JPH10328410A - Game device and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a game device and an information storage medium capable of generating an appropriate image according to each time zone. SOLUTION: When an operator of a game facility uses an operation unit or the like to set a time zone and specification information of an image to be displayed in the time zone, the setting is stored. The current time is obtained by the timer, the time zone to which the current time belongs is obtained, and an image specified by the specification information set in the time zone is generated. In the child, boy, and adult time zones, images for children, boys, and adults are generated, respectively. In the case where the setting section of the time zone and the designation information of the image information is not provided, a means is provided for inhibiting the timer from being set to an arbitrary time. For example, the time setting of the timer is limited to a setting by communication with the host device or a setting by reading data from a memory that cannot be rewritten by a program.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game device and an information storage medium capable of generating different images for each time zone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, games of various genres have gained popularity, but the taste for the games usually differs depending on the age group who enjoys them. For example, children prefer simple and speedy games such as action games and puzzle games, while adults prefer games with complex and adult atmosphere such as role playing games and mahjong games. And while children like fantastic and comical images,
Adults like real and serious images. Therefore, some game devices are popular with children but not popular with adults, and some game devices have the opposite tendency.

On the other hand, in a game facility, the age of entry is restricted by time of day according to laws such as the Customs Business Act and the regulations of each local government. For example, after 18:00, child entry is restricted, and after 22:00, boy entry is restricted.
Therefore, in a time zone in which the entrance of children is restricted, it is preferable in terms of business to install a larger number of game devices for adults than for game devices for children. On the other hand, during times when child entry is not restricted, it is preferable in terms of business to install a larger number of game devices for children than for game devices for adults. One can also consider that presence is undesirable.

However, in conventional game devices, the displayed image is fixed regardless of the time zone.
One game device could only play one type of game. For this reason, game devices for children are not effectively used during times when children are restricted and there are no children, while game devices for adults are conversely used when there are more children than adults. It was not used effectively.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game apparatus and an information storage medium which can generate an appropriate image according to each time zone. Is to do.

[0006]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game apparatus for generating and outputting an image, comprising: a time zone and designation information for designating an image to be displayed in the time zone. Setting means for setting by a user, means for storing settings by the setting means, a timer for obtaining a current time, and a time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer, It is characterized by including means for instructing generation of an image specified by the specification information set in a time zone, and means for generating the specified image.

According to the present invention, a user such as an operator of a game facility uses a given operation means to set a time zone and information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone. Then, the setting is stored. Then, the current time is obtained by the timer, and an image specified in the time zone to which the current time belongs is generated. Thereby, different images can be displayed for each time zone. Particularly, the present invention is characterized in that an image to be displayed in each time zone can be freely set by a user. This allows the image desired by the user to be displayed at each time slot,
It can be expected to improve the operating rate of the game device in the game facility.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game apparatus for generating and outputting an image, comprising means for storing a time zone and setting of specification information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone, and a timer for obtaining a current time. Means for prohibiting time adjustment of the timer to an arbitrary time, and a time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer, and the designation information set in the time zone specifies the time zone. It is characterized by including means for instructing the generation of an image and means for generating the instructed image.

According to the present invention, the setting of the time zone and the designation information of the image to be displayed in the time zone is stored in the setting storage means by the manufacturer of the game apparatus. Then, the current time is obtained by the timer, and an image specified in the time zone to which the current time belongs is generated. According to the present invention, the time adjustment of the timer to an arbitrary time is prohibited.
By doing so, it is possible to effectively prevent the user from making the game device generate an image different from the manufacturer's setting by changing the timer time.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the setting of the time alignment data in the timer is restricted to the setting by communication with a host device, thereby prohibiting the timer from adjusting the time to an arbitrary time. . According to the present invention, time adjustment of the timer is performed by communication with a host device owned by a manufacturer or the like. By doing this,
The time of the timer can be made to coincide with the time managed by the manufacturer, and the time adjustment of the timer to an arbitrary time can be effectively prohibited.

