VIDEO GAME GAMING SYSTEM

• US 20170148271A1
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GameCo LLC (f/k/a GameCo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GameCo LLC (f/k/a GameCo, Inc.)
• Inventors: GRABOYES GOLDMAN, Blaine Joshua, SINOSICH, Mark, NICELY, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,865,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

Described are methods, systems, and media for adapting single player games of skill to a gaming environment. This game gaming comprises: accepting, through the gaming machine, initiation of play by a player; providing one or more games of video game skill, wherein a Playfield is chosen from a Playfield Selection Pool wherein the Playfield is set to have a Maximum Available Payout and games are chosen from that Playfield; evaluating and recording the results of the play of the said game session in the said Playfield; presenting a Paytable to the player, wherein the Paytable comprises one or more lines of payouts based on a player'"'"'s play results; evaluating and distributing any payout earned according to the best play results and the Paytable; and managing the variance of Return To Player (RTP) of the Paytable, by adjusting selection weights of different Playfields presented to a player.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of adapting games of skill into a gaming machine, the method comprising:

a) presenting, by the gaming machine, one or more single-player games, to a player, the games associated with a plurality of game parameters and having one or more features requiring the application of video game skill by the player during game play thereof, wherein the games are chosen from a Playfield Selection Pool by

i) using a random number generator to generate a first random number used to choose a Playfield from the Playfield Selection Pool, wherein the Playfield is set to have a Maximum Available Payout; and

ii) choosing a specific game session from the already chosen Playfield;

b) managing, through the gaming machine, variance of Return To Player (RTP) of a Paytable comprising one or more lines of payouts corresponding to play results, by adjusting selection weights of different Playfields presented to the player, wherein the different Playfields are associated with respective Maximum Available Payouts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the player plays the game via a game controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the game controller comprises one or more of:

a gamepad, a paddle, a joystick, a trackball, a throttle quadrant, a steering wheel, a yoke, pedals, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a motion sensor, a light gun, a rhythm game controller, a console game controller.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine accepts initiation by two or more players, provides two or more single-player game sessions, evaluates and records the results of the play of two or more game session, and evaluates and distributes respective payouts to the two or more players.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the managing of the Return To Player variance is based on one or more of:

mid-game metrics, Key Scores, non-Key Scores, end-of-game results, the difference between actual Maximum Available Payouts and actual payouts, and the difference between actual Maximum Attainable Key Scores and actual Key Scores.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the Return To Player variance is managed by adjusting one or more of:

selection weights of a of at least one a first prize from a first variable-prize selection pool, the frequency of a bonus award, the amount of time available within a Play Session, and the number of player actions available with a Play Session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the Return To Player is applied to one or more of:

a current game in progress and a future game.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is a stand-alone unit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is connected to a central server system from which random results are generated and communicated to the gaming machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the Maximum Available Payout is based upon a Maximum Attainable Key Score associated with each Playfield.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the games in the Playfield Selection Pool comprise one or more games with a time limit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the games comprise a racing game, wherein a player races on a track to achieve the best track time within a given timeframe.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the racing game comprises an optimum path on the racetrack and an optimum track time along the optimum path.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the games in the Playfield Selection Pool include at least one game with a limit on the number of player actions allowed during game play.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the games in the Playfield Selection Pool include at least one game with at least one strategic skill decision required of the player.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the games comprise one or more of:

a maze game, a sports game, a spelling game, a catching game, an avoiding game, a balancing game, a drawing game, a collecting game, a shooting game, an exercise-based game, a role playing game, a casual game, a racing game, a fighting game, a first person shooting game, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), a side view projectile game, a top view projectile game, quartering view projectile game, or a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, a matching game, a hidden object game, a word finding game, a word construction game, a path game, a time-management game, a resource management game, a plant growing game, an animal raising game, a shape placing game, a pattern matching game, a rhythm matching game, a memory game, a color completion game, a linking game, a virtual fishing game, an animal simulation game, and any suitable game of skill.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is configured to accept a player'"'"'s bet that a play result will be achieved during the game session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the player makes extra bets during the game based on the progress of the game.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the player is provided with a single chance to achieve a specific Key Score during a game session.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine awards the player additional time to complete the game session.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said additional time awarded is based upon the gaming machine determining, via evaluation of mid-game progress, that the probability that the player earns less than the Maximum Available Payout without said additional time is greater than a preset probability.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the player plays in a practice mode with a small price without betting or returns.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield is performed by using the random number generator to generate a second random number used to choose the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield.

23. A computer-implemented system for adapting games of skill into a gaming machine by balancing player skill, game challenges, and random elements to map a probable series of outcomes for all players, the system comprising:

a gaming machine comprising at least one processor, an operating system configured to perform executable instructions, and a memory; and

a computer program including instructions executable by the at least one processor to create an application comprising;

a) presenting, by the gaming machine, one or more single-player games, to a player, the games associated with a plurality of game parameters and having one or more features requiring the application of video game skill by the player during game play thereof, wherein the games are chosen from a Playfield Selection Pool by

(i) using a random number generator to generate a first random number used to choose a Playfield from the Playfield Selection Pool, wherein the Playfield is set to have a Maximum Available Payout; and

(ii) choosing a specific game session from the already chosen Playfield;

b) managing, through the gaming machine, variance of Return To Player (RTP) of a Paytable comprising one or more lines of payouts corresponding to play results, by adjusting selection weights of different Playfields presented to the player, wherein the different Playfields are associated with respective Maximum Available Payouts.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein choosing the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield is performed by using the random number generator to generate a second random number used to choose the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield.

24. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a processor to create an application comprising:

a) presenting, by the gaming machine, one or more single-player games, to a player, the games associated with a plurality of game parameters and having one or more features requiring the application of video game skill by the player during game play thereof, wherein the games are chosen from a Playfield Selection Pool by

i) using a random number generator to generate a first random number used to choose a Playfield from the Playfield Selection Pool, wherein the Playfield is set to have a Maximum Available Payout; and

ii) choosing a specific game session from the already chosen Playfield;

b) managing, through the gaming machine, variance of Return To Player (RTP) of a Paytable comprising one or more lines of payouts corresponding to play results, by adjusting selection weights of different Playfields presented to the player, wherein the different Playfields are associated with respective Maximum Available Payouts.

27. The media of claim 24, wherein choosing the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield is performed by using the random number generator to generate a second random number used to choose the specific game session from the already chosen Playfield.