JP7315609B2 - GAME SYSTEM, GAME CONTROL DEVICE, GAME CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game system, a game control device, a game control method, and a program in which a game is executed by performing a predetermined operation and an image of the game is provided.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in amusement facilities and the like, game machines have been used by many users in which predetermined operations are performed to lift a product using a crane arm, insert a bar into a ring attached to the product, knock down the product with a coin, or move the product by turning a handle to acquire the product.

In recent years, a game system has been provided that allows such game machines to be used via a network (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a network-based game system, the video and operations of the game machine as described above are provided through the network, so the user can enjoy the game machine with a smartphone or the like without going to the amusement facility.

JP 2019-92647 A

However, in the game system via the network as described above, since the game machine can only be operated via the network, it is not considered to enjoy the game machine with friends. In particular, one of the real pleasures of a game machine that acquires products as described above is to gather friends at an amusement facility and communicate about the game machine and the products to be acquired.

By the way, in recent years, high-speed and large-capacity networks have been promoted by technologies such as optical lines and 5G. Therefore, there is a growing demand for new services that utilize high-speed, large-capacity networks, and it is desired to provide new services that utilize high-speed, large-capacity networks for the above-mentioned games as well.

An object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a game control device, a game control method, and a program in which a game is executed via a network by performing a predetermined operation and the video thereof is provided, and the game system, the game control device, the game control method, and the program further effectively utilize the high-speed, large-capacity network.

In order to achieve the above object, the game system of the present invention includes:
a gaming machine on which the game is run;
a plurality of terminals for performing input for performing a plurality of operations including at least one of operations related to operation of the game machine or acquisition of images in the housing of the game machine;
a game control device that operates the game machine and provides the video to the plurality of terminals based on inputs to the plurality of terminals;
The game control device
a terminal allocating means for allocating a terminal to perform each operation among the plurality of operations based on the received allocation information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each operation of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
game execution means for operating the game machine and providing the images to the plurality of terminals based on the input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned by the terminal assignment means.

In order to achieve the above object, the game control device of the present invention includes:
A game control device for operating a game machine in accordance with a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals to provide images in a housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
a terminal allocating means for allocating a terminal to perform each operation among the plurality of operations based on the received allocation information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each operation of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
game execution means for operating the game machine and providing the images to the plurality of terminals based on the input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned by the terminal assignment means.

In order to achieve the above object, the game control method of the present invention includes:
A game control method for operating a game machine in accordance with a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals and providing images in a housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
a terminal allocating step of allocating, based on the received sharing information, a terminal performing the operation for each of the plurality of operations, when sharing information specifying a terminal performing the operation among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of operations is received from any of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
and a game execution step of operating the game machine and providing the video to the plurality of terminals based on the input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned in the terminal sharing step.

In order to achieve the above object, the program of the present invention
A program for operating a game machine according to a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals and providing images in the housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
to the computer,
a terminal sharing procedure for allocating a terminal performing the operation for each of the plurality of operations, based on the received sharing information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
and a game execution procedure for operating the game machine and providing the images to the plurality of terminals based on the input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned in the terminal assignment procedure.

According to the present invention, in a game system in which a game is executed via a network and images of the game are provided by performing a predetermined operation, it is possible to more effectively utilize the high speed and large capacity of the network.

It is a figure which shows one embodiment of the game system of this invention. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the smartphone shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of a game control server shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing one configuration example of the game machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining processing in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining processing in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining processing in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data table that is part of a user management DB of the storage unit shown in FIG. 3; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a room management DB stored in a storage section shown in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen displayed on a display unit of a smartphone in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data table that is part of a game machine management DB stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including a game selection area displayed on the display unit of the smartphone in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation information table which is a part of game machine management DB of the memory|storage part shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including an operation assignment area displayed on a display unit of a smartphone in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an assignment information table that is part of a user management DB stored in a storage unit of a game control server in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including a game display area and a game machine operation area, which is transmitted from the game control server to the user's smartphone and displayed on the display unit in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the game control server shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a virtual locker table that is part of the user management DB stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 17; FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining product allocation processing using the game control server shown in FIG. 17; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including a product allocation area displayed on a display unit of a smartphone in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4; FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation information table that is part of a user management DB stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 17; FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation information table that is part of a user management DB stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 17; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the smart phone shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the game control server shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a participation condition table that is part of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 24; FIG. 24. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the participation restriction process to the game using the smart phone shown in FIG. 23, and the game control server shown in FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the game system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the game control server 30 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the game system according to this embodiment has smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, a game control server 30, and game machines 40-1 to 40-N.

Smartphones 10-1 to 10-n are information processing terminals owned by users. The smartphones 10-1 to 10-n receive input for operating games using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N, and display images of the games being executed. In this description, a smart phone is used as an example, but a personal computer, a tablet computer, a home-use game machine, etc. may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n can be configured to have a communication unit 11, a photographing unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, a storage unit 15, and a control unit 16. In addition, a configuration including a microphone for inputting user's voice, a speaker for outputting voice, a vibration motor for generating vibration, and the like may be employed.

The communication unit 11 accesses the access point 20 by a communication method such as 4G, LTE, 5G, wireless LAN, etc., and communicates with the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51 . The communication unit 11 includes, for example, a network interface controller for each communication method, an antenna, and the like. It should be noted that the first communication network 51 may be connected by wire such as a wired LAN instead of by radio. In that case, the access point 20 becomes a router or a switching hub.

The photographing unit 12 is for photographing a user's face or the like by user's operation. For example, it is composed of a lens, an image sensor, and the like. Here, an in-camera provided on the display unit 13 side of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n will be described as an example.

The display unit 13 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The display unit 13 displays information by the application programs installed in the storage unit 15, operation buttons, and information including images of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N transmitted from the game control server 30. FIG.

The operation unit 14 is composed of, for example, a touch panel laminated on the display unit 13, and performs a plurality of operations related to executing a game on the game machines 40-1 to 40-N or acquiring images when the game is executed. For example, in the case of a personal computer, a keyboard or mouse may be used instead of the touch panel.

The storage unit 15 is composed of, for example, RAM, flash memory, solid state drive (SSD), or the like. The storage unit 15 stores pre-installed various OSs, application programs, and data.

The control unit 16 is composed of, for example, a CPU or SoC, an OS being executed, and the like. The control unit 16 controls signal exchange with the communication unit 11, the imaging unit 12, the display unit 13, the operation unit 14, and the storage unit 15, thereby controlling the overall operation of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. To simplify the explanation, the operation of the control unit 16 will be omitted.

The game control server 30 is a game control device in the present invention. The game control server 30 remotely controls any one of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N based on the input to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n to execute the game, and provides the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n with an image of the game being executed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the game control server 30 may have communication units 31 and 32, a storage unit 33, a game machine selection unit 34, a terminal assignment unit 35, a game execution unit 36, a control unit 37, and a space provision unit 38.

The communication unit 31 is composed of, for example, various network interface cards or network interface controllers. The communication unit 31 communicates with the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n via the first communication network 51, and receives information according to inputs to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. Further, the communication unit 31 transmits images of the games being executed on the game machines 40-1 to 40-N to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n via the first communication network 51. FIG.

