Game system and server device that can be used therein

Abstract

In a game system in which a game based on a plurality of types of game programs can be played on a plurality of game terminals, the pleasure of choosing a game machine that is provided by a typical conventional game system is similarly provided to a player using the present game system. A plurality of different identifiers are assigned to the same game program, and a virtual machine image corresponding to each of the identifiers is displayed on a display unit of a game terminal. A player decides what type of game he/she wishes to play by performing a game selection operation. Thereafter, the player performs a virtual machine selection operation to select the virtual machine image that corresponds to a virtual machine number that he/she wishes to choose so that he/she can play the game.

1 . A game system in which a server device that executes at least one game program, and a plurality of game terminals that provide a game in accordance with the game program to a player by communicating with the server device, are connected so as to allow two-way communication therebetween,
 wherein each of the plurality of game terminals comprises:   an operation accepting unit configured to accept a game selection operation for selecting a game program, and a game operation in a game in progress, from a player;   a terminal communication processing unit configured to transmit a game program use request corresponding to the game selection operation and game operation information that specifies the game operation to the server device, and configured to receive game data that is provided upon execution of the game program by the server device; and   a display unit configured to display a game image based on image information included in the game data received by the terminal communication processing unit; and   the server device comprises:   a program storage unit configured to store the at least one game program;   a server communication processing unit configured to receive the use request and the game operation information from a game terminal;   an identifier storage unit configured to store a plurality of different identifiers for a same game program as well as selected/unselected information that indicates whether or not a game program is selected and executed for each of the identifiers;   an identifier selection unit configured to specify unselected identifiers among a plurality of identifiers for a game program corresponding to the use request by referring to the selected/unselected information, and configured to select one identifier from the unselected identifiers based on a predetermined condition; and   a control unit configured to read out the game program corresponding to the use request from the program storage unit if the unselected identifiers exist, configured to execute the game program that is read out, and configured to control a game executed based on the game program in accordance with the game operation information;   the server communication processing unit of the server device transmitting to the game terminal the selected/unselected information for the plurality of identifiers for the game program corresponding to the use request; and   the display unit of the game terminal receiving the selected/unselected information via the terminal communication processing unit, and displaying for each of the plurality of identifiers notification images that shows the selected/unselected information.   
   
   
       2 . The game system according to  claim 1 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images of each of the plurality of identifiers at a different position. 
   
   
       3 . The game system according to  claim 1 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images such that whether or not each of the plurality of identifiers is selected is made distinguishable. 
   
   
       4 . The game system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the operation accepting unit of the game terminal further accepts a notification image selection operation for selecting one of the notification images displayed for each of the plurality of identifiers;   the terminal communication processing unit of the game terminal transmits notification image selection information for specifying the selected notification image to the server device when the operation accepting unit accepts the notification image selection operation;   the server communication processing unit of the server device further receives the notification image selection information from the game terminal; and   the selection condition is that if an identifier corresponding to the notification image specified by the notification image information is unselected, the identifier will be selected.   
   
   
       5 . The game system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the server device further comprises a performance history processing unit configured to acquire specific performance history information during execution of the game program executed by the control unit, and configured to correlate and store the identifier of the game program executed by the control unit and the specified performance history information in the identifier storage unit.   
   
   
       6 . The game system according to  claim 5 , wherein
 each of the plurality of game terminals further comprises an input accepting unit configured to accept the input of player identification information; and   the performance history processing unit correlates and stores in the identifier storage unit the identifier of the game program executed by the control unit, the specific performance history information, and player identification information of a player who plays a game based on the game program.   
   
   
       7 . The game system according to  claim 5 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images and the specific performance history information that are correlated by the identifier. 
   
   
       8 . A server device connected to a plurality of game terminals so as to allow two-way communication therewith, the server device comprising:
 a program storage unit configured to store the at least one game program;   a server communication processing unit configured to receive a game program use request corresponding to a game selection operation by a player, and a game operation to a game in progress, from a game terminal;   an identifier storage unit for storing a plurality of different identifiers for the same game program, as well as selected/unselected information that indicates whether or not a game program is selected and executed for each of the identifiers;   an identifier selection unit configured to specify unselected identifiers among a plurality of identifiers for a game program corresponding to the use request by referring to the selected/unselected information, and configured to select one identifier from the unselected identifiers based on a predetermined condition; and   a control unit configured to read out the game program corresponding to the use request from the program storage unit if the unselected identifiers exist, configured to execute the game program that is read out, and configured to control a game executed based on the game program in accordance with the game operation information;   the server communication processing unit transmitting to the game terminal the selected/unselected information for the plurality of identifiers for the game program corresponding to the use request.   
   
