HK40019048B - Game device, game system and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

Game device, game system and recording medium

Technical Field

This invention relates to a gaming device, gaming system, and program, and particularly to a technology for providing gaming and gaming items in exchange for payment.

Background Technology

There is a game device that provides coded cards during the game experience and reads the coded cards to execute a game that brings out the character associated with the card (Patent Document 1).

Existing technical documents

Patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-154421

Summary of the Invention

The problem the invention aims to solve

The cards provided by the game device described in Patent Document 1 are pre-printed ready-made cards. The design patterns are determined for each character set to be usable in the game, thereby increasing the player's desire to collect the cards.

Furthermore, the number of characters that can be used in the game is limited, as is the variety of ready-made cards available. Therefore, for players whose primary goal is card collection, having collected all these limited types of ready-made cards offers no advantage for later use of the game and may cause them to lose interest in the game.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a game device, game system, and program that sustains the player's interest in the game and increases the utilization of the game device.

Solution for solving the problem

The game device of the present invention provides a game playing experience based on consideration payment as a necessary condition, comprising: a detection unit that detects consideration payment; a first execution unit that, upon detecting a first consideration payment related to the start of a game playing experience, executes game processing related to a first game playing; a second execution unit that, after the start of the first game playing, upon detecting a second consideration payment during the provision of a game playing experience, executes game processing related to a second game playing following the first game playing; and a provision unit that provides virtual items associated with game elements for the second game playing.

The effects of the invention

According to the present invention, this structure enables players to maintain their interest in the game and increases the utilization of the game device.

Attached Figure Description

Figure 1 is a system diagram illustrating the structure of a game system according to embodiments and variations of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the game device 100 according to embodiments and variations of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the portable terminal 200 according to embodiments and variations of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the game cards involved in Embodiment 1 and its variations of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the provisioning process performed in the game device 100 according to Embodiment 1 and its variations of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the server 600 according to Embodiment 2 and its variations of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the provisioning process performed in the game device 100 according to Embodiment 2 and its variations of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the data structures of various information used in the game system according to embodiments and variations of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation

[Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in one embodiment described below, an example of applying the present invention to a game system consisting of a game device and a portable terminal, whereby the game device is capable of providing both physical game cards and virtual game cards, and the portable terminal is configured to acquire virtual game cards. However, the present invention can be applied to any device capable of providing two or more different categories of items. Additionally, in this specification, "a single game experience" refers to the entire experience provided to a player who has paid consideration related to a single service use, allowing the player who made the payment to occupy the game device (corresponding to one round) for a specified period. Furthermore, "playing a game" refers to a player playing a specified game provided during a portion of a single game experience.

In the game device of this embodiment, the following two types of items are described as being able to acquire information during each game experience. One is a physical game card, which is configured to allow the game to be executed on the game device by acquiring information, thus bringing out game elements (e.g., characters) associated with the physical game card. The other is a virtual game card, which is configured to allow the game to be executed on the game device by setting the virtual game card to an information-acquisition-enabled state on a portable terminal, thus bringing out associated game elements (e.g., characters) in the same way as the physical game card. Furthermore, the game device is configured to provide both these physical and virtual game cards with acquireable information.

Here, actual game cards and virtual game cards are different categories of items. As will be explained later, although both are game items capable of acquiring information, they are provided in different ways. Actual game cards (actual game items) refer to objects with physical form (or volume) in the real world, while virtual game cards (virtual game items) refer to electronic objects (electronic information: data) that, although not having physical form (or volume) in the real world, are treated in the program as objects equivalent to actual objects. In this invention, these items are treated as different categories of items. Furthermore, in the following description, items and game cards referred to as "actual" refer to the former, and items and game cards referred to as "virtual" refer to the latter. Additionally, when referring to both, or either one, they are simply referred to as items or game cards.

In this embodiment, to simplify the structure of the game device 100, information is added to both the actual game cards and the virtual game cards in a manner that allows information to be acquired using the same processing and method whenever the device is in a state where information can be acquired. Regarding adding information to items, the information is encoded into a predetermined form, and when the item is in a state where information can be acquired, it is presented on the object's appearance in a visually recognizable manner.

For example, regarding a physical game card, information is added to the physical game card by including a code as an coded image on the card surface. This code includes a card ID that uniquely identifies the card, a role ID that uniquely identifies the character associated with the card as a game element, and information indicating that it is a physical game card. Similarly, regarding a virtual game card, for example, an coded image related to the code is included in the card's data. In response to a display instruction on the portable terminal, the coded image becomes visually recognizable. This code includes a card ID that uniquely identifies the card, a role ID that uniquely identifies the character associated with the card as a game element, and information indicating that it is a virtual game card. More specifically, when the physical game card is configured as including the coded image 401 as shown in FIG. 4(a), and the virtual game card is displayed on the portable display unit 230 of the portable terminal 200 as shown in FIG. 4(b), the virtual game card has the same design structure as the physical game card and is presented as a game card including the coded image 402. In this embodiment, the encoded image is described as being included in the data of the virtual game card. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the encoded image may also be constructed by transforming the necessary information in the portable terminal 200 and can be presented in the portable terminal 200.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game element associated with the game card is described as a character. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the game element associated with the game card can also be other elements such as items or activated effects.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game items provided by the game device are described as actual game cards and virtual game cards, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, there are multiple categories of game items provided by the game device, as long as these categories include actual items and virtual items, and they do not have to be game cards. For example, game items can be any items that constitute game elements associated with the item, and they can be paper media other than game cards, labels, etc., or they can be figurines, toys, keychains, or other shaped objects with the appearance of game elements. When the game item is a shaped object, the information assigned to the item can be obtained from the recording medium inside the shaped object or from a part of the appearance such as paint, labels, or printing attached to the shaped object.

The system structure of the game system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described here using FIG1(a). As shown in the figure, in the game system of this embodiment, the game device 100 is configured to communicate with the portable terminal 200. In the example of FIG1(a), a portable terminal 200 is shown as a device that can communicate with one game device 100, but the game device 100 may also be configured to communicate with the portable terminal 200 used by the player and to communicate with multiple types of portable terminals 200. In addition, the game device 100 may also be able to communicate with external devices such as servers via a network not shown. Furthermore, in the following description, for components that perform the same function in the game device 100 and the portable terminal 200, the prefix "portable" is added to the latter to distinguish them.

