JP5358702B2 - A game system that allows questionnaires - Google Patents

Abstract

A game system is provided. The game system prepares questionnaire data (26) for associating a plurality of questions, prepared for a questionnaire targeting a plurality of users, with: a first category relating to first selection information to be principally established for the group of users targeted by the questionnaire; or a second category relating to second selection information included in play data. When conducting the questionnaire, the game system determines the first category to be associated with the group of users on the basis of the first selection information, determines the second category to be associated with the users on the basis of the second selection information from the play data associated with the identification information of the users, selects questions corresponding to both determined categories, and presents the questions to the users.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game system capable of conducting a questionnaire for a user.

  As an online game system in which a server device and a game machine are connected via a network, a game-related questionnaire is conducted for game machine users, and responses to the questionnaire are totaled by the server device. A system that can perform evaluation and the like has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-233917 A

  The effect and reliability of the questionnaire are affected by the setting contents of the question, and if the user's opinion is to be grasped in more detail or accurately, the number of questions increases and the combination of questions may become complicated. On the other hand, there is a limit to the contents of questionnaires that can be conducted between games on a game machine, and large-volume questionnaires and complicated questionnaires are avoided or even impossible to conduct.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the game system which can heighten the effect of a questionnaire, narrowing down a question with respect to a user.

The game system (1) of the present invention includes a server device (3) and a game machine (2) capable of functioning as a terminal device connected to the server device via a network (5), The server device stores play data (25) in which the play status of the game played by the user is recorded in association with the user identification information (card ID as an example) acquired from the game machine. And associating a plurality of questions prepared for a questionnaire targeting a plurality of users with first selection information to be uniquely determined for a set of users to be surveyed Questionnaire data associated with each of the first category and the second category associated with the second selection information included in the play data. 26) and a first category determination unit (17) for determining a first category to be associated with the set of users based on the first selection information. , S1) and the second category determination for determining the second category to be associated with the user based on the second selection information included in the play data associated with the user identification information Means (17, S2), and question selection presentation means (17, S3, S4) for selecting and presenting to the user questions corresponding to the classifications determined by the first and second classification determination means , As the first selection information, an evaluation result of the entire set of users with respect to a predetermined evaluation target item related to the game is used, and as the second selection information, the process related to the evaluation target item is used. Information that has been recorded in the Ideta is used.

  According to the present invention, the first selection information and the second selection information are associated with each of the first selection information to be uniquely determined for the set of questionnaire target users and the second selection information included in the user's play data. Are set, and questions are prepared in association with both categories. Therefore, the question to be presented to the user is selected based on the first selection information common to the entire set of users and the individual second selection information for each user. Therefore, it is possible to select and present to the user a question that interlaces the content that the user wants to ask in common with the entire user set and the content that the user wants to ask according to individual information. Thereby, the effect of the questionnaire can be enhanced while narrowing down the questions to the user.

In particular , according to the present invention , regarding a predetermined evaluation target item on the game, a question obtained by interweaving the content for searching for the cause of the evaluation of the entire user and the content for searching for the cause of the individual evaluation of the user is selected to the user Can be presented.

  Furthermore, the server device may further include an overall evaluation determination unit (20) for determining the evaluation result based on information recorded in association with the evaluation target item in each play data of the plurality of users. . According to this, the evaluation result of the whole set of users can be automatically generated and referred to by the first classification determination unit.

  In the present invention, the computer (10) of the game machine may function as the first category discrimination means, the second category discrimination means, and the question selection presentation means. Thereby, it is possible to share the burden of conducting a questionnaire for individual users with the game machine, and to reduce the burden on the server device. In addition, the game machine may be provided with an answer transmitting means (10, S5) for transmitting the answer to the question to the server device. Thereby, the questionnaire result can be collected by the server device, and the response result can be analyzed.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, according to the present invention, each of the first selection information that should be uniquely determined for the set of users to be surveyed and the second selection information included in the user's play data. Since the first and second divisions are set in association with each other and the questions are prepared in association with both divisions, it matches the contents that you want to ask in common to the entire set of users and the individual information of the users. It is possible to select and present to the user a question intermingled with the content to be asked. Thereby, the effect of the questionnaire can be enhanced while narrowing down the questions to the user.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the game system which concerns on one form of this invention. The functional block diagram in the control system of the game machine and center server of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the structure of questionnaire data. The flowchart which shows the procedure of a questionnaire management process.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the game system. In the game system 1, a plurality of game machines 2 and a center server 3 are respectively connected to a network 5 via a router 4. The center server 3 is not limited to an example constituted by one physical device, and one logical center server 3 may be constituted by a server group as a plurality of physical devices. One game machine 2 may also be used as the center server 3. The network 5 implements network communication using the TCP / IP protocol. Typically, the Internet is used as the network 5. Each game machine 2 is configured as a business or commercial game machine that collects a play fee as a price for the game. An appropriate number of game machines 2 are installed in a commercial facility such as a store 6. The router 4 is installed in association with each store 6 and the center server 3, and the game machines 2 in the same store are connected to the network 5 via the common router 4. A local server may be installed between the game machine 2 and the router 4 of the store 6, and the game machine 2 may be communicably connected to the center server 3 via the local server.

