Mash-up wagering game creation

• US 9,275,518 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gura, Damon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US13/786,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/106
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems

Abstract

A wagering game developer can provide an online wagering game community, and receive continuous and current feedback about wagering games. The wagering game developer can use the online wagering game community to gauge popularity of wagering games, demonstrate wagering games, test wagering games, estimate wagering game life cycles, etc. Moreover, the wagering game developer can use the creativity of community members to modify and, perhaps, develop wagering games. The wagering game developer can decompose different aspects of a wagering game into executable code units that are platform independent, re-usable, and/or configurable (“wagering game widgets”). Users combine wagering game widgets, whether derived from a wagering game or user generated, to create a wagering game for playing in the online wagering game community. Wagering game developers can reward users who create the most popular wagering games, and develop proper versions of these user-created wagering games for deployment in wagering game establishments.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device separate from a wagering game developer environment, said device configured to combine compatible widgets, from a first wagering game and a second wagering game independent from the first wagering game, into a platform independent wagering game, said method comprising:

evaluating, via one or more electronic processing units of the device, compatibility of a first game logic of the first wagering game with at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game, wherein the first game logic is implemented by a wagering game logic widget of the first wagering game, wherein the at least one presentation criterion is implemented by a wagering game presentation engine widget of the second wagering game, and wherein at least one of the first wagering game and the second wagering game originates from the wagering game developer environment;

determining, via the one or more electronic processing units of the device, the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget to be compatible based on said evaluating; and

generating the platform independent wagering game with the wagering game logic widget, the wagering game presentation engine widget, one or more aesthetic assets, and a pay table based on the first game logic after determining the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget to be compatible.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the pay table for the platform independent wagering game based, at least in part, on the first game logic and indicated wager denominations.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising evaluating compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of the first wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising evaluating compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of a third wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising deploying the platform independent wagering game to an online wagering game community and tracking popularity of the deployed platform independent wagering game.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first game logic is compatible with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game comprises determining that a number of one or more of an expected argument or an expected value is equivalent for the first game logic and the at least one presentation criterion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first game logic is compatible with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game comprises determining that the first game logic provides an output value expected by the at least one presentation criterion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first game logic is compatible with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game comprises determining that the first game logic and the at least one presentation criterion accept a same number of events as outputs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first game logic is compatible with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game comprises:

determining that a first event specified by the first game logic, requires presentation of a first number of aesthetic assets;

determining that a second event, specified by second game logic for the second wagering game, requires as the at least one presentation criterion a second number of aesthetic assets; and

determining that the first number of aesthetic assets is equivalent to the second number of aesthetic assets.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

validating that the platform independent wagering game does not violate intellectual property rights associated with one or more wagering game developer entities associated with one or more of the first wagering game and the second wagering game.

10. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media having program code stored therein and executable by a machine, the program code comprising program code to:

electronically detect selection, via a game editor accessed by the machine, of a wagering game logic widget that implements first game logic of a first wagering game;

electronically detect selection, via the game editor, of a wagering game presentation engine widget that implements at least one presentation criterion of a second wagering game, wherein at least one of the first wagering game and the second wagering game originates from a wagering game developer environment independent from the machine, and wherein the first wagering game and the second wagering game are independent wagering games;

electronically evaluate compatibility of the first game logic with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game;

determine whether the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget are compatible based on the evaluation; and

generate, via glue code units associated with the game editor, a platform independent wagering game, wherein the glue code units combine the wagering game logic widget, the wagering game presentation engine widget, one or more aesthetic assets, and a pay table based on the first game logic if the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget are compatible.

11. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the program code further comprises program code to generate the pay table for the platform independent wagering game based, at least in part, on the first game logic and indicated wager denominations.

12. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the program code further comprises program code to evaluate compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of the first wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

13. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the program code further comprises program code to evaluate compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of a third wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

14. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the program code further comprises program code to deploy the platform independent wagering game to an online wagering game community and to track popularity of the deployed platform independent wagering game.

15. A wagering game apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a network communication interface; and

a machine-readable storage medium having program code stored therein and executable by the processor, the program code comprising program code to;

connect, via the network communication interface, with a client device independent from a game developer for at least one of a first wagering game and a second wagering game, wherein the client device accesses a game mashup tool provided by the game developer;

electronically receive, via the network communication interface, an indication, via the game mashup tool, of a wagering game logic widget that implements first game logic of the first wagering game and a wagering game presentation widget that implements at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game, wherein the second wagering game is independent from the first wagering game;

electronically evaluate compatibility of the first game logic with the at least one presentation criterion of the second wagering game;

determine whether the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget are compatible based on the evaluation; and

generate a platform independent wagering game with the wagering game logic widget, the wagering game presentation engine widget, one or more aesthetic assets, and a pay table based on the first game logic if the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget are compatible.

16. The wagering game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises program code to generate the pay table for the platform independent wagering game based, at least in part, on the first game logic and indicated wager denominations.

17. The wagering game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises program code to evaluate compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of the first wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

18. The wagering game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises program code to evaluate compatibility of a second wagering game logic widget, which implements a second game logic of a third wagering game, with both the wagering game logic widget and the wagering game presentation engine widget.

19. The wagering game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises program code to deploy the platform independent wagering game to an online wagering game community and to track popularity of the deployed platform independent wagering game.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

a set of one or more electronic processor units;

means for evaluating compatibility of a plurality of widgets from a plurality of independent wagering games, wherein the plurality of widgets implement at least two of a wagering game logic, a wagering game presentation engine, and aesthetic assets for the plurality of independent wagering games;

means for using one or more glue code units to implement interaction among the plurality of widgets after determining the compatibility; and

means for generating a platform independent wagering game from the plurality of widgets determined to be compatible by the evaluating means, wherein the platform independent wagering game is independent from the plurality of independent wagering games.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for evaluating the compatibility of the plurality of widgets comprises means for determining that the at least two of the wagering game logic, the wagering game presentation engine, and the aesthetic assets accept a number of events equivalent to a number of outputs.