GAME SUPPORT SERVER, GAME APPARATUS, GAME SUPPORT SYSTEM, AND GAME SUPPORT METHOD FOR SUPPORTING USER OF GAME APPARATUS
A game support server comprises: a skill level acquisition unit which acquires a skill level indicating the user's game skill degree; a game database which stores standard times required for game play on the game apparatus; a recommendation request receiving unit which acquires, from the game apparatus, desired time which the user wishes to spend playing a game, and receives a request to recommend games matching the desired time; a recommended candidate extraction unit which modifies the standard time according to the acquired user's skill level to calculate estimated time required for user game play, and extracts, as recommended candidates from the game database, games if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is a predetermined value or less; and a recommended candidate presenting unit which presents the extracted games to the game apparatus.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for supporting the user of a game apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable game terminals have become broadly popular, which allow a user to enjoy a game with ease even if the user is away from home. An increasing number of users enjoy a game when they have a few minutes of spare time, in a period of time when they are on the move, such as being on a train, or when they are waiting to meet someone. In addition, portable game terminals have become available which have a function of establishing a connection to the Internet via access points installed in urban areas and the like. Such portable game terminals allow the user to enjoy a new game after it is downloaded even if the user is away from home.
There is a demand for a service which is configured such that, before the user downloads a new game, it predicts the user's preferences based upon the user action history, and to recommend a game suitable for the user, which is convenient. As a technique for acquiring and analyzing log information which specifies the user action history, Patent document 1 is known, for example.
RELATED ART DOCUMENTS
- Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2003-58395 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 7,558,820)
However, when the user desires to take on a new game in the user's spare time, there is no information with respect to the time required for the game. Accordingly, a prediction cannot be made beforehand of whether or not the user can finish the game in the user's spare time. If the user cannot finish the game in the user's spare time, the user must suspend the game before the user finishes the game, or otherwise the user must save the game in an unsatisfactory state. That is to say, although the user initiates a game, such a game has the potential to waste the user's spare time. Accordingly, in many cases, even if the user has spare time, the user selects one from among a limited number of games with respect to which the user can estimate the time required to finish the game, i.e., games which have already been played. That is to say, this leads to the user losing the chance to take on a new game.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, it is a general purpose of the present invention to provide a technique for supporting game device users, and for providing improved user convenience.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, a game support server according to the present embodiment comprises: a skill level acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a first game apparatus, a skill level that indicates a user's degree of skill in a game; a game database configured to store a standard time required to play a game; a recommendation request receiving unit configured to acquire, from a second game apparatus, a desired time period that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and to receive a request to recommend at least one candidate game that matches the desired time; a recommended candidate extraction unit configured to modify the standard time according to a user's skill level acquired by the skill level acquisition unit so as to calculate an estimated time that is an estimate of time to be required for the user to play a game, and to extract, as a recommended candidate game from the game database, a game if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and a recommended candidate presenting unit configured to present to the second game apparatus the recommended candidate game thus extracted by the recommended candidate extraction unit.
A game apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises: a recommendation request transmitting unit configured to acquire a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and to request that a game support server recommend games matching the desired time; a recommended candidate acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the game support server, at least one recommended candidate game if the difference between the desired time and an estimated time, which is an estimate of time required for a user to play the game calculated by modifying a standard time required for game play according to a skill level indicating the user's degree of skill in the game, is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and a recommended candidate display unit configured to display the recommended candidate game acquired by the recommended candidate acquisition unit.
It should be noted that any combination of the aforementioned components or any manifestation of the present invention may be mutually substituted between a method, apparatus, system, recording medium, computer program, and so forth, which are effective as an embodiment of the present invention.
The invention will now be described by reference to the preferred embodiments. This does not intend to limit the scope of the present invention, but to exemplify the invention.
