Abstract:
A competitive game management system is disclosed which manages a competitive game played by a plurality of players. Take, for example, a league competition played by players A, B, C, and D. Between the player A and the player B, for instance, a home game operated by the player A and an away game in which a CPU acts as the simulated player A are arranged. Similarly, between the player A and each of the other players C and D, two games are arranged respectively. These arrangements are made for all combinations of players, and a league ranking is determined based on all the results of the games. Therefore, a player can play the game against other real players, and the result of the competitive game will be evaluated equally for each player.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2005/006751 filed on Apr. 6, 2005, which in turn claims priority to Japan Patent Application No. 2004-116005 filed on Apr. 9, 2004. The entire disclosures of International Application No. PCT/JP2005/006751 and Japan Patent Application No. 2004-116005 are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention generally relates to a game method and game system in which players separated by geography can play games against one another.  
         [0004]     2. Background Information  
         [0005]     Game systems have been proposed previously in which players separated by geography play games against one another. For example, there exists a game system in which a plurality of game terminals in a location are connected so that each of the players can play a competitive game against one another. There also exists a game system in which game terminals in a plurality of locations are connected via the internet or other networks so that players at game terminals in different locations are able to play online games against one another. These game systems are structured such that the game terminals and the server of a game company are connected via one or more networks. In a conventional mah-jongg game, for example, a game terminal transmits an entry request to the server. The server retains a list of terminals requesting entry in real time, and determines a combination of terminals to compete in a game based on all entry requests. The combination is determined based on a rank indicating the degree of proficiency of the players. The server sends the network addresses of the terminals at which the players who will compete in a game are located to the game terminal. The game terminal executes a mah-jongg game by transmitting and receiving game data necessary in order to proceed with the game to/from the network addresses received.  
       DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In competitive games played by players separated by geography, a time lag in data communication among the game terminals can occur due to problems with the internet or other network lines. Because of that, it is difficult to reflect the operations of each player at the game terminals of the opponents in real time. One option is to set the game speed of each game terminal in consideration of the time lag in data communication. However, this may damage the sense of reality in the game.  
         [0007]     In addition, when the competitive game is played via networks, one of the game terminals involved in the game generally becomes a master, and the others generally become slaves. The master terminal will receive the operations input at the slave terminals, and manage the progress of the game based on the operations received from the slave terminals and operations input in the master terminal. The slave terminals will receive screen display data from the master terminal and output it on their screens. Because the quantity of operation data transmitted to the master terminal is not very large, the time lag for data transmission and reception is usually not a problem. However, because the quantity of display data transmitted to the slave terminals is large, the time lag for data transmission and reception can be a problem, depending on network status such as network traffic, communication band, and communication speed. Consequently, the display timing at the slave terminals will be later than the display timing at the master terminal. In other words, the player at the master terminal has an advantage over the other players at the slave terminals when playing a game.  
         [0008]     In view of the above, the competitive games played by players at game terminals separated by geography are limited to those such as mah-jongg or shogi (Japanese chess game), which do not require real-time reflection of the operations executed by a player at the game terminal of an opponent. In games such as a sport simulation game, a racing game, or a competitive fighting game, which require real-time reflection of operations executed by a player at the game terminal of an opponent, or which require a large amount of data to be transmitted, it will be difficult to achieve these online games without the players losing the sense of reality when playing the games. Therefore, it will be difficult for players playing games that require real-time reflection to find real opponents.  
         [0009]     In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved game method and game system that will allow a player to designate real players at remote locations and play a competitive game regardless of the type of game, and allow players to participate in an online game equally.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A first aspect of the present invention provides a competitive game result management system comprising a first game device operated by a first player, a second game device operated by a second player, and a competitive game result management device configured to manage the results of a competitive game played by the first and the second players.  
         [0011]     A first game device comprises a first obtaining unit and a first simulated competitive game unit. The first obtaining unit is configured to obtain game data of the second player from the competitive game result management device. The first simulated competitive game unit is configured to play a first simulated competitive game against the first player as a simulated second player based on the game data obtained by the first obtaining unit. The second game device comprises a second obtaining unit and a second simulated competitive game unit. The second obtaining unit is configured to obtain game data of the first player from the competitive game result management device. The second simulated competitive game unit is configured to play a second simulated competitive game against the second player as a simulated first player based on the game data obtained by the second obtaining unit.  