In addition, the present invention restricts the setting of the time alignment data to the timer to the setting by reading data from a memory that cannot be rewritten by a program, thereby prohibiting the time alignment of the timer to an arbitrary time. It is characterized by doing. According to the present invention, the time adjustment of the timer is performed by reading data from a memory that cannot be rewritten by a program. By doing so, it is possible to make the time of the timer coincide with the time managed by the manufacturer, and it is possible to effectively prohibit the time adjustment of the timer to an arbitrary time.

Further, according to the present invention, an image for the first age group is generated in a first time zone corresponding to the first age group,
In the second time zone corresponding to the second age group, an image for the second age group is generated, and in the Nth time zone corresponding to the Nth age group, the image for the second age group is generated. An image for N age groups is generated. By doing so, images suitable for each age group can be displayed in each time zone corresponding to each age group. As a result, an improvement in the operating rate of the game facility can be expected.

The present invention is characterized in that at least one of data used for image generation and a program for generating an image is switched based on the designation information to generate an image corresponding to each time zone. For example, an image is generated using the first image data in a child time zone, and an image is generated using the second image data in an adult time zone.
Alternatively, part or all of the game program is switched for each time zone. By doing so, an image corresponding to each time zone can be generated.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a game device according to Embodiment 1.

The operation section 10 is for the player to input operation information by operating a lever, a button, a handle, an accelerator, and the like. The operation information obtained by the operation section 10 is input to the processing section 100. You.

The processing section 100 performs various processes such as execution of programs, setting of various modes, arrangement of display objects, and the like based on the operation information and a given program. It is realized by hardware such as a CPU and a memory. The processing unit 100 includes a setting unit 110,
A setting storage unit 112 and an instruction unit 114 are included.

Timer (real time clock) 120
Has a clock function for indicating the current time, and the processing unit 100 can know the current time based on the output of the timer 120. The function of the timer 120 is realized by hardware such as an oscillator and a counter. The time adjustment of the timer 120 is realized by setting time adjustment data in a register built in the timer 120.

The image generating section 200 generates an image based on the processing result of the processing section 100, and has a function of an image generating IC (dedicated IC, CPU or DS).
P) and memory such as memory.
The image generated by the image generation unit 200 is output to the display unit 12 and displayed on the display unit 12.

The first feature of this embodiment is that the setting unit 110
Performs processing for the user to set the time zone and the designation information of the image to be displayed in the time zone, and the setting storage unit 112
Stores the setting made by the setting unit 110,
Is that the time zone to which the current time obtained by the timer 120 belongs is obtained, and the generation of the image specified by the specification information set in the time zone is instructed. By doing this,
The image to be displayed can be different for each time zone. More specifically, the following processing is performed.

That is, when the user operates a mode setting switch or the like provided in the game apparatus, for example, the state shown in FIG.
Is displayed on the display unit 12. The user performs various settings by operating a lever, a button, a handle, an accelerator, and the like of the operation unit 10 while viewing the setting screen. For example, by selecting the coin setting, the game setting, the switch setting, and the monitor setting shown in FIG. 2A, the setting of the game fee, the setting of the game content, the test of the switch, the adjustment of the monitor, and the like can be respectively performed. Then, when the user selects the age group setting, a setting screen as shown in FIG. 2B is displayed.

The setting screens shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are displayed by the setting section 110 performing various processes.

As shown in FIG. 2B, in this embodiment, an image to be displayed can be designated for each time zone on this setting screen. In other words, in FIG. 2B, the display of the image for children is specified in the time zone of 9:00 to 18:00, and the display of the image for boys is specified in the time zone of 18:00 to 22:00. In the time zone, display of an image for adults is designated. As described above, in the present embodiment, the time zone and the type of image corresponding to the time zone (designation information of the image) can be freely set by the user (eg, an operator of the game facility). Each image corresponding to an age group can be displayed.

It is particularly preferable that the image set for each time zone in setting section 110 is an image corresponding to each age group, but is not limited to this. For example, an image suitable for the morning may be displayed in the morning, or an image suitable for the night may be displayed at night. Alternatively, the displayed image may be different for each time zone so as to be optimal for improving the operating rate of the game facility. The setting of the time zone is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2B, and various modifications can be made. Further, the configuration of the setting screen and the setting method are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B).