First EmbodimentThe portable information terminal 10 is configured to perform processing of programs and data stored on a recording medium such as a mounted memory card or the like, and perform processing of programs and data acquired by communicating with an external device such as a server or the like. Examples of such programs and data to be processed include game programs, image data, and audio data. The portable information terminal 10 is configured to perform wireless communication between itself and an access point 4 by means of a wireless communication control unit 67 described later, and to be connected to the Internet 2 via the access point 4. Similarly, the portable information terminal 10 is configured to perform wireless communication between itself and the cellular phone network 3 by means of a cellular phone network communication control unit 69 described later, and to be connected to the Internet 2 via the cellular phone network 3.
The game apparatus 200 is configured as a stationary home game apparatus installed in the user's home, for example. The portable information terminal 10 and the game apparatus 200 each correspond to an example of a game apparatus according to the present invention. With such an arrangement, in the user's home, the user can enjoy a game mainly using the game apparatus 200, and when the user is away from home, the user can enjoy a game using the portable information terminal 10.
The game support server 100 is configured to recommend a suitable game for the user according to a request by the user received from the portable information terminal 10. In this stage, the game support server 100 is configured to acquire an amount of time which the user desires to spend playing a game, to extract game candidates that can be finished by the user in just the amount of time the user desires to spend, and to recommend the game candidates thus extracted for the user. Thus, such an arrangement allows the user to enjoy such a game effectively in an amount of time that matches the user's spare time. Furthermore, such an arrangement provides the user with a chance to take on a new game in the user's spare time, thereby contributing to the promotion of game distribution.
The game support server 100 holds the standard play time for each game. Furthermore, the game support server 100 is configured to acquire a skill level which indicates the user's game skill. The game support server 100 is configured to estimate the play time required for the user according to the skill level of the user based upon the standard play time, to extract games for which the estimated play time matches the user's desired time period, and to recommend the games thus extracted for the user.
The game support server 100 is configured to acquire game execution history from game apparatuses 200 and portable information terminals 10 in order to calculate the standard play time for each game. Furthermore, the game support server 100 is configured to acquire the game execution history from game apparatuses 200 and portable information terminals 10 in order to calculate the skill levels of each user. The game support server 100 may be configured to acquire the game execution history from only portable information terminals 10. In this case, the game support system 1 is not required to include game apparatuses 200.
First, description will be made below regarding an external configuration and a circuit configuration of the portable information terminal 10. Next, description will be made regarding a functional configuration of the portable information terminal 10 configured to provide a game support method according to the present embodiment, and detailed description will be made regarding the operation of each functional component. Furthermore, description will be made regarding a circuit configuration of the game support server 100. Next, description will be made regarding a functional configuration of the game support server 100 configured to provide the game support method according to the present embodiment, and detailed description will be made regarding the operation of each functional component. Lastly, detailed description will be made with reference to a sequence diagram regarding the game support method employed in the game support system 1.
[External Configuration of the Portable Information Terminal]The lower casing 30 includes a metal frame member 52 configured to cover the outer edge of the upper casing 20. The size of the lower casing 30 is greater than that of the upper casing 20 to an extent that is equal to the size of the frame member 52. The upper casing 20 and the lower casing 30 are each formed in an approximately flat shape, and are configured such that one casing can be slid with respect to the other casing. It should be noted that description will be made in the present embodiment regarding an arrangement in which the upper casing 20 and the lower casing 30 are each formed of synthetic resin. Also, these casings 20 and 30 may be formed of metal.
A display 23 is provided in approximately the central area of the upper casing 20. The display 23 is housed in the upper casing 20, and has a structure in which a transparent touch panel is stacked on a liquid crystal display panel. A translucent member 24 is provided on the area of the upper casing 20 that corresponds to the display 23. Such an arrangement allows the user to view an image displayed on the display 23 via the translucent member 24. It should be noted that the display 23 may include other kinds of display devices such as an organic EL (Electro-Luminescent) panel or the like, instead of the liquid crystal display panel.