         [0012]     The competitive game result management device comprises the following units: 
        a player information storing unit configured to store the game data of the first player and the game data of the second player;     first game data transmission unit configured to transmit the game data of the second player stored in the player information storing unit to the first game device operated by the first player;     a second game data transmission unit configured to transmit the game data of the first player stored in the player information storing unit to the second game device operated by the second player;     a first competitive game result receiving unit configured to receive the result of the first simulated competitive game from the first game device;     a second competitive game result receiving unit configured to receive the result of the second simulated competitive game from the second game device; and     a game outcome determination unit configured to determine the outcome between the first player and the second player based on the result of the first simulated competitive game received by the first competitive game result receiving unit, and the result of the second simulated competitive game received by the second competitive game result receiving unit.        
 
         [0019]     The present invention is applicable to all competitive games such as a soccer game, a bowling game, a battle game, a mah-jongg game, a go game, and a horse racing game. Take a soccer game as an example. The competitive game result management device (player information storing unit) is connected to the first game device and the second game device via a network, and stores game data of the first player operating the first game device and game data of the second player operating the second game device. The game data may include, for example, the name of a team, the names of team members, and history data indicating the player&#39;s habits. There are two kinds of competitive games, which are a home game and an away game.  
         [0020]     When the competitive game is a home game for the first player, for example, it is an away game for the second player. In this case, the game is executed at the first game device. The team members of the first player are operated by the first player. In addition, the team members of the second player are operated by the CPU of the first game device. Therefore, in the game which is a home game for the first player and an away game for the second player, the first game device plays a simulated competitive game against the first player operating the first game device on behalf of the second player.  
         [0021]     In contrast, when the game is an away game for the first player, it is a home game for the second player. In this case, the game is executed at the second game device. The team members of the first player are operated by the CPU of the second game device. In addition, the team members of the second player are operated by the second player. Therefore, in the game which is an away game for the first player and a home game for the second player, the second game device plays the simulated competitive game against the second player operating the second game device on behalf of the first player.  
         [0022]     The competitive game result management device (game outcome determination unit) determines the game outcome between the first player and the second player based on both the result of the home game for the first player and the away game for the second player, and the result of the game in the reverse case. Therefore, the game outcome can be provided under equal conditions for both players. By doing so, an indirect online game can be played even if a player can not directly play an online game against another person. In addition, the game outcome between the players can be determined equally, while the players are given the illusion that they are playing an online game directly.  
         [0023]     A second aspect of the present invention provides a competitive game result management system according to the first aspect, wherein the game data stored by the player information storing unit comprises an identifier configured to identify each of a plurality of game characters operated by each player.  
         [0024]     In a soccer game or a basketball game, for example, each player plays the game by operating team members on his/her own team. In this case, the game data may include the name, capabilities, condition, and the like of each member.  
         [0025]     A third aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to the first and second aspects, wherein the game data stored by the player information storing unit includes operation history information on each player who is playing the game.  
         [0026]     In a soccer game, the player operation history information may include the number of actions performed, such as a shot pass, a back pass, and a shot, and the selection rate of each action. In a battle game, the types of actions which the player can use are determined in advance, and the number of times that each action is used and the selection rate can be stored as the operation history information. By including the above-indicated data into the game data, the game which is played by each game device on behalf of a player can become closer to a game played by the player him/herself. Accordingly, an indirect competitive game via a network can become closer to a direct competitive game via a network.  
         [0027]     A fourth aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to the first through third aspects, further comprising at least one game device operated by a player in addition to the first game device and the second game device. The competitive game result management device further comprises a competitive game schedule creation unit configured to create a competitive game schedule that is composed of a combination of three or more players.  
         [0028]     In this case, the competitive game result management device receives the results of first and second simulated competitive games for respective competitive games defined by the competitive game schedule. By determining the ranking of the players in the competitive game based on these results, equality among respective players is guaranteed.  
         [0029]     A fifth aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the competitive game schedule created by the competitive game schedule creation unit defines a round robin league of the selected players.  
         [0030]     When three or more players are selected, each of them is allowed to play the first and second simulated competitive games in a league game. By determining the game outcome among the players based on the results of the first and second simulated competitive games, the ranking of the players can be determined equally based on the overall outcomes among respective players.  
         [0031]     A sixth aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the competitive game schedule created by the competitive game schedule creation unit defines a tournament competition of the selected players.  
         [0032]     When three or more players are selected, each of them is allowed to play the first and second competitive games in a tournament game. The outcome among the players is determined based on the results of the first and the second competitive games, and a player who can advance to the next game is determined based on these results. By repeating these processes, the ranking of the players can be determined equally.  
         [0033]     A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to any of the first through sixth aspects, wherein the game outcome determination unit sets a predetermined period within which the game outcome between the first player and the second player is determined, and the game outcome determination unit determines the game outcome based on the result of the first simulated competitive game or the result of the second simulated competitive game if the game outcome determination unit does not receive one of either of the results within the predetermined period.  
