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 one or more conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein one of the one or more conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world based on a position of another, unprotected 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 one or more conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein one of the one or more conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world based on a position of another, unprotected 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 one or more conditions, protecting one player's game character from harm in the game world, wherein one of the one or more conditions is a condition triggered voluntarily by the one player;
• and
• controlling movements of the protected game character in the game world based on a position of another, unprotected game character.