Game system

• US 8,221,232 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Inubushi, Takashi, Komatsu, Masayuki, Narita, Yoshihiko, Minamino, Tadashi, Naraoka, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOSHI, ANKIT B
• Application Number:
  US11/534,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20070077999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/6, 463/9, 463/23, 463/40, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

To provide a game system which improves a sense of being a member when a plurality of game machines are grouped. In a game system, in which each of a plurality of game machines G is sorted to any one group TTT and a game using a game element R is played among a plurality of game machines G, the game machine G obtains the evaluation to the content of the play of the game and a server CS updates registered group information 41 representing a group TTT holding the game element R into a group of the game machine G that obtained the evaluation when the evaluation and registered evaluation 43 stored related to the game element R meet a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A game system comprising:

a server and a plurality of game machines connected to the server,

wherein each of the game machines is associated with one of a plurality of groups, and a game using at least one game element is played among the game machines,

wherein each of the game machines includes;

a game machine storing device for storing group information representing the associated group and game element information representing the game element;

a game control device for controlling the game using the game element;

an evaluating device for obtaining an evaluation of a content of play of the game based on an evaluation criterion determined in advance of the game; and

a game machine data transmitting device for transmitting game machine data including the group information, the game element information, and the obtained evaluation to the server; and

wherein the server includes;

a game machine data receiving device for receiving the game machine data from each of the plural game machines;

a registered data storing device for storing the game element information, registered group information representing a group holding a game element represented by the game element information, and a registered evaluation which is the evaluation obtained by any one of the game machines of the group represented by the registered group information as being related to each other; and

a registration updating device for replacing the registered evaluation and the registered group information with the evaluation and the group information, respectively, included in the game machine data associated with one of the game machines where a play of the game was made when (i) the registration evaluation related to the game element information stored in the registered data storing device and (ii) the evaluation included in the game machine data associated with the one of the game machines where the play of the game was made satisfy a predetermined condition.

2. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the game is a battle game;

each one of the plural game machines further has an operation object setting device for setting the game element as an operation object of the one of the plural game machines;

the game control device controls the battle game that the game element of the operation object battles with the game element of the operation object of other one of the plural game machines; and

the evaluation by the evaluating device is an evaluation to a content of play different from victory or defeat of the game.

3. The game system according to claim 2,

wherein the game is a professional wrestling game and the evaluation by the evaluating device is an evaluation to a content of play in the professional wrestling game.

4. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein each one of the plural game machines further has a game machine processing device for carrying out predetermined processing when the group information of the associated one of the plurality of groups is stored in the registered group information with reference to the registered data storing device of the server.

5. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the server has a group processing device for carrying out predetermined processing with respect to each one of the plural game machines associated with the one of the plurality of groups which is represented by the registered group information.

6. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plural game machines is a game machine for commercial use and the group is a shop where at least one of the plural game machines is installed.

7. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the registration updating device changes the registered group information during the updating to represent one of the groups associated with one of the game machines where the play of the game was made if the one of the game machines where the play of the game was made is unassociated with the one of the groups holding the game element represented by the game element information.

8. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game element is a character.

9. A game system comprising:

a server and a plurality of game machines connected to the server;

wherein each of the game machines is associated with one of a plurality of groups, and a game using at least one game element is played among the game machines;

wherein each of the game machines includes;

a game machine storing device for storing group information representing the associated group and game element information representing the game element;

a game control device for controlling the game using the game element;

an evaluating device for obtaining a numeric evaluation of a content of play of the game based on an evaluation criterion determined in advance of the game; and

a game machine data transmitting device for transmitting game machine data including the group information, the game element information, and the obtained numeric evaluation to the server; and

wherein the server includes;

a game machine data receiving device for receiving the game machine data from each of the plural game machines;

a data storing device for storing the game element information, wherein a numeric evaluation obtained by any one of the plurality of game machines is associated with at least one of the game elements;

an updating device configured to;

compare the numeric evaluation and the game element information included in the game machine data transmitted by one of the game machines with the numeric evaluation associated with the corresponding game element information on the data storing device; and

if the numeric evaluation transmitted by one of the game machines is superior to the numeric evaluation associated with the corresponding game element information on the data storing device, associating the group associated with the game machine with the game element information on the data storing device;

wherein the group associated with the game element information is allowed to utilize the corresponding game element during play of the game during a period of time in which the group is associated with the game element information.

10. The game system according to claim 9, wherein the transmitted numeric evaluation is superior to the stored evaluation if the transmitted numeric evaluation is greater than the stored evaluation.

11. The game system according to claim 9, wherein:

the game is a battle game;

each one of the plurality of game machines further has an operation object setting device for setting the game element as an operation object of the one of the plural game machines;

the game control device controls the battle game that the game element of the operation object battles with the game element of the operation object of other one of the plural game machines; and

the numeric evaluation by the evaluating device is a numeric evaluation a content of play different from victory or defeat of the game.

12. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the game is a professional wrestling game and the numeric evaluation by the evaluating device is a numeric evaluation of a content of play in the professional wrestling game.

13. The game system according to claim 9, wherein each one of the plural game machines further has a game machine processing device for carrying out predetermined processing when the group information of the associated one of the plurality of groups is stored in the registered group information with reference to the registered data storing device of the server.

14. The game system of claim 9, wherein the game element is selected from the group consisting of:

a character, a technique, and a privilege.

15. The game system according to claim 9, wherein the group previously associated with game element is replaced by the group associated with the game machine.

16. A method of operating a game system server in connection with a plurality of game machines, wherein each of the game machines is associated with one of a plurality of groups and a game using at least one game element is play among the game machines, the method comprising:

storing game element information on the server, wherein a numeric evaluation obtained by any one of the plurality of game machines is associated with at least one of the game elements;

receiving game machine data on the server from one of the game machines, the game machine data including group information, game element information, and a numeric evaluation of play of the game;

utilizing the server to compare the numeric evaluation and the game element information included in the game machine data transmitted by one of the game machines with the numeric evaluation associated with the corresponding game element information stored on the server; and

if the numeric evaluation transmitted by the game machine is superior to the numeric evaluation associated with the corresponding game element information stored on the server, associating the group associated with the game machine with the game element information stored on the server;

wherein the group associated with the game element information is allowed to utilize the corresponding game element during play of the game during a period of time in which the group is associated with the game element information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the game element is selected from the group consisting of:

a character, a technique, and a privilege.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the transmitted numeric evaluation is superior to the stored evaluation if the transmitted numeric evaluation is greater than the stored numeric evaluation.

19. The method of according to claim 17, wherein the game is a professional wrestling game and the numeric evaluation is a numeric evaluation of a content of play in the professional wrestling game.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the group previously associated with game element is replaced by the group associated with the game machine.