Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple player persistent game

• US 9,466,183 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Lafky, Ernest M., Tan, Carmen, Nicely, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): GALKA, LAWRENCE STEFAN
• Application Number:
  US14/531,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3262 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3274 wherein the players cooperate, e.g. team-play
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3279 wherein the competition is one-to-one, e.g. match
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system including a multiple player persistent game, such as an ongoing community game. This ongoing community game includes a community game matrix which is continuously displayed to at least each of the players. The community game matrix includes a plurality of displayed positions which may be associated with an award or an award opportunity. In operation, at least each of the players playing the gaming devices of the gaming system are associated with a displayed participant that moves (either randomly or based on the player'"'"'s control) to different of the displayed positions of the community game matrix. If a player moves their associated participant to a displayed position that is associated with an award or an award opportunity, the gaming system provides the player any associated award or enables the player to participate in any associated award opportunity to potentially win an award.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including;

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices and the at least one display device to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item;

(b) enable a player to place a wager to play a primary game, the player being associated with an individual participant;

(c) independent of any occurrence of any bonus game triggering event, cause a display of;

(i) a game matrix including a plurality of displayed positions, at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award and at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award opportunity, and

(ii) the individual participant at one of the plurality of displayed positions;

(d) if a bonus game entry event occurs;

determine a quantity of position moves, and

(ii) for each of the determined quantity of position moves;

(A) enable the player to designate one of the displayed positions, wherein which of the displayed positions available to be designated by the player is based on the position the individual participant is displayed at,

(B) cause a display of the individual participant moving to the designated displayed position,

(C) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award, cause the associated bonus game award to be provided to the player, and

(D) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award opportunity;

 

(I) thereafter, randomly determine any bonus game award associated with the bonus game award opportunity, and

 

(II) cause any determined bonus game award to be provided to the player; and

(e) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) determine if a participant movement event occurs, and

(ii) if the participant movement event occurs, independent of any player designation of any of the displayed positions, cause a display of the individual participant moving to a different displayed position.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the participant movement event occurs based, at least in part, on at least one event occurring in association with at least one of the plays of the primary game wagered on by the player.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a first bonus game award opportunity having a first average expected payout and at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a second, different bonus game award opportunity having a second, different average expected payout.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify, for a designated period of time, at least one of:

at least one bonus game award associated with at least one of the displayed positions and at least one average expected payout of at least one of the bonus game award opportunities associated with at least one of the displayed positions.

6. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) if a physical item is received via an acceptor, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

(b) enabling a player to place a wager to play a primary game, the player being associated with an individual participant, wherein the credit balance is decreasable based on the placed wager on the play of the primary game;

(c) independent of any occurrence of any bonus game triggering event, causing at least one display device to display;

(i) a game matrix including a plurality of displayed positions, at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award and at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award opportunity, and

(ii) the individual participant at one of the plurality of displayed positions;

(d) if a bonus game entry event occurs;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a quantity of position moves, and

(ii) for each of the determined quantity of position moves;

(A) enabling the player to designate one of the displayed positions, wherein which of the displayed positions available to be designated by the player is based on the position the individual participant is displayed at,

(B) causing the at least one display device to display the individual participant moving to the designated displayed position,

(C) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award, causing the at least one display device to display the associated bonus game award, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the associated bonus game award, and

(D) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award opportunity;

(I) thereafter, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine any bonus game award associated with the bonus game award opportunity, and

(II) causing the at least one display device to display any determined bonus game award, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined bonus game award, and

(e) if a cashout input is received via an cashout device, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

7. The method of claim 6, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to:

(i) determine if a participant movement event occurs, and

(ii) if the participant movement event occurs, independent of any player designation of any of the displayed positions, cause a display of the individual participant moving to a different displayed position.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the participant movement event occurs based, at least in part, on at least one event occurring in association with at least one of the plays of the primary game wagered on by the player.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a first bonus game award opportunity having a first average expected payout and at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a second, different bonus game award opportunity having a second, different average expected payout.

10. The method of claim 6, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify, for a designated period of time, at least one of:

at least one bonus game award associated with at least one of the displayed positions and at least one average expected payout of at least one of the bonus game award opportunities associated with at least one of the displayed positions.

11. The method of claim 6, which is provided through a data network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data network is an internet.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a plurality of instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

(a) enable a player to place a wager to play a primary game, the player being associated with an individual participant, wherein a credit balance is decreasable based on the wager placed on the play of the primary game, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device;

(b) independent of any occurrence of any bonus game triggering event, cause at least one display device to display;

(i) a game matrix including a plurality of displayed positions, at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award and at least one of the displayed positions associated with a bonus game award opportunity, and

(ii) the individual participant at one of the plurality of displayed positions; and

(c) if a bonus game entry event occurs;

(i) determine a quantity of position moves, and

(ii) for each of the determined quantity of position moves;

(A) enable the player to designate one of the displayed positions, wherein which of the displayed positions available to be designated by the player is based on the position the individual participant is displayed at,

(B) cause the at least one display device to display the individual participant moving to the designated displayed position,

(C) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award, cause the at least one display device to display the associated bonus game award, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the associated bonus game award, and

(D) if the designated displayed position is associated with any bonus game award opportunity;

(I) thereafter, randomly determine any bonus game award associated with the bonus game award opportunity, and

(II) cause the at least one display device to display any determined bonus game award, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined bonus game award.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) determine if a participant movement event occurs, and

(ii) if the participant movement event occurs, independent of any player designation of any of the displayed positions, cause the at least one display device to display the individual participant moving to a different displayed position.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the participant movement event occurs based, at least in part, on at least one event occurring in association with at least one of the plays of the primary game wagered on by the player.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a first bonus game award opportunity having a first average expected payout and at least one of the displayed positions is associated with a second, different bonus game award opportunity having a second, different average expected payout.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify, for a designated period of time, at least one of:

at least one bonus game award associated with at least one of the displayed positions and at least one average expected payout of at least one of the bonus game award opportunities associated with at least one of the displayed positions.