System and method for facilitating virtual item rewards based on a game of chance

• US 8,636,591 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Ernst, Tim, DeSanti, Brian, Kawahata, Keith, Hawk, Travis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/895,563
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• 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

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to facilitating virtual item rewards for implementation in a virtual space based on a game of chance in an online game. A virtual wheel with multiple game outcomes may be spun and/or any other action may be taken. One of multiple virtual outcomes corresponding to different game outcomes may be selected and/or displayed. There may be various visual mechanisms for selecting and/or presenting one outcome from multiple possible game outcomes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating virtual item rewards based on a game of chance, the method being implemented on a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:

executing an instance of a game space;

implementing the instance of the game space to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users, wherein the game space is configured to facilitate interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other through operations performed in the instance of the game space in response to commands received from the users, and wherein the users include a first user;

effectuating presentation of a secondary game interface to the first user to facilitate play by the first user of a secondary game;

providing a level of the secondary game to the first user through the secondary game interface, such provision comprising;

(a) selecting an outcome from a set of outcomes for the level, wherein the set of outcomes include a Fail outcome, a Money Round outcome, a Jackpot outcome, and a Game Item outcome;

(b) causing the secondary game interface to present the selected outcome to the first user;

(c) responsive to the outcome being the Fail outcome, providing a virtual item associated with the Fail outcome to the first user in the game space, and ending the secondary game;

(d) responsive to the selected outcome being the Money Round outcome, providing a Money Round game to the first user through the secondary game interface, wherein providing the Money Round game includes obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts, determining a total value amount corresponding to the selected value amounts by aggregating the selected value amounts, and awarding virtual currency usable in the virtual space to the first user in the total value amount, and providing a next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface;

(e) responsive to the selected outcome being the Jackpot outcome, providing a virtual item associated with the Jackpot outcome to the first user in the game space, providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface; and

(f) responsive to the selected outcome being the Game Item outcome, providing, through the secondary game interface, an option associated with the Game Item outcome to the first user in the game space; and

(i) responsive to reception of acceptance of the option by the first user through the secondary game interface, providing a virtual item associated with the Game Item outcome to the first user in the game space, and ending the secondary game, or (ii) responsive to reception of rejection of the option by the first user through the secondary game interface, providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface; and

wherein providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface includes performing operations (a) and (b) for the next level, and performing an appropriate one of operations (c), (d), (e), and (f) for the next level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the level of the secondary game further comprising obtaining probabilities for individual ones of the outcomes in the set of outcomes for the level.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selection of the outcome at operation (a) is performed based on the determined probabilities for the individual outcomes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired by automatic selection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired by user selection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired until a threshold number of selections is met.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold number of selections is 20 selections.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the outcome at operation (a) comprises selecting one or more outcomes displayed on an N×

N board of outcomes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts comprises displaying the revealing the value amounts, hiding the value amounts and shuffling the value amounts.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the next level continues until a threshold maximum number of levels is met.

11. A system for a game of chance, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising;

a game module configured to execute an instance of a game space, and to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users, wherein the game space is configured to facilitate interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other through operations performed in the instance of the game space in response to commands received from the users, and wherein the users include a first user;

a secondary user interface module configured to facilitate presentation of a secondary game interface to the first user to facilitate play by the first user of a secondary game;

a secondary game module configured to provide a level of the secondary game to the first user through the secondary game interface, such provision comprising;

(a) selecting an outcome from a set of outcomes for the level, wherein the set of outcomes include a Fail outcome, a Money Round outcome, a Jackpot outcome, and a Game Item outcome;

(b) causing the secondary game interface to present the selected outcome to the first user;

(c) responsive to the outcome being the Fail outcome, providing a virtual item associated with the Fail outcome to the first user in the game space, and ending the secondary game;

(d) responsive to the selected outcome being the Money Round outcome, providing a Money Round game to the first user through the secondary game interface, wherein providing the Money Round game includes obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts, determining a total value amount corresponding to the selected value amounts by aggregating the selected value amounts, and awarding virtual currency usable in the virtual space to the first user in the total value amount, and providing a next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface;

(e) responsive to the selected outcome being the Jackpot outcome, providing a virtual item associated with the Jackpot outcome to the first user in the game space, providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface; and

(f) responsive to the selected outcome being the Game Item outcome, providing, through the secondary game interface, an option associated with the Game Item outcome to the first user in the game space; and

(i) responsive to reception of acceptance of the option by the first user through the secondary game interface, providing a virtual item associated with the Game Item outcome to the first user in the game space, and ending the secondary game, or (ii) responsive to reception of rejection of the option by the first user through the secondary game interface, providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface; and

wherein providing the next level of the secondary game to the user through the secondary game interface includes performing operations (a) and (b) for the next level, and performing an appropriate one of operations (c), (d), (e), and (f) for the next level.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein providing the level of the secondary game further comprising obtaining probabilities for individual ones of the outcomes in the set of outcomes for the level.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein selection of the outcome at operation (a) is performed based on the determined probabilities for the individual outcomes.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired by automatic selection.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired by user selection.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts is acquired until a threshold number of selections is met.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the threshold number of selections is 20 selections.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting the outcome at operation (a) comprises selecting one or more outcomes displayed on an N×

N board of outcomes.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining selection of value amounts from a set of potential value amounts comprises displaying the revealing the value amounts, hiding the value amounts and shuffling the value amounts.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein accessing the next level continues until a threshold maximum number of levels is met.