Game award enhancement for adjacent game symbols

1 . A game controller for an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) comprising:

a random number generator;

a processor circuit; and

a memory comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

control a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the EGM to receive a wager for a wagering game at the EGM, the wagering game comprising an array of game symbol positions;

control the GUI to display, based on a random number generated by the random number generator, a first game symbol associated with a first game award value at a first game symbol position of the array of game symbol positions;

control the GUI to display, based on the random number generated by the random number generator, a second game symbol associated with a second game award value at a second game symbol position of the array of game symbol positions;

determine a first total game award value for a game award based on the first game award value and the second game award value;

determine whether the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions;

based on a determination that the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions, increase the first total game award value of the game award to a second total game award value;

control the GUI to display an indication of the game award; and

award the game award comprising the second total game award value.

2 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor circuit to:

control the GUI to display a third game symbol associated with a third game award value at a third game symbol position of the array of game symbol positions;

determine whether the third game symbol position is adjacent to one of the first game symbol position and the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions; and

based on a determination that the third game symbol position is adjacent to one of the first game symbol position and the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions, increase the second total game award value of the game award to a third total game award.

3 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the first game symbol and the second game symbol comprise numbers.

4 . The game controller of claim 3 , wherein instructions that determine the first game symbol further cause the processor circuit to:

compare a first number associated with the first game symbol position to a plurality of selected numbers associated with the wager;

in response to the first number matching one of the plurality of selected numbers, designate the first number as the first game symbol;

compare a second number associated with the second game symbol position with the plurality of selected numbers; and

in response to the second number matching one of the plurality of selected numbers, designate the second number as the second game symbol.

5 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the first game award value and the second game award value comprise monetary values; and

wherein the first total game award value comprises a sum of the first game award value and the second game award value.

6 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to increase the first total game award value of the game award to the second total game award value further cause the processor circuit to:

multiply the first total game award value by a multiplier, wherein the second total game award value comprises a product of the first total game award value times the multiplier.

7 . The game controller of claim 6 , wherein a multiplier value of the multiplier is proportional to a total number of adjacent game symbols associated with game award values.

8 . The game controller of claim 6 , wherein a multiplier value of the multiplier is not proportional to a total number of adjacent game symbols associated with game award values, such that a first ratio of a first multiplier associated with a first number of adjacent game symbols is lower than a second ratio of a second multiplier associated with a second number of adjacent game symbols higher than the first number of adjacent game symbols.

9 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the first game symbol and the second game symbol comprise slot symbols.

10 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor circuit to, based on the determination that the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions, provide a game feature in a subsequent wagering game comprising improved odds for the wagering game.

11 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the array of game symbol positions comprises an orthogonal array, and

wherein the determination of whether the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions is based on a determination of whether the first game symbol is adjacent to the second game symbol in one of four orthogonal directions.

12 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the array of game symbol positions comprises a hexagonal array, and

wherein the determination of whether the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions is based on a determination of whether the first game symbol is adjacent to the second game symbol in one of six hexagonal directions.

13 . The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the array of game symbol positions comprises a plurality of arrays of game symbols, and

wherein the determination of whether the first game symbol position is adjacent to the second game symbol position in the array of game symbol positions is further based on a determination of whether the first game symbol and the second game symbol are in the same array of the plurality of arrays.

14 . An Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) comprising:

a display device;

an input device;

a dispenser device;

a game controller comprising a processor circuit; and

a memory comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

receive a wager for a wagering game at the input device, the wagering game comprising an array of game symbol positions;

control a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the display device to display a plurality of game symbols at a plurality of game symbol positions in an array of game symbol positions, each game symbol of the plurality of game symbols associated with a respective game award value;

determine, for each game symbol of the plurality of game symbols, whether the game symbol position of the game symbol is adjacent to a game symbol position of another game symbol of the plurality of game symbols;

based on a determination that a first plurality of game symbols are adjacent to each other, determine a first subtotal game award value based on the respective game award values of the first plurality of game symbols;

increase the first subtotal game award value to a second subtotal game award value;

based on a determination that a second plurality of game symbols are adjacent to each other, determine a third subtotal game award value based on the respective game award values of the second plurality of game symbols;

increase the third subtotal game award value to a fourth subtotal game award value;

control the GUI to display an indication of a game award comprising the second subtotal game award value and the fourth subtotal game award value; and

award, by the dispenser device, the game award.

15 . The EGM of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of game symbols comprises numbers.

16 . The EGM of claim 15 , wherein instructions that determine the first plurality of game symbols further cause the processor circuit to:

compare, for each game symbol position, a number associated with the game symbol position to a plurality of selected numbers associated with the wager; and

for each game symbol position, in response to the number matching one of the plurality of selected numbers, designate the number as one of the first plurality of game symbols.

17 . The EGM of claim 16 , wherein instructions that determine the second plurality of game symbols further cause the processor circuit to:

compare, for each game symbol position, a number associated with the game symbol position to a plurality of selected numbers associated with the wager; and

for each game symbol position, in response to the number matching one of the plurality of selected numbers, designate the number as one of the second plurality of game symbols.

18 . The EGM of claim 14 , wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to increase the first subtotal game award value to the second subtotal game award value further cause the processor circuit to:

multiply the first subtotal game award value by a first multiplier, wherein the second subtotal game award value comprises a product of the first subtotal game award value times the first multiplier, and

wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to increase the third subtotal game award value to the fourth subtotal game award value further cause the processor circuit to:

multiply the third subtotal game award value by a second multiplier, wherein the fourth subtotal game award value comprises the product of the third subtotal game award value times the second multiplier.

19 . The EGM of claim 18 , wherein the first multiplier is based on a total number of adjacent game symbols in the first plurality of game symbols, and

wherein the second multiplier is based on a total number of adjacent game symbols in the second plurality of game symbols.

20 . A method comprising:

receiving a wager for a wagering game at an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM), the wagering game comprising an array of game symbol positions;

determining, by a processor circuit of a game controller of the EGM, a plurality of game symbols at a plurality of game symbol positions in the array of game symbol positions, each game symbol of the plurality of game symbols associated with a respective game award value;

controlling a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to present, by a display device, the array of game symbol positions comprising the plurality of game symbols at the plurality of game symbol positions;

determining, by the processor circuit, a first total game award value for a game award based on the plurality of respective game award values;

determining, by the processor circuit, for each game symbol of the plurality of game symbols, whether the game symbol position of the game symbol is adjacent to a game symbol position of another game symbol of the plurality of game symbols;

based on a determination that a plurality of game symbols are adjacent to each other, increasing, by the processor circuit, the first total game award value of the game award to a second total game award value;

controlling the GUI to present, by the display device, an indication of the game award; and

awarding the game award at the EGM.