Audio output openings 21a and 21b, which form a pair of audio output openings, are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the translucent member 24 so as to output sound output from a speaker (not shown) housed within the upper casing 20. Furthermore, indicators 25a and 25b are respectively provided to the left side and the right side above the audio output openings 21a and 21b. The left-side indicator 25a indicates the communication state provided by a wireless module described later. The right-side indicator 25b indicates the communication state provided by Bluetooth (trademark). The indicators 25a and 25b are each configured as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). A button 22 is provided below the left-side audio output opening 21a on the left side of the front part of the upper casing 20. The button 22 is configured such that it can be pressed in the depth direction. The button 22 is assigned to a function of switching the program which is currently executed, a function of ending a game, a function of temporarily suspending a game, or the like. A front-face camera 68a is provided above the indicator 25b on the right side of the front face part of the upper casing 20. Similarly, a rear-face camera 68b (not shown) is provided in the central area along the horizontal direction on the rear face part of the lower casing 30.
As shown in
A strap attachment opening 53 is formed in the left corner of the lower casing 30, which allows the user to attach a strap (not shown). The strap attachment opening 53 is formed in the aforementioned frame member 52. Furthermore, indicators 54a and 54b, which form a pair of indicators, are respectively formed on the left edge and the right edge in an approximately central area along the vertical direction on the front face part of the lower casing 30. The left-side indicator 54a is configured to indicate the readout/recording state of data from/into a memory card (not shown) mounted on the terminal main unit 13 via the media card slot 41. The right-side indicator 54b is configured to indicate the on/off state of a power supply for the portable information terminal 10. The indicators 54a and 54b are each configured as an LED. As shown in
LEDs 62 are configured as the aforementioned indicators 25a, 25b, 54a, and 54b. A motion sensor 63 is configured to detect the motion of the portable information terminal 10. A microphone 33 is configured to input sound around the portable information terminal 10. A speaker 64 is configured to output sound generated by means of respective functions of the portable information terminal 10. The stereo input/output terminal 40 is configured to receive stereo sound as an input signal via an external microphone, and to output stereo sound to an external headphone or the like. An input device 65 includes the aforementioned operation keys and so forth, and is configured to receive operations input by the user. The touch panel 61, the LEDs 62, the motion sensor 63, the microphone 33, the speaker 64, the stereo input/output terminal 40, and the input device 65, described above, are configured to mutually transmit/receive data to/from a CPU 71 or the like via an interface 66.
The wireless communication control unit 67 is configured using a wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network) that conforms to a communication standard such as IEEE 802.11b/g or the like, and is configured to wirelessly communicate with the access point 4 or the like, and to control the communication between the portable information terminal 10 and the game support server 100 via the access point 4 and the Internet 2, as shown in
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71 is configured to execute a program or the like loaded into main memory 73, thereby providing the respective functional components shown in
A GPS (Global Positioning System) control unit 75 is configured to receive a signal from GPS satellites, and to calculate the current position. A Bluetooth control unit 76 is configured to control wireless communication between the portable information terminal 10 and a peripheral apparatus 15 via a Bluetooth interface. A USB control unit 77 is configured to control communication between the portable information terminal 10 and the peripheral apparatus 15 via a USB interface. A memory card control unit 78 is configured to control reading/writing of data from/to an external medium 16. A video output control unit 79 is configured to output a video signal to an external display device 17 according to a standard such as HDMI.
[Functional Configuration of Portable Information Terminal 10]The cellular phone information terminal 10 includes a control unit 80, a history holding unit 92, and a game program holding unit 93. The control unit 80 is configured mainly as the CPU. The history holding unit 92 and the game program holding unit 93 are each configured mainly as the main memory 73 or otherwise the storage 74. The control unit 80 includes a user registration request unit 81, a skill level transmitting unit 82, a login processing unit 83, a recommendation request transmitting unit 84, a recommended candidate acquisition unit 85, a recommended candidate display unit 86, a download request unit 87, a game program acquisition unit 88, a game executing unit 89, a history recording unit 90, and a history transmitting unit 91.
The user registration request unit 81 is configured to request the game support server 100 to register a user. The user registration request unit 81 is configured to transmit, to the game support server 100, authentication information such as the user name, password, and so forth, and the user's attribution information or favorite information such as preferred games and so forth.
