METHODS OF ENHANCED INTERACTION AND PLAY FOR COMMUNITY-BASED BONUSING ON GAMING MACHINES
A plurality of gaming machines is linked, such as via a local bank controller. The gaming machines present base wagering games and, at one or more times, a community bonus event or game involving multiple of the linked gaming machines and their associated players. The community bonus comprises an event or game where awards, information, attributes and/or other features may be exchanged between players, thus fostering interaction/camaraderie between the players. Such features may be exchanged as part of cooperation or competition between players. Player may share in community bonus awards.
1 . A method of playing a bonus, by a plurality of players who wager on a plurality of linked electronic gaming devices having touch-screens, said bonus comprised of trivia queries the answers to which affect the expected value of the bonus, said method comprising:
triggering the bonus;
a first player polling, via touch-screen, at least one additional player through said link;
displaying to said first player the polling response; and
said first player utilizing said polling response in answering said trivia queries.
2 . The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising awarding an award to said first player and said additional player an award if said first player correctly answers said trivia queries.
3 . The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said trivia queries have a plurality of answers, only one of which is a correct answer.
4 . The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising determining if said first player is entitled to seek a polling response and, if not, requiring said first player to answer said trivia queries without said polling response and, if so, permitting said polling.
5 . A method of presenting a bonus event to a first player of a first electronic gaming machine which is communicatively linked to at least one other electronic gaming machine, each electronic gaming machine having at least one display configured to display bonus event information, said bonus event comprised of at least one trivia query, the answer to which affects the expected value of a bonus award of said bonus event, said method comprising:
triggering the bonus event;
receiving input from said first player seeking a polling response from at least one additional player of one of said other electronic gaming machines;
displaying to said first player the polling response from said at least one additional player; and
receiving input from said first player of a response to said at least one trivia query after said player receiving said polling response.
6 . The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising awarding a first bonus award to said first player and a second bonus award to said additional player if said first player correctly answers said at least one trivia query.
7 . The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising awarding a bonus award to said at least one additional player even if said first player incorrectly answers said at least one trivia query.
8 . The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising awarding a bonus to said at least one additional player if said at least one additional player answered said at least one trivia query correctly, even if said first player incorrectly answers said at least one trivia query.
9 . The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising awarding a bonus award to said first player if said response to said query is correct and not awarding a bonus award to said first player if said response to said query is incorrect.
10 . The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of receiving payment from said first player in order to entitle said first player to receive said polling response.
11 . The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said polling response comprises a plurality of answers to said one or more trivia queries from a plurality of additional players.
12 . The method in accordance with claim 11 comprising the step of aggregating said answers to generate said polling response.