The communication unit 32, for example, is connected to the game machines 40-1 to 40-N via a second communication network 52 such as the Internet, a local LAN, or a dedicated line, and based on the input to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, remote-controls any one of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N to acquire images while the game is being executed. The first communication network 51 and the second communication network 52 to which the communication units 31 and 32 are connected may be partially the same network or completely different networks.

The storage unit 33 includes, for example, a hard disk, RAM, solid state drive (SSD), etc., and stores various installed OSs, software programs, and data. Here, it is assumed that a user management DB, a game machine management DB, and a room management DB are stored as data. In the explanation, a plurality of data tables are used as part of the databases of the user management DB and the game machine management DB, but the data may be managed in one data table, or the data table used in the explanation may be further separated and managed in a larger number of data tables. Therefore, it may be described as a user management DB or a game machine management DB without using a specific data table name.

The game machine selection unit 34 serves as game machine selection means in the present invention. The game machine selection unit 34 extracts candidate game machines that can be used for the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n based on the number of participating users and the usage status of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N, and registers the game machine to be used by the game machine ID received from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n.

The terminal allocating unit 35 serves as a terminal allocating means in the present invention. The terminal assignment unit 35 extracts the determined operation to be assigned to the game machine, and registers which of the plurality of operations of the game machine the input to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n corresponds to, based on the assignment information received from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n and indicating the correspondence between the user and the operation of the game machine.

The game execution unit 36 serves as game execution means in the present invention. The game execution unit 36 transmits operation instructions to the game machine selected from the game machines 40-1 to 40-N via the communication unit 32, and provides images being executed by the game machines to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n via the communication unit 31.

The space providing unit 38 serves as space providing means in the present invention. The space providing unit 38 provides the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n of the users participating in the game using the same game machine with a space for sharing the selection and operation of the game machine, the display of images when the game is executed, and the interaction between the smartphone users. A space is realized by, for example, a WEB page generated by a WEB server, is a space in a virtual space, and is called a room in this description.

The control unit 37 is composed of, for example, a CPU or SoC, an OS being executed, and the like. The control unit 37 controls the overall operation of the game control server 30 by controlling signal exchanges with the communication units 31 and 32, the storage unit 33, the game machine selection unit 34, the terminal assignment unit 35, the game execution unit 36, and the space provision unit 38. To simplify the explanation, the operation of the control unit 37 will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing one configuration example of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N shown in FIG.

As the game machines 40-1 to 40-N shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG.

Each of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N has a table 44 installed in the housing 41, and a product 46 is placed on the table 44. FIG. Rails 42a and 42b are provided on the top surface of the housing 41 for moving a crane arm 43 for gripping a product 46 in the front, rear, left, and right directions. For example, in addition to the rails 42a and 42b, the crane arm 43 is combined with motors, gears, belts, and the like, and suspended so as to be movable by operation. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the crane arm 43 combined with the rail 42b can move left and right, and the rail 42b combined with the rail 42a can move forward and backward, so that the crane arm 43 combined with the rail 42b can also move forward and backward. The crane arm 43 has a pair of arms 43a and 43b and a downwardly extendable shaft 43c. After the shaft 43c extends downward, the open arms 43a and 43b are closed to grip the product 46. A hole 47 for dropping the commodity 46 is provided in the housing 41, and after the arms 43a and 43b are closed, the crane arm 43 automatically returns the shaft 43c to its original length regardless of whether the commodity 46 is grasped, moves to above the hole 47 for dropping the commodity 46 by the rails 42a and 42b, and opens the arms 43a and 43b above the hole 47.例文帳に追加If the product 46 can be well grasped by the arms 43a and 43b and the product 46 can be dropped into the hole 47, the product 46 is discharged to a receiving port provided outside the housing 41 via the hole 47 so that the user can acquire the product. Cameras 45a to 45f are installed inside the housing 41 or outside the housing 41 as photographing means for photographing the inside of the housing 41 from the front, back, left, right, top and bottom at different angles. Note that the number of cameras is not limited to six, and the shooting angles are not limited to front, back, left, right, top and bottom. Also, the camera may be movable by means of a camera rail. The type of the game machine and the configuration of the housing 41 shown in FIG. 4 are examples, and an example using the crane arm 43 is shown. However, there are other configurations such as pushing the product 46 with an arm that extends the table 44 up and down to make it tilt and drop it into the hole 47, dropping a coin onto a predetermined place in the housing 41, hitting the product 46 directly or indirectly to drop the product 46 into the hole 47, or rotating the table 44 to drop the product 46 into the hole 47. But I don't mind.

The game machines 40-1 to 40-N configured in this manner execute the game under the control of the game control server 30 via the second communication network 52, and transmit images captured by the cameras 45a to 45f to the game control server 30 via the second communication network 52.

Although the game control server 30 has been described as being controllably connected to the game machines 40-1 to 40-N via the second communication network 52, the game control server 30 and the game machines 40-1 to 40-N are not directly connected via the second communication network 52, but are provided with a remote control device that is separate from the game machines. Shooting and indirect remote control of the game machine may be performed. Specifically, the cameras 45a to 45f for photographing the inside of the housing of the game machine are connected to the remote controller, and the game control server 30 controls the remote controller to switch between the cameras 45a to 45f, zoom, and the like. In addition, the game control server 30 uses a remote control device equipped with a manipulator such as a robot arm to physically press the operation buttons of the game machine, physically move the control sticks of the game machine, insert a coin to start the game on the game machine, etc. The game control server 30 indirectly performs operations using the remote control device. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the explanation, an example in which the game control server 30 controls the game machines 40-1 to 40-N via the second communication network 52 will be explained.

Processing in the game system configured as described above will be described below.

5 to 7 are flowcharts for explaining the processing in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

From the game machines 40-1 to 40-N, when the usage status of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N changes, the usage status of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N is transmitted to the game control server 30 via the second communication network 52 (step S1), and the game control server 30 successively updates the usage status of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N (step S2).

When a user possessing a smartphone 10-1 to 10-n participates in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, first, using the Internet browser and communication unit 11 installed in the smartphone 10-1 to 10-n, the user accesses the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51 (step S3). Alternatively, an application program of the game system installed in the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n is started, and the application program and the communication unit 11 access the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51. FIG.

The game control server 30 executes member registration of the user who uses the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n at a predetermined timing, issues a user ID, and registers the issued user ID and the set password in the user management DB of the storage unit 33.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a data table that is part of the user management DB of the storage unit 33 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the data table of the user management DB of the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 3, a user ID, a password, a name displayed on a smartphone, and a room key as information indicating a room entered when a room is set as described later are registered for each user. Furthermore, a flag is set to indicate the representative of users who have used the same game machine. It should be noted that here, the representative indicates that he or she has the authority to select a game machine or to designate a division of operations. The representative may be arbitrarily selected from among the users participating in the room, but here the user who created the room is registered as the representative, as will be described later.

