Control of data processing

1. A game processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera and to initiate a game control function in response to a user obscuring a lens of the video camera for at least a predetermined time period, the apparatus comprising:

means operable to detect an average luminance of each successive image received from the video camera;

means operable to identify that the user has covered the lens of the video camera by detecting whether the average luminance of each of a group of successive images received from the video camera in respect of the predetermined time period is lower than a threshold luminance value, the lens of the video camera being within a lens housing, the housing protruding beyond the lens so that light may be substantially prevented from reaching the lens by the user placing a finger over the lens housing without that finger touching an optical surface of the lens; and

means operable to initiate the game control function of the game processing apparatus in response to detection that the average luminance of each of the group of successive images received from the video camera is lower than the threshold luminance value.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising the video camera for supplying the successive images.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 ,

comprising means for detecting a current operational mode of the game processing apparatus;

in which the control function is selected from a group of control functions, the selection being dependant on the current operational mode of the game processing apparatus.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a display screen for displaying image received from the video camera.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 , in which when the apparatus is in a game playing operational mode, the control function is a game control function.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3 , in which, when the apparatus is in a game playing operational mode, the apparatus is operable to display a user message indicative of the control function.

7. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which, when the apparatus is in a game set-up mode, the control function is a user alert function to notify the user of the low average image luminance level.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 , in which the game control function is a game pause function.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 , the apparatus being operable to display a set of user options in response to the pause function.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7 , in which the video camera has a user visual indicator; the user alert function being arranged to operate the user visual indicator.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 , the user visual indicator being a flashing illumination.

12. A game processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera and to initiate a game control function in response to a user obscuring a lens of the video camera for at least a predetermined time period, the apparatus comprising:

a detector to detect an average luminance of each successive image received from the video camera and to identify that the user has covered the lens of the video camera by detecting whether the average luminance of each of a group of successive images received from the video camera in respect of the predetermined time period is lower than a threshold luminance value, the lens of the video camera being within a lens housing, the housing protruding beyond the lens so that light may be substantially prevented from reaching the lens by the user placing a finger over the lens housing without that finger touching an optical surface of the lens; and

logic to initiate the game control function of the game processing apparatus in response to detection that the average luminance is lower than the threshold luminance value for at least a threshold number of successive images received from the video camera.

13. A data processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving successive images from a video camera;

initiating a game control function in response to a user obscuring a lens of the video camera for at least a predetermined time period;

detecting an average luminance of each successive image received from the video camera;

identifying that the user has covered the lens of the video camera by detecting whether the average luminance of each of the group of successive images received from the video camera is lower than a threshold luminance value, the lens of the video camera being within a lens housing, the housing protruding beyond the lens so that light may be substantially prevented from reaching the lens by the user placing a finger over the lens housing without that finger touching an optical surface of the lens; and

initiating the game control function of the data processing apparatus in response to detection that the average luminance of each of the group of successive images received from the video camera is lower than the threshold luminance value.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein which, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method according to claim 13 .