A display control apparatus includes circuitry to acquire a user image including a manually-drawn image, extract a character image corresponding to the manually-drawn image from the user image, generate an image of a first user object that is a three-dimensional object of the character image to be appeared in a display area that is to be displayed as a display image with a display, and cause the image of the first user object to move on a railroad track on the display area. The circuitry couples the image of the first user object to an image of a second user object in response to determination indicating a distance between the images of the first and second user objects on the railroad track satisfies a predetermined condition, and separates the image of the first user object from the second user object at a fork according to a predetermined condition for changing a course.