WO2013069641A1

WO2013069641A1 - Information connection system

Info

Publication number: WO2013069641A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/078739
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宜隆西村; 昌宏清本; 翔太片桐; 貴生山本; 達也伊山; 真由美奥山
Original assignee: 株式会社コナミデジタルエンタテインメント
Priority date: 2011-11-09
Filing date: 2012-11-06
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: TW201336566A; JP2013099476A

Abstract

An information connection system (1) comprising a center server (3), a plurality of game machines (2) capable of mutually sending and receiving information via the center server (3), and a service provision server (4) capable of receiving information from the center server (3); which connects information by providing information sent and received between the plurality of game machines (2) to the service provision server (4) via the center server (3). In the game machines (2), a message having a card ID identifying a user added thereto is sent to the center server (3), and a message posted by another user including the user's own message is displayed on a message board (51). In the center server (3), an SNSID for the service provision server (4) and the card ID are associated, and an SNSID is attached to the message posted by the user and the message is sent to the service provision server (4).

Description

Information linkage system

The present invention relates to an information interlocking system capable of interlocking information by mutually transmitting and receiving information between a plurality of game machines via a first server and also providing the information to a second server.

In recent years, network services represented by SNS (abbreviation of social networking service) have become widespread as a mechanism for providing a place for interaction between users via a network. Also in the field of game machines, a system that realizes pseudo communication by selectively transmitting and receiving appropriate dialogues according to game situations between commercial game machines connected to a network is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-133102 A

In the system described above, communication between users can be achieved, but it is performed only within a limited range between game machines.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information interlocking system that interlocks information by enabling information transmitted and received between game machines to be provided to services that form different communities.

An information linkage system according to the present invention includes a first server device that manages information by attaching first identification information for identifying a user, and a plurality of games that can transmit / receive information to / from each other via the first server device And a second server device that can receive information from the first server device and manage the information by adding second identification information for identifying a user, can communicate with each other via a network. An information interlocking system for interlocking information by providing information transmitted and received between the plurality of game machines to the second server apparatus via the first server apparatus, wherein the plurality of game machines Each of which includes a game executing means for executing a predetermined game, an input means capable of inputting an operation relating to the game, a display means for displaying a game screen, and post information input by the input means. Post information sending means for giving the first identification information and sending it to the first server device; and receiving distribution information including its own post information from the first server device, and displaying the delivery information in the display Distribution information display means for displaying on the means, and the first server device manages the posting information transmitted from the information transmission means of each of the plurality of game machines as the distribution information. Management means, distribution information transmission means for transmitting the distribution information to each of the plurality of game machines, identification information management means for associating the first identification information with the second identification information, and the posted information. Posting information interlocking means for providing the second identification information associated with the transmitted first identification information of the user and transmitting the posting information to the second server device is provided, and the second supporting information is provided. The reception device is provided with reception information disclosure means for publishing the reception information managed for each of the second identification information given to the reception information received from the user. The said subject is solved by making the said posting information received from the server apparatus public as said receiving information.

According to the information linkage system of the present invention, a user who plays a game on a game machine can post posted information from the game machine, and the posted information is transmitted to the first server device. The game machine displays the distribution information received from the first server device on the display means, and the user can browse the distribution information including his / her posting information. If the user has the second identification information managed by the second server device, the post information transmitted by the user is associated with the first identification information for identifying the user by the first server device. 2 server device. In the second server device, for example, various well-known SNS services are provided, and received post information is disclosed. Thereby, the posting information transmitted / received between the game machine and the first server device is disclosed by a service that forms a different community provided by the second server device. Therefore, the number of people who touch the user's posted information increases, and the enjoyment of the game can be appealed to people who have never played the game machine.

In one aspect of the information interlocking system of the present invention, the posted information transmitting means may present a plurality of different posted information to the user and transmit the posted information selected by the user. According to this, the user determines post information to be transmitted from among a plurality of post information. Thereby, the time for the user to create post information can be shortened.

