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

A method, comprising:

• transmitting an execution request, initiated by a user of a user terminal device, for execution of a game program to at least one game server over a network, where the at least one game server operates to load and execute the game program in response to the execution request, and where the execution request is associated with a play point in a video that shows previously played content of the game program;
• receiving the video over the network from at least one of the at least one game server and at least one video server to the user terminal device;
• displaying the video to the user of the user terminal device, wherein:
• the at least one game server includes a game situation data obtaining unit that obtains, 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, certain of the game situation data that is identified based on the play point associated with the execution request,
• wherein the at least one game server includes a game executing unit that starts executing the game program from a situation that is indicated by the certain game situation data obtained by the game situation data obtaining unit,
• wherein the at least one game server includes a communications unit operating to transmit game data to the user terminal device over the network such that the user may enter into gameplay, and,
• wherein the method includes at least one of:
• (i) displaying a list of images on a display of the user terminal device to the user, where each image within the list of images operates as a respective hyperlink to launch the game from a respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and
• (ii) each respective image operates such that the user may activate the respective hyperlink using at least one input device, while the respective image is being displayed to the user, and the activation of the respective hyperlink causes the execution request to include information regarding the respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and the user clicks on the respective hyperlink while viewing the respective image on the display 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:

• transmitting an execution request, initiated by a user of a user terminal device, for execution of a game program to at least one game server over a network, where the at least one game server operates to load and execute the game program in response to the execution request, and where the execution request is associated with a play point in a video that shows previously played content of the game program;
• receiving the video over the network from at least one of the at least one game server and at least one video server to the user terminal device;
• displaying the video to the user of the user terminal device, wherein:
• the at least one game server includes a game situation data obtaining unit that obtains, 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, certain of the game situation data that is identified based on the play point associated with the execution request,
• wherein the at least one game server includes a game executing unit that starts executing the game program from a situation that is indicated by the certain game situation data obtained by the game situation data obtaining unit,
• wherein the at least one game server includes a communications unit operating to transmit game data to the user terminal device over the network such that the user may enter into gameplay, and,
• wherein the method includes at least one of:
• (i) displaying a list of images on a display of the user terminal device to the user, where each image within the list of images operates as a respective hyperlink to launch the game from a respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and
• (ii) each respective image operates such that the user may activate the respective hyperlink using at least one input device, while the respective image is being displayed to the user, and the activation of the respective hyperlink causes the execution request to include information regarding the respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and the user clicks on the respective hyperlink while viewing the respective image on the display on which the video showing a play content that has been played by the user himself/herself is being played.