WO2014132429A1 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to collect information relating to an action of a user in a system wherein a virtual space is utilized, and to use the collected information as real world marketing information. [Solution] An information collection unit (57) collects information relating to an action in a user's virtual space which is linked to a sponsor object which is a virtual object relating to an object, a service, a program, and/or a concept associated with a sponsor (SF1). An information provision unit (58) provides to a sponsor the information which is collected by the information collection unit (57) (SF2). A profit granting unit (59) grants a profit to the user who in the virtual space takes the action which is linked to the sponsor object (SF3).

Description

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of realizing a virtual space.

Conventionally, a virtual world that mimics the real world has been built by a program. The virtual world constructed by the program is hereinafter referred to as a virtual space (VIRTUAL SPACE). Some virtual spaces are accessed from information processing apparatuses connected to a network and used as online games or virtual malls (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In a system using a virtual space, a user can operate a character representing himself / herself through a user interface, cause the character to use goods and services, or perform a commercial transaction using virtual currency or points. A sponsor, who is a provider of products and services, performs economic activities such as advertisements and promotions for characters (users) in the virtual space, as in the real world.

JP 2010-21040 A

However, the conventional technology including the technology described in Patent Document 1 described above merely imitates advertisement / advertisement in the real world in the virtual space. For example, as in the case of selling shoes in the real world, the description of the shoes is only described in addition to the shoe object in the virtual space. Therefore, the effect of economic activity in the virtual space is the same as or more limited than in the real world.
Therefore, in the conventional technology, the economic activity in the virtual space has not fully utilized the characteristics of the virtual space.

An object of the present invention is to enable a user of a virtual space to perform an economic activity that more utilizes the characteristics of the virtual space.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention provides:
Information collecting means for collecting information on the behavior of the user in the virtual space related to the sponsor object, which is a virtual object related to at least one of the goods, services, programs, and concepts related to the sponsor;
Information providing means for providing information collected by the information collecting means to a sponsor;
A benefit providing means for providing a benefit to a user who performs an action related to the sponsor object in the virtual space.

The program for constructing the virtual space makes a preprogrammed response to the user's behavior in the virtual space, and the program is changed according to the result of the user's behavior performed for the response.

The information collecting means includes: the number of times the user has acted in relation to the sponsor object; the number of times the sponsor object has been related to the user's behavior; the date and time when the user's behavior related to the sponsor object was recorded; The number of times a sponsor who wants to provide an object competes, the user acts in relation to the sponsor object, and as a result the user achieves the purpose of the action, the user acts in relation to the sponsor object, As a result, the number of times the user has failed to achieve the purpose of the action, the user acts in association with the sponsor object, and as a result, the user achieves the purpose of the action, And the number of times the user has used the sponsor object. To collect information about at least one of the number of times the user has acted in relation to the sponsor object after the user has failed to achieve the goal of the act. Can do.

The profit providing means can give the user a profit associated with the sponsor of the sponsor object that the user has acted in the virtual space.

The profit providing means can give a profit used in the real world to a user who has acted in association with the sponsor object in a virtual space.

It can further comprise a sponsor object changing means for changing the sponsor object based on at least one of an event in the real world and a season.

Further, a sponsor object changing means for changing the sponsor object according to an instruction from the sponsor can be provided.

The information processing method and program of one embodiment of the present invention are a method and a program respectively corresponding to the above-described information processing device of one embodiment of the present invention.

According to the present invention, a user of a virtual space can perform an economic activity that further utilizes the characteristics of the virtual space.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system of one Embodiment of this invention to which the DIM model was applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the hardware of the information processing apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure for performing the process which builds virtual space, and a DIM process among the functional structures of the information processing apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure (whole process) after the manager and sponsor of the information processing apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention make a contract until action information is collected. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the DIM process shown to step S4 of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the information collection process shown to FIG.5 S11.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The present embodiment provides an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program to which a DIM (Dynamic Interactive Marketing) model is applied.
The DIM model allows the user to perform actions related to the sponsor program in a virtual space constructed by the program. Here, the sponsor object is at least one of a virtual article, a service, a program, a contract, or the like that is a target of the sponsor's business transaction in the virtual space. The sponsor objects include those related to existing articles and those related to articles developed or provided in the future. Further, the behavior related to the user's sponsor object in the virtual space is hereinafter referred to as “sponsor object-related behavior”.
The DIM model is a model that collects information related to a user's sponsor object-related behavior and can use the collected information for purposes such as real-world advertising and marketing. The information related to the user's sponsor object related behavior is hereinafter referred to as “behavior information”.