The setting of the time zones and the image designation information corresponding to each time zone is performed by the setting unit 110 as described above. The setting contents (time period and image designation information) of the setting unit 110 are stored in the setting storage unit 112. As a result, the contents set once are retained unless the data stored in the setting storage unit 112 is rewritten. The instruction unit 114 instructs the generation of an image corresponding to each time zone based on the data stored in the setting storage unit 112. The image generation unit 200 generates an image according to the instruction.

FIGS. 3A to 5B show examples of images generated by this embodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an example of an image when this embodiment is applied to a fighting game, and FIG. 3A shows an example of an image for children. (B) is an example of an image for adults. In this fighting game, the player operates the characters 20 and 22 and causes the characters 20 and 22 to advance punches and kicks, thereby enjoying the battle game. In FIG. 3A, the heads 24 and 26 of the characters 20 and 22 are larger than usual, and are comical images suitable for children. On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, the heads 24 and 26 of the characters 20 and 22 have a normal size, and are real images for adults.

By displaying an image as shown in FIG. 3A during a time period when there are many children, the operating rate of the game device in the game facility can be improved. On the other hand, the operating rate can be improved by displaying an image as shown in FIG. 3B in a time zone where there are few children and there are many adults due to the influence of the Customs Business Act and the regulations.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, images used for image generation are switched based on the setting contents of the setting unit 110 to generate images corresponding to respective time zones. That is, in FIG. 3A, the first head object data having a large size is used to represent the head 24 constituting the character 20. In FIG. 3B, the second head having the normal size is used. Uses object data. More specifically, when the current time obtained by timer 120 is the child's time zone, instructing unit 114 instructs image generation unit 2 to use the first head object data.
00, and in the case of an adult time zone, instruct to use the second head object data. According to the technique of switching data used for image generation in this way, it is possible to easily generate an image corresponding to each age group.

When the present embodiment is applied to a fighting game, for example, the intensity of the intensity of the fight may be reduced in the image for children and the intensity of the intensity of the intensity in the image for adults may be increased. .

On the other hand, in FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIG.
Unlike (A) and (B), the program for generating images is switched for each time zone. In FIG. 4A, an image of an action game is displayed in which the player moves the character 30 left and right and catches the eggs 34 and 36 dropped by the bird 32 so as not to drop them on the ground. On the other hand, FIG.
In (B), the image of the mahjong game in which the computer 40 operates the character 40 and enjoys mahjong is displayed. In this mahjong game, when the player goes up or tops, the image of the character 40 changes, and the player enjoys the change in this image.

Since the action game shown in FIG. 4A is preferred by a child, if the current time is in a child's time zone, such an action game program is run. On the other hand, since a mahjong game as shown in FIG. 4B is preferred by an adult, if the current time is an adult time zone, such a mahjong game program is run. That is, according to the setting of the setting unit 110 (the storage content of the setting storage unit 112), the program corresponding to each time zone is run. By doing so, the game program for the age group corresponding to each time zone runs in each time zone, and the operating rate of the game facility can be improved.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, the primitive surface (polygon, curved surface, etc.) 48 of the cover object 46 covering the character object 44 is removed based on whether or not the game clear condition is satisfied (not shown). display,
It is an example of a game image (becomes transparent etc.). When the primitive surface 48 is removed, the player can view an image of a portion of the character object 44 that is hidden by the primitive surface 48. In this case, the game clear condition is satisfied by, for example, going up in a mahjong game, clearing a stage in an action game, answering correctly in a quiz game, or defeating an enemy in a martial arts game, and removing the primitive surface 48. become.