Also, it is better to register the user's displayed name (name, nickname, etc.) in the space of the game system. For users who have participated for the second time or later, authentication using a user ID and a password is performed at a predetermined timing. As an identifier for specifying the user or the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, instead of the user ID, information such as application-specific cookies, information such as terminal-specific SIM, MAC address, IP address, etc. may be used, or a combination of such information may be used. Regarding the correspondence between the user ID and the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, session information, application-specific information, and terminal-specific information generated at the time of user registration or authentication are used to manage the correspondence between the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n and the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n while the game control server is connected to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. Therefore, the description will be made on the assumption that which user is using which smartphone 10-1 to 10-n is known.

When there is access from the smartphone 10-1, the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 uses the communication unit 31 to transmit participation selection display screen data displaying selection buttons for selecting whether to participate alone or with a plurality of people to the smartphone 10-1. A participation selection display screen is displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphone 10-1. Since a case where a plurality of people participate will be described here, it is assumed that the operation unit 14 of the smartphone 10-1 selects a button for participation by a plurality of people, and a participation instruction indicating participation by a plurality of people is transmitted from the communication unit 11. When the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 receives a participation instruction indicating that a plurality of people will participate, the space providing unit 38 uses the communication unit 31 to transmit room selection screen data that displays a button for selecting whether to create a new room or enter an existing room and an input field for entering a room key to be entered when entering an existing room to the smartphone 10-1. Then, a room selection display screen is displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphone 10-1. Here, it is assumed that a button for creating a new room has been selected and a room instruction indicating creation of a new room has been transmitted from the communication unit 11 . When the game control server 30 receives a room instruction to create a new room, the space providing unit 38 creates a new room space and a room key corresponding to the room, and transmits the room screen data of the created room and the room key to the smartphone 10-1 using the communication unit 31 (step S4).

Here, the room key is a unique password using alphanumeric characters for entering a virtual space called a room. A person who knows the room key can enter the room. When the room key is created, the game control server 30 registers the room key in the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33 and manages the state of the room as being entered.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a data table forming the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the data table of the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 3, for each room created as described above, the state indicating the state in which the room is being used and the obtained product indicating the product obtained by the user entering the room are registered in association with the room key identifying the room. It should be noted that the acquisition product item may be omitted depending on the configuration. After all the participating users leave the room, the space may be deleted and the room management DB stored in the storage part 33 may disable the state corresponding to the room key so that the room cannot be used even if the room key is entered. In this embodiment, the room ID that identifies the room and the room key that is the password are used in common, but they may be managed separately. Also, the user ID corresponding to the smart phone 10-1 in the user management DB of the storage unit 33 is registered in association with the room key as information for specifying the room being entered. At that time, a representative flag for identifying the user who created the room as the representative of the room may be recorded. After that, the room screen is displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphone 10-1 based on the room screen data (step S5).

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, a room key 91 and a dialogue area 92 are displayed on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 of each of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. The dialogue area 92 is an area where participating users communicate with each other. The dialogue area 92 is an area for displaying the display name of each user of the participating smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, the image of each user of the participating smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, and the dialogue by chat such as sentences and stamps input by each user received from the operation units 14 of the participating smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. It should be noted that the dialogue may separately correspond to voice, in which case the chat may be omitted. Further, the image of each user may be a still image registered in advance in the user management DB at the time of user registration, instead of a moving image which is a video of the user captured by each imaging unit 12 . In the present embodiment, in order to improve communication between participating users, the video captured by each capturing unit 12 will be described as an image.

When generating the room screen data (or when entering the room), the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 reads the display name corresponding to the user ID of the smartphone 10-1 to 10-n entering the room from the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33, and generates (updates) the room screen data so as to be displayed at the participating user display position of each user. The display positions are set, for example, in order of entry into the room.

When the smartphone 10-1 displays the room screen on the display unit 13, the photographing unit 12 is activated to start photographing the user, and the communication unit 11 is used to send the photographed image to the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51. Then, the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 distributes the image sent from the photographing unit 12 of the smartphone 10-1 so that it is displayed at the participating user display position corresponding to (the display name of) the user of the smartphone 10-1 on the room screen.

The user of smartphone 10-1 separately transmits the received room key to a person who wants to participate together using an application such as messenger or email. For example, if the user of the smartphone 10-n receives a room key, the user accesses the game control server 30 in the same manner as described above, and when the room selection screen is displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphone 10-n, the user enters the received room key in the entry field for entering the room key on the room selection screen, and selects a button to enter an existing room.

When the game control server 30 receives a room key and a room instruction indicating that the room key is to enter the room, the space providing unit 38 uses the communication unit 31 to send the room screen data of the room corresponding to the received room key to the smartphone 10-n. At that time, the space providing unit 38 reads out the display name corresponding to the user ID entering the room from the user management DB of the storage unit 33, and updates the room screen data so that it is displayed at the participating user display position of the user. In addition, the game control server 30 stores the user ID corresponding to the smartphone 10-n in the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33 in association with the room key. After that, when the smartphone 10-n displays the room screen on the display unit 13 based on the received room screen data, the smartphone 10-n activates the image capturing unit 12 to capture an image of the user, and uses the communication unit 11 to transmit the image to the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51. Then, the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 distributes the image sent from the photographing unit 12 of the smartphone 10-n to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n so that the image is displayed at the participating user display position corresponding to (the display name of) the user of the smartphone 10-n on the room screen. As a result, the display names and images of the participating users are also displayed on the room screens of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n of each user.

Here, the room screen data before the participants are determined is generated so that the participant determination button 93 is displayed. After that, when the participants gather, the user of the smartphone 10-1 taps the participant determination button 93 using the operation unit 14. FIG. Then, the communication unit 11 of the smart phone 10-1 transmits a participant determination instruction to the game control server 30 (step S6). It should be noted that although it is explained here that the representative who created the room has the operation authority, other users may also be given the operation authority.

When the game control server 30 receives the participant determination instruction, the game machine selection unit 34 extracts available game machines from the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33 (step S7).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a data table that is part of the game machine management DB stored in the storage section 33 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the data table of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 3, for each game machine that can be used in the system shown in FIG. 1, the name of the game machine, the genre indicating the type of the game machine, and the maximum number of users who can operate the game machine are registered in association with the game machine ID. Furthermore, when the game machine is in use, the room key and user ID indicating the room in use are associated with it, and when the use of the game machine ends, the room key and user ID indicating the room in use are deleted. The information about the room in use or the item of the user is the information updated in step S2 as the usage status of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N.

When a game control server 30 receives a participant determination instruction, a game machine selection part 34 refers to the use state of the game machines in the game machine management DB, and extracts game machines which are not currently used and whose usable number is greater than or equal to the number of participants as usable game machines.

Based on the usable game machines extracted by the game machine selection part 34, the space providing unit 38 generates and transmits game selection screen data for selecting the types of usable game machines to be displayed on the room screen (step S8). Upon receiving the game selection screen data, the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n display a game selection area on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 based on the game selection screen data (step S9).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including a game selection area displayed on display units 13 of smartphones 10-1 to 10-n in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, a game selection area 94 and a dialogue area 92 are displayed on the room screens displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n.

The game selection area 94 is an area where users of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n who have entered the room select a game machine to play.