The virtual space referred to in this embodiment is a space imitating the real world constructed by a program. The user can exchange information with pre-programmed characters and other users in the virtual space, and can use, acquire, and perform business transactions on items existing in the virtual space.
As a program for constructing a virtual space, for example, a program used for an online game or a virtual mall is applied.

All industries, or all companies, organizations and individuals can use the DIM model as a sponsor. Sponsors that use the DIM model provide sponsor objects in virtual space.

In a virtual space to which the DIM model is applied, a program that realizes the virtual space and a user's action interact with each other. The interaction between the program and the user's action means that the response of the program to the sponsor object-related action is programmed in advance, and the result of the user's action performed on the response of the program acts on the program again (change) Is given).
The sponsor object-related behavior includes at least one of use, acquisition, commerce, and lending by the user in the virtual space of the sponsor object.
The response of the program to the sponsor object-related behavior includes providing a benefit in the virtual space or real world to the user who performed the sponsor object-related behavior.

That is, in the DIM model, a benefit is provided to the user for the sponsor object related behavior. In the DIM model, by using such a method, the user's experience of using the sponsor object is strongly impressed with the profit. Such a process acts strongly on the user at both conscious and potential levels. Therefore, the user actively uses the sponsor object without intention.

In the DIM model, other variable statistical information such as the number, frequency, timing, etc. of the user's sponsor object-related behavior can be collected. The sponsor object can be associated with information collected by the system provided by the sponsor and information collected with the DIM model.
In this embodiment, among the information associated with the sponsor object, statistical information related to the number of sponsor object-related actions is provided to the sponsor. Note that this statistical information is not limited to the sponsor that provided the sponsor object associated with this information, and may be provided to other sponsors.

In the DIM model, the sponsor object can be changed dynamically. The sponsor object may be changed according to a specific event such as Christmas or Halloween. Also, by dynamically changing the sponsor object, commercial competition of different sponsors providing the same sponsor object can be encouraged.

Furthermore, the DIM model can be combined with RWR (Real World Rewards), which is a physical reward in the real world, to provide users with real-world physical benefits as benefits for sponsor object-related behaviors. .
In this way, the experience related to the sponsor object-related behavior can be further impressed by the user.

方法 Methods that interact with marketing in such programs can create a whole new level of commercial behavior in the program. Advertising is not only part of the environment, but also part of the overall user experience.

Hereinafter, a system to which the DIM model is applied will be specifically described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention to which a DIM model is applied. In the present embodiment, the following description will be given on the assumption that the information processing system shown in FIG. 1 provides an online game program to the user.
As shown in FIG. 1, in an information processing system, a plurality of user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n (n is an integer of 2 or more), an information processing device 2, and a sponsor server 3 are connected via a network N. Are connected to each other.

The user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n are each operated by a user. The user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n are programs provided to the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n by the information processing device 2, and are executed by the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n. The action information of the sponsor object related action in the virtual space of the online game constructed by the program is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 2 via the network N.

The information processing apparatus 2 is configured as a server apparatus managed by the administrator of the DIM model. The information processing device 2 provides an online game program to each of the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n according to a user request. Then, the information processing apparatus 2 transmits information indicating the result of execution of the provided program by the user terminal apparatuses 1-1 to 1-n from the user terminal apparatuses 1-1 to 1-n via the network N at a predetermined timing. Receive.

The sponsor server 3 is a server managed by a sponsor that provides information related to a sponsor object to an online game. In the DIM model, as described above, all industries or all companies, organizations, and individuals can be sponsors. Below, the sponsor of a DIM model is illustrated.
(1) Sponsors that provide beverages (2) Sponsors that provide foods (3) Sponsors that provide shoes (4) Sponsors that provide clothes (5) Network providers (6) Service providers (7) Sponsors that provide trademarks (8) Sponsors conducting public works (9) Sponsors providing distribution systems (10) Electronic consumer sponsors (11) Advertising sponsors

Among the sponsors described above, the sponsor who performs the advertisement can use other sponsors to collect information related to user preferences. For example, if there is a sponsor S1 and a sponsor S2 that have a similar object (for example, shoes) as a sponsor object, the sponsor that performs the advertisement prefers the sponsor object of the sponsor S1 or the sponsor object of the sponsor S2. Information about can be collected.
In such data mining, the function and use of the sponsor object of the sponsor S1 and the sponsor object of the sponsor S2 are the same, and thus the collected information can be fed back as a personal preference of the user.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 2 according to the present invention.
The information processing apparatus 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an image processing unit 14, a bus 15, an input / output interface 16, and an input. A unit 18, an output unit 19, a storage unit 20, a communication unit 21, and a drive 22 are provided.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 20 to the RAM 13.

