Patent ID: 8246463
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: A63F

Abstract:
1. A game system including a plurality of game apparatus which execute a multiplayer game by directly exchanging data therebetween by using wireless communication, wherein each game apparatus comprises: a display; a wireless communicator configured for short distance wireless communication which directly transmits and receives data to and from at least one other game apparatus; group setting programmed logic circuitry which sets a game apparatus group, to which a first of the plurality of game apparatuses belongs, by exchanging group formation data with at least a second game apparatus via the wireless communicator, wherein a game apparatus group includes all apparatuses communicating to play the same instance of a game, wherein at least the first game apparatus includes group information transmission programmed logic circuitry which transmits group information on group formation of the game apparatus group, to which the first game apparatus belongs, with other game apparatuses via the wireless communicator; group information receiving programmed logic circuitry to receive group information on group formation of a second game apparatus group to which the game apparatus receiving the information does not belong, when the game apparatus receiving the information belongs to a first game apparatus group; display control programmed logic circuitry configured to display at least information on group formation of each of the second game apparatus groups on the display in accordance with the group information received by the group information receiving programmed logic circuitry; selection programmed logic circuitry which responds to player selection by selecting for entry any of the game apparatus groups, indicated by the information on group formation of the one or more second game apparatus groups to which the first game apparatus does not belong, displayed on the display by the display control programmed logic circuitry; group changing programmed logic circuitry which adds the first game apparatus to the selected second game apparatus group, according to a selection by the selection programmed logic circuitry responsive to a player selection, by exchanging the group formation data via the wireless communicator with a game apparatus belonging to the selected game apparatus group, wherein each game apparatus group includes one respective host apparatus; and multiplayer game execution programmed logic circuitry which executes a multiplayer game in whichever game apparatus group to which a game apparatus having the multiplayer game execution programmed logic circuitry belongs, wherein the group information includes identification information on all game apparatuses belonging to each said game apparatus group indicated by the group information, and wherein the display control programmed logic circuitry is further configured to display, as information on group formation of each said game apparatus group to which the first game apparatus does and does not belong, a makeup of each said game apparatus group comprising a list of all game apparatuses belonging thereto on the display, as well as information indicating which device is operating as the host device for the game apparatus groups.