The skill level transmitting unit 82 is configured to transmit, to the game support server 100, the skill level which indicates the user's skill in games. With the present embodiment, when the user registration request unit 81 requests user registration, the skill level transmitting unit 82 is configured to receive the self-reported skill level from the user, and to transmit the skill level thus received to the game support server 100. As described later, the user's skill level is updated by the game support server 100 as the user plays a game using the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200.
The login processing unit 83 is configured to execute login processing to establish a login to the game support server 100 before the user receives a service from the game support server 100. Upon receiving an instruction from the user to log in to the game support server 100, the login processing unit 83 is configured to receive authentication information from the user as input data such as a password or the like, and to transmit the authentication information thus received to the game support server 100.
The recommendation request transmitting unit 84 is configured to request the game support server 100 to recommend game candidates which can be played by the user in the user's spare time and the like. In this stage, the recommendation request transmitting unit 84 is configured to receive the desired play time for the game from the user, and to transmit the desired play time thus received to the game support server 100. The recommended candidate acquisition unit 85 is configured to acquire the game candidates thus recommended from the game support server 100. The recommended candidate display unit 86 is configured to display, on the display 23, the recommended game candidates acquired by the recommended candidate acquisition unit 85.
The download request unit 87 is configured to request the game support server 100 to download a game program selected by the user from among the recommended game candidates displayed by the recommended candidate display unit 86. When the game program holding unit 93 stores a game program selected by the user in this stage, the download request unit 87 does not request the game support server 100 to download the game program, and the game executing unit 89 executes the game program. The game program acquisition unit 88 is configured to acquire the game program thus downloaded from the game support server 100, and the game program holding unit 93 stores the game program thus acquired. The game executing unit 89 is configured to read out, from the game program holding unit 93, the game program thus selected by the user, and to execute the game program thus read out.
The history recording unit 90 is configured to record, in the history holding unit 92, the information which indicates the game history executed by the game executing unit 89. The history recording unit 90 is configured to record the information such as the title of the executed game, the date on which the game was executed, the time required to execute the game, the game score, and so forth. The history transmitting unit 91 is configured to read out the history information held by the history holding unit 92, and to transmit the history information thus read out to the game support server 100. The history information is used by the game support server 100 to calculate the standard time required for the game, and to calculate the user's skill level, as described later. The history transmitting unit 91 may be configured to transmit the history information to the game support server 100 when the game executing unit 89 starts to execute the game. Also, the history transmitting unit 91 may be configured to transmit the history information to the game support server 100 when the game executing unit 89 ends execution of the game. Also, the history transmitting unit 91 may be configured to transmit the history information to the game support server 100 when the recommendation request transmitting unit 84 transmits a recommendation request to the game support server 100.
[Circuit Configuration of Game Support Server 100]The communication control unit 111 is configured to control communication between the game support server 100 and other apparatuses via the Internet 2. The CPU 112 is configured to execute a program or the like loaded into the main memory 113, thereby providing each functional component shown in
The user registration unit 181 is configured to receive a user registration request from the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200, and to register, in the user database 193, the information with respect to the user received from the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200. When the user registration unit 181 accepts a user registration request, the skill level acquisition unit 182 is configured to acquire the skill level of the user from the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200, and to register the user's skill level thus acquired in the user database 193.
Before the user of the portable information terminal 10 receives service from the game support server 100, the authentication unit 183 is configured to receive the user's authentication information from the portable information terminal 10, and to authenticate the user with reference to the user database 193. The authentication unit 183 is configured to transmit the authentication result to the portable information terminal 10. When the authentication succeeds, the game support server 100 supplies service to the portable information terminal 10 of the user. Conversely, when the authentication fails, the game support server 100 supplies no service to the portable information terminal 10 of the user.