<Structure of the game device 100> First, the functional structure of the game device 100 will be explained using the block diagram in Figure 2.

The control unit 101, for example, is a CPU, used to control the operation of each block in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each block by reading the operation program of each block recorded in the recording medium 102, expanding it in the memory 103, and executing the operation program.

The recording medium 102 is, for example, a non-volatile memory, HDD, or other recording device capable of permanently storing data. In addition to storing the action programs for each block of the game device 100, the recording medium 102 also stores information such as parameters necessary for the actions of each block, and various graphics data used in the game executed by the game device 100. The memory 103 is, for example, a volatile memory or other storage device used for temporary data storage. The memory 103 is used not only as an area for expanding the action programs for each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the actions of each block.

The payment detection unit 104 detects whether consideration payment has been made in the game device 100. Regarding the game device 100 of this embodiment, it is described as starting a service that provides game cards to the player based on consideration payment; however, consideration payment is not a necessary condition, and the service can also start based on a predetermined start instruction.

When playing a game provided by the game device 100 in this embodiment, the acquisition unit 105 acquires information from the game card using the reader 120. The reader 120 is provided either assembled in the same housing as the game device 100 or detachably connected to the outside of the game device 100. The reader 120 is configured to acquire information from the game card, i.e., the actual game card, and the virtual game card that appears identical to the actual game card when displayed on the portable terminal 200, accept the placement of the corresponding item, and output the information (card information) acquired from the item to the acquisition unit 105. At this time, in order to transform the card information acquired from the game card into a form suitable for use in various processes in the game device 100, the card information may also undergo prescribed data transformation processing, etc. When the reader 120 is controlled to acquire information from the corresponding item, for example, it applies prescribed image processing to the image obtained by imaging, thereby detecting whether an item is placed in a prescribed location, and identifying or acquiring information from the item. In other words, the reader 120 detects the encoded image presented on the game card it is mounted, obtains card information by transforming the encoded image, and outputs the card information to the acquisition unit 105.

In addition, as described above, the card information related to the actual game card and the virtual game card can be configured as shown in Figure 8(a), including, in association with the card ID 801 used to uniquely identify the game card, a role ID 802 used to determine the character associated with the game card, and a virtual item flag 803 (logical type, true indicates that it is a virtual game card) indicating whether the game card is a virtual game card.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, for simplicity, the acquisition unit 105 is described only for acquiring card information from game cards; however, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition unit 105 may also be configured to acquire information from player cards having individual player IDs for identifying players in order to identify the player playing the game. In this case, it may also be configured to, for example, acquire information (saved data, etc.) showing the progress of the game held for the player based on the player ID and reflect it in the game.

The character database 106 is a database used to manage information (character information) related to each character that is pre-set to appear in a game executed by the game device 100. In the game provided by the game device 100 of this embodiment, multiple characters can appear in a game related to playing the game once, therefore multiple character information is managed in the character database 106.

For example, as shown in Figure 8(b), the character information managed for a single character includes, associated with the character ID 811 used to uniquely identify the character, drawing information 812, sound data 813, and progression parameters 814. The drawing information 812 includes graphics data used in generating the screen when the character appears in the game. The sound data 813 is used for the sound presentation when the character appears in the game. The progression parameters 814 describe not only the character's name and attributes, but also various parameters inherent to predetermined elements such as stamina, attack power, defense power, skill activation, and special moves. The progression parameters 814 are information (game information) referenced in the game when the character appears, and the game progression is controlled using this information. Furthermore, in this embodiment of the game, even for the same character, different progression parameters 814 are assigned depending on whether the game card for which information is obtained to make the character appear is an actual game card or a virtual game card (which virtual item icon 803 is). Therefore, the progress parameter 814 includes a physical item parameter 821 for controlling game progress when information is obtained from a physical game card, and a virtual item parameter 822 for controlling game progress when information is obtained from a virtual game card. Although details will be described later, to obtain a virtual game card, the player needs to make further consideration during at least one game experience to receive subsequent game experiences on the game device 100. Therefore, in the game system of this embodiment, the virtual game card is determined to be a card with higher rarity than the physical game card, and the virtual item parameter 822 is determined to be more beneficial to game progress than the physical item parameter 821.

Furthermore, the differences between actual and virtual game cards are not limited to this. For example, for the same character, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the value of the virtual game card and the player's desire to collect it can be increased by making the patterns presented when the information is available different. In other words, the rarity value of the virtual game card can be increased by using patterns attached to it that are not used in the actual game card. It is also possible to include information about this pattern as drawing information 812 in the character information.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is described that graphic data and voice data are stored in the character DB 106 and that the character information includes this data, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The character information may also include information indicating the storage location of the corresponding data. In addition, it is described that the character ID is used to uniquely identify a character determined to appear in the game, but this does not preclude the possibility that a single character may have multiple types, such as different ranks determined in the game (levels determined in the game, levels such as character category, levels classified according to various ability values included in game parameters, rarity, etc.) and different patterns. For these different types of characters, for example, it is possible to uniquely identify a character by determining different character IDs for each character, or it is possible to uniquely identify a character by combining rank information, which represents the rank, with the character ID.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the following structure will be described: The character information managed for each character in the character DB 106 is associated with a character ID. Based on the character ID of the card information obtained by the acquisition unit 105 from the game card, various game information required for controlling the game's progress related to the character associated with that card is obtained from the character DB 106. This allows for the registration of information about characters appearing in the game. However, the implementation of this invention is not limited to this. That is, the card information attached to the game card may not only contain character IDs or other information used to identify game information, but may also include the game information itself.

The presentation control unit 107 is responsible for controlling the presentation of various information to the player in the game device 100. In the game device 100 of this embodiment, the unit for presenting various information to the player is described as having a display unit 130 for displaying images (game screen, menu screen, etc.) and a sound output unit 140 for outputting sound. However, the unit for presenting information is not limited to this and can be replaced or added, which goes without saying.