The RAM 13 appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

The image processing unit 14 creates a still image or a moving image representing the virtual space. For this reason, image processing for creating a still image or a moving image imitating the real world is performed according to a preset scenario.

The CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, and the image processing unit 14 are connected to each other via a bus 15. An input / output interface 16 is also connected to the bus 15. An input unit 18, an output unit 19, a storage unit 20, a communication unit 21, and a drive 22 are connected to the input / output interface 16.

The input unit 18 includes various buttons, keys, and a touch panel, and inputs various types of information according to user instruction operations.
The output unit 19 includes a display, a speaker, and the like, and outputs images and sounds.
The storage unit 20 is configured by a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores various image data.
The communication unit 21 controls communication between the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n and the sponsor server 3 via a network including the Internet.

A removable medium 31 made of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is appropriately attached to the drive 22. The program read from the removable medium 31 by the drive 22 is installed in the storage unit 20 as necessary. The removable medium 31 can also store various data such as image data stored in the storage unit 20 in the same manner as the storage unit 20.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process for constructing a virtual space, a process for collecting behavior information by applying a DIM model to the virtual space (hereinafter referred to as “DIM process”), among the functional configurations of the information processing apparatus 2. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure for performing this.
The process of constructing a virtual space refers to a process of constructing a virtual space and causing a user character to act on the virtual space based on a user instruction. The DIM process is a series of processes from collecting action information related to a sponsor object related action, transmitting the collected action information to the sponsor server 3, and providing a benefit to the user who performed the sponsor object related action. Say. The DIM processing includes processing for collecting user behavior information (hereinafter referred to as “information collection processing”).

Specifically, in the present embodiment, a virtual space for playing an online game is constructed, and in the online game, a user performs an action related to an article, a service, a program, and a concept as a sponsor object. The article as the sponsor object is, for example, clothes, and the sponsor object-related action for the sponsor object as the article refers to, for example, purchase, wearing, and disposal of clothes.
A service as a sponsor object is, for example, a medical diagnosis performed in an online game, and a sponsor object-related action for a sponsor object as a service means, for example, receiving a medical diagnosis service. The sponsor object program is, for example, a mini game executed in an online game, and the sponsor object-related action for the sponsor object is, for example, the execution of the mini game and the result (whether it can be cleared). ) Etc. Further, the concept as a sponsor object is, for example, a logo mark provided by the sponsor, and the sponsor object-related action for the sponsor object as a concept is to use, for example, a logo mark or stop using the logo mark.

As shown in FIG. 3, the RAM 13 shown in FIG. 2 includes an action DB (Data Base) 49, a profit DB 50, a character DB 51, a map DB 52, an event DB 53, a user DB 54, and a sponsor object DB 55. Is provided as a storage area.
The information related to the user recorded in the user DB 54 includes personal information of the user himself / herself and information on the user terminal device, network, provider, etc. used by the user. The personal information of the user is handled according to a contract between the administrator of the information processing apparatus 2 that supplies the program and the user.

In the CPU 11 shown in FIG. 3, when the DIM processing is performed, the virtual space management unit 41 and the DIM processing unit 42 function.
The virtual space management unit 41 manages an online game being executed on the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n. In the virtual space management unit 41, an action management unit 44, a profit management unit 45, a character management unit 46, a position management unit 47, and a time management unit 48 function.

The virtual space management unit 41 manages an online game being executed on the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n. The behavior management unit 44 manages a history of behavior in the online game of the character performed according to the user's instruction. The action history is information for identifying the user who has acted and information indicating the content of the action performed by the user over time. The action history is accumulated in the action DB 49 of the RAM 13.
The profit management unit 45 manages profits acquired by the character in the online game. Here, the profit is an item, a virtual currency, a life point, a point representing ability, and the like possessed by the character in the online game. The profit of the character is accumulated in the profit DB 50 of the RAM 13 and updated as necessary.

The character management unit 46 manages information such as character characteristics and profiles set by the user. Information related to the character is stored in the character DB 51 of the RAM 13 and updated as necessary.
The position management unit 47 manages the positions of characters and buildings in the online game. The positions of characters, buildings, etc. are managed in association with the terrain in the online game stored in the map DB 52 of the RAM 13.
The time management unit 48 manages the time in the online game. The time in the online game may be arbitrarily set and changed by the user, or may be linked to the real world time.