  The center server 3 provides various services via the network 5 to the game machine 2 or the user of the game machine 2. As an example, the center server 3 acquires a game program or data update service via the game machine 2, acquires user identification information from the game machine 2, authenticates the user, and records a situation in which the user has played the game. Play data 8 Shown in FIG. ) Is stored on the center server 3, and the game is played while the users fight or cooperate with each other via the network 5, a service that provides play data to the game machine 2 in response to a request from the game machine 2. Providing matching services between users, etc.

  The game machine 2 and the center server 3 are assigned unique IP addresses for identifying them on the network 5. In communication between the game machines 2 or between the game machine 2 and the center server 3, a communication partner is specified using the IP address. When the network 5 is a public network such as the Internet, a unique fixed address on the network 5 is set for each router 4. In the game machine 2, a private address for uniquely identifying the game machine 2 on the network 5 is set as an IP address in combination with the fixed address. In this case, a virtual private network (VPN) is constructed between the game machine 2 and the center server 3 or between the game machines 2, and each game machine 2 is uniquely identified using a private address on the VPN. Is done.

  Next, the configuration of the control system of the game system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The game machine 2 is provided with a control unit 10. An input device 11, a display device 12, a card reader 13, a coin selector 14 and a storage device 15 are connected to the control unit 10. The input device 11 receives a user operation and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation content to the control unit 10. The display device 12 displays a game screen or the like in accordance with instructions from the control unit 10. The card reader 13 reads information on the card 8 possessed by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the information to the control unit 10. The card 8 is provided with a non-volatile storage medium (not shown) such as an IC chip or a magnetic stripe, and the medium has a unique ID (hereinafter also referred to as a card ID) for each card 8. It is recorded. The card ID is used as user identification information. The card ID may be recorded on the card 8 in the form of a barcode or the like. The coin selector 14 determines whether the coin as the cash currency or the alternative currency inserted by the user is true or false, and outputs a signal corresponding to the number or amount of genuine coins to the control unit 10. The storage device 15 is a storage device capable of storing data, such as a hard disk storage device. The storage device 15 stores various data such as a game program for causing the control unit 10 to execute a predetermined game and game data referred to by the game program as appropriate. The storage device 15 also records play data 25 and questionnaire data 26 acquired from the center server 3.

  When the control unit 10 reads and executes the game program in the storage device 15, various logical devices are generated in the control unit 10. In FIG. 2, a game control unit 16 and a questionnaire control unit 17 are shown as a part of those logical devices. The game control unit 16 executes various processes necessary for playing the game on the game machine 2. The content of the game realized by the game control unit 16 may be set as appropriate. The questionnaire control unit 17 executes processing necessary to execute a questionnaire related to the game on the game machine 2. The process of the questionnaire control unit 17 will be described later.

  The center server 3 is provided with a control unit 20 and a storage device 21. The control unit 20 includes a microprocessor, a ROM in which a program such as an operating system to be executed by the microprocessor is recorded, and an internal storage device (not shown) such as a RAM that provides a work area for the microprocessor. A computer unit provided. Although an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a monitor are connected to the control unit 20, they are not shown. The storage device 21 stores a server program to be executed by the control unit 20 and various data referred to by the program, but the illustration thereof is omitted. The storage device 21 stores play data 25 and questionnaire data 26 as a kind of data that the control unit 20 should refer to. Thereby, the storage device 21 functions as play data storage means and questionnaire data storage means in the present invention. The storage device 11 of the game machine 2 can also function as questionnaire data storage means in the present invention by storing the questionnaire data 26 distributed from the center server 3.