The rendering control unit 107 includes, for example, a graphics processing unit such as a GPU, and performs prescribed rendering processes when generating the image to be displayed on the display unit 130. Specifically, during the operation of the game device 100 (during gameplay or standby), the rendering control unit 107 performs appropriate computational processing on the necessary rendering objects based on the processing and commands performed by the control unit 101, and renders the image. The generated image is output to the display unit 130 and presented to the player by being displayed in a prescribed display area. The display unit 130 may be a display device housed in the same housing as the game device 100 or detachably connected to the outside of the game device 100.

Furthermore, the presentation control unit 107 includes circuitry such as a sound card and amplifier for outputting/amplifying audio signals, and performs prescribed processing when generating sound that causes the audio output unit 140 to output. Specifically, the presentation control unit 107 determines the audio data to be output simultaneously based on audio data pre-recorded in the recording medium 102, converts the audio data into an electro-audio signal (D/A conversion), and outputs it to the audio output unit 140, thereby outputting sound. The audio output unit 140 can be a pre-defined loudspeaker or the like, and outputs sound waves based on the input audio signal.

The control unit 108 controls the provision of game cards for a single game experience initiated based on consideration payment. In the game device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 108 controls the provision of game cards to vary depending on the conditions under which consideration payment was made.

Specifically, when payment is made while the game device 100 is not providing a gaming experience, i.e., in a so-called standby state where no player has been allocated time, the supply control unit 108 controls the card supply unit 150 to supply actual game cards. The card supply unit 150, for example, is a card dispenser, and may have the following structure: a storage box (not shown) that stacks actual game cards vertically, and a mechanism that supplies one actual game card held at the bottom of the storage box according to a supply command issued by the supply control unit 108. When the card supply unit 150 is built into the same housing as the game device 100, the actual game cards are supplied to the player by being guided to an exit 151 (see Figure 1(a)) accessible from the outside of the game device 100. The actual game cards supplied by the game device 100 in this embodiment are pre-printed ready-made cards, and the actual game cards associated with the same character are identical except for the card ID included in the card information. Furthermore, as described above, since the actual game cards are provided in the order they are stored in the storage box, the next actual game card to be provided in the standby state is determined. Therefore, the game device 100 of this embodiment does not include a dynamic element such as changing the provision of cards according to the game content; the provision of actual game cards, for example, is performed before providing gameplay related to the specified game (battle game).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the actual game card is described as a ready-made card; however, the provided actual game card could also be a card whose design could be dynamically changed through so-called on-demand printing. In this case, the card providing unit 150 could be a printing device that prints on a predetermined paper medium, and it could construct, for example, a card with character IDs of characters selected by the player or through a lottery process according to the progress of the game, and attach an coded image obtained by transforming the card information to print and provide the actual game card.

On the other hand, during the period when the gaming device 100 provides a gaming experience, that is, when further consideration is paid while the player has been allocated time, the control unit 108 controls the communication unit 110 to provide the portable terminal 200 with data of a virtual game card related to a character. In this embodiment, the communication between the portable terminal 200 and the communication unit 110 is described as short-range wireless communication, but the communication method with the portable terminal 200 is not limited to short-range wireless communication and can be replaced, which is self-evident.

The operation input unit 109 is, for example, a user interface of the game device 100, such as an operation member for direction input, an operation member for decision input, or various sensors. When the operation input unit 109 detects an operation input to the operation member, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface between the gaming device 100 and an external device. The communication unit 110 enables device-to-device communication between the gaming device 100 and the portable terminal 200 as described above. Alternatively, the communication unit 110 can be configured to connect to the external device via a network (wired or wireless), and be capable of sending and receiving data. This network could be a communication network such as the Internet, or a cable connecting the devices. For example, the communication unit 110 transforms the information input as a recipient into data of a predetermined format before sending it.

<Structure of Portable Terminal 200> Next, the functional structure of the portable terminal 200 will be described using the block diagram in Figure 3.

The portable control unit 201, for example, is a CPU, which controls the operation of each block of the portable terminal 200. Specifically, the portable control unit 201 controls the operation of each block by reading the operation program of each block recorded in the portable recording medium 202, expanding it in the portable memory 203, and executing the operation program.

The portable recording medium 202 is, for example, a non-volatile memory, HDD, or other recording device capable of permanently storing data. In addition to storing the operating programs of each module of the portable terminal 200, the portable recording medium 202 also stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each module. The portable memory 203 is, for example, a volatile memory or other storage device used for temporary data storage. The portable memory 203 is used not only as an expansion area for the operating programs of each module but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of each module.

The portable display control unit 207 includes, for example, a drawing device such as a drawing chip, and performs prescribed drawing processing when generating a screen to be displayed on the portable display unit 230. In the game system of this embodiment, the portable display control unit 207 mainly performs display control to make card information of virtual game cards accessible. For example, if an application associated with the game of the game device 100 (associated application) is executed on the portable terminal 200 and an operation input is made to select the virtual game card to be used from the list of acquired virtual game cards, the portable display control unit 207 uses the card data to generate an image of the virtual game card including the encoded image 402. The portable display unit 230 is a display device provided by the portable terminal 200, and for convenience, it will be described as part of the appearance of the portable terminal 200.

The portable operation input unit 209 is, for example, a user interface provided by the portable terminal 200, which includes operation components for determining input, various sensors, etc. When the portable operation input unit 209 detects an operation input to the operation component, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the portable control unit 201. In this embodiment, in addition to physical operation components, the portable operation input unit 209 also includes, for example, a touch input detection sensor for detecting touch input performed on the screen of the portable display unit 230.