The space providing unit 38 generates, as game selection screen data, screen data to be displayed so as to be selectable with an image of a shape such as a button showing the name of the game machine extracted by the game machine selection unit 34 . When there are many game machines, the game machine genres extracted from the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33 may be used to hierarchically display for each genre, or a search function for searching genres and obtainable products may be included in the game selection screen data.

A game machine ID that identifies the game machine is associated with the button that displays the name of the game machine. If the number of participants is excluded from the condition, such as when the setting is such that only participation in cheering (browsing) is permitted without operation, the game machine selection unit 34 extracts game machines that are not currently in use. In addition, it is more preferable that the space providing unit 38 generates the game selection screen data so that the product images and game machine images that can be acquired in association with the game machine IDs are also stored in the game machine management DB, and that the product images and game machine images that can be acquired in addition to the names are displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. Also, the game selection area may be operated by a single representative such as the user who created the room, or by each user. For example, a representative selects a game machine while exchanging opinions on a game machine to be played in the dialogue area, or all the players select the game machine, and the game machine with the largest number of selections is determined by the game control server 30 as the game machine to be played by the users in the room.

When the user of the smartphone 10-1 to 10-n selects a game machine displayed in the game selection area (step S10), the game machine ID corresponding to the name of the selected game machine is sent to the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51.

When the game control server 30 receives the game machine ID, the game machine selection unit 34 determines the game machine to be played by the user who has entered the room based on the received game machine ID, and registers the room key (or user ID) as the room (or user) in use in association with the determined game machine ID in the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33 (step S11).

Furthermore, the game machine selection unit 34 reads out operation specific component data related to the game machine ID from the game machine management DB of the storage unit 33 (step S12), and the space provision unit 38 generates operation sharing screen data for sharing the operation corresponding to the read operation specific component data, and transmits it to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n (step S13).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation information table that is part of the game machine management DB of the storage unit 33 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the operation information table of the game machine management DB of the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 3, for each game machine that can be used in the system shown in FIG. 1, operation buttons corresponding to various operations set to execute the game and operation specifying components that are identifiers for specifying combinations of the operations are registered in association with the game machine ID.

The smartphones 10-1 to 10-n display the operation assignment area on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 based on the received operation assignment screen data.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including operation assignment areas displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, instead of the game selection area, an operation assignment area 66 is displayed based on the operation assignment screen data. Interaction area 92 is still displayed. Operation specific parts 61a to 61c are provided in the operation assignment area 66. As shown in FIG.

The operation specifying components 61a to 61c displayed in the operation allotment area 66 specify an operation for executing the game on the determined game machine or an operation for acquiring an image when the game is executed on the game machine, and specify the specified operation. For example, the operation specifying component 61a "arm back and forth" designates an operation of moving the crane arm back and forth in the determined game machine. The operation specifying component 61b "arm left/right" specifies an operation for moving the crane arm left/right in the determined game machine. Further, the operation specifying component 61c "shooting angle" specifies an operation for specifying the shooting angle of the image when the game is executed on the determined game machine. These examples are only examples, and there may be operations that are different from or other than these. For example, as another example of the shared operation, it is conceivable that different users share the operation of opening and closing the pair of arm portions 43 a and 43 b of the crane arm 43 . In this case, an operation specific part “left arm” and an operation specific part “right arm” are displayed in the operation sharing area displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. In addition, when the table 44 rotates or moves, an operation specifying component for allocating the operation of rotating, moving or stopping the table 44 to the user, or an operation specifying component for allocating the operation of zooming the image when the game machine is executed can be considered.

Also in the room screen where the operation assignment area 66 is displayed, in the dialogue area 92, the images of the participating users transmitted from the photographing units 12 of the respective smartphones possessed by the participating users are displayed as the participating user images 62a to 62c together with the display names. Note that the participating user images 62a to 62c are associated with user IDs given at the time of user registration.

As shown in FIG. 14, after the operation assignment screen data is received by the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n and the operation assignment area 66 is displayed on the display unit 13 (step S14), a predetermined user among the participating users selects any one of the participating user images 62a to 62c displayed in the operation assignment area on the display unit 13, and the operation specifying part indicating the desired operation among the operations shown in the operation specifying parts 61a to 61c is displayed. When the user is dragged and dropped (touch to select a name or image, move the screen while touching the screen, and release at the display position of the desired operation specific component), the user ID corresponding to the participating user image is assigned to the operation specific component (step S15), and the assignment information including the correspondence between the specified user ID and the operation specific component is transmitted from the communication unit 11 of the smartphone of the user who performed the operation to the game control server 30 (step S16).

One of the operation specific components 61a to 61c displayed in the operation sharing area of the display unit 13 may be dragged and dropped to the position of the participating user image among the participating user images 62a to 62c by the operation unit 14, and the user ID corresponding to the participating user image may be assigned to share the operation specific component. Also, the predetermined user who operates the sharing may be limited to a representative such as the user who created the room, or each user may perform the operation of specifying their own sharing. For example, here too, the users who are in the room give their opinions on the operations to be shared in the dialogue area, and the representative or each person designates the allocation of operations. In consideration of the fact that it cannot be determined, a random button may be added to the operation assignment screen for transmitting an instruction for the game control server 30 to randomly determine the assignment of operations.

The sharing information transmitted from the smartphone is received by the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 (step S17).

Based on the assignment information received by the communication unit 31, the terminal assignment unit 35 of the game control server 30 registers the correspondence between the user ID included in the assignment information and the operation of the game machine corresponding to the operation specific component in the assignment information table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33 (step S18). For example, in the operation assignment area 66 of the room screen shown in FIG. 14, when the user "Taro" whose participating user image 62a is displayed drags and drops his own image to the position where the operation specific component 61a "arm front and rear" is displayed, the operation of moving the crane arm back and forth on the game machine is assigned to the user ID "1001" displayed in the participating user image 62a, and the crane arm is moved on the game machine corresponding to the user ID "1001" and the operation specific part 61a "arm front and back". An operation to move back and forth is registered in the assignment information table.

Although the case where the number of users and the number of operation specific components are the same has been described, when the number of users is smaller than the number of operation specific components, a plurality of operation specific components may be assigned to one user. Moreover, it is not necessary to allocate a user to an operation specific component that is only for viewing (helping), or a plurality of users may be allocated. If the operation specific component is not assigned to all the participating users, the users to whom the operation specific component was not assigned may automatically be assigned the operation specific component for viewing (supporting) only. In addition, a special operation specifying component that requires designation by a plurality of users may be prepared for one operation specifying component, such as an operation specifying component in which an operation is executed when the operations of all of the users sharing the operation match, and an operation that does not match the operations of all of the users sharing the operation is not performed, or an operation specifying component in which the operation is performed by any of the users sharing the operation. Furthermore, the terminal assignment unit 35 may determine whether or not the operation specific component included in the received assignment information is already registered in the assignment information table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33 in association with another user ID, and if it is already registered, may return an error to the smartphone that has sent the assignment information to confirm whether the update is possible or not.