         [0034]     For example, when only the result of the first simulated competitive game can be obtained within the predetermined period, the competitive result management device may determine the game outcome between the first player and the second player based on only this result. This prevents the determination process of the game outcome from taking too long to complete.  
         [0035]     An eighth aspect of the present invention provides the competitive game result management system according to any of the first through seventh aspects, wherein the game outcome determination unit sets a predetermined period within which the game outcome between the first player and the second player is determined. This system further comprises a competitive game promoting unit configured to promote execution of a simulated competitive game by transmitting a competitive game promoting notification to the first game device and/or the second game device.  
         [0036]     When the game device is a home computer or a home game device, it is possible to transmit the competitive game promoting notification to the game device. By transmitting the competitive game promoting notification to the game device, it is possible to prompt the players to end all competitive games before the competition period elapses.  
         [0037]     A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a competitive game result management program which causes a computer to act as the competitive game result management device in the competitive game result management system according to the first aspect. A tenth aspect of the present invention provides a competitive game result management method executed by a competitive game management system according to the first aspect. The ninth and tenth aspects have similar functions and effects as the first aspect.  
         [0038]     The present invention allows a player to play an indirect competitive game via a network even if he/she has difficulty playing a direct game against a real opponent. In addition, even in a game which requires speed, the present invention is still able to provide a player with abundant real opponents. Furthermore, the present invention can determine the game outcome of players equally, giving them the illusion that they are playing the competitive game against real players via a network.  
         [0039]     These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0040]     Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure.  
         [0041]      FIG. 1  is an illustrative diagram showing the schematic configuration of a game system according to the present invention.  
         [0042]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the control of a game terminal.  
         [0043]      FIG. 3  is an example of a screen displayed in a soccer game to which the present invention is applied.  
         [0044]      FIG. 4  is an example of a screen showing four players playing a league game and competing for ranking.  
         [0045]      FIG. 5  is an example of the items in the player data.  
         [0046]      FIG. 6  is an example of the items in the operation tendency information.  
         [0047]      FIG. 7  is an example of the items in the operation history information.  
         [0048]      FIG. 8  is an example of the number of actions (operation history information) counted in a variety of situations.  
         [0049]      FIG. 9  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a league schedule created by the server.  
         [0050]      FIG. 10A  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a tournament schedule created by the server.  
         [0051]      FIG. 10B  is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing the way in which the game outcome is determined based on  FIG. 10A .  
         [0052]      FIG. 11  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a list of pending games created by the server.  
         [0053]      FIG. 12  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a list of completed games created by the server.  
         [0054]      FIG. 13  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a league schedule in which all competitive games end within an expiration date.  
         [0055]      FIG. 14  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a league schedule in which all competitive games did not end within an expiration date.  
         [0056]      FIG. 15A  is an example of the flow of a process performed by the game system in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0057]      FIG. 15B  is another example of the flow of a process performed by the game system in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0058]      FIG. 16  is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of a competitive game updating process performed by the server. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     Embodiment 1  
       [0000]     Configuration  
         [0000]     (1) Overall Configuration  
         [0059]      FIG. 1  shows the configuration of a game system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The game system comprises a server  100  and a plurality of game terminals  200   a ,  200   b  . . . which are connected via a network  300  such as the internet. The server  100  and the game terminals  200  are computer systems having a CPU, RAM, ROM, network interfaces, and the like.  
         [0000]     (2) Server  
         [0060]     The server  100  comprises the following elements (a) through (e).  
         [0061]     (a) CPU  101 : By running various programs, the CPU  101  causes a computer system to function as a game data transmission unit, a competitive game result receiving unit, a competitive game schedule creation unit (corresponding to a competitive game schedule creation unit and a period setting unit), a game outcome determination unit, and a competitive game promoting unit.  
         [0062]     (b) RAM  102 : Temporarily stores a variety of variables, parameters and the like.  
         [0063]     (c) ROM  103 : Stores a control program, predetermined parameters, and the like.  
         [0064]     (d) Network communication unit  104 : Transmits and receives data to and from the terminal device  200  via the network  300 .  
         [0065]     (e) Data storage unit  105 : Stores player data transmitted from game terminals  200  for each player (corresponding to the player information storing unit). The player data may include game data, operation tendency information, and personal data. The game data is needed to execute a game on behalf of a player. The operation tendency information indicates each player&#39;s operating habits. The personal data includes a name, e-mail address and the like of a player. The player data will be explained in detail later.  
         [0000]     (3) Game Terminals  
         [0066]      FIG. 2  shows the configuration of a game terminal  200 . The game terminal  200  comprises the following elements (a) through (m).  