The portable communication unit 210 is a communication interface between the portable terminal 200 and external devices. In this embodiment, the portable communication unit 210 can communicate with the game device 100 to receive data from virtual game cards. When the portable communication unit 210 receives virtual game card data from the game device 100, it updates the information stored in the portable recording medium 202 that is referenced during the execution of the associated application, and sets the virtual game card to a displayable state. Furthermore, the portable communication unit 210 can also connect to external devices via a network (not shown) and send and receive data.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the following structure will be described: the portable terminal 200 has a display device that displays data based on virtual game cards received from the game device 100, thereby setting the card to a state where information can be obtained. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, any device or item configured to receive virtual game card data and enable the game device 100 to obtain that data or corresponding card information is acceptable, and the portable terminal 200 is not limited to this. However, from the perspective of interest or player convenience, it is more preferable that the device or item is configured so that the player can confirm the character associated with the received data in the device or item. Therefore, the device or item for receiving virtual game card data can also be configured to confirm the character associated with the virtual game card with the received data using methods other than displaying the data.

The "Providement Process" describes the provision process performed in relation to providing a gaming experience in the gaming device 100 of this embodiment with such a structure, using a flowchart in FIG5 to illustrate the specific process. The process corresponding to this flowchart can be implemented by the control unit 101 reading the corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the recording medium 102, then expanding and executing that processing program in the memory 103. Furthermore, this provision process will be described, for example, when the gaming device 100 is in a standby state (the gaming device 100 is started, or a gaming experience has been provided and the device is ready to accept an instruction to start a gaming experience).

In step S501, the control unit 101 determines whether a consideration payment related to the commencement of providing a first gaming experience, which is the first consideration payment of the present invention, has been made. This step is a step of detecting consideration payments made when the gaming device 100 is in a standby state, and is used to determine whether to begin providing a first gaming experience for a new player. Here, "first gaming experience" refers to the first gaming experience provided after the device is in a standby state and has not been allocated any time slots to any player, and is described as different from the provision of a first gaming experience for a player. If the control unit 101 determines that a consideration payment related to the commencement of providing a first gaming experience has been made, the process proceeds to step S502; if it determines that no consideration payment related to the commencement of providing a first gaming experience has been made, the process of this step is repeated.

In S502, the control unit 101 begins processing related to providing a gaming experience, allocating possession time to players who have paid for using the game device 100. This possession time does not need to be fixed; it can dynamically change based on the game's content. For example, it could ensure progress reaches a predetermined state, and determine the remaining possession time based on that predetermined state.

In S503, the control unit 108, under the control of the control unit 101, controls the card supply unit 150 to supply one actual game card. The supply of the game card in this step is in response to the input of consideration made in the standby state and is related to the initial game experience. Therefore, the card supply unit 150 supplies the player with an actual game card.

In S504, the control unit 101 performs various processes related to the preparation of the battle game (the prescribed game) for the game experience provided for this game. These processes include registering the opponent's character (opponent character) and registering the character used by the player (used character). Here, the registration of the used character is based on registering the character associated with the game card obtained from the physical or virtual game card via the reader 120. Players can use the desired character as their used character in the game by using game cards from their physical and virtual game cards that are associated with the character they wish to appear in the battle game. Furthermore, if the number of used characters is less than the prescribed number for the battle game, the control unit 101 determines and registers the temporarily used characters from the prescribed character group. The management of the used character and opponent character registered in the preparation process is performed by reading the corresponding character information from the character DB 106 based on each character's character ID and saving the necessary information to tables used for character management (used character management table and opponent character management table). At this point, regarding the progress parameter 814 for character registration, the table contains either virtual item parameter 822 (true) or actual item parameter 821 (false) based on the virtual item flag 803 in the obtained card information.

In S505, the control unit 101 begins game processing related to the appearance of the registered user character and opponent character in the battle game. More specifically, the control unit 101 begins game processing as follows: referring to the user character management table and the opponent character management table, it performs progress control based on the progress parameters of each character. The battle game allows the player to continue playing until a predetermined end condition is met, and the game control unit 101 terminates the game processing based on the fulfillment of that end condition.

In S506, the control unit 101 performs various processes related to the end of the battle game, such as displaying results and displaying scenarios. Additionally, the control unit 101 causes the presentation control unit 107 to display a message for confirming whether to provide a subsequent gaming experience following the current gaming experience, and begins measuring the acceptance period for whether to provide such an experience. Here, providing a subsequent gaming experience refers to extending the possession time of the game device 100 allocated to the player and providing a different gaming experience, which is a gaming experience provided to the same player without going through a standby state. In this embodiment, the selection of whether to provide a subsequent gaming experience is accepted in the sequence of when the battle game ends, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, regarding whether to provide a subsequent gaming experience, it can be accepted when it is determined that the current gaming experience has been provided without problems, or it can be accepted at any time during the provision period after the start of a gaming experience, preferably during the period from the start of the game until the end of the provision period within that gaming experience.

In S507, the control unit 101 determines whether to provide a subsequent gaming experience. Specifically, the control unit 101 determines whether a request for a subsequent gaming experience has been made based on whether additional consideration payment, as the second consideration payment of the present invention, was made during the acceptance period for whether to provide the gaming experience. Therefore, if additional consideration payment was made, the control unit 101 considers it as a request for a subsequent gaming experience and determines that the gaming experience will be provided. In addition, the control unit 101 determines that the subsequent gaming experience will not be provided, not only based on the absence of additional consideration payment up to the end of the acceptance period for whether to provide the gaming experience, but also based on an operation input indicating that the subsequent gaming experience will not be accepted. If the control unit 101 determines that the subsequent gaming experience will be provided, the process proceeds to S509; if the control unit 101 determines that the subsequent gaming experience will not be provided, the process proceeds to S508.

In S508, the control unit 101 performs a process to switch the game device 100 to a standby state, thus completing the provided process.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S507 that a subsequent gaming experience will be provided, the control unit 101 starts processing related to the provision of the subsequent gaming experience in S509, and allocates new possession time to players who have paid additional consideration.

In S510, the control unit 101 determines a predetermined number of characters as candidates for providing virtual game cards. The characters as candidates can be determined from characters who appeared in a previous battle game based on the game's content, or they can be drawn through a selection process. When the control unit 101 determines the characters as candidates for providing virtual game cards, it transmits this information to the provision control unit 108 and displays the information on the display unit 130, accepting instruction input related to selecting a character from these candidate characters for providing virtual game cards. As described above, virtual game cards (data) related to one character are provided for subsequent gameplay experiences; therefore, one character is selected from more than one candidate character. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the selection of the character for providing virtual game cards is described based on player input; however, the invention is not limited to this, and selection can also be performed by the control unit 101 through a selection process, according to a predetermined provision order.