In this way, each of the operation specific parts 61a to 61c displayed in the operation allotment area 66 is allotted to the user who performs the operation (indirectly, the smartphone used by the user), and the allotment information is stored in the allotment information table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an assignment information table which is part of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33 of the game control server 30 in the game system shown in FIGS. 1-4.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the sharing information table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 33 of the game control server 30, the user IDs assigned to the users assigned to the sharing by the terminal sharing unit 35 are stored in association with the operations corresponding to the operation specifying parts 61a to 61c for each received sharing information.

After that, as described above, when all the operation specific parts that need to be shared are assigned to the determined game machine, the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 connects to the determined game machine via the second communication network 52 (step S19), and puts the connected game machine into a standby state in which the execution of the game can be started. The connected game machine transmits the images of the cameras 45a to 45f to the game control server 30 (step S20). The game display screen data for distributing the images of the cameras 45a to 45f of the connected game machine and the game machine operation screen data for operating the game machine for each user are generated, and are transmitted from the communication unit 31 via the first communication network 51 to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n of the users who are in the room determined for the game machine (step S20).

The smartphones 1-1 to 10-n that have received the game display screen data and the game machine operation screen data display the game display area and the game machine operation area on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 based on the game display screen data and the game machine operation screen data instead of the operation allotment area.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a room screen including a game display area and a game machine operation area that is transmitted from the game control server 30 to the user's smartphone and displayed on the display unit 13 in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 16A to 16C, the room screen transmitted from the game control server 30 to the smartphone of the user and displayed on the display unit 13 includes a game display area 63 in which images captured by the cameras 45a to 45f of the game machine selected by the user who entered the room is displayed, a dialogue area 65 for sharing dialogue between users participating in the game machine selected by the user who entered the room, and a game machine operation for performing operations related to the game machine selected by the user who entered the room. An area 64 is provided.

In the game display area 63, images captured by the cameras 45a to 45f provided in the game machine selected by the user who entered the room among the game machines 40-1 to 40-N and transmitted via the game control server 30 are displayed. In the present embodiment, an image shot by the camera corresponding to the shooting angle selected by one of the users who share the shooting angle among the cameras 45a to 45f is displayed. However, images taken by a plurality of cameras corresponding to a plurality of shooting angles selected by a predetermined user out of the cameras 45a to 45f may be displayed, or the space providing unit of the game control server 30 may generate the game display screen data so that the images from all the cameras 45a to 45f are displayed side by side and the image shot by the camera corresponding to the shooting angle selected by the predetermined user is displayed larger than the other images. In addition, in the game display area 63, the space providing unit of the game control server 30 may generate display screen data using a predetermined shooting angle among the cameras 45a to 45f and display it on the room screen so that the user can view the position of the product 46 even at the timing of selecting the game machine or the timing of sharing the operation in response to the request of the user who entered the room.

In the dialogue area 65, a chat is still displayed in which a message input to the smartphone by the user who entered the room is displayed. It should be noted that chat may be omitted when each user's moving image and voice are used for communication in the same manner as other room screens.

In the game machine operation area 64, buttons for inputting operations for operating the game machine are provided for each operation of a user assigned to the game machine. When the assignment of all required operation specific components in the determined game machine is registered in the assignment information table stored in the storage unit 33, the space providing unit 38 refers to the assignment information table, generates game machine operation screen data including an input button for operating the operation specific component for each user ID, and transmits the generated game machine operation screen data to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n corresponding to the user ID. As a result, on each of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, input buttons for different operations for each user are displayed in the game machine operation area 64 of the display unit 13 based on the game machine operation screen data that differs for each user. For example, the smartphone 10-1, which is accessed by the user ID "1001" and the display name "Taro", which is shared by the operation of "before and after the arm", displays a button for entering the "Arm Before and after" operations in the game machine operation area 64 as shown in FIG. 16 (A). The smartphone 10-2, which is used to use by the user ID "1002" and the display name "Jiro", which is shared by "left and right", is displayed in the game machine operation area 64 as shown in FIG. Game machine operation screen data is born in the space provision unit 38 so that a button to enter the "Shooting Angle" in the smartphone 10 -N, which is used by the user ID "1003" and the display name "Hanako" used to enter the game aircraft operation area 64 and the "shooting angle" operation button is displayed as shown in FIG. 16 (C). It will be made. Note that the game machine operation screen data is not transmitted to the user's smartphone 10-n associated with only browsing as the operation specific component, and the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 does not need to include the game machine operation area 64.

The users of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, while watching the positional relationship between the crane arm 43 and the product 46 in the image displayed in the game display area 63, perform input for the operations they have shared with the buttons displayed in the game machine operation area 64 using the operation unit 14 (step S22). For example, if the operation assigned to user ID "1001" and display name "Taro" is to move the crane arm 43 of the game machine forward and backward as shown in FIG. If the operation assigned to user ID "1002" and display name "Jiro" is the operation of moving the crane arm 43 of the game machine shown in FIG. In addition, when the operation assigned to user ID "1003" and display name "Hanako" is an operation to specify the shooting angle of the images of the cameras 45a to 45f of the game machine, the button displayed in the game machine operation area 64 is used to input the operation of designating the shooting direction of the image of the game machine to either forward, backward, left, right, up or down.

Then, operation information corresponding to the input button is transmitted from the communication unit 11 of the smart phone to the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51 (step S23). For example, when operation restrictions are set in the game machine operation screen data, such as "arm back and forth" for 10 seconds and then "arm left and right" operations are possible for 10 seconds, the operation button is not displayed in the game machine operation area 64 during the restriction, or input to the displayed operation button is disabled.

When the operation information transmitted from the smartphone is received by the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 (step S24), the game execution unit 36 refers to the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33, and confirms to which game machine ID the operation included in the operation information received by the communication unit 31 is associated (step S25).

Then, based on the operation information received by the communication unit 31, the game execution unit 36 transmits an operation instruction to the game machine 40 corresponding to the game ID associated with the operation information received by the communication unit 31 among the game machines 40-1 to 40-n (step S26).

The game machine 40 that has received the operation instruction (step S27) executes an operation based on the received operation instruction (step S28). For example, when the operation information received by the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 indicates an operation to move the crane arm 43 of the game machine shown in FIG. Execute control to move. When the operation information received by the communication unit 31 indicates an operation to move the crane arm 43 of the game machine shown in FIG. 4 to the left or right, the game execution unit 36 transmits an operation instruction indicating an operation to move the crane arm 43 left or right to the corresponding game machine 40 based on the operation information received by the communication unit 31, and the game machine 40 that receives the operation instruction executes control to remotely move the crane arm 43 left or right based on the operation instruction. . Further, when the operation information received by the communication unit 31 indicates an operation for specifying the shooting angle of the image of the game machine shown in FIG. 4, the game execution unit 36 selects the image of the angle corresponding to the operation information received by the communication unit 31 from among the images captured by the cameras 45a to 45f of the game machine 40 corresponding to the received operation information and transmitted to the game control server 30, and distributes the image of the selected angle to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. do. Alternatively, the game execution unit 36 transmits an operation instruction to switch shooting to one of the cameras 45a to 45f to the corresponding game machine 40 based on the operation information received by the communication unit 31, and distributes the video transmitted from the switched camera 45 to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. The display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n display the received video in the game machine display area 63 of the room screen. By setting six cameras 45a to 45f in the game machine, the images during the execution of the game on the game machine may not be photographed at mutually different angles, but by changing the position and photographing angle of one camera, the images during the execution of the game may be photographed at mutually different angles. In addition, it is also possible to display an image from a designated angle among images shot using a so-called 360-degree camera.

