Game control device, game control method, program, and game system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9283485-B2
Application number	US-201313796378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2013
Priority date	Jun 8, 2012
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

There is provided a game control device that allows a user, while executing or intending to execute a certain game, to know information about himself or herself in relation to another game. The game control device includes an execution means for executing a first game, a first determining means for determining whether a state of the first game satisfies a first condition when the user is executing the first game, an information obtaining means for obtaining user information of the user for a second game associated with the first game when the first condition is determined to be satisfied by the first determining means, and a notifying means for notifying the user about the user information for the second game obtained by the information obtaining means.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A game control device that communicates with a user communication terminal to enable a user to play a first game via communication with a user communication terminal, the game control device comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a request for starting the first game from the user communication terminal;
a processor configured to:
determine, in response to the request, if a game application of the first game is operational,
generate data for executing the first game in response to input by a user into the user communication terminal, if the game application of the first game is operational, and
select a second game if the game application of the first game is not operational, from a plurality of games that are associated with the first game;

an application programming interface (API) server configured to send a request, based on a control of the processor, for a first storage device that stores one or more parameters associated with the user in the plurality of games that are associated with the first game or a second storage device that stores one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game, to transmit the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game if the processor has determined that the game application of the first game is not operational, the one or more parameters being set to decrease during the execution of the second game and to increase each time a certain period of time elapses; and
a first transmitter configured to transmit the data generated by the processor to the user communication terminal if the processor has determined that the application of the first game is operational, and to transmit the parameters associated with the user in the second game received by the API server to the user communication terminal if the processor has determined that the game application of the first game is not operational.

2. The game control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive user registration information from a third storage device that stores the registration information related to the user, and to select, on the basis of the registration information, the second game from the games that are associated with the first game.

3. The game control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the registration information includes information related to a user gender or a user age.

4. The game control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to determine whether the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game satisfy a condition; and
the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game to the user communication terminal when the condition is determined to be satisfied by the processor.

5. The game control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the second storage device that stores the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game is included in another game control device that executes the second game.

6. The game control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first storage device that stores the one or more parameters associated with the user in the plurality of games that are associated with the first game is included in an information management device having user information for the plurality of games.

7. The game control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmitter is configured to transmit game image data of the first game that includes the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game, to the user communication terminal of the user.

8. The game control device according to claim 7 , wherein
the game image data of the first game further includes information indicating that the game application of the first game is not operational.

9. The game control device according to claim 7 , wherein
the game image data of the first game further includes an operating target for starting execution of the second game.

10. A game control device that communicates with a user communication terminal to enable a user to play a first game via communication with a user communication terminal, the game control device comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a request for starting the first game from the user communication terminal;
a processor configured to:
determine, in response to the request, if a game application of the first game is operational,
generate data for executing the first game in response to input by a user into the communication terminal, if the application of the first game are operational, and
select a second game if the game application of the first game is not operational, from a plurality of games that are associated with the user;

an application programming interface (API) server configured to send a request, based on a control of the processor, for a first storage device that stores one or more parameters associated with the user in the plurality of games that are associated with the user or a second storage device that stores one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game, to transmit the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game if the processor has determined that the game application of the first game is not operational, the one or more parameters being set to decrease during the execution of the second game and to increase each time a certain period of time elapses; and
a first transmitter configured to transmit the data generated by the processor to the user communication terminal if the processor has determined that the game application of the first game are operational, and to transmit the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game received by the API server to the user communication terminal if the processor has determined that the game application of the first game is not operational.

11. The game control device according to claim 10 , wherein
the processor is configured to determine whether the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game satisfy a condition; and
the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game to the user communication terminal when the condition is determined to be satisfied by the processor.

12. The game control device according to claim 10 , wherein
the second storage device that stores the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game is included in another game control device that executes the second game.

13. The game control device according to claim 10 , wherein
the first storage device that stores the one or more parameters associated with the user in the plurality of games that are associated with the user is included in from an information management device having user information for the plurality of games.

14. The game control device according to claim 10 , wherein
the transmitter is configured to transmit game image data of the first game that includes the one or more parameters associated with the user in the second game, to the user communication terminal.

15. The game control device according to claim 14 , wherein
the game image data of the first game further includes information indicating that the application of the first game is not operational.

16. The game control device according to claim 14 , wherein
the game image data of the first game further includes an operating target for starting execution of the second game.

17. A non-transitory comput

Assignees

• Konami Digital Entertainment

Inventors

• Toda Takahiro
• Endo Taku

Classifications

• A63F2300/5546

  using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history · CPC title

• A63F13/12

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63F13/49

  Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game · CPC title

• A63F13/79 Primary

  involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories · CPC title

• A63F13/88

  Mini-games executed independently while main games are being loaded · CPC title