FIG. 5 (A) displayed during the child's time zone
In the image for children, the image seen when the primitive surface 48 is removed is suitable for the child. On the other hand, in the image for adults shown in FIG. 5B displayed during the adult time zone, the image seen when the primitive surface 48 is removed is made to be enjoyable by adults. By doing so, it is possible to display an image suitable for each time zone, and it is possible to improve the operating rate of the game facility and the like.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, unlike the conventional example in which the generated image is fixed, a different image can be generated for each time zone. If there is an entrance age restriction by time zone according to the Customs Business Act or the regulations, an image to be displayed in each time zone can be set so as to conform to the entrance age restriction. As a result, the operating rate of the game facility can be improved, and undesired effects on children can be prevented.

In particular, the feature of this embodiment is that a user (eg, an operator of a game facility) uses a setting screen as shown in FIG. Information) can be set freely.

That is, as one method of changing the image for each time zone, a method of not providing the setting unit 110 as shown in FIG. 1 and changing the image based only on the contents stored by the manufacturer in the setting storage unit 112 Is also conceivable. In this method, for example, if the manufacturer sets to display images for children at 9:00 to 18:00 and displays images for boys and adults at 18:00 to 24:00, the user can change this setting. Can not.

However, the content of the entrance age restriction may vary depending on the region, and the above-mentioned method does not allow the user to change the setting content, and cannot cope with such a case. Also, some game facilities voluntarily prohibit children from entering, and even in such a case, the above method cannot appropriately cope. Furthermore, if you want to change the setting of the time zone and the image displayed during that time zone to improve the occupancy rate by the game facility's own judgment, regardless of the provisions of the Customs Business Act or the age group, etc. However, even in this case, the above method cannot appropriately cope. According to the present embodiment, since the setting can be freely set by the setting unit 110, it is possible to appropriately cope with the various cases described above.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, a time zone and information for designating an image to be displayed in the time zone are set (step S1). Next, the current time is read from the timer 120, and it is determined which time zone the current time belongs to (steps S2 and S3). If the current time is within the child's time zone, an image for the child is displayed (step S4). Similarly, when the current time is the time zone of a boy and the time of an adult, an image for a boy and an image for an adult are displayed (step S).
5, S6). Then, after a given period, the timer 120
, The current time is read again, and the above-described processing is repeated.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the setting unit 110 provided in the first embodiment is not provided.
This is an embodiment in which means for prohibiting time adjustment to an arbitrary time is provided.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the game device of the second embodiment. Unlike FIG. 1, in FIG.
10 is not provided, and instead, a communication unit (such as a modem) for communicating with the host device 140 of the manufacturer
130 are provided. The setting of the time alignment data in the timer 120 is limited to the setting by communication with the host device 140. As a result, time adjustment of the timer 120 to an arbitrary time can be prohibited.

In the second embodiment, the setting unit 110 is not provided. Therefore, the user cannot freely set the time zone and the image to be displayed in the time zone. That is, in the second embodiment, an image assigned to each time zone is displayed based on the content stored by the manufacturer in the setting storage unit 112. That is, it is possible to prevent a situation in which, for example, an image for adults is displayed during a child's time period due to a change in setting by the user.

However, if the time adjustment of the timer 120 to an arbitrary time is permitted, the user
By changing the time of 0, an image different from the manufacturer's setting may be displayed. For example, if the manufacturer has set to display an image for adults after 22:00, the user may rewrite the timer 1
If the time of 20 is advanced by 4 hours, an image for adults will be displayed from 18:00. Conversely, the timer 120
Is impossible at all, it is not possible to cope with a case where the backup battery of the timer 120 runs out and the time of the timer 120 is really changed.

Therefore, in this embodiment, there is provided means for prohibiting the time adjustment of the timer 120 to an arbitrary time. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the setting of the time alignment data in the timer 120 is limited to the setting by communication with the host device 140 owned by the manufacturer. By doing so, the time of the timer 120 always coincides with the time managed by the host device 140 owned by the manufacturer, and the time adjustment of the timer 120 to an arbitrary time is prohibited. On the other hand, when the backup battery runs out and the time of the timer 120 goes wrong, the timer 120 can be set to the correct time by communicating using the communication unit 130.