The recommendation request receiving unit 184 is configured to receive a recommendation request for games that match the user's desired play time. The recommendation request receiving unit 184 is configured to acquire the user's desired play time from the portable information terminal 10, and to notify the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 of this information. The recommended candidate extraction unit 185 is configured to extract the game candidates that match the user's desired play time, giving consideration to the user's skill level with reference to the game database 192 and the user database 193.
After the recommendation request receiving unit 184 receives a recommendation request from the user via the portable information terminal 10, first, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 reads out the skill level of this user for each category from the user database 193. Subsequently, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 corrects the standard play time stored in the game database 192 for each game based upon the user's skill level, so as to calculate the estimated user's play time. For example, such an arrangement calculates the estimated play time by multiplying the standard play time by a correction coefficient configured such that it is raised from 1 as the user's skill level becomes lower than the average skill level, and such that it is reduced from 1 as the user's skill level becomes higher than the average skill level. Thus, as the user's skill level becomes higher than the average, the estimated play time thus calculated becomes shorter than the standard play time. Conversely, as the user's skill level becomes lower than the average, the estimated play time thus calculated becomes longer than the standard play time. The correction coefficient may be set for each game, or for each game category. For example, in a case in which the game is a role-playing game or a puzzle game, it is likely that the play time varies widely according to the user's skill level. Accordingly, in this case, the contribution of the correction coefficient may be increased. In contrast, in a case in which the game is a quiz game configured to provide a predetermined number of questions, or to provide a fixed solving time, it is likely that the play time varies little regardless of the skill of the user. Thus, in this case, the contribution of the correction coefficient may be reduced.
The correction coefficient may be calculated using a calculation expression including statistics such as the average value, the standard deviation, the median, etc. The recommended candidate extraction unit 185 is configured to extract, as the recommended game candidates, the games for which the estimated play time is almost the same as the user's desired play time. Also, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 may extract, as the recommended game candidates, the games for which the difference between the estimated play time and the desired play time is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Also, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 may extract, as the recommended game candidates, the games for which the difference between the estimated play time and the desired play time is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and the estimated play time is shorter than the user's desired play time. Also, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 may extract, as the recommended game candidates, a combination of multiple games for which the difference between the user's desired play time and the sum total of the estimated play times for the multiple games is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Also, the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 may be configured to extract the recommended game candidates with reference to the user preference information or the attribute information such as the user's favorite game category information.
The recommended candidate presenting unit 186 is configured to present the recommended game candidates thus extracted by the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 to the portable information terminal 10. In this stage, the recommended candidate presenting unit 186 may present the recommended game candidates sorted such that games in the user's favorite category are listed at the top. Also, the recommended candidate presenting unit 186 may display games in the user's favorite category in a highlighted manner. The download control unit 187 is configured to receive a game program download request from the portable information terminal 10, to read out the requested game program from the game program holding unit 194, and to transmit the game program thus read out to the portable information terminal 10.
The play history acquisition unit 188 is configured to acquire, from the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200, the information with respect to the history of games executed by the user. The skill level calculation unit 189 is configured to calculate the user's skill level with reference to the game execution history acquired by the play history acquisition unit 188, and to update the user database 193. The play time calculation unit 190 is configured to calculate the standard play time for the game with reference to the game execution history acquired by the play history acquisition unit 188, and to update the game database 192.
The skill level calculation unit 189 may raise the user's skill level for the category to which a game belongs, according to the number of times the user has played the game, or the play time which the user has spent on the game. For example, the skill level calculation unit 189 may raise, by a predetermined value, the skill level for the category to which a game belongs every time the user plays the game. Also, when the play time which the user has spent executing a game is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the skill level calculation unit 189 may raise, by a predetermined value, the skill level for the category to which the game belongs. In such a case, the aforementioned predetermined value by which the skill level is to be raised may be increased according to an increase in time which the user has spent playing the game. Also, as the difficulty level of the game which the user has played becomes higher, the aforementioned predetermined value by which the skill level is to be raised may be increased. In this case, the game database 192 is configured to store the game difficulty level.