The DIM processing unit 42 collects behavior information related to the sponsor object-related behavior of the character representing the user (hereinafter referred to as “user”) in the online game, and provides a benefit to the user who performed the sponsor object-related behavior. Change the sponsor object accordingly.
In the DIM processing unit 42, a sponsor object management unit 56, an information collecting unit 57, an information providing unit 58, a profit providing unit 59, and a sponsor object changing unit 60 function.

The DIM processing unit 42 receives the sponsor object transmitted from the sponsor server 3 via the communication unit 21. The sponsor object management unit 56 manages sponsor objects. The received sponsor object is stored in the sponsor object DB 55 of the RAM 13.
That is, the sponsor object management unit 56 records the reception date and time of the newly received sponsor object, information such as the sponsor that provided the sponsor object, in association with the sponsor object stored in the sponsor object DB 55, In response, the sponsor object stored in the sponsor object management unit 56 is updated.

Here, the sponsor object management unit 56 can dynamically change the sponsor object and the behavior of the sponsor object. The dynamic change of the sponsor object can be performed according to seasonal events such as Christmas, New Year, and Halloween in the real world, artificial events such as sponsor campaigns and sales of products, and seasons such as summer and winter.

The change corresponding to the Christmas event of the sponsor object is made, for example, by adding a Santa Claus hat to a hat traded in the online game between December 1st and 25th. The change of the behavior of the sponsor object means that, for example, when an action is performed in relation to a Santa Claus hat in an online game, the benefit given to the user, such as points given to the sponsor object, is higher than that of other sponsor objects. It means becoming bigger.
When the sponsor object management unit 56 changes the sponsor object according to the event or season (time season), the sponsor object management unit 56 acquires the season in the online game or the date and time when the event is performed from the event DB 53.

Further, the sponsor object management unit 56 can change the behavior of the sponsor object and the sponsor object according to the time in the online game. The time in the online game may be arbitrarily set by the user, or may be linked to the time in the real world. The dynamic change of the sponsor object according to time can be used when a sponsor object having the same function or application is provided by a plurality of sponsors and a conflict occurs.
When the sponsor object management unit 56 changes the sponsor object according to time, the sponsor object management unit 56 acquires the time in the online game from the time management unit 48. It should be noted that the time in the online game may be arbitrarily set by the user, or may be linked to real-time time.

That is, in the present embodiment, when a sponsor object having the same function or use is provided by a plurality of sponsors, for example, the sponsor object of company X is distributed in the online game in the morning time zone, and in the afternoon time zone. Can also distribute the sponsor object of company Y in the online game.
In this way, it is possible to increase the possibility that each sponsor object having the same function and use can be related to the user's action.

In this embodiment, all sponsor objects correspond to locations in the online game. The sponsor object management unit 56 can dynamically change the behavior of the sponsor object and the sponsor object according to the location of the sponsor object in the online game when the user interacts with the sponsor object.
When the sponsor object management unit 56 changes the sponsor object according to the location, the sponsor object management unit 56 acquires from the position management unit 47 the location where the character performs the sponsor object-related action in the online game.

The dynamic change of the sponsor object described above can make a new event that the sponsor will perform in the future. For example, under a specific situation, it is possible to realize an advertisement that allows a sponsor object to imply an event in an online game and obtain a unique advertisement effect.

The information collecting unit 57 collects behavior information of the user's sponsor object related behavior in the online game. When behavior information is collected, the information collection control unit 61 and the counter unit 62 function in the information collection unit 57.

The information collection control unit 61 acquires information related to the user's sponsor object-related behavior from the behavior management unit 44 of the virtual space management unit 41. Then, the fact that the user has taken action related to the sponsor object is recorded in the counter unit 62 for each user or for each sponsor object with a date and time.
In addition, when the sponsor object-related behavior of the user is successful, the information collection control unit 61 records the success of the sponsor object-related behavior in the counter unit 62 for each user or for each sponsor object.
Further, when the sponsor object-related behavior of the user fails, the information collection control unit 61 records that the sponsor object-related behavior has failed in the counter unit 62 for each user or for each sponsor object.

Furthermore, the information collection unit 57 acquires information on the sponsor object from the sponsor object management unit 56, and detects whether or not a sponsor object having the same use and function is provided by a plurality of different sponsors.

The information collection control unit 61 acquires the number of times (count value) that information related to the sponsor object-related behavior is recorded in the counter unit 62. And action information is collected based on the acquired count value. In the present embodiment, for example, the counter unit 62 is configured to record behavior information for each of a plurality of sponsor objects stored in the sponsor object DB 55. The behavior information is recorded together with information specifying that the sponsor object-related behavior has been performed, the date and time when the sponsor object-related behavior was performed, and the user who performed the sponsor object-related behavior.