         [0067]     (a) CPU  201 : Runs a variety of programs.  
         [0068]     (b) RAM  202 : Temporarily stores a variety of variables, parameters, and the like.  
         [0069]     (c) ROM  203 : Stores a control program, predetermined parameters, and the like.  
         [0070]     (d) Network communication unit  204 : Transmits and receives data to and from the other terminals via a network.  
         [0071]     (e) Monitor  206 : Displays graphical content of a game on the game terminal.  
         [0072]     (f) Drawing process unit  205 : Generates data on the graphical content to be displayed on the monitor  206 .  
         [0073]     (g) Speaker  208 : Outputs sound while game is being played or while a demonstration screen is being displayed.  
         [0074]     (h) Audio reproduction unit  207 : Generates sound data to be output by the speaker  208 .  
         [0075]     (i) Input operation unit  211 : Comprises a joystick, operation buttons, and the like, and receives operation input from the players.  
         [0076]     (j) Card reader/writer  212 : Performs a data read/write process on a magnetic card that is inserted therein.  
         [0077]     (k) Coin acceptance unit  213 : Accepts coins that are inserted therein by a player.  
         [0078]     (l) External equipment control unit  210 : Controls external equipment such as an operation unit, the card reader/writer  212 , the coin acceptance unit  213 , and the like.  
         [0079]     (m) External input/output control unit  209 : Generates control signals to external equipment such as the card reader/writer  212 , the coin acceptance unit  213 , and the like, and in addition, receives detection signals from the external equipment and sends the signals to the CPU  201 .  
         [0000]     Example of the Game System  
         [0000]     (1) Overview of the Game System  
         [0080]     Next, an example of the game system of the present embodiment applied to a soccer game will be specifically explained with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 3  is an example of a screen displayed at the terminal device  200 . In this game system, a simulated online game is played between a player and the CPU at the terminal device  200 , and the game outcome between the players is determined by the server  100 . The game outcome between a player A operating the game terminal  200   a  and a player B operating the game terminal  200   b  is determined based on the results of two competitive games. One is played at the game terminal  200   a . In this competitive game, game characters on player A&#39;s team are operated by player A himself/herself, and game characters on player B&#39;s team are operated by the CPU of the game terminal  200   a . This competitive game is a home game for the player A, whereas it is an away game for the player B. The other game is a competitive game played at the game terminal  200   b . In this competitive game, the game characters on player B&#39;s team are operated by player B himself/herself, and the game characters player A&#39;s team are operated by the CPU of the game terminal  200   b . This competitive game is a home game for the player B, whereas it is an away game for the player A. In short, both of the players will play a home game and an away game respectively.  
         [0081]     The server  100  determines the game outcome between player A and player B based on the results of the two competitive games played by them. Accordingly, the server  100  can determine the game outcome under equal conditions for both player A and player B. The server  100  may set a limitation on the competition period and notify the players about this period. If the competition period ends and only the result of one of the games can be obtained, the server  100  may determine the game outcome based only on the obtained result. Furthermore, the server  100  may transmit a notification to the players to urge the players to proceed with the competitive game before the competition period expires. When three or more players play the competitive game against each another, the server  100  is also able to create a competitive game schedule in a round robin league game or in a tournament game so that the players can play the competitive game based on the competitive game schedule.  FIG. 4  is an example of a screen showing that four players play a league game and compete for ranking. Every time the server  100  receives the result of the competitive game from the game terminal  200 , the server  100  can update the league schedule and notify the game terminals  200  of the players&#39; ranking.  
         [0082]     The CPU of the game terminal  200  performs two processes. As the first process (hereinafter referred to as normal game process), it will accept operation inputs from a player and execute the game in accordance with the operation inputs. As the second process (hereinafter referred to as simulated battle participation process), it will operate the game characters based on the opponent&#39;s player data. In the above-described game played by the player A and the player B, when the game is a home game for the player A, the game terminal  200   a  obtains the player data for player B from the server  100 , and operates the game characters on player B&#39;s team based on that data. The player data includes operation tendency information, described below, that indicates the operating habits of each player. The CPU of the game terminal  200  determines the actions of each member of player B&#39;s team based on the operation tendency information. This provides the player A with the impression that he/she is playing the game against the player B, because the result of an operation performed by the game terminal  200  is similar to that performed by the player B himself/herself.  
         [0000]     (2) Server  
         [0083]     The function of the server  100  will be explained below more specifically.  
         [0000]     (2-1) Player Data  
         [0084]      FIG. 5  shows an example of the items included in player data stored in the data storage unit  105  (corresponding to the player information storing unit) of the server  100 . In this example, the player data includes game data, operation tendency information, and personal data. The player data is stored in association with the player ID.  