The skill level calculation unit 189 is configured to make a comparison between the actual play time which the user has spent playing a game and the standard play time set for the game. When the user's play time is longer than the standard play time, the skill level calculation unit 189 may reduce the user's skill level. Conversely, when the user's play time is shorter than the standard play time, the skill level calculation unit 189 may increase the user's skill level. Also, a predetermined value, which is to be added to or subtracted from the user's skill level, may be increased according to an increase in difference between the user's play time and the standard play time.
Based upon the game score of a game which the user has played, when the user's game score is higher than the standard game score, the skill level calculation unit 189 may raise the user's skill level. Conversely, when the user's game score is lower than the standard game score, the skill level calculation unit 189 may reduce the user's skill level. Also, a predetermined value, which is to be added to or subtracted from the user's skill level, may be increased according to an increase in difference between the user's game score and the standard score. In this case, the game database 192 is configured to store the standard score for each game. At the time point at which the service starts to be supplied, the game database 192 may store the average score obtained based upon game score results provided by tester players or the like, as with the standard play time. Subsequently, the standard score may be updated for each user with reference to the game play history.
The skill level calculation unit 189 may be configured to calculate the skill level using a method obtained by combining the aforementioned methods. A predetermined value by which the skill level is to be raised or reduced by the skill level calculation unit 189 may be changed for every category.
The play time calculation unit 190 may use the average of the actual play time acquired from users as the standard play time. Also, the play time calculation unit 190 may use, as the standard play time, the weighted average obtained by averaging the actual play time weighted by the aforementioned correction coefficient. Also, the average of values obtained by dividing the actual play time by a correction coefficient that corresponds to the user's skill level may be used as the standard play time.
[Procedure of Game Support Method]Before the user receives the recommended game candidates from the game support server 100 when the user desires to play a game in the user's spare time and the like, first, the user logs in to the game support server 100. The login processing unit 83 included in the portable information terminal 10 transmits the user authentication information to the game support server 100 (S120). The authentication unit 183 included in the game support server 100 authenticates the user based upon the authentication information thus received, with reference to the user database 193 (S122), and transmits the authentication result to the portable information terminal 10 (S124). When the authentication fails, the user cannot receive the service from the game support server 100. Description will be made below assuming that the authentication succeeds.
When the recommendation request transmitting unit 84 included in the portable information terminal 10 transmits the user's desired play time to the game support server 100 (S130), the recommendation request receiving unit 184 included in the game support server 100 acquires the user's skill level from the user database 193 (S132), and notifies the recommended candidate extraction unit 185 of this information. The recommended candidate extraction unit 185 extracts, from the game database 192, the recommended game candidates which match the user's desired play time, based upon the user's skill level (S134). The recommended candidate presenting unit 186 presents the recommended game candidates to the portable information terminal 10 (S136). The game candidates recommended by the game support server 100 are displayed on the display 23 by the recommended candidate display unit 86 included in the portable information terminal 10.
When the user selects a desired game to be played from among the recommended game candidates, the download request unit 87 included in the portable information terminal 10 requests the game support server 100 to download the game program thus selected (S140). The download control unit 187 included in the game support server 100 reads out the game program thus requested from the game program holding unit 194, and transmits the game program thus read out to the portable information terminal 10 (S142). The game program acquisition unit 88 included in the portable information terminal 10 instructs the game program holding unit 93 to store the game program thus acquired.
The present embodiment is capable of recommending game candidates extracted with high precision such that they fit into the user's spare time when the user desires to play a game in the user's spare time or the like.
Second EmbodimentDescription will be made in the second embodiment regarding an example in which the game apparatus 200 is shared by multiple users. In a case in which the multiple users who share the game apparatus 200 each log in to the game support server 100 using their own user IDs, the same technique as in the first embodiment can be applied. However, in a case in which the multiple users who share the game apparatus 200 each log in to the game support server 100 using a single user ID, the multiple users having different respective skill levels share the same user ID. Accordingly, with the present embodiment, the user's own skill level is transmitted to the game support server 100 every time the user requests the game support server 100 to recommend a game.