  The play data 25 is data in which various types of information related to the game play status by the user are recorded in association with the card ID of the card 8 possessed by the user. Although the play data 25 is created for each card ID, FIG. 2 shows only the play data 25 associated with one card ID. Details of the questionnaire data 26 will be described later.

  When the control unit 20 reads and executes the server program in the storage device 21, a plurality of logical devices are provided inside the control unit 20. In FIG. 2, a game management unit 22 and a questionnaire management unit 23 are shown as a part of these logical devices. The game management unit 22 matches the users of the game machine 2 and notifies the game machine 2 of the result, acquires the card ID from the game machine 2, and stores the play data 25 corresponding to the card ID in the game machine 2. Or the card ID and the play data 26 are received from the game machine 2 and stored in the storage device 21. The questionnaire management unit 23 executes questionnaire related processing such as providing questionnaire data 26 to the game machine 2 or receiving and counting questionnaire responses from the game machine 2.

  Next, an example of the questionnaire data 26 will be described with reference to FIG. The questionnaire data 26 shown in FIG. 3 is used to collect user opinions regarding the tournament as a subject for evaluation when a “meeting” is held in which the game system 1 is used to compete for the results of a specific game. It is an example configured for the purpose. In the questionnaire data 26 of FIG. 3, there are a first category associated with the overall user rating for the event and a second category associated with the individual user rating for the event. The first category is classified into a case where the overall evaluation of the user for the tournament is “favorable” and a case where it is “not popular”. “Positive” and “Unpopular” in the evaluation correspond to the first selection information in the present invention, and are unambiguous with respect to a set of users to be surveyed (a set of all users who are eligible to participate in the competition). Determined. For example, the overall evaluation of the tournament is determined by using an index value that correlates with the overall play situation such as the number of users who participated in the tournament and the number of game play in the tournament. The overall evaluation may be automatically determined by the control unit 20 of the center server 3 with reference to the play data 25 of each user related to the tournament. In this case, the control unit 20 of the center server 3 functions as an overall evaluation determination unit of the present invention. Alternatively, the tournament manager may acquire the status of each user related to the tournament and artificially determine the overall evaluation. As a result of the overall evaluation, in the example shown in the figure, either “popular” or “unpopular” must be determined at or before the questionnaire and given to the center server 3 or the game machine 2.

  On the other hand, in the second classification, individual user evaluations regarding the competition are classified according to the situation of each user in the competition, such as “winners”, “qualifiers,“ participants ”, and“ non-participants ”. . In other words, the second classification classifies the situation in the user's game according to predetermined evaluation criteria according to information that can be acquired from the play data 25 of each user. Whether a user corresponds to “winner”, “preliminary passer,“ participant ”, or“ non-participant ”can be determined by referring to the play history, play results, etc. of the play data 26 of each user. . Information used for the determination corresponds to the second selection information in the present invention.

  The questions recorded in the questionnaire data 26 are associated with the first category and the second category described above. For example, the question “What did you feel most attractive about XX?” Is associated with the category of “favorite” in the overall evaluation and the category of “winners” in the individual evaluation of the user. . Answer options are prepared in advance for the questions. Options A11, A12, A13... Are prepared for the questions of “popular” and “winners”. Further, the contents of the question (including the contents of the answer options) are optimized according to the first and second categories associated with each other. As an example, for the above-mentioned questions of “popular” and “winners”, a word or wording corresponding to a result that can only be obtained by a winner is set in the “XX” part. . When a plurality of benefits are given to a prizewinner, the word “privilege” is applied to “XX”, and individual privileges are set for the options A11 to A11.

  In addition, in the question associated with the category of “popular”, the cause of the overall evaluation of “popular” such as what the user felt attractive or why participated in response to the “popular” evaluation is searched. Such contents are set. On the other hand, the question associated with the “Unpopular” category shows the cause of the overall evaluation of “Unpopular”, such as what the user felt dissatisfied with, or why they did not participate, in response to the “Unpopular” evaluation. Contents to be searched are set. Contents that we want to ask in common to the entire set of users by distinguishing and preparing questions according to the first category corresponding to the overall evaluation and the second category corresponding to the individual evaluation of the user in this way And a question that interlaces with the user's individual information can be selected and presented to the user. Thereby, the effect of the questionnaire can be enhanced while narrowing down the questions to the user.