The information providing unit 58 provides the collected action information to the sponsor. More specifically, the information collection unit 57 acquires information about the user who performed the sponsor object-related behavior from the user DB 54. The information providing unit 58 acquires the behavior information from the information collecting unit 57 and transmits it to the sponsor server 3 via the communication unit 21 and the network N.

Below, the action information of this embodiment is illustrated. Note that the present embodiment is not limited to such an example. As described above, the sponsor object-related behavior of the user includes, for example, at least one of use, acquisition, business transaction, and lending of the sponsor object by the user.
(1) Object count: The number of times the user has performed a sponsor object-related action.
(2) Action count: The number of times the sponsor object is related to the user's sponsor object-related action.
(3) Object example count: Date and time when the sponsor object-related action was recorded.
(4) Object competition: The number of times a sponsor who provided a sponsor object competed.
(5) Objective attempt: The number of times a sponsor object related action related to this sponsor object was recorded after the purpose of the sponsor object related action was achieved.
(6) Goal Retry: The number of times a retry of the purpose of the sponsor object related action was recorded for the same sponsor object after the user failed the sponsor object related action.
(7) Purpose failure: The number of times a user tries to achieve the purpose of the sponsor object-related behavior and the failure of the sponsor object-related behavior is recorded for the same sponsor object.
(8) Achievement of purpose: The number of times the purpose of the sponsor object related action is recorded.

Among the behavior information described above, “object count” is the number of times each of the users has performed a sponsor object-related behavior. “Action count” is the number of times each sponsor object is associated with a sponsor object-related action.
The “object example count” is the date and time when the sponsor object is related to the user's action. “Object competition” is the number of times two or more different sponsors have provided information about a sponsor object having the same use and function to an online game.

In addition, in the behavior information described above, “the purpose of the sponsor object-related behavior” means that, for example, when the sponsor object is a puzzle or a game, the puzzle is solved to obtain a correct answer or the game is cleared. .

When the sponsor object is a puzzle or game (hereinafter also referred to as “puzzle”), the “target attempt” means that the user solves the puzzle to obtain a correct answer or clears the game and then the same user makes the same puzzle, etc. Is the number of times the sponsor program related action was taken. The “retry of purpose” is the number of times the same user has performed a sponsor program related action on the same puzzle or the like after the user did not solve the puzzle or failed to clear the game.

“Failure of purpose” is the number of times the user did a sponsor program-related action on a puzzle or the like and the puzzle could not be solved or the game could not be cleared. “Achievement” is the number of times the user has performed a sponsor program-related action on a puzzle or the like, solved the puzzle, or cleared the game.
According to such behavior information, the difficulty level of a puzzle or the like is estimated by “achievement of purpose” and “failure of purpose”. In addition, the degree of interest of the user with respect to the puzzle or the like can be estimated by “trial of purpose” and “retry of purpose”.

The profit providing unit 59 provides a profit to a user who has performed a sponsor object-related action. The benefit may be related to the sponsor or the product provided by the sponsor. Profit may also be a key component of a program theme that builds an online game.
For example, in order to advance to the next stage in an online game, a sponsor object that forms part of a program strategy may have to be used. Examples of benefits are given below, but the benefits referred to in the present embodiment are not limited to such examples.

The following are examples of benefits associated with sponsors or sponsor products.
(1) Provide temporary or permanent enhancement to the user's ability.
(2) Provide temporary or permanent enhancement to the user's assets.
(3) Provide temporary or permanent enhancements to user attributes.
(4) Giving virtual or physical gifts from sponsors (eg discount coupons that can be used on sponsor websites).
The following are examples of benefits not related to sponsors or sponsor products.
(5) Identify the secret components of the program that is building the online game.
(6) Identify the components of the objects of the program that is building the online game.
(7) Provide several benefits in different programs.

Of the above profits, the profits shown in (1) to (3) are managed by the profit management unit 45 after being given to the user.

The sponsor object interacts with the object of the program that builds the online game, thereby giving the user the benefits described above. The process of giving profit (hereinafter referred to as “feedback”) depends on the object associated with the program.
The feedback includes the following response, but the Fordback of the present embodiment is not limited to such an example.
Sensory feedback: Sensory feedback is provided by one or more of the five human senses such as human vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Usually, the benefits as exemplified above as (1) to (7) are provided by the feedback.
Teaching feedback: Teaching feedback is teaching for causing a user to perform an action. The teaching feedback may be performed by the program itself for constructing the online game, or may be performed by an external program. Usually, the benefits as exemplified above as (1) to (7) are provided by the feedback.

