Video game systems and methods

A video game system comprising:

• input devices;
• and
• a processing system that executes a multi-player video game program in which multiple players each supply inputs to a respective input device to control a corresponding game character in a game world displayed on a display screen, the video game program being stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising instructions for:
• controlling movements of each game character in the game world in accordance with respective first game character control operations during the playing of the multi-player video game;
• in response to satisfaction of any one of a plurality of conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein at least one of the plurality of conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world in accordance with a second game character control operation which is different than the first game character control operation for that game character.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having encoded therein program instructions for a multi-player video game in which multiple players each supply inputs to a respective input device to control a corresponding game character in a game world displayed on a display screen, the instructions comprising instructions for:

• controlling movements of each game character in the game world in accordance with respective first game character control operations during the playing of the multi-player video game;
• in response to satisfaction of any one of a plurality of conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein at least one of the plurality of conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world in accordance with a second game character control operation which is different than the first game character control operation for that game character.

A video game apparatus for a multi-player video game program in which multiple players each supply inputs to a respective input device to control a corresponding game character in a game world displayed on a display screen, the video game apparatus comprising:

• a processing system including at least one processor, the processing system configured to perform operations comprising:
• controlling movements of each game character in the game world in accordance with respective first game character control operations during the playing of the multi-player video game;
• in response to satisfaction of any one of a plurality of conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein at least one of the plurality of conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world in accordance with a second game character control operation which is different than the first game character control operation for that game character.