In an aspect in which a plurality of pieces of posted information are presented, the posted information transmitting unit may increase or decrease the number of posted information to be presented to the user according to the situation of the game executed by the game executing unit. According to this, posting information suitable for the situation can be prepared by increasing / decreasing posting information that can be selected according to the progress of the game. For example, depending on the progress of the game, post information that can be selected only when a predetermined condition is satisfied may be prepared, or useful game information may be transmitted as post information. Therefore, it is a motivation for the user to continue the game.

In one aspect of the information interlocking system of the present invention, the distribution information management means includes the distribution information as its own posting information and posting information provided with first identification information of a specific user designated by the user. Distribution information editing means for editing may be provided, and the distribution information transmitting means may transmit the distribution information edited by the distribution information editing means to a game machine used by the user. According to this, the user can browse only his / her own post information and post information posted by the specific user on the game machine. Thereby, it is possible to communicate by displaying post information of only a specific user in which the user is interested.

In one aspect of the information interlocking system of the present invention, the distribution information display means causes the display means to display its own posting information when the posting information transmission means transmits its own posting information. When the distribution information including the posting information is received, the display of the display unit may be updated. According to this, when it takes time to send and receive data to and from the first server device, there is a possibility that the update of the display of the distribution information is delayed. By renewing and displaying only his / her own posting information without sending / receiving data to / from the first server device, it is possible to make the user aware that his / her own posting information has been transmitted normally and to be relieved. it can.

In one aspect of the information interlocking system of the present invention, the posting information interlocking means is provided with transmission setting means for setting whether or not the posting information can be transmitted to the second server device based on a user's selection. It may be. According to this, when the user does not wish to transmit the posted information to the second server device, the posted information can be posted only by the community of game machines provided by the first server device. By making it possible to change the setting of whether posting information can be transmitted, it is possible to provide a game service according to the user's wishes.

In one aspect of the information interlocking system of the present invention, the game machine is further provided with a matching means for matching players of the plurality of game machines, and the posted information transmission means is matched by the matching means. The posted information may be transmitted to the first server device during the period. According to this, the user can post the posting information during the waiting time while the game machine is performing the matching process. You can be attracted to the game without getting bored of the user.

As described above, in the information linkage system of the present invention, a user who plays a game on a game machine can post posted information from the game machine, and the posted information is transmitted to the first server device. The game machine displays the distribution information received from the first server device on the display means, and the user can browse the distribution information including his / her posting information. If the user has the second identification information managed by the second server device, the post information transmitted by the user is associated with the first identification information for identifying the user by the first server device. 2 server device. In the second server device, for example, various well-known SNS services are provided, and received post information is disclosed. Thereby, the posting information transmitted / received between the game machine and the first server device is disclosed by a service that forms a different community provided by the second server device. Therefore, the number of people who see the posted information of the user increases, and the enjoyment of the game can be appealed to people who have never played the game machine.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the information interlocking system which concerns on one form of this invention. The functional block diagram of an information link system. The figure explaining the information link service implement | achieved by an information link system. The figure which shows an example of the selection screen which displays a some choice. The figure which shows an example of the setting screen displayed on the monitor of a game machine. The flowchart which shows the information interlocking process which a game machine, a center server, and a service provision server cooperate in order to implement | achieve the information interlocking service provided with an information interlocking system.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information linkage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information interlocking system 1 includes a plurality of game machines 2, a center server 3 as a first server device, and a service providing server 4 as a second server device. Each game machine 2 instructs a user (player) to perform a series of operations in accordance with music, generates a musical sound according to the user's operation, and based on the relationship between the instructed operation and the operation actually performed by the user. It is configured as a music game that evaluates user operations. The music game played on the game machine 2 may be a known game.

Each game machine 2 is installed in a commercial facility such as a store 5 and is used for commercial (business) use that allows a user to play a predetermined range of games in exchange for collection (payment) of a predetermined amount of play fee. It is configured as a game machine. An appropriate number of game machines 2 are installed in the store 5. The game machine 2 includes a housing 11 and a monitor 12 (a liquid crystal display device as an example) as a display device disposed on the top surface of the housing 11 so as to be inclined toward the player. On the surface of the monitor 12, a transparent touch panel 13 as an input device is superimposed. The touch panel 13 is a known input device that outputs a signal corresponding to the contact position when the player touches with a finger or the like. In addition, the game machine 2 is provided with various input devices and output devices provided in commercial game machines such as a button for selecting or determining, a power switch, and a power lamp. Is omitted.

