Information processing system, information processing method, information storage medium, and program

A method, comprising:

• receiving, at at least one game server, an execution request for execution of a game program from a user terminal over a network and, in response, loading and executing the game program, where the execution request is associated with a play point in a video that shows previously played content of the game program;
• transmitting the video, by way of at least one of the at least one game server and at least one video server, to the user terminal over the network, where the video is displayed to a user of the user terminal and the execution request is initiated by the user;
• obtaining, at the at least one game server, certain game situation data that is identified based on the play point associated with the execution request, from a storage unit that stores respective game situation data which indicate respective situations of the game program that are associated with respective play points in the video;
• starting executing the game program, by the at least one game server, from a situation that is indicated by the certain game situation data obtained;
• and
• transmitting game data to the user terminal over the network such that the user may enter into gameplay,
• wherein at least one of:
• (i) the executing operates to cause a list of videos to be displayed to the user, and the list of videos includes videos which have at least one hyperlink to launch the game, and other videos which do not have such at least one hyperlink, and
• (ii) the video includes at least one hyperlink that is displayed to the user, such that the user may activate the hyperlink, using at least one input device, while the video is being displayed, and the activation of the hyperlink causes the execution request to include information regarding a specified point in the video at which the hyperlink is activated, and the user clicks on the hyperlink while viewing a video display screen on which the video showing a play content that has been played by the user himself/herself is being played.

A non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium storing a program, which when executed by one or more computers, causes the one or more computers to carry put action, comprising:

• receiving, at at least one game server, an execution request for execution of a game program from a user terminal over a network and, in response, loading and executing the game program, where the execution request is associated with a play point in a video that shows previously played content of the game program;
• transmitting the video, by way of at least one of the at least one game server and at least one video server, to the user terminal over the network, where the video is displayed to a user of the user terminal and the execution request is initiated by the user;
• obtaining, at the at least one game server, certain game situation data that is identified based on the play point associated with the execution request, from a storage unit that stores respective game situation data which indicate respective situations of the game program that are associated with respective play points in the video;
• starting executing the game program, by the at least one game server, from a situation that is indicated by the certain game situation data obtained;
• and
• transmitting game data to the user terminal over the network such that the user may enter into gameplay,
• wherein at least one of:
• (i) the executing operates to cause a list of videos to be displayed to the user, and the list of videos includes videos which have at least one hyperlink to launch the game, and other videos which do not have such at least one hyperlink, and
• (ii) the video includes at least one hyperlink that is displayed to the user, such that the user may activate the hyperlink, using at least one input device, while the video is being displayed, and the activation of the hyperlink causes the execution request to include information regarding a specified point in the video at which the hyperlink is activated, and the user clicks on the hyperlink while viewing a video display screen on which the video showing a play content that has been played by the user himself/herself is being played.