Patent ID: 6881148

Claim:
A network game system for playing a game with the aim of achieving a predetermined goal of the game, said game being played, via monitor-equipped data terminals operated by member players, in a game space simulating a virtual company provided on a game server, while in communication with the game server on a network, said system comprising: question generating means for generating questions as an employment test in response to access from the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player, transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the monitor-equipped data terminals including transmitting the questions generated by the question generating means to the monitor-equipped data terminal of the non-member player via the network and receiving information from the non-member player in response to the questions via the network; character-training process means for evaluating if the non-member player is qualified as an employee of the virtual company based on the information sent back by the non-member player via the network; recruiting information generating means for generating, upon receipt from a member player of referral information specifying a mail address of a data terminal of a non-member player, recruiting information including information specifying the member player, the recruiting information being sent to the non-member player via the transmitting/receiving means; enrollment processing means for performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player depending on whether the application information is received from the non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of said non-member player, the enrollment processing means being arranged to consider the employment test passed only upon receipt of application information from a non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member and, when the non-member player provides application information not in response to recruiting information, the enrollment processing means performing enrollment processing with the employment test and determining whether the non-member player passes or fails the employment test; and advantage conferring means for conferring to the referring member player advantage useful in achieving the goal in the game.