Patent ID: 9597601
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: A63F,H04L

Claim:
1. A video game apparatus connected, via a network, to a server apparatus, the server apparatus being connected to at least one other video game apparatus via the network, the video game apparatus comprising: a receiver that receives a message distributed from the server apparatus via the network; a provider that provides a chat window for displaying the message on a display screen in a case where the receiver receives the message; and a display device that displays a video game on the display screen and the message received by the receiver in the chat window, wherein when the video game apparatus receives a message from the at least one other video game apparatus via the server apparatus in a state that the chat window is not provided, the chat window is provided in an area of the display screen, wherein the chat window is deleted, and is not provided in the area of the display screen until the video game apparatus receives a message from the server apparatus, and wherein an oldest message may be selectively retained in the chat window instead of being deleted by chat window reduction processing, the chat window reduction processing sequentially deleting the oldest messages from the chat window when the oldest message is not a specific message identified with high importance, the chat window reduction processing deleting the second oldest message from the chat window when the oldest message is a specific message identified with high importance.