         [0000]     Game Data  
         [0085]     Game data is required to execute a game, and differs depending on the type of game. Here, in the example of a soccer game, information such as the name of the team, level, league division, overall record, rank, team member data, formation, and strategy is used as the game data. The team member data includes the name, ability, condition, and the like of each team member belonging to the team.  
         [0000]     Personal Data  
         [0086]     The personal data includes the name and network address of the player in this example. The network address, such as an e-mail address, is used to transmit the competitive game promotion notification and/or the final result of the league game from the server  100  directly to the player.  
         [0000]     Operation Tendency Information  
         [0087]     The operation tendency information indicates the operating habits of the player. The operation tendency information is created in the server  100  so that the CPU of the game terminal  200  can pretend to be an opponent in order to play a simulated online game against the player.  FIG. 6  shows a more detailed example of the items included in the operation tendency information. The operation tendency information shows the selection rates of predetermined actions in this example. The operation tendency information is calculated based on operation history information, which is the operation inputs of the player.  
         [0088]      FIG. 7  shows an example of the items in the operation history information, which is used to calculate the operation tendency information. In this example, the number of times that the predetermined actions are executed is used in the operation history information.  FIG. 8  is an example of the operation history information in which the actions are totaled with respect to each situation. The server  100  computes the selection rates for the actions with respect to each situation based on the total number of actions for each predetermined situation, and calculates the operation tendency information. The selection rate of the actions for each situation is calculated by using the formula: (the number of actions in each situation/the total number of actions in each situation)×100%.  
         [0089]     The server  100  may calculate the operation tendency information based on all games played by each player. In addition, it may calculate the operation tendency information based on some of the latest games, or the latest five games, that each player played. Of course, it may calculate the operation tendency information based on only the latest game played by each player. When the past operation history information of a player is stored in the game terminal  200  or on a card belonging to the player, the game terminal  200  may also calculate the operation history information which reflects the past operation history information of the game terminal  200 . In addition, if the operation tendency information is calculated based on the operation history information of the latest game, this calculation may be performed at the game terminal  200 , and the calculated operation tendency information may be transmitted to the server  100 .  
         [0090]     Examples of the elements which form the predetermined actions and situations in a soccer game will be provided.  
         [0000]     Examples of Predetermined Actions  
         [0091]     Short passing  
         [0092]     Through passing  
         [0093]     Centering  
         [0094]     Clearing  
         [0095]     Long passing  
         [0096]     Dribbling shot  
         [0097]     Direct shot  
         [0098]     Lob shot  
         [0099]     Sliding  
         [0100]     Heading  
         [0101]     Press  
         [0102]     Dash  
         [0103]     Shot cancel  
         [0104]     Putting the operation into action  
         [0105]     Keeper jumping out  
         [0106]     Feint  
         [0000]     Examples of Situations  
         [0107]     Time . . . opening, middle, second half, and the like  
         [0108]     Area . . . own ground, enemy ground, center, side, and the like  
         [0109]     Game status . . . lead, tied score, behind, and the like  
         [0110]     Situation nearby . . . allies nearby, no allies nearby, enemies in the passing course, no enemies in the passing course, and the like  
         [0000]     (2-2) Creating a Competitive Game Schedule  
         [0111]     When the competitive game schedule creation unit of the server  100  (corresponding to the competitive game schedule creation unit and the period set unit) receives an entry request for the league game from a game terminal  200  which has not joined the league game, it will create a new league schedule and an identifier for the league game (hereinafter referred to as the competitive game ID) to be stored in the data storing unit  105 . The game terminal  200  is notified of the competitive game ID, and is written into the game data of the player data.  FIG. 9  is the league schedule which has been newly created by the server  100 . This figure shows the league schedule in a situation in which four players, A, B, C, and D, (shown as team A, team B . . . in  FIG. 9 ) play the league game. The competitive game schedule creation unit creates the league schedule so that every player can play two games against the other three players respectively. In other words, it creates the league schedule so that every player can play a home game and an away game against the other players other than himself/herself. As a method for determining players to be allowed to join the league game, for example, a method is given in which a list of players requesting entry to the league game is created, and a predetermined number of players is selected from the list.  
         [0112]     A league game was used as an example, but the game schedule of a tournament game is created in the same way.  FIG. 10A  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a tournament schedule created by the competitive game schedule creation unit. In the tournament game, the tournament schedule is created so as to determine the game outcome between two players based on the results of a home game and an away game that they play. The tournament game is identified by the competitive game ID. By creating the league schedule or tournament schedule, the competitive game played by three and more players and the determination of their rankings become possible.  