The game machine 40 executes an operation based on the received operation instruction, and determines whether the product 46 has been obtained (step S29). When the product 46 can be acquired, the game machine 40 generates acquisition information including a product ID specifying the acquired product, and transmits the acquisition information to the game control server 30 (step S30). For example, an RF tag storing a product ID specifying the product is attached to the product 46, a reader is provided in a receiving port provided in a housing 41, and the reader reads the RF tag of the product 46 discharged to the receiving port to electronically determine which product 46 has been acquired. In this case, the game machine ID and the product ID of the product 46 are also transmitted to an administrator terminal (not shown), and the administrator of the administrator terminal who receives the information collects and keeps the product 46 at the receiving port. Since the number of products that can be obtained is basically limited, it is preferable to make each product ID unique by combining an identifier that indicates the details of the product and an identifier that indicates which product (eg, serial number). However, if the product is a product such as sweets that are abundantly stocked, the identifier indicating which product is the product may be omitted. If the game machine 40 determines in step S29 that the product 46 could not be acquired, it generates acquisition information indicating that the product 46 could not be acquired, and transmits the acquired information to the game control server 30 (step S30).

When the game control server 30 receives the acquired information (step S31), the space providing unit 38 generates a game result based on the acquired information, and transmits it to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n (step S32). When the acquired information includes a product ID specifying the acquired product, the product ID is registered in the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33 in association with the room in which the acquired user has entered.

The smartphones 10-1 to 10-n that have received the game result display the received game result on the display unit 13 (step S33).

When all the operations have been completed and the product 46 at the receiving port has been collected, the game machine ends the processing (step S34) and transmits the state of use "end" to the game control server 30 (step S35). The game control server 30, which has received the state of use "end" to the communication unit 32, deletes the room or user in use corresponding to the game machine that has transmitted the state of use "end" of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 33 (step S36). That is, the game machine becomes unused and can be used by the next room or user who wishes to use it.

As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of operations relating to the operation of the game machines and the acquisition of images during the execution of the game on the game machines 40-1 to 40-N are shared among the plurality of smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, and the operations of the game machines are executed and the images are provided. High speed and large capacity can be used more effectively. At this time, the game screen transmitted from the game control server 30 to the user's smartphone and displayed on the display unit 13 is provided with a dialogue area 65 that serves as a space for sharing dialogue between the participating users. As shown in FIG. 16, the users participating in the same game can play the game while enjoying the dialogue.

(Second embodiment)
In the game system of the present invention, since a plurality of users participate in one game machine, it is not always the case that the game machines 40-1 to 40-N can acquire products for the number of participants. Therefore, in addition to the above-described first embodiment, it is conceivable to set the allocation of the products acquired by the game machines 40-1 to 40-N at a predetermined timing. Predetermined timing is when users who have entered the room gather, a participant determination button is pressed, and the participants are determined, when the game machine to be used is determined, and when all the operations of the game machine are finished.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing another example of the game control server 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing one configuration example of a virtual locker table that is part of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 17, the game control server 30 in this embodiment differs from that shown in FIG. 3 in that the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 further has a virtual locker table and a product allocation unit 71. Also, the user management DB may have an allocation table, which will be described later. A description of the same configuration and operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

The virtual locker table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 is provided for each user of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, as shown in FIG. Here, the digital information is a code using numbers and alphabetic characters uniquely corresponding to the product ID attached to the product. Symbols and the like may also be used. In addition, it is desirable to encrypt digital information of other products in an unpredictable way, or to use non-copyable NFT (Non-Fungible Token) technology using block chains.

The product allocation unit 71 serves as allocation means in the present invention. A product allocation unit 71 stores products obtained by using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N as digital information in a user's virtual locker associated with a user assigned based on allocation information indicating to which user among users participating in the game on the game machine 40 the product is allocated.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart for explaining product allocation processing using the game control server shown in FIG.

As described above, at a predetermined timing after the user who enters the room and participates in the game is determined, the space providing unit 38 of the game control server 30 generates product allocation screen data for allocating products acquired by the game machine to be played, and transmits the data to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n using the communication unit 31. Based on the product allocation screen data received by the communication unit 11 from the game control server 30, the product allocation area is displayed on the room screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n of the users participating in the room.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a room screen including product allocation areas displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n in the game system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

On the room screen including the product allocation area transmitted from the game control server 30 and displayed on the user's smart phone, it is possible to designate to which user among the users participating in the room the product obtained by the game machine played is to be allocated. For example, as in the room screen including the product allocation area 94 shown in FIG. 20( a ), one or more acquired items are displayed in the product allocation area 94 , and images of users participating in the room are displayed in the dialogue area 92 . By dragging and dropping the image of the user to whom the product acquired on the game machine is to be allocated from among the images of the users displayed in the dialogue area 92 to the position of the acquired item, it is conceivable to specify the correspondence between the user ID and the acquired product. As in the case of allocating the operation, the association between the user ID and the acquired product may be designated by dragging and dropping the acquisition item to be allocated from among the acquisition items displayed in the product allocation area to the position of the user image to be allocated displayed in the dialogue area.

If the predetermined timing for allocating the acquired products is before the game machine is determined (for example, between the time when the participants are determined in step S6 and the time when the available game machines are extracted in step S7), the product to be acquired is still unknown, and the acquired item displayed in the product allocation area is associated with the acquisition order product ID indicating the order of the product to be acquired, and the product allocation screen data is generated. to be displayed. When the predetermined timing is after the game machine is determined and before the game is executed (for example, between the time when the usage state of the game machine is updated in step S11 and the operation specific component is extracted in step S12), the space provision unit 38 reads the products obtainable by the determined game machine from the game machine management DB of the storage unit 133, generates product allocation screen data including obtainable items associated with obtainable product IDs indicated as obtainable product candidates, and generates product allocation screen data in which the product allocation area is shown in FIG. As shown in 0(b), it is displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. When the game machine 40 acquires a product at a predetermined timing (for example, when the acquired information in step S31 is received and a game result is generated), the space providing unit 38 generates product assignment screen data including acquired items associated with the product ID of the acquired product from the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33, based on the product ID associated with the room in which the user of the smartphone 10-1 to 10-n has entered. are displayed on the display units 13 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n.

When a user to whom a product acquired by the game machine is to be assigned is designated (step S41), allocation information indicating correspondence between the user and the product assigned to the user is transmitted from the smartphone to the game control server 30 (step S42). At this time, the allocation information includes the acquisition order product ID, the acquirable product ID, or the product ID described above, and the ID of the user to whom the product is assigned.