It is not necessary to always connect the communication unit 130 to the host device 140, and it is only necessary to connect the communication unit 130 for time adjustment.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show another example of the embodiment of the inhibiting means. 8A and 8B, the ROM 152 (flash RO) that cannot be rewritten by a program is used.
M etc.), the time alignment data 154 is written.
Then, as shown in FIG.
4 is rewritten by the ROM writer 15 owned by the manufacturer.
Performed by 0. As shown in FIG. 8B, the time adjustment of the timer 120 is performed by reading the time adjustment data 154 from the ROM 152. By doing so, the time of the timer 120 can be adjusted by the ROM writer 15
The time always coincides with the time managed by 0 or the like, and the time adjustment of the timer 120 to an arbitrary time is prohibited. On the other hand, when the time of the timer 120 goes wrong, the time adjustment data 154 is read into the timer 120 again, or the time adjustment data 154 is rewritten to correct data by the ROM writer 150 owned by the manufacturer, so that the timer 120 has the correct time. Can be adjusted to

Various embodiments other than those shown in FIGS. 7, 8A and 8B can be adopted as the embodiment of the prohibiting means. For example, without controlling the timer 120 by the CPU,
The control may be performed by an IC circuit so that the time adjustment cannot be managed by a program.

Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to FIG.
In the device shown in FIG.
2, RAM 1004, information storage medium 1006, sound generation I
C1008, image generation IC 1010, I / O port 10
12 and 1014 are connected to each other via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received therebetween. A display 1018 is connected to the image generation IC 1010,
A speaker 1020 is connected to the sound generation IC 1008,
A control device 1022 is connected to the I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014.
Is connected.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image information for expressing displayed objects, etc., and includes a CD-ROM, a game cassette, an IC card,
MO, FD, memory and the like are used. For example, in a home game machine, a CD-ROM or a game cassette is used as an information storage medium for storing a game program or the like. In the arcade game device, a memory such as a ROM is used.
In this case, the information storage medium 1006 becomes the ROM 1002.

The control device 1022 is equivalent to a controller, an operation panel, and the like, and is a device for inputting a result of a determination made by a player in accordance with the progress of a game to the device body.

The program stored in the information storage medium 1006, the system program (initialization information of the apparatus main body) stored in the ROM 1002, the control apparatus 102
CPU 1000 according to a signal input by
Controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing. RAM10
Reference numeral 04 denotes storage means used as a work area or the like of the CPU 1000. The information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 10
02, or the calculation result of the CPU 1000 or the like is stored. In addition, a data structure having a logical configuration such as a time zone, image designation information to be displayed in the time zone, and image data is constructed on the RAM or the information storage medium.

Further, this type of device includes a sound generation IC 100
8 and an image generating IC 1010 are provided so that a suitable output of game sounds and game images can be performed.
The sound generation IC 1008 includes the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1
This is an integrated circuit that generates game sounds such as sound effects and background music based on the information stored in 002, and the generated game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. The image generation IC 1010 includes a RAM 1004,
An integrated circuit that generates pixel information to be output to the display 1018 based on image information sent from the ROM 1002, the information storage medium 1006, and the like. Note that a so-called head-mounted display (HMD) can also be used as the display 1018.

The communication device 1024 exchanges various types of information used inside the image generation device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to another image generation device to transmit and receive given information according to the game program. And for transmitting and receiving information such as game programs via a communication line.

FIGS. 1 to 5B and FIGS. 7 to 8
The various processes described in (B) include an information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 and a CPU 1 operating according to the program.
000, the image generation IC 1010 and the like.
Note that the processing performed by the image generation IC 1010, the sound generation IC 1008, and the like may be performed by software using the CPU 1000, a general-purpose DSP, or the like.

FIG. 10A shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to an arcade game device. IC built into the device
The substrate 1106 includes a CPU, an image generation IC, and a sound generation IC.
Etc. have been implemented. Information for setting a time zone and specification information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone;
Information for storing the setting, information for obtaining the current time using a timer, obtaining a time zone to which the current time belongs, and instructing generation of an image specified by the specification information set in the time zone Information, information for generating the designated image, information for prohibiting the timer from being set to an arbitrary time, and the like are stored in an information storage medium 1108 such as a memory.
Will be stored. Hereinafter, such information is referred to as stored information. The stored information includes at least one of a program code, image information, sound information, shape information of a display object, table data, list data, player information, and the like for performing the various processes described above.