         [0113]     Furthermore, when the competitive game schedule creation unit creates a competitive game schedule such as a league schedule and tournament schedule, it may set an expiration date for them.  FIG. 11  shows a pending list to manage a competitive game in which the expiration date has not elapsed. The competitive game schedule creation unit registers in the pending list, for example, the created competitive game ID in association with its expiration date. The pending list is retained in the RAM  102 , for example. By setting the expiration date, it is possible to determine ranking within the expiration date. In addition, it is possible to promote the participation of a player because the player will try to finish the predetermined game within the expiration date.  
         [0000]     (2-3) Transmitting the Game Data  
         [0114]     When the game data transmission unit of the server  100  receives the designation of opponent from the game terminal  200 , it transmits the player data of the designated opponent to the requester. More specifically, the game data transmission unit receives the competitive game ID from the game terminal  200 , and transmits the competitive game schedule which is identified by this ID. Then, the game data transmission unit receives from the game terminal  200  a designation of any of the competitive games which are defined in the competitive game schedule and have not been executed. The game data transmission unit specifies an opponent based on the received designation of the competitive game, reads out his/her player data from the data storing unit  105 , and transmits it to the game terminal  200 .  
         [0000]     (2-4) Receiving the Results of a Competitive Game  
         [0115]     The competitive game result receiving unit of the server  100  receives the result of the competitive game and the operation history information from the game terminal  200  which executed the game. For example, when a simulated competitive game between player A and player B is played at the game terminal  200   a , the competitive game result receiving unit receives the result of the competitive game and the operation history information of the player A. When the game terminal  200  joins a league game or a tournament game, the competitive game result receiving unit updates a league schedule or a tournament schedule based on the result of the competitive game. In other words, whenever it receives each of the results of the competitive games in the competitive game schedule, it writes the result into the competitive game schedule.  
         [0116]     In addition, the competitive game result receiving unit updates the operation tendency information of the player based on the operation history information. For example, if the operation tendency information is calculated based on the latest game, the competitive game result receiving unit calculates the selection rate of actions with respect to each situation based on the received operation history information, and stores it as the new operation tendency information in the data storing unit  105 . Furthermore, the competitive game result receiving unit updates “level,” “ranking,” “team member data,” and the like in the game data which is included in the player data based on the result of the competitive game.  
         [0000]     (2-5) Determining the Game Outcome  
         [0117]     The game outcome determination unit of the server  100  determines the ranking of the players based on the results of the completed games when all league games or all tournament games have been played, or the expiration date has expired. In addition, it deletes from the pending list the entry to the league game or tournament game in which the ranking has been determined.  
         [0118]     In addition, the game outcome determination unit may create a website for posting the results of the league games or tournament games, set a time limit for the posted results, and register the URL of the website in a termination list.  FIG. 12  is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the termination list created by the game outcome determination unit. The termination list stores the competitive game ID, the URL, and the posting time limit in association with one another. The termination list is retained in the RAM  102  of the server  100 . Furthermore, the game outcome determination unit can notify the players of a game of the URL of the website in which the results of the competitive games are posted. Specifically, the game outcome determination unit extracts the player data, which includes the ID of the competitive game in which the ranking of the players in a game was determined, in the game data, and extracts the network addresses of these players therefrom. Then, it transmits a message for notifying the URL of the website posting the results of the competitive games to the extracted network addresses. Another alternative is to store a message template without the URL, and then complete the message by simply inserting the URL therein. By posting the results of competitive games on the website, the players that played the games can freely browse the results of the competitive games anytime. In addition, if a third party as well as these players can access the website in which the results are posted, these players will become conscious of any third party who is viewing the results of the competitive games. This increases the player&#39;s incentive to play the game within the expiration date, and to join a new league game or a new tournament game.  
         [0119]     Furthermore, the way to determine the game outcome will be described in detail.  FIG. 13  is a league schedule in the case where all competitive games in the league game are played within the expiration date. The game outcome determination unit counts each home game and away game as one game in order to compute the goal differential and the difference between the number of games won and lost, and determines ranking according to the order of the difference between the number of games won and lost. When the difference between the number of games won and lost between the players is the same, the ranking is determined based on the goal differential. When the goal differential is the same, the ranking is determined according to the total score.  
         [0120]      FIG. 14  is an example of a league schedule in the case where all competitive games have not been completed within the expiration date. One way to determine the ranking in this case is to calculate the goal differential and the difference between the number of games won and lost of each player, regardless of the games which have not been played, and determine the rankings as described above.  
         [0121]     In the case of a tournament game, the game outcome determination unit also determines ranking of the players entering the tournament game prior to the expiration date. For example, assume that the results of the games which have been played prior to the expiration date are shown in  FIG. 10A . The game outcome determination unit computes the difference between the number of games won and lost and the goal differential of each player as shown in  FIG. 10B , so that it can determine the ranking of the players A, B, C, and D based on the result of the computation.  