In step S511, the control unit 101 determines whether a character (providing character) for providing virtual game cards has been selected. If the control unit 101 determines that a providing character has been selected, the process is transferred to step S512. If the control unit determines that no providing character has been selected, this step is repeated.

In S512, under the control of the control unit 101, the presentation control unit 107 causes the display unit 130 and the sound output unit 140 to display information instructing the player to bring the portable terminal 200 closer to a designated location in order to provide virtual game cards. At this time, the portable terminal 200, for example, selects the virtual game card receiving function in the associated application, and becomes capable of receiving data from the game device 100. Then, when the game device 100 and the portable terminal 200 are able to communicate via the communication unit 110, the control unit 101 transfers the processing to S513.

In S513, under the control of the control unit 101, the supply control unit 108 transmits data related to the virtual game card provided with the character to the communication unit 110, and sends the data to the portable terminal 200. In this way, virtual game cards can be provided for subsequent game experiences after the initial game experience. When the transmission of the virtual game card data to the portable terminal 200 is complete, the control unit 101 returns the processing to S504.

In this way, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, during the provision of a gaming experience, the possession time of the game device 100 allocated to the player can be extended in response to the payment of consideration related to the provision of subsequent gaming experiences, thereby providing a more satisfying gaming experience. Furthermore, for subsequent gaming experiences, in addition to providing physical game cards, highly portable virtual game cards that can be used in gaming on the game device 100 if a portable terminal 200 is available are also provided, thus significantly expanding the fun elements related to item collection.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the provision process is described such that if additional consideration is paid during the provision of subsequent game experiences, further provision of subsequent game experiences begins; however, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, to ensure fairness among players, an upper limit can be set for the number of game experiences each player can receive within a certain period, including the initial game experience.

Furthermore, this embodiment describes a method of providing virtual game cards based on the premise that the player possesses a portable terminal 200, and registering the corresponding character as a usable character upon obtaining the data of the virtual game card. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the method of providing virtual game cards in a way that the player can use may also be implemented without requiring the player to possess a communication terminal such as a portable terminal 200. For example, the information of the virtual game cards to be provided may be managed in association with the player's identification information attached to the actual game cards, player cards, etc., through an external server configured to communicate with the game device 100 or the game device 100 itself. In this case, it is sufficient that when playing the game again, the virtual game card that the player wishes to use can be selected from the virtual game cards managed in association with the player's identification information based on the information obtained from the actual game cards and player cards.

As explained above, in this embodiment of the game device, the player's interest in the game can be sustained, increasing the utilization of the game device. More specifically, the game device provides a gaming experience based on consideration payment. Upon detecting a first consideration payment related to the start of a gaming experience, game processing related to the first gaming session is executed. After the first gaming session begins, if a second consideration payment is detected during the provision of a gaming experience, game processing related to a second gaming session following the first gaming session is executed. At this time, virtual items associated with game elements are provided for the second gaming session, thereby achieving the aforementioned effects.

[Modification 1] In the above-described embodiment 1, an example is given of determining a predetermined number of characters, etc., as candidates for providing virtual game cards based on the content of the previous battle game. On the other hand, players who pay additional consideration to receive subsequent game experience are already highly interested in the game. Providing attractive items to such players can further enhance their interest in the game, thereby extending the service provision period.

Therefore, for example, the characters offered as candidates for virtual game cards can be dynamically adjusted based on the number of subsequent game experiences provided, thereby increasing the fun. Regarding the number of subsequent game experiences provided as the basis for adjustment, it can be the number of subsequent game experiences provided by extending the duration of possession from the initial game experience (number of consecutive experiences), or, in a manner where information for identifying the player is configured to be obtainable from specified items, portable terminals 200, etc., and the usage history is managed for each player, it can also be the number of subsequent game experiences provided to that player to date (total number of experiences), or it can be a number determined by considering both consecutive experience counts and total experience counts.

Alternatively, the more times a subsequent gameplay experience is provided, the more characters can be offered as candidates. Furthermore, the more times a subsequent gameplay experience is provided, the higher the probability of including the specified character among the candidates. In the latter case, the specified character could be, for example, a character with parameters that benefit the game's progress, or a character with high rarity (value) for game decisions, such as having beautiful graphics or elaborate decorations.

Furthermore, by presenting characters that could be included in the offering candidates during the confirmation process for whether to provide subsequent gameplay experiences, players who wish to acquire virtual game cards related to specific characters can be appropriately guided to continue playing the game. Alternatively, if a player is already in the process of receiving subsequent gameplay experiences and is about to transition to them, the changing characters that could be offered can be shown during the confirmation process.

Furthermore, in the method of managing and utilizing historical records for each player as described above, it is possible to track the virtual game cards provided to players. In this method, it is also possible to control the inclusion of characters associated with already provided virtual game cards from the supply list. Alternatively, in this method, if a player wishes to repeatedly obtain virtual game cards associated with the same character, this can be confirmed and controlled, for example, at the time of the supply request, so that the character is included in the supply list.

[Modification 2] In Embodiment 1 and Modification 1 described above, the game cards provided for subsequent gameplay experiences were described as virtual game cards, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the game device 100 may also be configured to provide actual items when predetermined conditions are met through subsequent gameplay experiences. The actual items provided based on the fulfillment of these predetermined conditions may be different from the actual game cards provided during the normal initial gameplay experience, and will be referred to as actual special cards in the following description. However, the actual items provided based on the fulfillment of the predetermined conditions may not necessarily be cards, and may be different items. In addition, actual special cards may be configured, for example, as shown in FIG4(c), to enable associated characters to appear in the battle game by acquiring information in the same way as actual game cards, or they may be different items associated with game content but without card information and therefore cannot be used in the battle game. Regardless of the type of item, the rarity of actual special cards is set to be higher than that of actual game cards. When they can be used in a battle game, even for the same character, they are assigned a progression parameter 814 that is more beneficial to the progress of the game compared to using actual game cards.