The center server 3 is installed by the operator of the information linkage system 1. In FIG. 1, the center server 3 is displayed as a single server unit. However, the center server 3 is configured to function as one logical server device by combining a plurality of server units as a single server unit. It may be. Alternatively, the center server 3 may be constructed by cloud computing. The service providing server 4 is a server installed by a service provider other than the operator of the information linkage system 1 and has the same configuration as the center server 3. The game machine 2, the center server 3, and the service providing server 4 are connected to the network 7 via the router 6 and configured to be able to communicate with each other. A local server may be installed between the game machine 2 and the router 6 of the store 5, and the game machine 2 may be connected to the center server 3 via the local server.

The center server 3 provides various services via the network 7 to the game machine 2 or the user. For example, various game services and communication services with other users are provided as services. As a game service, a game program or data update service via the game machine 2, a player of the game machine 2 is authenticated, and play data including the play history of the player is received from the game machine 2 and stored. Or a service provided to the game machine 2, a matching service between users when a plurality of users play a common game via the network 7, and the like. The game server 3 also provides various web services to the user terminal 8 that is accessed via the network 7. Examples of Web services include services such as a game information service that provides users with various information related to games through a Web site, and a community service that provides a place for exchange such as information transmission, exchange, and sharing by users. The user terminal 8 is appropriately a computer unit that functions as a personal terminal device capable of network connection, such as a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) 8a or a mobile phone 8b including a smartphone. You may use this.

The service providing server 4 has a function of providing the user with a place of exchange such as information transmission, exchange, sharing, and formation of friends between users realized by a known communication service such as a social networking service. . The operator of the service providing server 4 may be the operator of the information linkage system 1 or a third party other than the operator of the information linkage system 1. Examples of services provided by the service providing server 4 include various SNS services such as FACEBOOK (registered trademark) including a miniblog represented by TWITTER (registered trademark). The service providing server 4 provides various Web services via the network 7 to the user terminal 8 of the user.

Each game machine 2, the center server 3, and the service providing server 4 are given unique IP addresses for identifying them on the network 7. In communication between the

devices

2, 3, and 4, a communication partner is specified using the IP address. A unique fixed address is set for each router 6, and a private address for uniquely identifying the game machine 2 on the network 7 is set as an IP address for the game machine 2 in combination with the fixed address. . In this case, a virtual private network (VPN) is established between the game machine 2 and the center server 3 or between the game machines 2, and each game machine 2 uniquely uses a private address on the VPN. Identified. The user terminal 8 is also given a unique IP address for uniquely identifying the user terminal 8 on the network 7. The IP address may be a so-called dynamic address that changes every time it is connected to the network 7 or may be a fixed address that does not change.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the information linkage system 1. The game machine 2 has a control unit 20. The control unit 20 is a computer unit that combines a microprocessor and peripheral devices such as a main memory (RAM, ROM) necessary for its operation. The control unit 20 is connected to the monitor 12, the touch panel 13, and the storage device 21, respectively. In addition, various peripheral devices necessary for game execution, such as a speaker unit, can be connected to the control unit 20, but illustration of them is omitted. The storage device 21 is configured by a nonvolatile storage medium such as a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, or an EEPROM. The storage device 21 has a game program 22 as application software for executing a game in a predetermined procedure, and message data 23 selected when a user posts a message as post information at an appropriate timing of the game. Is stored.

When the control unit 20 reads and executes the game program 22, various logical devices necessary for the execution of the game are generated in the control unit 20, and various kinds of logical devices necessary for the progress of the game executed on the game machine 2 are generated. Perform arithmetic processing. As one of the logical devices, a game execution unit 24 and a posting management unit 25 are generated in the control unit 20. The game execution unit 24 is responsible for various processes necessary for a game executed on the game machine 2. The posting management unit 25 is in charge of transmission / reception of messages posted by the user and management of display of messages at appropriate timings during game play including before or after the game play is started.