If the predetermined timing for allocating the acquired product is before the game machine is determined, or after the game machine is determined and before the game is executed, when the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 receives the allocation information transmitted from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n to the game control server 30 (step S43), the product allocation unit 71 assigns the product acquired using the game machine 40-1 to 40-N based on the received allocation information to the user ID of the assigned user. is registered in the allocation table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 in association with (step S44).

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation table, which is a part of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 17, in the case where the predetermined timing for allocating acquired products is before the game machine determines.

As shown in FIG. 21, in the allocation table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 17, the acquisition order product ID, which is the acquisition order of the specified product included in the received allocation information, is registered in association with the user ID. In this case, this allocation is reflected in the acquired products even when playing with a plurality of game machines in the same room.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation table, which is a part of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 17, when the predetermined timing for allocating acquired products is after the game machine is determined and before the game is executed.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the allocation table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 17, the obtainable product ID, which is the product obtainable by the determined game machine and included in the received allocation information, is registered as digital information in association with the user ID of the user who desires to obtain the product.

After that, the game is executed on any one of the game machines 40-1 to 40-N as described above, and in step S31, when the communication unit 32 receives the acquisition information including the product ID, which is a message indicating that the product has been acquired from the game machine 40, the product allocation unit 71 refers to the allocation table of the user management DB stored in the storage unit 133, and the order in which the products acquired using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N and the order in which each user acquired the product ID. Alternatively, the obtained product ID is compared with the obtainable product ID of each user, and the obtained product is stored as digital information in the virtual locker table of the user management DB of the matching user ID (step S45). Then, the space providing unit 38 generates a game result indicating that the user based on the stored user ID has acquired the product based on the acquired product ID, and transmits it to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n using the communication unit 31.

Also, when the predetermined timing for allocating the acquired product is when the product is acquired by the game machine 40, when the allocation information transmitted from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n to the game control server 30 is received by the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 (step S43), the product allocation unit 71 stores the acquired product ID as digital information in the virtual locker table of the user management DB of the user ID assigned to the product ID corresponding to the product acquired using the game machine 40, based on the received allocation information. (step S45). Then, the product allocation unit 71 updates the room management DB stored in the storage unit 33 so that the product IDs associated with the rooms in which the users of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n have entered are assigned.

In this way, by presetting the allocation of the products acquired by the game machines 40-1 to 40-N, even when a plurality of users participate in one game, the set user can acquire the product at a predetermined timing.

In addition, since the products acquired using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N are stored as digital information in the user's virtual locker 133a, the products themselves can be delivered to the user's home or the like by performing shipping processing at the timing when the user to whom the products are assigned actually wants to acquire the products.

In addition, in order to reassign the once-allocated product to another user who is in a room (or a room other than the room in which the game was played in which the product was acquired) in response to a request from the smartphone 10-1 to 10-n of the user to whom the product is allocated, the space providing unit generates product allocation screen data including acquired items corresponding to the product ID assigned to the user, transmits it to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n of the users participating in the room, and reassigns it to the other user. By performing shipping processing at the timing when the user actually wants to acquire the merchandise, the users participating in the game can give the acquired merchandise to other users without sharing personal information such as addresses with each other.

It should be noted that, as described above, the products acquired through the game using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N are stored as digital information in the virtual locker 133a, and then the product itself is delivered to the user's home or the like at the timing when the user actually wants to acquire the product.

In addition to allocating the products acquired using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N to specific users among the users who entered the room and participated in the game as described above, the game control server 30 further has an exchange unit that exchanges the digital information corresponding to the product acquired by the game control server 30 with the digital information of other products. It is also conceivable to provide a process in which all users who enter the room and participate in the game can obtain the product of digital information by exchanging it for another product of digital information. At this time, instead of exchanging the tangible product acquired by the game machine for another tangible product, it is possible to exchange the acquired tangible product for an intangible product. Examples of intangible products include photo data, audio files, music files, video files, computer graphics such as stamp images used in messengers, items used in other games, and coupon data that can be used for medical treatment in other services. By turning exchangeable products into intangible digital information, it is possible to save space for managing multiple tangible product inventories according to the number of participants.

(Third Embodiment)
Moreover, in the game system of the present invention, in addition to the above-described first embodiment, it is conceivable to restrict participation in the game.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing another example of smartphones 10-1 to 10-n shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing another example of the game control server 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a participation condition table that is part of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 233 shown in FIG. Descriptions of the same configurations and operations as those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 23, smartphones 10-1 to 10-n according to the present embodiment are different from those shown in FIG. The location information acquisition unit 17 acquires location information indicating the current locations of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n using GPS or the access point 20, for example.

As shown in FIG. 24, the game control server 30 in this embodiment is different from the one shown in FIG. 3 in that it further has a participation determination section 81 and has a participation condition table in the game machine management DB stored in the storage section 233. The participation determination unit 81 serves as participation determination means in the present invention. When the communication unit 31 receives participation qualification information for a game using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, the participation determination unit 81 permits the smartphone to participate in the game only when the received participation qualification information satisfies a predetermined condition. Further, in the participation condition table of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 233, as shown in FIG. 25, the game machine ID corresponding to the game machine controlled by the game control server 30 is stored in association with the participation condition, which is information for determining whether the participation qualification information received from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n meets the conditions. If only game machines with participation conditions have participation conditions listed in the participation condition table, and if there are no participation conditions and all users can participate, then the description will be made as no participation conditions.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart for explaining a game participation restriction process using the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n shown in FIG. 23 and the game control server 30 shown in FIG.

As in the first embodiment described above, first, in order to participate in the game by the game system, the user possessing the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n accesses the game control server 30 via the first communication network 51 using the communication unit 11 and the Internet browser installed on the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n, or activates the application program of the game system installed on the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. to access the game control server 30 (step S51). After this access timing, the participant selection button is selected, and at a predetermined timing before the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n transmit the participant selection instructions to the game control server 30 (step S6 described above), the location information acquisition unit 17 of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n transmits the acquired location information of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n to the game control server 30 as participation qualification information via the first communication network 51 using the communication unit 11 (step S52).

When the position information transmitted from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n is received by the communication unit 31 of the game control server 30 (step S53), when the game machine selection unit 34 extracts usable game machines from the game machine DB stored in the storage unit 233 as in step S7 described above, the participation condition table of the game machine management DB stored in the storage unit 233 is referred to by the participation determination unit 81 in the extracted game machines, and the participation conditions are described. In addition, when extracting a game machine in which a smartphone user whose position is specified by the position information received by the communication unit 31 exists within the position range in which the participation conditions are described, the space providing unit 38 generates screen data to be displayed in a selectable manner as game selection screen data, prioritizing the game machine in which the user can participate in the position of the user over other extracted game machines (step S54). For example, a game machine that can participate at the user's position is displayed first in the game selection area, or a decorative graphic indicating region limitation is added and displayed. In addition, when a game machine with participation conditions described therein does not exist in a position specified by the position information received by the communication part 31 within the position range in which the participation conditions are described, the space providing part 38 generates game selection screen data by making the game machines that cannot participate in the user's position invisible or unselectable. For example, the game machine selection unit 34 deletes or grays out the non-participable game machines extracted by the participation determination unit 81 from among the extracted game machines, and generates game selection screen data.