The specified conditions are determined by the utilization of the game device 100 in relation to subsequent gameplay experiences. For example, a specified condition might be met whenever the number of subsequent gameplay experiences provided to the player exceeds a predetermined number, i.e., whenever the number of virtual game cards provided to the player exceeds a predetermined number. Alternatively, the condition could be determined similarly based on the number of subsequent gameplay experiences played consecutively after an initial gameplay experience. Furthermore, for example, a condition might be met when the combination of characters associated with the virtual game cards provided to the player matches the combination determined for providing actual special cards. In this way, it is easier to guide players to utilize subsequent gameplay experiences, and as a result, an increase in sales of the game device 100 can be predicted.

In addition, the specified conditions can also be set as follows: for each virtual game card, the number of times it has been used in the game is managed, not limited to subsequent game experiences, and the condition is met if the number of times exceeds the predetermined number.

Alternatively, the card supply unit 150 may have a storage box containing actual game cards for the typical first-time gaming experience, as well as a separate storage box containing actual special cards, thus enabling the supply of actual special cards. Furthermore, if the card supply unit 150 has an on-demand printing function, actual special cards can be generated and supplied based on printing data configured to include patterns for actual special cards. Alternatively, if the card supply unit 150 has a card dispenser and an on-demand printing function, the source of supply for the actual game cards can be different from the source of supply for the actual special cards. Additionally, in this on-demand printing configuration, the actual special cards can also be configured to have patterns corresponding to the virtual game cards used in the game.

[Embodiment 2] In the above-described Embodiment 1 and its variations, it was described that virtual game cards that can be used in a battle game that can be executed on the game device 100 are provided in the subsequent game experience. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The characters (game elements) associated with the virtual game cards may also be game elements of a game different from the battle game of the game device 100.

Previously, multiple game titles were released for the same content, each with different hardware, rules, and styles. These titles shared a common world view, resulting in the common appearance of some game elements. Furthermore, even between game titles with different content, cooperative programs could be implemented to bring together game elements from each other's content. However, between game titles that share some common elements, the conditions for players to use these elements or for them to appear in the game may differ. Sometimes, depending on the game title, players must meet difficult prerequisites to unlock the desired game elements.

Therefore, in this embodiment, after providing a subsequent gaming experience in the gaming device 100, a virtual ticket, which is a second game according to the present invention and is different from the battle game provided by the gaming device 100 as the first game according to the present invention, is provided in a portable game that enables the use of associated game elements as a virtual item. This virtual ticket is an item that, when used in the portable game, allows the use of game elements associated with the virtual ticket and related to the portable game. In this embodiment, a portion of the game elements appearing in the portable game are common to characters designed to appear in the battle game executed by the gaming device 100. Two methods are set for enabling the use (or appearance) of the corresponding game elements (characters): fulfilling conditions in the portable game; and obtaining a virtual ticket associated with that game element by engaging in a subsequent gaming experience in the gaming device 100.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the portable game is configured to be executable on the portable terminal 200, and to progress during execution by communicating with an external server and sending and receiving data. This method of providing portable games is effective for, for example, enabling execution even on portable terminals with low computing power, facilitating multi-play, allowing for game balance control, progress control, and preventing unauthorized modification of game data, and has been widely adopted in recent years.

As shown in Figure 1(b), the game system of this embodiment includes a server 600, which is connected to the game device 100 and the portable terminal 200 via a network 700. Similar to the system of Embodiment 1 described above, the game device 100 can be configured to communicate with multiple types of portable terminals 200 via the network 700 or directly without using the network 700. Similarly, the server 600 can be configured to communicate with multiple game devices 100 and multiple types of portable terminals 200 via the network 700. The server 600 is a game server for a portable game that can be executed on the portable terminal 200. When the portable game is executed on the portable terminal 200, information is sent and received between the server 600 and the network 700 at predetermined times during the game. In this embodiment, the server 600 also communicates with the game device 100, but this communication is not essential for playing the battle game on the game device 100; it is for the purpose of providing virtual tickets.

Furthermore, in the game system of this embodiment, the game device 100 and portable terminal 200 are assumed to have the same structure as in the embodiment. The structure of the server 600 will be described below. In addition, in the description of the structure of the server 600, the prefix "server" is added to distinguish the constituent elements that perform the same functions as the game device 100.

<Structure of Server 600> Next, the functional structure of server 600 will be described using the block diagram in Figure 6. Alternatively, the server 600 of this embodiment may be used to manage game data, including information about each player using the portable game, each player's portable game play history, available game elements, and information about acquired virtual items.

The server control unit 601, for example, is a CPU, used to control the operation of each block of the server 600. Specifically, the server control unit 601 controls the operation of each block by reading the operation program of each block recorded in the server recording medium 602, expanding it in the server memory 603, and executing the operation program.

The server recording medium 602 is, for example, a non-volatile memory, HDD, or other recording device capable of permanently storing data. In addition to storing the operating procedures of each block of the server 600, the server recording medium 602 also stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block. The server memory 603 is, for example, a volatile memory or other storage device used for temporary data storage. The server memory 603 is used not only as an expansion area for the operating procedures of each block but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of each block.

Game DB 604 is a database used to manage various information (player information) of each player for portable games. In this embodiment, for simplicity, it is described as server 600 managing player information related to portable games, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may also be configured to manage various information of players related to battle games. In the player information, for example, as shown in FIG8(c), progress status information 832, usable element information 833, and virtual item information 834 are managed in association with player ID 831 used to identify players of portable games. The progress status information 832 is used to manage the game history of portable games, script progress status, etc., the usable element information 833 indicates the characters and items that players can use (obtain) when using portable games, and the virtual item information 834 indicates the virtual items provided through subsequent game experience in the game device 100. Although details are omitted, regarding the portable game of this embodiment, when the corresponding application is executed on the portable terminal 200, the portable control unit 201 makes a request to receive player information based on the application, and after receiving the information, controls the progress of the portable game based on the player information.