The center server 3 has a control unit 30 and a storage device 31. The control unit 30 and the storage device 31 may have the same configuration as the control unit 20 and the storage device 21 described above. The storage device 31 includes a server program 32 for various processes executed by the control unit 30, game play data 33 played on the game machine 2, ID management data 34 for specifying a user, The bulletin board information data 35 for managing messages received from the game machine 2 is stored. The play data 33 is data for storing a result of the game played by the user on the game machine 2 and used for the next game or the like, and is created for each user ID. The user ID is managed by the ID management data 34. The ID management data 34 is data describing the correspondence between various IDs set as information necessary for specifying a user. The type of ID and its management method may be appropriately set as long as the user can specify.

For example, the game machine 2 specifies a user using the card 9. The card 9 stores a card ID as first identification information unique to each card. The game machine 2 has a function of reading the card ID and transmitting it to the center server 3. On the other hand, the center server 3 specifies a user by using a user ID uniquely assigned to each user. The ID management data 34 describes the correspondence between the card ID and the user ID. The center server 3 specifies a user ID corresponding to the card ID transmitted from the game machine 2 based on the ID management data 32. Instead of the card 9, the card ID may be input by operating the touch panel 13, or information corresponding to the card ID is obtained from the user using various means such as a barcode. May be. In the ID management data 34, the SNSID as the second identification information given by the service provided by the service providing server 4 is also managed in association with the user ID.

The bulletin board information data 35 manages the user's message transmitted from each game machine 2 in association with the user ID. A message with a card ID is transmitted from each game machine 2 to the center server 3. Each message is assigned data related to the posting date of the message.

When the control unit 30 reads and executes the server program 32, various logical devices necessary for server operation are generated in the control unit 30, and various arithmetic processes executed by the center server 3 are executed. . As one of the logical devices, a game management unit 36 and a web service management unit 37 are generated in the control unit 30. The game management unit 36 provides various game services to the game machine 2 or its user (player). The game management unit 36 implements a game service in cooperation with the game execution unit 24 of the game machine 2. The web service management unit 37 provides various web services to the user of the information linkage system 1. For example, the Web service management unit 37 provides a user management site to a user who accesses the center server 3 from the user terminal 8 via the network 7 and provides a user ID and various IDs such as a card ID and an SNSID. New settings or changes can be made to be associated with each other, and various information about games that can be played on the game machine 2 is provided to the user through a website, or a bulletin board service that publishes messages posted by the user is provided. Further, the Web service management unit 37 specifies the SNSID of the user who transmitted the message with reference to the ID management data 34, and sends the same message as the one posted by the user with the SNSID added to the service providing server 4. To do.

The service providing server 4 has a control unit 40 and a storage device 41. The control unit 40 and the storage device 41 may have the same configuration as the control unit 20 and the storage device 21 described above. The storage device 41 stores user data 42 in which various setting information is managed for each user who uses the service providing server 4, and reception information data 43 for managing a message transmitted from the user for each user. . The storage device 41 further stores server programs for various processes executed by the control unit 40. The control unit 40 reads out and executes the server programs, so that the control unit 40 is logically stored. A service providing unit 44 as a device is generated. The service providing unit 44 executes various processes for providing an SNS service to the user. The SNS service to be provided may be a known service. For example, the service providing server 4 provides various services such as a message posting service, a setting change service for user data 42, and a browsing service for messages posted by the user to users who access the user terminal 8 via the network 7. provide.

Referring to FIG. 3, the information linkage service realized by the information linkage system 1 will be described. When the user pays a predetermined amount of play fee to the game machine 2 and does not play a song such as a period for setting a song to be played, difficulty level, etc., a result announcement period after play, or an appropriate timing during game play You can post a message at The message posted by the user is selected from a plurality of prepared messages. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the selection screen 52 that displays a plurality of messages. The messages M1 to M3 are messages indicating the situation before the music game play, and messages corresponding to the situation are presented. An appropriate message is displayed on the selection screen 52 with reference to the message data 23. The plurality of messages to be presented vary depending on the timing for selecting the message. For example, if the game play result of the player is a good result, a content indicating that the player has a good result is displayed. The message is appropriately set depending on the game difficulty level and the game progress status. In FIG. 3, when Mr. B selects the message M1 as the user, the cursor 53 overlaps with the message M1 to indicate that it is selected. By touching the posting button 54, the message M1 is transmitted to the center server 3.