FIG. 10B shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a home game machine. The player enjoys the game by operating the game controllers 1202 and 1204 while watching the game image projected on the display 1200. In this case, the stored information is stored in a CD-ROM 1206, which is an information storage medium that is
It is stored in cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 10C shows a host device 1300,
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including the host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n connected via a communication line 1302 will be described. In this case, the storage information is stored in an information storage medium 1306 such as a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, or a memory that can be controlled by the host device 1300. Terminal 1304-1-1
In the case where 304-n has a CPU, an image generation IC, and a sound generation IC and can generate a game image and a game sound in a stand-alone manner, the host device 1300 can generate a game image and a game sound. Is delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. on the other hand,
If it cannot be generated standalone, the host device 1
300 generates a game image and a game sound, and
The data is transmitted to 304-1 to 1304-n and output at the terminal.

The present invention is not limited to those described in the first and second embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the method of setting the time zone and image designation information is not limited to the method described in the present embodiment.
The images displayed in each time zone are not limited to those corresponding to each age group. The game to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the game described in the present embodiment.

The present invention is particularly effective when applied to a business-use game device, a simulator, and a large attraction device in which a large number of players participate, but can be applied to various other game devices.

[0062]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of a game device according to a first embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an example of a setting screen of time zone and image designation information. FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are examples of a generated image. FIG.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are also examples of generated images.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are also examples of a generated image.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an example of a functional block diagram of a game device according to a second embodiment.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining another embodiment of the prohibition unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration that implements the first and second embodiments.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are views showing various types of apparatuses to which the first and second embodiments are applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 operation unit 12 display unit 100 processing unit 110 setting unit 112 setting storage unit 114 instruction unit 120 timer 200 image generation unit

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A game device for generating and outputting an image, comprising: setting means for allowing a user to set a time slot and designation information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time slot; Means for storing; a timer for obtaining a current time; obtaining a time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer; and generating an image specified by the specification information set in the time zone. A game apparatus comprising: means for instructing; and means for generating an instructed image. 2. A game device for generating and outputting an image, comprising: means for storing a time zone and setting of specification information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone; a timer for obtaining a current time; Means for prohibiting time setting of the timer to an arbitrary time; obtaining a time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer; and generating an image specified by the specification information set in the time zone. And a means for generating an instructed image. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the setting of the time alignment data in the timer is restricted to the setting by communication with a host device, whereby the time alignment of the timer to an arbitrary time is prohibited. Game device. 4. The timer according to claim 2, wherein the setting of the time alignment data in the timer is limited to a setting by reading data from a memory that is not rewritable by a program. A game device characterized in that a game device is prohibited. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an image for the first age group is generated in a first time zone corresponding to the first age group, and the image corresponding to the second age group is generated. Second
In the time zone of, an image for the second age group is generated,
... A game apparatus, wherein an image for the Nth age group is generated in the Nth time zone corresponding to the Nth age group. 6. An image according to claim 1, wherein at least one of data used for image generation and a program for generating an image is switched based on said designation information to generate an image corresponding to each time zone. Game device. 7. An information storage medium for causing a game device to generate an image, the information being for a user to set a time zone and specification information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone; For storing the setting according to the above, and for obtaining the time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer, and instructing the generation of the image specified by the specification information set in the time zone An information storage medium comprising: information for generating an instructed image. 8. An information storage medium for causing a game device to generate an image, wherein information for storing a time zone and setting of specification information for specifying an image to be displayed in the time zone, and a current time are obtained. Information for prohibiting the timer from being set to an arbitrary time, and a time zone to which the current time belongs based on the current time obtained by the timer, and the specification information set for the time zone is specified. An information storage medium including information for instructing generation of an image to be executed and information for generating the instructed image.