moving image format on the display unit, and outputting a game sound of the game being executed to the audio output unit;
When a user inputs a viewing instruction for viewing a game play video to the game device, video data for displaying the game play video stored in a computer different from the game device on the display unit. One game viewing data selected by the user from among a plurality of game viewing data including audio data for outputting game play audio corresponding to the game play video from the audio output unit is transmitted through the network. Acquisition means to acquire through, and
A game program that functions as game viewing means for displaying the game play moving image on the display unit based on the moving image data included in the game viewing data acquired by the acquiring means ,
The game viewing means displays the game play moving image in a viewing area that is a partial area of the screen of the display unit during execution of the game,
The above game viewing means is
outputting the game play sound from the sound output unit based on the sound data when the game play moving image is displayed on the display unit when the game is not being executed;
During execution of the game, only when there is an output instruction from the user to output the game play sound from the sound output unit, when displaying the game play moving image on the display unit, based on the sound data and outputting the game play sound from the sound output unit. stored in the storage unit of a game device comprising a storage unit, a display unit, and an audio output unit;
the above game device,
game execution means for executing a game, displaying a game image of the game being executed in a moving image format on the display unit, and outputting a game sound of the game being executed to the audio output unit;
When a user inputs a viewing instruction for viewing a game play video to the game device, video data for displaying the game play video stored in a computer different from the game device on the display unit. One game viewing data selected by the user from among a plurality of game viewing data including audio data for outputting game play audio corresponding to the game play video from the audio output unit is transmitted through the network. Acquisition means to acquire through, and
A game program that functions as game viewing means for displaying the game play moving image on the display unit based on the moving image data included in the game viewing data acquired by the acquiring means ,
The game viewing means displays the game play moving image in a viewing area that is a partial area of the screen of the display unit during execution of the game,
A user is allowed to select either the game sound or the game play sound to be output from the sound output unit when the game play moving image is displayed on the display unit during execution of the game. game program. A game device comprising a storage unit storing the game program according to claim 1 or 2, a display unit, and an audio output unit;
game viewing data including video data for displaying a game play video on the display unit of the game device and audio data for outputting the game play sound corresponding to the game play video from the audio output unit; and a computer that delivers to the game device via a network.

Images