  FIG. 4 shows a questionnaire management process executed by the questionnaire control unit 17 of the game machine 2 in order to implement the above-described questionnaire. In the questionnaire management process, if the user makes the game machine 2 read the card 8 to complete the authentication using the card ID and the user's play data 25 and the questionnaire data 26 are stored in the storage device 11. May be executed at an appropriate timing. For example, the process of FIG. 4 is executed at the timing of starting or ending game play.

  When the process of FIG. 4 is started, the questionnaire control unit 17 discriminates the result of the overall evaluation related to the current questionnaire (whether popular or unpopular) (step S1). The result of the overall evaluation may be acquired from the center server 3 every time the process of FIG. 4 is performed. Alternatively, the result of the overall evaluation may be acquired in advance from the center server 3 and stored in the storage device 11 before the questionnaire is conducted, and the result of the overall evaluation may be acquired from the storage device 11 in step S1. Subsequently, the questionnaire control unit 17 determines the classification of the user's individual evaluation regarding the tournament based on the information of the play data 25 stored in the storage device 11 (step S2). Thereafter, the questionnaire control unit 17 selects a question corresponding to each category of the overall evaluation determined in step S1 and the individual evaluation of the user determined in step S2 (step S3). For example, if the overall evaluation is “popular”, a question group associated with “popular” is selected from the questions recorded in the questionnaire data 26, and further, “winners”, “preliminaries”, “ The question associated with either “participant” or “non-participant” category is selected.

  After the question is selected, the questionnaire control unit 17 performs the questionnaire by presenting the selected question to the user and obtaining an answer (step S4). After obtaining the answer, the questionnaire control unit 17 transmits the user's answer as a questionnaire result to the center server 3 (step S5), and then ends the process of FIG. In the questionnaire data 26 of FIG. 3, since one question is associated with one category in the second category, one question can be selected from the evaluation category determined in step S2. In the second category, if more than one question is associated with one category, these questions may be presented to the user in order, or random selection or other various selection means may be used. Further questions may be selected.

  In the above embodiment, the questionnaire control unit 17 functions as the first classification determination unit of the present invention by executing the process of step S1, and the second classification determination of the present invention by executing the process of step S2. It functions as a means, and functions as a question selection presenting means of the present invention by executing the processes of steps S3 and S4.

  This invention is not limited to the form mentioned above, It can implement with a various form. For example, game machines are not limited to commercial game machines, but are various types such as home-use stationary game machines, portable game machines, personal computers equipped with game functions, mobile phones (including smartphones), and tablet terminal devices. The terminal device may be used as a game machine in the present invention. The content of the question shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the content of the question may be appropriately changed according to the purpose of the questionnaire, how to divide the first category and the second category, and the like.

  In the above embodiment, the game machine 2 sequentially determines the first section and the second section and selects the question, but the server device sequentially determines the first section and the second section and selects the question. The game system may be configured to notify the game machine of the selected question and collect the user's answer from the game machine.

1 game system 2 game machine 3 center server (server device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Control unit of game machine 11 Storage device of game machine 20 Control unit of center server 21 Storage device of center server 25 Play data 26 Questionnaire data

Claims (4)

A server device and a game machine capable of functioning as a terminal device connected to the server device via a network, wherein the server device stores play data in which a play status of a game by a user is recorded, In a game system comprising play data storage means for storing in association with user identification information acquired from a game machine,
A plurality of questions prepared for a questionnaire targeting a plurality of users, a first category associated with first selection information to be uniquely determined for a set of users to be surveyed; Questionnaire data storage means for storing questionnaire data associated with each of the second classifications associated with the second selection information included in the play data;
First classification determination means for determining a first classification to be associated with the set of users based on the first selection information;
Second classification determining means for determining a second classification to be associated with the user based on the second selection information included in the play data associated with the user identification information;
A question selection presenting means for selecting and presenting to a user a question corresponding to each of the classifications determined by the first and second classification determining means;
Equipped with a,
As the first selection information, an evaluation result of the entire set of users with respect to a predetermined evaluation target item related to the game is used, and as the second selection information, the play data is related to the evaluation target item. A game system that uses the information recorded in the game. The server device according to claim 1 which has a total evaluation determining means for determining the evaluation results based on each of the evaluation items in association with recorded information in the play data of the plurality of users Game system. 3. The game system according to claim 1, wherein a computer of the game machine functions as the first classification determination unit, the second classification determination unit, and the question selection presentation unit. Wherein the gaming machine, a game system according to answer the question in any one of the server apparatus according to claim answer transmission means for transmitting is arranged to 1-3.

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