The posted message M1 is recorded in the bulletin board information data 35 and managed by the Web service management unit 37 of the center server 3. The Web service management unit 37 transmits a message transmitted from a user who plays each game machine 2 to each game machine 2 as bulletin board information as distribution information. The game machine 2 displays the bulletin board 51 based on the received bulletin board information. On the bulletin board 51, messages posted by each user including their own messages are arranged in chronological order based on the date and time of posting by the user, and a new message is displayed at the top. Or you may display so that the message arranged in order of the date and time at a fixed timing may slide. The display method may be changed as appropriate.

When the user has an account for the SNS service provided by the service providing server 4, it is possible to associate the user ID managed by the center server 3 with the SNS ID managed by the service providing server 4. FIG. 5 shows an example of the setting screen 55 displayed on the monitor 12 of the game machine 2. In the setting screen 55, in addition to the message availability setting 56 posted on the game machine 2, an interlocking setting 57 with the SNS service provided by the user providing server 4 is possible. In the interlock setting 57, the user's SNSID is registered in the designated location 57a. Also, if you want to display only your own message and the message of a specific acquaintance on the bulletin board 51, you can set friend registration 58. For example, if you want to register Mr. A, press the edit button 58a and see Mr. A Any ID such as a card ID or a user ID is registered. In addition, when the friend only display setting 59 is performed, only messages of acquaintances registered as friends in addition to the self message can be displayed on the bulletin board 51. Items that can be set on the setting screen 55 are recorded in the play data 33 of the center server 3. The game machine 2 sends the card ID to the center server 3 for inquiry, and receives and sets a pre-registered setting recorded in the play data 33. Thereby, the user can enjoy a game, without setting at the time of a play start each time. Further, by accessing the center server 3 with the user terminal 8, the user terminal 8 may be operated to enable the same setting as the items that can be set on the setting screen 55.

When the user sets to allow the linkage with the SNS service provided by the user providing server 4, the message posted by the user is given an SNS ID and transmitted from the center server 3 to the service providing server 4. Then, the message is released through a message posting service such as a miniblog provided by the SNS service. FIG. 3 shows an example of the message display screen 61 of the message posting service provided by the user providing server 4. The message display screen 61 is a dedicated screen (timeline) prepared by the SNS service for which Mr. B has an account, and messages posted by Mr. B are displayed in chronological order with the latest posts at the top. Yes. The message display screen 61 is displayed on the screen display unit of the user terminal 8 that has accessed through the network 7. On the message display screen 61, messages Ma to Mc posted by the user B from the user terminal 8 and messages Md to Me posted from the game machine 2 are displayed. A specific keyword (hash tag) may be given to the message posted from the game machine 2. Such a specific keyword is given by the center server 3 when a message is transmitted from the center server 3 to the service providing server 4. By assigning a specific keyword, it is possible to edit and display only a message to which this specific keyword is assigned.

Items set on the setting screen 55 are managed by the Web service management unit 37, and selection of individual items set by the user is stored in the play data 33. The Web service management unit 37 functions as an identification information management unit and a transmission setting unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an information interlocking process executed in cooperation by the game machine 2, the center server 3, and the service providing server 4 in order to realize the information interlocking service provided by the information interlocking system 1. First, in step S1, the control unit 20 of the game machine 2 displays the posting screen 52 on the monitor 12 at an appropriate timing. The user selects one message from among a plurality of message options displayed on the posting screen 52. In step S <b> 2, the control unit 20 requests bulletin board information from the center server 3 at the timing when the posting screen 52 is displayed, and updates the information on the bulletin board 51. In the next step S3, the control unit 20 transmits the message selected in step S1 to the center server 3. In step S4, the control unit 20 displays the message transmitted in step S3 on the bulletin board 51. When it takes time to send and receive data to and from the center server 3, there is a possibility that the update of the bulletin board 51 is delayed. Only the user's own message is displayed on the bulletin board in step S4 without sending / receiving data to / from the center server 3, so that the user can recognize that the user's own message is normally transmitted and can be relieved.