With respect to teaching feedback, it can also be used as a mechanism that directs the user directly to another virtual or physical location. When combined with the RWR model (Real World Rewards), the user is given instructions to obtain additional rewards. The following is an example of instructions for obtaining additional rewards. However, in the present embodiment, the instruction for obtaining the additional reward is not limited to such an example.
(1) Enter the code obtained on the sponsor's website.
(2) Enter the code obtained on the sponsor's partner website.
(3) Enter a code obtained by visiting a store in the real world.
(4) Supply the code obtained on the sponsor's website.
(5) Supply the code obtained on the sponsor's partner website.
(6) Supply a code obtained by visiting a store in the real world.

The sponsor object changing unit 60 changes the sponsor object stored in the sponsor object DB 55. The change is made by adding a new sponsor object to the sponsor object DB 55 or updating at least one of the stored sponsor objects to a new sponsor object. That is, the sponsor is added to the acquired action information. Based on this, the sponsor object provided by itself can be changed, and the changed sponsor object can be fed back to the online game program again.

The change of the sponsor object based on the behavior information is, for example, when the sponsor obtains behavior information indicating that yellow demand is high for the shoe (type T1) that is the sponsor object of the article, As for T2), a yellow object can be added to the sponsor object. At this time, the sponsor transmits a sponsor object of yellow shoes (type T2) together with the additional instruction from the sponsor server 3 to the information processing apparatus 2.
The sponsor object changing unit 60 stores the sponsor object of yellow shoes (type T2) transmitted from the sponsor server 3 in the sponsor object DB. Then, the sponsor object management unit 56 is notified of the addition of the sponsor object of yellow shoes (type T2) and requests management.

In addition, when the sponsor obtains behavior information indicating that the demand for black shoes (type T1) is low together with the behavior information indicating that demand for yellow shoes (type T1) is high, the black shoes (type T2) are obtained. Can be updated to a yellow shoe sponsor object (type T2). At this time, the sponsor transmits a sponsor object of yellow shoes (type T2) from the sponsor server 3 to the information processing apparatus 2 together with an update instruction.

The sponsor object changing unit 60 stores the sponsor object of yellow shoes (type T2) transmitted from the sponsor server 3 in the sponsor object DB. Then, the sponsor object management unit 56 is notified to update the black shoe (type T2) with the sponsor object of the yellow shoe (type T2), and the management is requested.
In this way, according to the present embodiment, the sponsor object can be changed according to the market demand indicated by the behavior information, and a sponsor object with higher demand can be searched.

Also, in the present embodiment, an article or the like that has not yet been manufactured or put on the market can be used as a sponsor object, and information on the sponsor object can be provided to the online game. In this way, the present embodiment can not only collect marketing information related to articles already distributed, but also estimate sales of articles that will be manufactured and developed in the future.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure (overall processing) from when the administrator of the information processing apparatus 2 and the sponsor have signed a contract until action information is collected.
In step S1, the sponsor agrees that at least one of the goods, services, programs, and concepts provided by the sponsor is a sponsor object, and that the sponsor object is used in the program P that provides the online game.
In step S2, the administrator of the information processing apparatus 2 updates the program P in accordance with the contracted sponsor object operation.
In step S3, the user terminal devices 1-1 to 1-n are updated with a new operation by updating the program P.
In step S <b> 4, the information processing apparatus 2 executes a DIM process that uses the online game provided by the updated program P, collects behavior information, and provides a benefit to the user who performed the sponsor object-related behavior.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the DIM processing shown in step S4 of FIG. In step S <b> 11, the information collection unit 57 collects behavior information of the user's sponsor object-related behavior in the online game. Such processing is called information collection processing in the present embodiment. Details of the information collection processing will be described later with reference to FIG.
In step S12, the information collection unit 57 provides the collected behavior information to the sponsor. The provision of the behavior information to the sponsor is performed by transmitting the behavior information from the information providing unit 58 to the sponsor server 3 via the communication unit 21 and the network N.

In step S13, the profit providing unit 59 provides a profit to the user who performed the sponsor object related action. The profit may be a condition that makes the user advantageous in playing an online game, or may be a so-called “actual thing” that can be used in the real world.

