GAME SYSTEM

• US 20130137515A1
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kusuda, Kazuhiro, Uchiyama, Takashi, Azuma, Shogo, Ito, Shinya, Kawai, Norifumi, Okitani, Genichiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,522,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi

Abstract

A game system has plural game devices and a storage device that stores attribute information and location information of a pet in association with a player ID. Each game device obtains a player ID of a player who plays at the game device, and obtains attribute information corresponding to location information identifying a game device identified by the obtained player ID, and controls a game to cause the game device to display a pet according to the obtained attribute information. In a case in which location information stored in association with a player ID of a first player who plays at a first game device is changed to that which identifies a second game device identified by a player ID of a second player, the first game device does not display a pet of the first player, but the second game device displays the pet of the first player.

Claims

1. A game system comprising:

plural game devices, each game device allowing a player to play a game and displaying a character of a player; and

a storage device that stores, in association with player identification information uniquely identifying a player, location information identifying a game device at which a character of the player is located, out of the plural game devices,

wherein,

each of the plural game devices comprising;

an identification information obtainer that obtains player identification information of a player; and

a game controller that causes the game device to display a character of a player identified by player identification information corresponding to location information identifying the game device in the storage device, and

wherein, in a case in which location information stored in association with player identification information of a first player who plays at a first game device among the plural game device is changed to that which identifies a second game device at which a second player plays, the second game device differing from the first game device, the first game device does not display a character of the first player and the second game device displays the character of the first player.

2. A game system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player is that which identifies the second game device and in which a predetermined game result is obtained as a result of the game controlled by the second game device, the first game device grants a predetermined benefit to the first player.

3. A game system according to claim 2,

wherein,

each of the plural game devices further comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a message to another game device; and

a receiver that receives a message from another game device, and

wherein the first game device transmits a message to the second game device in a case in which the predetermined benefit is granted to the first player.

4. A game system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player is changed from that which identifies the second game device to that which identifies the first game device, the second game device does not display the character of the first player and the first game device displays the character of the first player.

5. A game system according to claim 4,

wherein

each of the plural game devices further comprising:

an offering unit for offering the second player the engagement of a predetermined relationship with the first player; and

an accepting unit for accepting an offer, from the second player, for the engagement of the predetermined relationship with the first player,

wherein the offering unit allows the offering for the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the first player to the second player only in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the second player is that which identifies the first game device, or in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player is that which identifies the second game device,

wherein the accepting unit allows the first player to accept the offer for the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the second player only after the first player is offered the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the second player, and

wherein the predetermined relationship of which the engagement is offered to the first player from the second player is engaged only in a case in which the accepting unit accepts the engagement of the predetermined relationship.

6. A game system according to claim 5, wherein, in a case in which the first player and the second player have engaged in the predetermined relationship and in which a second predetermined game result is obtained as a result of the game controlled by the first game device, location information stored in association with player identification information of the second player is changed to that which identifies the first game device in the storage device.

7. A game system according to claim 5,

wherein the storage device stores, in association with the player identification information, attribute information indicating an attribute of the character of the player,

wherein each of the plural game devices further comprises an attribute information obtainer that obtains, from the storage device, attribute information corresponding to location information identifying the game device itself in the storage device, and

wherein the game controller causes the game device to display the character based on attribute information obtained by the attribute information obtainer.

8. A game system according to claim 7, wherein in the storage device, attribute information of the character of the first player is changed based on a result of the game the first player played, based on a result of the game a player who has engaged in the predetermined relationship with the first player played, or based on the number of players who have engaged in the predetermined relationship with the first player.

9. A game system according to claim 1, further comprising a server device having a communication unit for communicating with each of the plural game devices,

wherein the storage device is provided at the server device.

10. A game system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is provided in each of the plural game devices.