There are differences in the external configuration and the circuit configuration between the game apparatus 200 and the portable information terminal 10. However, the game apparatus 200 has the same basic circuit configuration as that of the portable information terminal 10. Furthermore, the functional configuration for providing the game support method according to the present invention is the same as that of the portable information terminal 10 according to the first embodiment.
With the present embodiment, the user database 193 included in the game support server 100 is not required to include the skill level field 146. Furthermore, the game support server 100 is not required to include the skill level calculation unit 189.
The present embodiment is capable of recommending game candidates extracted with high precision such that they match the user conditions for each user even if a single user ID is shared by multiple users.
Third EmbodimentWith the third embodiment, such an arrangement is not configured to receive the user's skill level from the user. Instead, the skill level acquisition unit 182 included in the game support server 100 calculates the user's skill level with reference to the user's play history acquired from the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200.
With the present embodiment, either the portable information terminal 10 or the game apparatus 200 is not required to include the skill level transmitting unit 82.
The present embodiment is capable of appropriately calculating the user's skill level, and recommending game candidates extracted with high precision such that they match the user's conditions without imposing on the user the need for self-reporting of the user's skill.
While description has been made regarding the present invention with reference to the embodiment, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood by those skilled in this art that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.
Description has been made in the embodiments regarding an arrangement in which the game support server 100 includes the skill level calculation unit 189. Also, such a skill level calculation unit may be included in either the portable information terminal 10 or otherwise the game apparatus 200. With such an arrangement, the skill level calculation unit is configured to hold the user's skill level, and to update the skill level with reference to the play history of the games executed by the game execution unit 89. The skill level transmitting unit 82 may transmit the skill level to the game support server 100 only when the user is registered, as described in the first embodiment. Also, the skill level transmitting unit 82 may transmit the skill level to the game support server 100 every time a game recommendation is requested, as described in the second embodiment. Also, the skill level transmitting unit 82 may transmit the skill level to the game support server 100 at a predetermined different timing.
Claims
1. A game support server comprising:
- a skill level acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a first game apparatus, a skill level that indicates a user's degree of skill in a game;
- a game database configured to store a standard time required to play a game;
- a recommendation request receiving unit configured to acquire, from a second game apparatus, a desired time period that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and to receive a request to recommend at least one candidate game that matches the desired time;
- a recommended candidate extraction unit configured to modify the standard time according to a user's skill level acquired by the skill level acquisition unit so as to calculate an estimated time that is an estimate of time to be required for the user to play a game, and to extract, as a recommended candidate game from the game database, a game if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- a recommended candidate presenting unit configured to present to the second game apparatus the recommended candidate game thus extracted by the recommended candidate extraction unit.
2. A game support server according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a play history acquisition unit configured to acquire a play history of a game played by the user via the first game apparatus; and
- a skill level calculation unit configured to calculate the user's skill level based upon the user's play history acquired by the play history acquisition unit.
3. A game support server according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a play history acquisition unit configured to acquire a play history of a game played by the user via the second game apparatus; and
- a play time calculation unit configured to calculate the standard time required for game play based upon the user's play history acquired by the play history acquisition unit.
4. A game support server according to claim 1, further comprising a user database configured to store the user's skill level; and
- a user registration unit configured to register, in the user database, the user's skill level received from the user,
- wherein the skill level acquisition unit is configured to acquire the user's skill level from the user database.
5. A game support server according to claim 1, wherein the skill level acquisition unit is configured to acquire, from the second game apparatus, the user's skill level received from the user every time the recommendation request receiving unit receives a game recommendation request from the second game apparatus.
6. A game support method comprising:
- acquiring, by a skill level acquisition unit included in a computer, a skill level that indicates a user's degree of skill in a game from a first game apparatus;
- acquiring, by a recommendation request receiving unit included in the computer, a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and receiving a request to recommend candidate games that match the desired time from a second game apparatus;
- modifying, by a recommended candidate extraction unit included in the computer, the standard time according to the acquired user's skill level with reference to a game database storing a standard time required for game play so as to calculate an estimated time that is an estimate of time required for the user to play a game, and extracting, as a recommended candidate game from the game database, at least one game if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- presenting, by a recommended candidate presenting unit included in the computer, the recommended candidate game thus extracted to the second game apparatus.