In step S14, the sponsor object changing unit 60 determines whether the sponsor object has been changed. The sponsor object is changed when a new sponsor object is transmitted from the sponsor server 3 and a change is instructed, or when the behavior information satisfies a predetermined condition.
If the sponsor server 3 is instructed to change the sponsor object, or if the behavior information satisfies a predetermined condition, YES is determined in step S14, and the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the sponsor object changing unit 60 changes the sponsor object stored in the sponsor object DB 55. On the other hand, if the sponsor object 3 is not instructed to change the sponsor object, or if the behavior information does not satisfy the predetermined condition, NO is determined in step S14, and the process returns to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining details of the information collection processing shown in step S11 of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 5 exemplifies a process of collecting action information, object example count, objective attempt, objective retry, objective failure, and objective achievement action information.
In step S21, the information collection control unit 61 selects a sponsor object that is a target of information collection. The sponsor object may be selected in order of the sponsor objects stored in the sponsor object DB 55.

In step S22, the information collection control unit 61 determines whether or not the user has performed a sponsor object-related action for the selected sponsor object. If there is no user who has performed a sponsor object-related action for the sponsor object, NO is determined in step S22, and the process returns to step S21.
In step S22, when there is a user who has performed a sponsor object-related action for the sponsor object, it is determined as YES in step S22, and the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S <b> 23, the information collection control unit 61 records that the related action is performed on the counter (counter A) corresponding to the sponsor object of the counter unit 62 together with the date and time of the sponsor object related action.
The record of the counter A can be used as an action count and an object example count in the action information described above.

In step S24, the information collection control unit 61 determines whether or not the current sponsor object-related action is a plurality of times. Here, the term “multiple times” means that a user who has made a sponsor object-related action this time has made a sponsor-related action on the same sponsor object in the past. When the same user is performing a sponsor object related action about the same sponsor object, YES is determined in step S24, and the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S24, if the same user is not performing a sponsor object related action for the same sponsor object, NO is determined in step S24, and the process proceeds to step S28.

In step S25, the information collection control unit 61 refers to the record of the counter unit 62 and determines whether or not the previous sponsor object-related action has succeeded. Here, “previous” may refer to a sponsor object-related action performed immediately before, for example. If the previous sponsor object-related action is successful, it is determined as YES in Step S25, and the process proceeds to Step S26.

In step S26, the information collection control unit 61 records in the counter (counter B) corresponding to the sponsor object of the counter unit 62 that the related action has been performed again after the previous related action was successful.
The recording of the counter B can be used as a target attempt in the behavior information described above.

On the other hand, if the previous sponsor object-related action is not successful in step S25, NO is determined in step S25, and the process proceeds to step S27.
In step S27, the information collection control unit 61 records in the counter (counter C) corresponding to the sponsor object of the counter unit 62 that the related action has been performed again after the previous related action failed.
The record of the counter C can be used as a target retry in the behavior information described above.

In step S28, the information collection control unit 61 determines whether or not the current sponsor-related action is successful. If the current sponsor-related action is successful, YES is determined in step S28, and the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S29, the information collection control unit 61 records that the current related action is successful in the counter (counter D) corresponding to the sponsor object of the counter unit 62.
The record of the counter C can be used as the achievement of the action information described above.

If the current sponsor-related action has failed, NO is determined in step S28, and the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S <b> 30, the information collection control unit 61 records that the current related action has failed in the counter (counter E) corresponding to the sponsor object of the counter unit 62.
The record of the counter E can be used as a purpose failure in the behavior information described above.

Among the behavior information, the object count can be collected by counting the number of times the sponsor object related behavior is performed for each user. In addition, for example, the information collection unit 57 acquires the sponsor object contents and the information of the sponsor that provided the sponsor object from the sponsor object management unit 56, and the sponsor object having the same use and function is obtained from a plurality of sponsors. It can be collected by counting the number of times provided.

In the present invention, the DIM model can be a powerful tool for marketing and advertising or comprehensive information gathering for anything in the real world. The following (1) to (5) can be powerful tools for marketing and promotion or information gathering. However, the present embodiment is not limited to these as a matter of course.
(1) Company (2) Person (3) Products (including not only existing products but also products that will appear in the future)
(4) Program (including existing programs as well as those that will appear in the future)
(5) Other Concepts Related to People In this way, the DIM model of this embodiment can be used as a new powerful commercial channel for companies.

The following are some of the models to which the DMI model is applied.
(1) A program that links users to some of the powerful marketing and advertising or information gathering tools listed above.
(2) Although it can be a powerful tool for marketing and promotion or information gathering listed above, it is a program that serves as an intermediary for linking advertisement and information gathering to users.
(3) A mechanism that leads directly to the location of the user's store or the like through profit feedback.
(4) Investors, business partners, sponsors, joint ventures or any other business cooperatives get rewards by combining (1), (2) or (3), or (1) through (3) above be able to.