   
       9 . A game system in which a server device that executes at least one game program is connected to a plurality of game terminals so as to allow two-way communication therebetween,
 wherein each of the plurality of game terminals comprises:   an operation accepting unit configured to accept from a player a game selection operation for selecting a game program, and a game operation in a game in progress;   a terminal communication processing unit configured to transmit to the server device a game program use request corresponding to the game selection operation;   a control unit configured to execute a game program, and configured to control a game executed by the game program in accordance with the game operation information; and   a display unit configured to display a game image based on image information included in the game data;   the server device comprises:   a program storage unit configured to store the at least one game program;   an identifier storage unit configured to store a plurality of different identifiers for the same game program, as well as selected/unselected information that indicates whether or not a game program is selected and downloaded to a game terminal for each of the identifiers;   a server communication processing unit configured to receive the game program use request corresponding to the game selection operation from the game terminal; and   an identifier selection unit configured to specify unselected identifiers among a plurality of identifiers for a game program corresponding to the use request by referring to the selected/unselected information, and configured to select one identifier from the unselected identifiers based on a predetermined condition;   the server communication processing unit of the server device transmitting to the game terminal the selected/unselected information for the plurality of identifiers for the game program corresponding to the use request, and, if the unselected identifiers exist, reading out the game program corresponding to the use request from the program storage unit and transmitting the read out game program to the game terminal that transmitted the use request;   the control unit of the game terminal receiving the game program corresponding to the use request via the terminal communication processing unit and executing the same; and   the display unit of the game terminal receiving the selected/unselected information via the terminal communication processing unit and displaying for each of the plurality of identifiers notification images that shows the selected/unselected information.   
   
   
       10 . The game system according to  claim 9 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images of each of the plurality of identifiers at a different position. 
   
   
       11 . The game system according to  claim 9 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images such that whether or not each of the plurality of identifiers is selected is made distinguishable. 
   
   
       12 . The game system according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the operation accepting unit of the game terminal further accepts a notification image selection operation configure to select one of the notification images displayed for each of the plurality of identifiers;   the terminal communication processing unit of the game terminal transmits notification image selection information configured to specify the selected notification image to the server device when the operation accepting unit accepts the notification image selection operation;   the server communication processing unit of the server device further receives the notification image selection information from the game terminal; and   the selection condition is that if an identifier corresponding to the notification image specified by the notification image information is unselected, the identifier is selected.   
   
   
       13 . The game system according to  claim 9 , wherein the server device further comprises a performance history processing unit configured to acquire specific performance history information during execution of the game program executed by the control unit, and for correlate and store the identifier of the game program executed by the control unit and the specified performance history information in the identifier storage unit. 
   
   
       14 . The game system according to  claim 13 , wherein
 each of the plurality of game terminals further comprises an input accepting unit configured to accept the input of player identification information; and   the performance history processing unit correlates and stores in the identifier storage unit the identifier of the game program executed by the control unit, the specific performance history information, and player identification information of a player who plays a game based on the game program.   
   
   
       15 . The game system according to  claim 13 , wherein the display unit of the game terminal displays the notification images and the specific performance history information that are correlated by the identifier. 
   
   
       16 . A server device connected to a plurality of game terminals so as to allow two-way communication therewith, the server device comprising:
 a program storage unit configured to store at least one game program;   an identifier storage unit configured to store a plurality of different identifiers for a same game program as well as selected/unselected information that indicates whether or not a game program is selected and downloaded to a game terminal for each of the identifiers;   a server communication processing unit configured to receive a game program use request corresponding to a game selection operation by a player from the game terminal; and   an identifier selection unit configured to specify unselected identifiers among a plurality of identifiers for the game program corresponding to the use request by referring to the selected/unselected information, and configured to select one identifier from the unselected identifiers based on a predetermined condition;   the server communication processing unit transmitting to the game terminal the selected/unselected information for the plurality of identifiers for the game program corresponding to the use request, and, if the unselected identifiers exist, reading out the game program corresponding to the use request from the program storage unit and transmitting the read out game program to the game terminal that transmitted the use request.