         [0000]     (2-6) Promoting a Competitive Game  
         [0122]     The competitive game promoting unit of the server  100  transmits an e-mail to players in order to prompt the execution of competitive games which have not been played. Specifically, the competitive game promoting unit monitors all of the expiration dates which are registered in the pending list, and extracts the competitive game ID of the league game which will expire, for example, in a week. In addition, it searches for player data which includes the extracted competitive game ID. Furthermore, the name and the network address of the player are extracted from the retrieved player data. Then, it transmits a previously stored message to the extracted e-mail address. This can prompt the players to join the game.  
         [0000]     (3) Flow of Process in the Game System  
         [0123]      FIGS. 15A and 15B  are examples showing the flow of a process in the game system according to the present embodiment. This process can be divided broadly into a process up to the execution of the game and a process of notifying the results of the competitive game after execution thereof.  
         [0000]     (3-1) Game Execution  
         [0124]     The game terminal  200  reads data from a card that has been inserted into the card reader/writer  212  (# 1 ). When an IC card which can store large volumes of data is used as the card, it is possible to have a configuration in which the game data of the player is stored in the card, and that data is read when the game is started. Here, take as an example the case in which the game data is stored in the server  100 , and only a player ID for identifying a player is stored in a magnetic card. When the game terminal  200  reads the player ID from the card, it requests the server  100  to transmit the player data based on the player ID (# 2 ).  
         [0125]     The server  100  extracts the appropriate player data from the data storing unit  105  based on the player ID, and transmits it to the requester (# 3  and # 4 ).  
         [0126]     When the game terminal  200  receives the player data (# 5 ), it determines whether or not the player is joining any of the league games or tournament games (# 6 ). This determination is made based on whether or not the competitive game ID is included in the player data. When the competitive game ID is not included in the player data, the game terminal  200  inquires of the player whether or not he/she will newly join any of the league games or the tournament games (# 7 ). If he/she will not newly join these games, it performs a process such as one in which the server  100  will be notified of a game terminal which is connected to the network  300 , and start a competitive game against that game terminal (# 8 ). When he/she has already joined or will newly join any of the league games or the like, the game terminal  200  transmits an entry request for the league game or tournament game to the server  100  (# 9 ).  
         [0127]     The server  100  receives the entry request (# 10 ) and transmits a competitive game schedule (# 11 ). At this point, if there exists a competitive game schedule which has been created, it will transmit that competitive game schedule. When the game terminal  200  newly joins a league game or the like, a new competitive game schedule is created and transmitted to the game terminal  200 . When the new competitive game schedule is created, the server  100  sets an expiration date and registers it in the above-described pending list.  
         [0128]     When the game terminal  200  receives the competitive game schedule from the server  100  (# 12 ), it will accept a selection of an opponent from the player (# 13 ). For example, the game terminal  200  outputs the league schedule shown in the above-described  FIG. 9  on the screen, and accepts the selection of an opponent, which can be made by clicking on any of the blank spaces. Furthermore, the game terminal  200  notifies the selected opponent to the server  100  (# 13 ).  
         [0129]     When the server  100  receives the result of the selection of the opponent (# 14 ), it reads out the player data of the opponent from the data storing unit  105 , and transmits it to the game terminal  200  (# 15 ).  
         [0130]     When the game terminal  200  receives the player data of the opponent (# 16 ), it will prepare to start the game based on the player data of the player who operates the game terminal  200  and the player data of the opponent (# 17 ). Specifically, the game terminal  200  performs a process of determining the lineup (participating members), formation, strategy, the type of defense, and the like of the opposing team which the game terminal  200  itself will operate. In addition, the game terminal  200  accepts a team setting such as the lineup (participating members), formation, strategy, the type of defense, and the like determined by the game player, and performs a parameter setup based on the setting. After that, the game terminal  200  starts and executes the game based on the setting data (# 18 ). After the game has been completed, the game terminal  200  transmits the result of the competitive game and the operation history information to the server  100  (# 19 ).  
         [0000]     (3-2) Notifying the Result of the Competitive Game  
         [0131]     The server  100  receives the result of the competitive game and the operation history information (# 20 ), and updates the player data and the competitive game schedule (# 21  and # 22 ). Specifically, the server  100  writes the result of the competitive game into the competitive game schedule, and determines the ranking of the participating players at that time (# 21 ). In addition, the server  100  updates the game data and the operation tendency information in the player data (# 22 ). When the operation tendency information is calculated based on the operation history information of the latest game, the server  100  calculates new operation tendency information based on the received operation history information, and replaces the old operation tendency information with it (# 22 ). Then, the server  100  transmits the league schedule reflecting the result of the competitive game, a temporary ranking, the new player data, and the like to the game terminal  200  (# 23 ).  