In the above-described embodiment, the information processing apparatus 2 to which the present invention is applied has been described using the server apparatus as an example, but is not particularly limited thereto.
For example, the present invention can be applied to general electronic devices having a function capable of constructing a virtual space. Specifically, for example, the present invention is applicable to personal computers, portable game machines, and the like.

The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software.
In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 3 is merely an example, and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient if the information processing apparatus 2 has a function capable of executing the above-described series of processing as a whole, and what functional block is used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example of FIG. .
In addition, one functional block may be constituted by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof.

When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed on a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. The computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, for example, a general-purpose personal computer.

The recording medium including such a program is not only constituted by the removable medium 31 of FIG. 2 distributed separately from the apparatus main body in order to provide the program to the user, but also in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus main body in advance. The recording medium etc. provided in The removable medium 31 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. The optical disc is composed of, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a Blu-ray Disc (Blu-ray Disc), and the like. The magneto-optical disk is constituted by an MD (Mini-Disk) or the like. In addition, the recording medium provided to the user in a state of being preliminarily incorporated in the apparatus main body includes, for example, the ROM 12 in FIG. 1 in which a program is recorded, the hard disk included in the storage unit 19 in FIG.

In the present specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series along the order, but is not necessarily performed in time series, either in parallel or individually. The process to be executed is also included.

As mentioned above, although several embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is only an illustration and does not limit the technical scope of this invention. The present invention can take other various embodiments, and various modifications such as omission and replacement can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification and the like, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1-1 to 1-n User terminal device 2 Information processing device 3 Sponsor server 11 CPU
12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Image processing part 15 ... Bus 16 ... Input-output interface 18 ... Input part 19 ... Output part 20 ... Memory | storage part 21 ... Communication part 22 ... Drive 31. .. removable media 41... Virtual space manager 42... DIM processor 44... Behavior manager 45. Profit manager 46 .. character manager 47.・ Time management part 49 ... DB for action
50 ... DB for profit
51 ... DB for characters
52 ... Map DB
53 ... DB for events
54 ... DB for users
55 ... DB for sponsor object
56 ... Sponsor object management unit 57 ... Information collecting unit 61 ... Information collecting control unit 62 ... Counter unit 58 ... Information providing unit 59 ... Profit providing unit 60 ... Sponsor object Change part

Claims (9)

Information collecting means for collecting information on the behavior of the user in the virtual space related to the sponsor object, which is a virtual object related to at least one of the goods, services, programs, and concepts related to the sponsor;
Information providing means for providing information collected by the information collecting means to a sponsor;
A benefit providing means for benefiting a user who has performed an action related to the sponsor object in the virtual space;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The program for constructing the virtual space makes a pre-programmed response to the user's behavior in the virtual space, and the program is changed according to the result of the user's behavior performed on the response. The information processing apparatus according to 1. The information collecting means includes: the number of times the user has acted in relation to the sponsor object; the number of times the sponsor object has been related to the user's behavior; the date and time when the user's behavior related to the sponsor object was recorded; The number of times a sponsor who wants to provide an object competes, the user acts in relation to the sponsor object, and as a result the user achieves the purpose of the action, the user acts in relation to the sponsor object, As a result, the number of times the user has failed to achieve the purpose of the action, the user acts in association with the sponsor object, and as a result, the user achieves the purpose of the action, And the number of times the user has used the sponsor object. Collecting information about at least one of the number of times the user has acted in association with the sponsor object after the user has failed to achieve the goal of the behavior as a result. 2. The information processing apparatus according to 2. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the profit providing means gives the user a profit associated with the sponsor of the sponsor object that the user has acted in the virtual space. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the profit providing means gives a profit used in the real world to a user who has acted in association with the sponsor object in a virtual space. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sponsor object changing unit that changes the sponsor object based on at least one of an event in the real world and a season. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sponsor object changing unit that changes the sponsor object in accordance with an instruction from the sponsor. In the information processing method of the information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Collecting information about a user's behavior in a virtual space associated with a sponsor object, which is a virtual object related to at least one of an article, a service, a program, and a concept related to the sponsor;
Providing the sponsor with the information collected by collecting the information;
Benefiting a user who has acted in association with the sponsor object in the virtual space;
An information processing method including: A computer for controlling the information processing apparatus;
Information collecting means for collecting information on behavior of a user in a virtual space related to a sponsor object, which is a virtual object related to at least one of an article, a service, a program, and a concept related to the sponsor;
Information providing means for providing a sponsor with information collected by the information collecting means;
A benefit-providing means for benefiting a user who has acted in relation to the sponsor object in the virtual space;
Program to function as.

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