When it is time to display the posting screen 52, the control unit 20 displays the posting screen 52 in the next step S5, requests bulletin board information in step S6, and updates the information in the bulletin board 51. In the processes after step S5, the processes of steps S1 to S4 are repeated. In step S6, bulletin board information including the message posted by the user in step S3 is received from the center server 3 and the bulletin board 51 is updated. As a result, the content displayed on the bulletin board 51 is synchronized with the bulletin board information data 35 of the center server 3.

When the control unit 30 of the center server 3 receives the request for the bulletin board information from the game machine 2, it refers to the card ID of the user who made the request in step S11 to inquire whether or not the friend is set. If the friend is set, the control unit 30 proceeds to step S12 and refers to the bulletin board information data 35 to display the edited bulletin board information edited only with the message of the specific user set as the friend and the self message. It transmits to the game machine 2. On the other hand, if the friend setting has not been made, the control unit 30 proceeds to step S13 and is composed of a predetermined number of messages in order from the latest posting date and time among all messages stored in the bulletin board information data 35. The normal bulletin board information to be sent is transmitted to the game machine 2.

When the message is posted from the game machine 2, the control unit 30 of the center server 3 updates the bulletin board information data 35 in step S14. Further, the control unit 30 refers to the ID management data 34 in step S15 and determines whether or not the user ID of the user and the SNSID are associated with each other. If the user ID and the SNSID are associated with each other, the control unit 30 proceeds to step S16 and transmits the same message as the message posted with the SNSID associated with the user ID of the user to the service providing server 4. To do. A specific keyword may be given together with the message to be transmitted. When the user ID and the SNSID are not associated with each other, the control unit 30 skips step S16. Thereafter, the control unit 30 repeats the processes of steps S11 to S16. When the bulletin board information request in step S6 executed by the control unit 20 of the game machine 2 is received, the bulletin board information to be transmitted may be only the latest bulletin board information that has not yet been transmitted.

When the control unit 40 of the service providing server 4 receives the message transmitted in step S16 executed by the control unit 30 of the center server 3, the control unit 40 updates the received information data 43 in step S21 and publishes the received message. . The received message is made public by displaying a message display screen 61 dedicated to the user on the user terminal 8 that has accessed the service providing server 4. If a specific keyword is assigned, it will be released at the same time. Thereby, it is possible for the viewer of the message display screen 61 to recognize that this message is transmitted from the game machine 2 and to display only the message to which the specific keyword is assigned.

According to the above processing, a user who plays a game on the game machine 2 can send a message to the bulletin board service provided by the center server 3 at an appropriate timing. On the bulletin board 51 displayed on the monitor 12 of the game machine 2, messages from other users including their own messages transmitted by the user are displayed in chronological order. When the user wishes to link with the SNS service provided by the service providing server 4, the user ID of the user is associated with the SNSID of the service providing server 4, and the center server 3 A message having the same content is transmitted to the service providing server 4. Thereby, the message posted by the user can be transmitted to different communities by linking the bulletin board service provided by the center server 3 and the SNS service provided by the service providing server 4. Therefore, the number of people who see the user's message increases, and it is possible to cultivate new users who visit the store 5 and to appeal to people who do not usually play games.

In the information linkage processing described above, the posting management unit 25 of the control unit 20 of the game machine 2 functions as posting information transmitting means by performing the processing of step S3, and the distribution information display means by performing the processing of steps S2 and S6. Function as. Further, the Web service management unit 37 of the control unit 30 of the center server 3 functions as distribution information management means by performing the process of step S14, and functions as distribution information transmission means by performing the processes of steps S12 and S13. By performing the process of step S16, it functions as a posted information interlocking means. The service providing unit 44 of the control unit 40 of the service providing server 4 functions as reception information disclosing means by performing the process of step S21. The web service management unit 37 also functions as a distribution information editing unit in that the editing bulletin board information transmitted to the game machine 2 in step S12 is edited.