Server communication unit 610 is a communication interface between server 600 and external devices. Server communication unit 610 can connect to external devices via network 700 (whether wired or wireless), and can send and receive data. Network 700 can be a communication network such as the Internet, or a cable connecting devices. For example, server communication unit 610 transforms information input as a recipient into data of a specified format and then sends it via network 700 to external devices such as game device 100 and portable terminal 200. Furthermore, when server communication unit 610 receives information from an external device via network 700, it decrypts the information and saves it to server memory 603.

The following section describes the provision process performed in relation to providing a gaming experience in the game device 100 of this embodiment, using the flowchart in FIG7. The process corresponding to this flowchart can be implemented by the control unit 101 reading, for example, the corresponding processing program stored in the recording medium 102, then expanding and executing that processing program in the memory 103. Furthermore, this provision process will be described, for example, when the game device 100 enters a standby state (the game device 100 is started, or a state where an instruction to start a gaming experience is accepted after a single gaming experience has been provided). In addition, in the provision process of this embodiment, steps that perform the same processing as in Embodiment 1 described above will be labeled with the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted; only the steps that perform characteristic operations in this embodiment will be described below.

After the control unit 101 begins processing related to providing a subsequent gaming experience in S509, the control unit 101 determines a predetermined number of characters as candidates for providing virtual tickets in S701. Specifically, the predetermined number of characters as candidates for providing virtual tickets are candidates for characters associated with virtual tickets, and are selection candidates for which characters can be used when virtual tickets are used in the portable game. The characters as candidates can be determined based on the gameplay content of the previous battle game, as shown in Embodiment 1 and its variations, and are configured to appear in the portable game. Whether a character is configured to appear in the portable game can be determined, for example, by adding information on whether it can appear in the portable game to the character information managed by the character DB 106. When the control unit 101 determines the characters as candidates for providing virtual tickets, it transmits this information to the provision control unit 108 and displays the information on the display unit 130, and accepts instruction input related to selecting a character from these candidate characters for providing virtual tickets. That is, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, the items (virtual tickets) provided for the subsequent game experience are configured to be usable in a portable game that can be played on a different device (portable terminal 200) but cannot be used in a battle game that can be played on the game device 100.

Subsequently, if it is determined in S511 that a character has been selected, the presentation control unit 107, under the control of the control unit 101 in S702, causes the display unit 130 and the sound output unit 140 to display information for instructing the player to input identification information related to the portable game (the player ID of the portable game) in order to provide virtual tickets. Regarding the player ID related to the portable game, for example, the player ID can be transmitted from the portable terminal 200 to the game device 100 by selecting the player ID output function in the portable terminal 200 with the portable game-related application installed, or it can be done through the player's text input, etc. Alternatively, in a configuration where the game device 100 is configured to allow continued play of games that inherit past play status (loading function), and the acquisition unit 105 acquires the player ID used to manage that play status from the provided recording medium, by pre-binding the player ID of the battle game and the player ID of the portable game for the same player, or by configuring the system to allow the use of a common player ID in both games, information input may not be required in this step.

When a player ID for the portable game is entered, the control unit 101 transmits data related to the virtual voucher for the provided character and the player ID for the portable game to the communication unit 110 in S703, and sends them along with the grant request to the server 600. Based on the grant request, the server control unit 601 updates the virtual item ownership information 834 of the corresponding player information stored in the game DB 604, and sets the portable game to a state where the player is granted a virtual voucher associated with the provided character.

In this way, the game device according to this embodiment provides players with physical items associated with game elements that can be used in games played on the game device during the initial gaming experience. Conversely, in subsequent gaming experiences, it provides players with virtual items associated with game elements that cannot be used in games played on the game device but can be used in games played on other external devices. Here, the games provided on the game device differ from those provided on external devices. The utilization of subsequent gaming experiences on the game device is similar to enhancing the enjoyment of games played on external devices, resulting in increased player interest in both games and encouraging repeated play.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is described that the state of possessing virtual tickets in the portable game is achieved by sending the virtual ticket information along with the virtual ticket granting request to a server 600 for managing player information required for playing the portable game. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The virtual ticket information is provided from the game device 100 to the portable terminal 200 in the same way as the virtual game card in Embodiment 1, Modification 1, and Modification 2. In this case, the virtual ticket information sent to the portable terminal 200 can be stored in a recording medium 102 or the like, and the state of possessing virtual tickets in the game is achieved by referring to and reflecting the virtual ticket information when the portable game application is executed.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as an example of how virtual items can be used to bring game elements associated with virtual items into play in a portable game, the invention describes issuing virtual tickets in the game device 100 and associating those virtual tickets with player information. However, the invention is not limited to the items provided in the game device 100 for two different game experiences (a game experience based on a first consideration payment and a game experience based on a second consideration payment), as long as they differ in whether or not they have a physical entity in the real world. That is, at the time the item is provided from the game device 100, the item may be either a physical game item or a virtual game item. For example, as in this embodiment, game data such as virtual tickets provided from the game device 100 constitutes a virtual game item at the time of provision, but it is not necessary to explicitly present it as a virtual game item or to indicate possession of a virtual game item in the portable game after provision; rather, it is presented as a game element associated with that virtual game item.

[Modification 3] In the above embodiments and modifications, the description focused on providing actual game cards for the initial gaming experience; however, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a player who has collected all the prepared types of actual game cards through repeated use of the game device 100 may no longer desire more actual game cards, potentially leading to a loss of interest in the game device 100. Therefore, it is also possible to set a timing for determining which item is desired for the initial gaming experience, and to exceptionally permit the provision of virtual game items such as virtual game cards based on the player's selection.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the game device according to the present invention can also be implemented using a program that enables one or more computers to function as the game device. This program can be provided/distributed by means of a computer-readable recording medium or via an electrical communication line.

Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

100: Game device; 101: Control unit; 102: Recording medium; 103: Memory; 104: Payment detection unit; 105: Acquisition unit; 106: Character database; 107: Presentation control unit; 108: Provision control unit; 109: Operation input unit; 110: Communication unit; 120: Reader; 130: Display unit; 140: Sound output unit; 150: Card provision unit; 200: Portable terminal; 201: Portable control unit; 202: Portable recording medium; 203: Portable memory; 207: Portable display control unit; 209: Portable operation input unit; 210: Portable communication unit; 230: Portable display unit; 600: Server; 601: Server control unit; 602: Server recording medium; 603: Server memory; 604: Game database; 610: Server communication unit; 700: Network.

Claims (21)

1. A gaming device that provides a gaming experience and physical game items associated with game elements, provided that consideration is a necessary condition for payment, said gaming device having: The testing unit, for which payment is made; Upon detecting a first consideration payment related to the commencement of a game play experience, the first execution unit performs game processing related to the first game play. A providing unit that provides any one of a limited variety of physical game items for the first game to be played, and provides virtual game items associated with game elements for the second game following the first game to be played; and The second execution unit, after the first game has started and the actual items for the game have been provided by the providing unit, and in the event that a second consideration payment is detected during the provision of the game experience, performs game processing related to the second game. 2. The gaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: The first presentation unit, when providing the virtual items for the game, presents multiple game elements as selection candidates; and The first selection unit selects any one of the game elements from the candidate game elements. The providing unit provides virtual items for the game associated with game elements selected by the first selection unit. 3. The gaming device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first presentation unit increases the number of game elements that are candidates for selection based on at least one of the number of times the second game was played during one game experience and the total number of times the second game was played during multiple game experiences. 4. The gaming device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, It also includes a first acquisition unit that acquires management information for managing game elements associated with the virtual items already provided to the player. The first presentation unit does not include provided game elements in the selection candidates, which are game elements managed as virtual items for the game that have been provided in the management information related to the player. 5. The gaming device according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also has a receiving unit that, in relation to the already provided game elements, accepts requests for providing new virtual items for the game. When a request for provision is accepted by the receiving unit, the first presentation unit includes at least a portion of the provided game elements in the selection candidates. 6. The gaming device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The probability of including each game element in the selection candidate is changed based on at least one of the number of times the second game was played during one game experience and the total number of times the second game was played during multiple game experiences. 7. The gaming device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The probability of being included in the selection candidates is changed in such a way that the more times the second game is played, the more likely game elements belonging to the categories that are pre-determined to be of high value are to be included in the selection candidates. 8. The gaming device according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a notification unit that, during the period of accepting the second consideration payment during the provision of the second game experience, informs that game elements associated with the virtual items in the game can change by playing the second game. 9. The gaming device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, It also has a second presentation unit that, during the period of providing the second gaming experience and accepting the payment of the second consideration, presents at least a portion of the game elements associated with the virtual items in the game by playing the second game. 10. The gaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The game elements associated with the virtual items in the game are game elements set up specifically for the game. The gaming device also includes a second acquisition unit, which acquires game information related to game elements associated with the virtual items and the physical items used in the game. The first execution unit and the second execution unit respectively use the game information obtained by the second acquisition unit for playing the game to control the progress of the game. Regarding game information obtained for the same game element associated with both the actual game item and the virtual game item, the game information obtained from the virtual game item is more conducive to the game's progress than the game information obtained from the actual game item. 11. The gaming device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second acquisition unit includes a camera unit for capturing images of items, and acquires game information based on the images of the items obtained through the camera. The game uses actual items that have visually recognizable patterns representing game information on at least a portion of their appearance. The virtual items used in the game are image data for display. They are displayed on an information communication terminal with a display unit, and the patterns representing the game information are displayed in a form that can be acquired by the second acquisition unit and in a visually recognizable manner. 12. The gaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the virtual items and the physical items used in the game are at least accompanied by images of game elements associated with them. For the same game element associated with both the physical game item and the virtual game item, the image of the game element contained in the virtual game item is different from the image of the game element attached to the physical game item. 13. The gaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a third acquisition unit that acquires status information for managing the player's use of the game. The providing unit also provides actual items for the game when the game's usage status, managed using the status information related to the player, meets the prescribed conditions. 14. The gaming device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The actual game item provided when the game's usage meets the specified conditions is a second actual game item, different from the first actual game item provided for the first player. 15. The gaming device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second actual game item has an appearance corresponding to the virtual game item. 16. The gaming device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The utilization status of the game includes information indicating the number of times the player played the first game and the second game, or the number of times the player played the second game. If the number of uses exceeds the predetermined number, the providing unit determines that the predetermined conditions are met and provides the actual game items without requiring further consideration. 17. The gaming device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The virtual items used in the game can be used while playing the game on the gaming device. The game utilization status includes information on the number of times each virtual item in the game has been used by a player during gameplay. If the number of uses exceeds the prescribed number, the providing unit determines that the prescribed conditions are met and provides the actual game items without requiring further consideration. 18. The gaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Game elements associated with the virtual items in the game are game elements set up for a different game than the game itself. By providing the virtual item for the game, game elements associated with the virtual item appear when playing the different game on an information communication terminal different from the game device. 19. The gaming device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The providing unit provides the virtual items for the game by sending them to a server or information communication terminal with a recording medium and having the server or information communication terminal record them. 20. A game system comprising a game device and an information communication terminal, wherein the game device provides a gameplay experience of a first game and game-related physical items with game elements of the first game on the condition of payment of consideration, and the information communication terminal provides a gameplay experience of a second game different from the first game, wherein... The gaming device has: The testing unit, for which payment is made; The first execution unit, upon detecting a first consideration payment related to the commencement of a game experience, performs processing of the first game in relation to the first game; A providing unit that provides any one of a limited variety of physical game items for the first game and provides virtual game items associated with game elements of the second game for the second game following the first game; and The second execution unit, after the first game has started and the actual game items have been provided by the providing unit, and in the event that a second consideration payment is detected during the provision of the game experience, performs processing related to the first game in connection with the second game. The information communication terminal has: The third execution unit executes the processing of the second game; and The control unit controls the third execution unit to present game elements associated with the virtual item provided by the providing unit when such virtual item is present. 21. A recording medium having a program for enabling a computer to function as a unit of a gaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 19.