         [0132]     The game terminal  200  notifies the player of the data received from the server  100  (# 24 ). If the game is to be continued, the process returns to the above-described step (# 6 ), in which the game terminal  200  determines whether or not the player is joining any of the league games. If the game is not to be continued, the process is ended.  
         [0000]     (4) Process Executed by the Server  
         [0133]      FIG. 16  is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the competitive game updating process performed by the server  100 . In the above-described process, the server  100  has transmitted the competitive game schedule to the game terminal  200 . The server  100  will perform the following process in order update the competitive game schedule. When the server  100  creates a new competitive game schedule, the following process starts independently with respect to each competitive game schedule. In order to simplify the explanation, a situation in which the league schedule of a competitive game ID “α” is created, and the following process will be performed based on the league schedule α.  
         [0134]     Step S 1 : The server  100  determines whether or not the expiration date of the competitive game schedule α has elapsed. If the expiration date has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S 2 .  
         [0135]     Step S 2 : The server  100  determines the final ranking of the players who participated in the league game based on the results of the played competitive games. As described above, even if all the competitive games have not been played, the server  100  will still determine the ranking of the participating players regardless of the unfinished games. The ranking in a soccer game may be determined based on points for example, and the way to determine the ranking is not particularly limited to any method.  
         [0136]     Step S 3 : When the expiration date of the competitive game schedule α has not elapsed, the server  100  waits for the competitive result from the game terminal  200 . When the server  100  receives it, the process proceeds to step S 4 .  
         [0137]     Step S 4 : When the server  100  receives the game result from the game terminal  200 , it updates the league schedule α. In other words, it writes the result into the league schedule α. Furthermore, the server  100  may calculate a temporary ranking at this time. Here, the updated league schedule α and/or the temporary ranking is/are transmitted to the terminal device  200  in the above-described process shown in  FIG. 15B  (the above-described # 23 ).  
         [0138]     Step S 5 : The server  100  will determine whether or not all competitive games have been finished based on the results of the competitive games which are newly added. When all competitive games have been finished, the process proceeds to step S 8  (which will be described later). If there are competitive games that have not been completed, the process proceeds to step S 1  and repeats the above-described processes.  
         [0139]     Steps S 6  and S 7 : If the server  100  has not received the result of the competitive game, it refers to the pending list shown in the above-described  FIG. 11 , and determines whether or not the remaining time before the expiration date is less than a predetermined time (S 6 ). When the remaining time before the expiration date is less than one week, for example, the server  100  transmits a notification to the participating player in the league schedule α to prompt the player to play the competitive game (S 7 ).  
         [0140]     Step S 8 : When the server  100  determines the final ranking in the league schedule α in which the expiration date has elapsed or all of the competitive games have been completed, it deletes the entry of the league schedule α from the pending list.  
         [0141]     Step S 9 : The server  100  creates the entry in the league schedule α in the termination list. Furthermore, the server  100  creates a website for posting the final result of the league schedule α, and registers the competitive game ID “α” together with the URL thereof and the time limit for posting them in the termination list.  
         [0142]     Step S 10 : The server  100  notifies the participating players of the league game a of the URL in which the final result of the league game is posted and the posting time limit thereof, and ends the process.  
         [0143]     In the embodiment of the present invention, the operation tendency information is created based on the number of selections of actions, which indicate the real actions of the player, and the game terminal  200  creates a simulated opposing team of the player using the operation tendency information. Therefore, a simulated competitive game between the players separated geographically becomes possible. Furthermore, the result of competitive game between two players is determined based on two games, one of which is a home game in which a player actually operates the game, and the other of which is an away game in which a CPU operates the game as a simulated player. Therefore, it is possible to determine the game outcome and ranking equally for each player, and determine the game outcome without a sense of inequality.  
       Other Embodiment  
       [0144]     The present invention includes programs for executing the above-described method on computers, and computer readable recording media in which such a program is recorded. The recording media may include computer readable/writable flexible discs, hard discs, semiconductor memories, CD-ROM, DVD, magneto-optical discs (MO), and the like.  
         [0145]     The present invention is applicable to all competitive games played by a plurality of players such as a sports game, fighting game, horse racing game, mah-jongg game, and go game.  
       General Interpretation of Terms  
       [0146]     In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section or part of a device includes hardware and/or software that is constructed and/or programmed to carry out the desired function. In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.  
         [0147]     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.