The present invention can be implemented in various forms without being limited to the above-described forms. For example, in the present embodiment, the message that can be posted on the game machine 2 has been described as being selected from a plurality of options, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the user may be allowed to select whether or not to transmit a specific message at an appropriate timing, or the user may create an arbitrary sentence and post it. The user may be able to set in advance messages presented as a plurality of options. In this case, the user accesses the center server 3 through the network 7 using the user terminal 8 and records the created message in the play data 33. When the user plays the game on the game machine 2, the created message may be presented at an appropriate timing.

In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the timing of posting a message may be an appropriate timing. However, for example, a plurality of game machines 2 are connected to each other via a network 7 and a plurality of them are utilized using communication between the game machines 2. When the players play a common game, a message may be posted during a waiting time for matching the players. Since a certain amount of waiting time occurs in the matching process, it is possible to prevent the user from being bored by allowing messages to be posted during the waiting time. The matching process executed by the game execution unit 24 of the game machine 2 may use a known matching processing technique. In this case, the game execution unit 24 functions as a matching unit. Further, when the user performs a message posting operation at the timing when matching is successful and the matching process ends, the matching time may be delayed until the message transmission ends, and then the game may be started.

In the above-described embodiment, the game machine 2 has been described as a commercial game machine installed in a commercial facility. However, the game machine 2 is not limited to this and may be a personal game machine. The facility where the game machine 2 is installed is not limited to a commercial facility, and may be a public facility or a personal facility. The game machine 2 is not limited to a music game machine, and may include game machines that provide games of various genres.

Claims

A first server device for managing information with first identification information for identifying a user, a plurality of game machines capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each other via the first server device, and the first server A second server device capable of receiving information from the device and managing the information by adding second identification information for identifying a user so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network; An information interlocking system for interlocking information by providing information transmitted and received by the second server device via the first server device,
Each of the plurality of game machines includes
Game execution means for executing a predetermined game;
Input means capable of inputting operations related to the game;
Display means for displaying a game screen;
Post information sending means for giving the first identification information to the post information inputted by the input means and sending it to the first server device;
Distribution information display means for receiving distribution information including its own posting information from the first server device and displaying the distribution information on the display means; and
In the first server device,
Distribution information management means for managing post information transmitted from the information transmission means of each of the plurality of game machines as the distribution information;
Distribution information transmitting means for transmitting the distribution information to each of the plurality of game machines;
Identification information management means for associating the first identification information and the second identification information with each other;
Posting information interlocking means for providing the second identification information associated with the first identification information of the user who transmitted the posting information and transmitting the posting information to the second server device;
In the second server device,
Reception information disclosure means for publishing the reception information managed for each of the second identification information given to the reception information received from the user is provided, and the reception information disclosure means is received from the first server device An information linkage system that publishes the posted information as the received information.
The information linkage system according to claim 1, wherein the posted information transmitting means presents a plurality of different posted information to the user and transmits the posted information selected by the user.
3. The information linkage system according to claim 2, wherein the posted information transmitting means increases or decreases the number of posted information to be presented to the user according to the situation of the game executed by the game executing means.
The distribution information management means is provided with distribution information editing means for editing the distribution information with its own posting information and posting information to which the first identification information of the specific user designated by the user is assigned, The information linkage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distribution information transmitting means transmits the distribution information edited by the distribution information editing means to the game machine used by the user.
The distribution information display means displays the own posting information on the display means when the posting information transmission means transmits the own posting information, and receives the distribution information including the own posting information. The information linkage system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display of the display means is updated.
The transmission information interlocking means is provided with transmission setting means for setting whether or not the posting information can be transmitted to the second server device based on a user's selection. Section information linkage system.
The game machine is further provided with a matching means for matching players of the plurality of game machines,
The information linkage system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the posted information transmitting unit transmits the posted information to the first server device while the matching unit performs matching.