7. A computer program comprising:
- a module configured to provide a function for acquiring, from a first game apparatus, a skill level that indicates a user's degree of skill in a game;
- a module configured to provide a function for acquiring, from a second game apparatus, a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and receiving a request to recommend candidate games that match the desired time;
- a module configured to provide a function for modifying a standard time according to the acquired user's skill level with reference to a game database storing a standard time required for game play so as to calculate an estimated time that is an estimate of time required for the user to play a game, and for extracting, as a recommended candidate game from the game database, at least one game if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- a module configured to provide a function for presenting the recommended candidate game thus extracted to the second game apparatus.
8. A game apparatus comprising:
- a recommendation request transmitting unit configured to acquire a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and to request that a game support server recommend games matching the desired time;
- a recommended candidate acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the game support server, at least one recommended candidate game if the difference between the desired time and an estimated time, which is an estimate of time required for a user to play the game calculated by modifying a standard time required for game play according to a skill level indicating the user's degree of skill in the game, is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- a recommended candidate display unit configured to display the recommended candidate game acquired by the recommended candidate acquisition unit.
9. A game apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a skill level transmitting unit configured to receive the user's skill level, and to transmit the user's skill level to the game support server.
10. A game support method comprising:
- acquiring, by a recommendation request transmitting unit included in a computer, a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and requesting that a game support server recommends games matching the desired time;
- acquiring, by a recommended candidate acquisition unit included in the computer, at least one recommended candidate game from the game support server if the difference between the desired time and an estimated time, which is an estimate of time required for a user to play the game calculated by modifying a standard time required for game play according to a skill level indicating the user's degree of skill in the game, is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- displaying, by a recommended candidate display unit included in the computer, the recommended candidate game thus acquired.
11. A computer program comprising:
- a module configured to provide a function for acquiring a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and configured to request that a game support server recommends games matching the desired time;
- a module configured to provide a function for acquiring, from the game support server, at least one recommended candidate game if the difference between the desired time and an estimated time, which is an estimate of time required for a user to play the game calculated by modifying a standard time required for game play according to a skill level indicating the user's degree of skill in the game, is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and
- a module configured to provide a function for displaying the recommended candidate game thus acquired.
12. A game support system comprising:
- a portable game apparatus configured to play a game; and
- a game support server configured to support the user of the portable game apparatus,
- wherein the game support server comprises: a skill level acquisition unit configured to acquire a skill level that indicates a user's degree of skill in a game from a game apparatus that differs from the portable game apparatus, and configured to allow the same user as that of the portable game apparatus to play a game; a game database configured to store a standard time required for playing a game; a recommendation request receiving unit configured to acquire, from the portable game apparatus, a desired time that the user wishes to spend playing a game, and to receive a request to recommend candidate games that match the desired time; a recommended candidate extraction unit configured to modify the standard time according to the user's skill level acquired by the skill level acquisition unit so as to calculate an estimated time that is an estimate of time required for the user to play a game, and to extract, as a recommended candidate game, at least one game if the difference between the estimated time and the desired time is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and a recommended candidate presenting unit configured to present the recommended candidate game extracted by the recommended candidate extraction unit to the portable game apparatus, and
- wherein the game apparatus comprises: a recommendation request transmitting unit configured to acquire the desired time from the user, and to request that the game support server recommend games that match the desired time; a recommended candidate acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the game support server, at least one recommended candidate game presented by the recommended candidate presenting unit; and a recommended candidate display unit configured to display the recommended candidate game acquired by the recommended candidate acquisition unit.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 11, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 3, 2013
Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC. (Tokyo)
Inventor: Masayuki Chatani (Tokyo)
Application Number: 13/609,501
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);