Then, the generated game selection screen data is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n (step S55). The processing from step S54 to step S55 replaces step S8 described above.

Thereafter, similar to step S9 described above, the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n receive the game selection screen data transmitted from the game control server 30, and the game selection area is displayed on the room screen of the display unit 13 based on the game selection screen data (step S56). After that, it is the same as the above-described step S10 and after.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the location information of the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n is transmitted to the game control server 30 as participation qualification information, and in the game control server 30, game selection screen data is generated and transmitted to the smartphones 10-1 to 10n. That is, when the game control server 30 receives from the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n participation qualification information for a game using the game machines 40-1 to 40-N, only when the received participation qualification information satisfies a predetermined condition, the smartphone is permitted to participate in the game. Examples of such participation qualification information are not limited to those using location information of smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. A specific room key or time information can be considered. Also, a combination of these pieces of information may be used. For example, when a user possessing a smartphone 10-1 to 10-n enters a special room key created by the event organizer distributed at the event site in the entry field on the above-described room selection screen as a room key to be entered when entering an existing room, the game control server 30 receives the special room key as participation qualification information and enters the special room associated with the special room key as a participation condition, and generates game selection screen data that allows selection of a game machine to be displayed only when the conditions are met, to the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n. In this case, by further setting the break time of the event as a restriction on the use time of the game machine as a participation condition, the visitors to the event can enjoy the game during the break time of the event. In addition, in the second embodiment, by using the above-described virtual locker, it is possible to prevent the product acquired at the event site from being delivered to the house where the user is not present, and to deliver the product to the user's home after returning home. In addition, the acquired merchandise is stored in a virtual locker as digital information, the digital information is converted into a receipt code necessary for receiving the actual merchandise, displayed on a display part 13, and the user can receive the actual merchandise by presenting the displayed receipt code at a predetermined delivery place in the event hall. In this way, the above-described second embodiment and third embodiment may be combined in whole or in part.

Note that when the smartphones 10-1 to 10-n send participation qualification information to the game control server 30, and in the game control server 30, the sent participation qualification information matches the participation conditions, the game selection screen data that displays the game machines in which the user of the smartphone can participate is generated and sent to the smartphones 10-1 to 10n.

In addition, in the first to third embodiments described above, the game machines 40-1 to 40-N are described as examples in which the crane arm 43 shown in FIG. For example, it can be applied to any game that requires multiple operations to execute a game or to display an image during execution of a game, such as acquiring a product by inserting a bar into a ring attached to the product, moving a table on which the product is placed, dropping coins placed on the table, or acquiring a product by turning a handle such as a so-called gacha-gacha.

In addition, in the above-described first to third embodiments, one game control server 30 executes games on a plurality of game machines 40-1 to 40-N and provides images at that time, but a configuration having a plurality of game control servers 30 is also conceivable.

It should be noted that the method performed by the game control server 30 of the present invention may be applied to a program to be executed by a computer. Also, the program can be stored in a storage medium, and can be provided to the outside via a network.

10-1 to 10-n smartphone 11, 31, 32 communication unit 12 photographing unit 13 display unit 14 operation unit 15, 33, 133, 233 storage unit 16, 37, 137, 216, 237 control unit 17 location information acquisition unit 20 access point 30 game control server 34 game machine selection unit 35 terminal allocation unit 36 game execution unit 3 8 Space providing unit 40-1 to 40-N Game machine 41 Housing 42a, 42b Rail 43 Crane arm 43a, 43b Arm 44 Table 45a to 45f Camera 46 Product 51 First communication network 52 Second communication network 61a to 61c Operation specific parts 62a to 62b Participating user image 63 Game display area 64 Game machine operation area 65, 92 Dialogue area 71 Product allocation unit 81 Participation determination unit 93 Participant determination button 94 Product allocation area

Claims (10)

a gaming machine on which the game is run;
a plurality of terminals for performing input for performing a plurality of operations including at least one of operations related to operation of the game machine or acquisition of images in the housing of the game machine;
a game control device that operates the game machine and provides the video to the plurality of terminals based on inputs to the plurality of terminals;
The game control device
a terminal allocating means for allocating a terminal to perform each operation among the plurality of operations based on the received allocation information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each operation of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
a game execution means for operating the game machine and providing the images to the plurality of terminals based on an input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned by the terminal assignment means. The game system according to claim 1,
The game machine has a crane arm movably provided in the housing in the front, rear, left, and right directions in order to obtain the product placed in the housing,
The game system, wherein the plurality of operations includes an operation of moving the crane arm back and forth and an operation of moving the crane arm left and right. In the game system according to claim 2,
The crane arm acquires the product placed in the housing by opening and closing a pair of arms,
The game system, wherein the plurality of operations includes an operation of opening and closing one of the pair of arms and an operation of opening and closing the other of the pair of arms. The game system according to claim 1,
The game machine
a crane arm movably provided within the housing for retrieving goods placed within the housing;
and a photographing means for photographing the images at different angles,
The game system, wherein the plurality of operations includes an operation of moving the crane arm and an operation of switching the shooting angle of the shooting means. In any one of claims 1 to 4,
The game control device comprises space providing means for providing, to each of a plurality of terminals to which inputs for performing operations related to execution of a game or acquisition of the image on the same game machine, a virtual space for sharing conversations between users of the plurality of terminals. In the game system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The game control device
a virtual locker on a storage area provided for each user of the plurality of terminals and storing products acquired using the game machine as digital information;
a game system for storing products acquired using the gaming machine as digital information in a user's virtual locker based on assignment information received from one of the plurality of terminals and indicating to which user of the plurality of terminals the product acquired using the gaming machine is to be assigned. In the game system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The game control device
a game system comprising participation determination means for permitting the terminal to participate in the game only when participation qualification information for the game using the game machine received from the plurality of terminals satisfies a predetermined condition. A game control device for operating a game machine in accordance with a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals to provide images in a housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
a terminal allocating means for allocating a terminal to perform each operation among the plurality of operations based on the received allocation information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each operation of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
a game execution means for operating the game machine and providing the images to the plurality of terminals based on an input to the terminal to which the operation is assigned by the terminal assignment means. A game control method performed by a game control device that operates a game machine according to a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals and provides images in the housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
a terminal sharing step of, when the game control device receives, from any one of the plurality of terminals, sharing information specifying a terminal performing the operation among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of operations, assigning a terminal performing the operation for each of the plurality of operations based on the received sharing information;
and a game execution step in which the game control device operates the game machine based on an input to the terminal to which the operation is shared in the terminal sharing step, and provides the video to the plurality of terminals. A program for operating a game machine according to a plurality of operations corresponding to inputs to a plurality of terminals and providing images in the housing of the game machine to the plurality of terminals,
to the computer,
a terminal sharing procedure for allocating a terminal performing the operation for each of the plurality of operations, based on the received sharing information, when sharing information specifying a terminal that performs the operation among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of operations is received from one of the terminals after the plurality of terminals;
and a game execution procedure for operating the game machine and providing the video to the plurality of terminals based on an input to the terminal to which the operation is shared in the terminal sharing procedure.

Images