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 first condition and a second condition, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein a position at which the protected game character appears when the first condition is satisfied is different than that when the second condition is satisfied;
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world;
• stopping the protecting of the one player's game character in response to any one of one or more protecting stopping conditions, whereby the movements of the one player's game character in the game world are controllable in accordance with 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 first condition and a second condition, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein a position at which the protected game character appears when the first condition is satisfied is different than that when the second condition is satisfied;
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world;
• stopping the protecting of the one player's game character in response to any one of one or more protecting stopping conditions, whereby the movements of the one player's game character in the game world are controllable in accordance with 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 first condition and a second condition, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein a position at which the protected game character appears when the first condition is satisfied is different than that when the second condition is satisfied;
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world;
• stopping the protecting of the one player's game character in response to any one of one or more protecting stopping conditions, whereby the movements of the one player's game character in the game world are controllable in accordance with the first game character control operation for that game character.