A computer-implemented method of playing a game includes receiving, at a user computing device, an image and a hint from a location remote to the user across a network, displaying the image and the hint on a user interface of the user computing device, receiving, from a user input device on the user computing device, a guess from a user, transmitting the guess from the user computing device across the network to a server, receiving, from the server, an indication of a correctness of the guess at the user computing device, and repeating the receiving, transmitting and receiving from the server until a predetermined limit expires or a guess having a correctness of a particular type is received. A computer-implemented method of playing a game includes taking a photograph at a first user computing device, receiving a hint associated with a scene in the photograph, transmitting the photograph and the hint to a second user through a game server, receiving, at the first user device, an indication of correctness of an answer received from the second user at the server, repeating the receiving, transmitting and receiving from the server until one of either a predetermined limit expires or the indication of correctness indicates a correct answer, and updating a user profile of the first user to reflect an outcome of the game.

A system for playing a picture messaging game includes a game sewer, one or more computing devices, a storage medium, and at least one processor for executing instructions to create and run the picture messaging game. The game includes capturing, modifying, and labelling a captured image via user input, and transmitting a game request or picture puzzle with the modified image to a participating user who attempts to solve the game or picture puzzle under timed conditions or other constraints. The system also allows a user to create a picture puzzle for security purposes, and to use the picture puzzle as a key for entry into one or more of the user's devices, accounts, or websites, or as a form of Captcha for differentiating computers from human users attempting to access a website or website content.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a video game processing program for causing a server to perform functions to control progress of a video game using a virtual space corresponding to map information of a real space and positional information of a user terminal of a user is provided. The functions include: a registering function configured to register objects of a plurality of users; a generating function configured to generate a predetermined event on a basis of positional information of a user terminal of a first user; and a participating function configured to cause an object of a second user different from the first user, for whom the event is generated, among the objects registered by the registering function to participate in the event.

An electronic device and a method for detecting abnormal device operation are provided. The method includes: obtaining multiple action events of a movable input device, and each action event including a relative coordinate and a time stamp of the movable input device; generating multiple absolute coordinates based on the relative coordinate of each action event; estimating multiple speed vectors based on the absolute coordinates and the time stamp of each action event; estimating multiple acceleration vectors based on the speed vectors and the time stamp of each action event; and estimating a probability of abnormal operation based on the speed vectors and the acceleration vectors.

A game program instructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising: placing a predetermined number of nonplayer characters in a battle space; controlling the battle between the nonplayer character and the playing character in the battle space; rendering the battle state with a virtual camera and displaying on the display; the operations further comprising: counting the number of playing characters placed in the battle space; excluding a defeated nonplayer character from battle when the nonplayer character is defeated; relocating the excluded nonplayer character to the battle space after a predetermined respawn time elapsed; calculating the respawn time according to the counted number of playing characters and controlling the time to reposition the excluded nonplayer character to the battle space based on the respawn time calculated.

Provided is a method for controlling shooting of a virtual object, including: obtaining a locking area of a first virtual object in a virtual scene; based on determining that an aiming point of a second virtual object being within the locking area for a target duration, displaying locking complete information at a position of the aiming point in the locking area, the locking complete information indicating that locking of the first virtual object is completed; and controlling automatic shooting of the second virtual object on the first virtual object, of which locking is completed, based on the aiming point being located in an under-attack area of the first virtual object, a size of the under-attack area being less than a size of the locking area.

A method is disclosed including setting, at a plurality of devices, a plurality of VSYNC signals to a plurality of VSYNC frequencies, wherein a corresponding device VSYNC signal of a corresponding device is set to a corresponding device VSYNC frequency. The method including sending a plurality of signals between the plurality of devices, which are analyzed and used to adjust the relative timing between corresponding device VSYNC signals of at least two devices.

Systems and methods for monitoring gameplay for stopping points and applying a setting preference at a next predicted timing point. The monitored gameplay may be based on object data received from an object server. The supervising control server may predict one or more starting and/or stopping timing points in stopping periods within a gameplay session. The predicting of the one or more starting and/or stopping timing points may be based on a comparison of the gameplay data to historical gameplay data. Then, a setting preference set by a supervisory account may be applied to a next predicted timing point.

Embodiments of the present provides methods and systems for presenting user-specific advertising material in a virtual environment in response to a digital trigger. A method includes presenting a virtual environment to a user, wherein the user has a presence in the virtual environment as an avatar capable of activating one or more digital triggers. An object is embedded in said virtual environment. The object is communicatively connected to a server and is capable of presenting the user-specific advertising material when one or more digital trigger is activated. If there is a digital trigger activated by the user in the virtual environment then at least one advertising material is displayed via the object in response to the digital trigger, wherein said advertising material is visible to the user when said digital trigger is activated.

During a predetermined period, a team competition event is held. If a game regarding the team competition event is performed using a character belonging to a user team to which a user belongs, the user can acquire team medals, and the team medals are added to the user team. If, on the other hand, the game is performed using a character belonging to a team other than the user team to which the user belongs, the team medals are not added to the user team. After the lapse of the predetermined period, in accordance with team medals of each team, the result of the team competition event is displayed.