Gaming machine and methods of allowing a player to play gaming machines having retained special symbols

1. A method of allowing a player to play a gaming machine, comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a display device, a game including a plurality of symbols at a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of normal symbols and at least one special symbol;

randomly generating an outcome of a first game and displaying the generated first game outcome on the display device;

providing an award to the player if a winning combination is displayed in the generated first game outcome;

determining if a first special symbol is displayed in the generated first game outcome, responsively retaining the first special symbol during a subsequent second game, assigning a first multiplier factor to the first special symbol and generating the second game outcome including the retained first special symbol; and

determining if a second special symbol is displayed in the second game outcome and responsively releasing the retained first special symbol in a subsequent third game if the second special symbol does not appear in the second game outcome and retaining the first and the second special symbols in the subsequent third game and assigning a second multiplier factor to the second special symbol if the second special symbol appears in the second game outcome.

2. A gaming machine, comprising:

a display device;

a user input device configured to generate a signal indicative of a player's selection input; and

a controller coupled to the display device and the user input device, the controller for displaying, on the display device, a game including a plurality of symbols at a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of normal symbols and at least one special symbol, for receiving, from the user input device, a signal indicative of a wager on the game, for responsively generating an outcome of a first game and display the generated first game outcome on the display device, for determining if a first special symbol is displayed in the generated first game outcome, responsively retaining the first special symbol during a subsequent second game, assigning a first multiplier factor to the first special symbol, and generating the second game outcome including the retained first special symbol, and for determining if a second special symbol is displayed in the second game outcome and responsively releasing the retained first special symbol in a subsequent third game if the second special symbol does not appear in the second game outcome and retaining the first and the second special symbols in the subsequent third game and assigning a second multiplier factor to the second special symbol if the second special symbol appears in the second game outcome.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2 , the controller for:

displaying the first special symbol with one of a plurality of symbol images indicative of the assigned multiplier function; and

providing an enhanced award to the player if the second game outcome includes a winning outcome including the first special symbol, the enhanced award being a function of the first special symbol multiplier function.

4. The gaming machine of claim 2 , the controller for:

moving the first special symbol to a predefined symbol position; and

retaining the first special symbol in the predefined position and responsively randomly generating the subsequent second game outcome including the first special symbol being retained in the predefined symbol position.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of randomly generating the subsequent third game outcome including the first special symbol and the second special symbol and providing another award to the player as a function of the third game outcome.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first special symbol is retained in a first predefined symbol position, the method further comprises the steps of:

moving the second special symbol to a second predefined symbol position; and

generating the third game outcome including the first special symbol being retained in the first predefined symbol position and the second special symbol being retained in the second predefined position.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of moving the second special symbol to the second predefined symbol position such that the second special symbol is adjacent to the first special symbol.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the game includes a plurality of paylines extending across the plurality of symbol positions, the method further comprises the steps of:

moving the first special symbol to the first predefined symbol position along a predefined payline; and

moving the second special symbol to the second predefined symbol position along the predefined payline such that the predefined payline extends across the first and second special symbols.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the steps of:

assigning the same multiplier function value to each of the first special symbol and the second special symbol; and

providing an enhanced award to the player if the third game outcome includes a winning outcome including the first and second special symbols, the enhanced award being a function of the first special symbol multiplier function and the second special symbol multiplier function.

10. The method of claim 6 , the controller for releasing the first and second special symbols in a subsequent forth game outcome if a third special symbol is not displayed in the third game outcome.

11. The gaming machine of claim 2 , the controller for randomly generating the subsequent third game outcome including the first special symbol and the second special symbol and providing another award to the player as a function of the third game outcome.

12. The gaming machine of claim 2 , wherein the first special symbol is retained in a first predefined symbol position, the controller for moving the second special symbol to a second predefined symbol position, and for generating the third game outcome including the first special symbol being retained in the first predefined symbol position and the second special symbol being retained in the second predefined position.

13. The gaming machine of claim 12 , the controller for moving the second special symbol to the second predefined symbol position such that the second special symbol is adjacent to the first special symbol.

14. The gaming machine of claim 12 , wherein the game includes a plurality of paylines extending across the plurality of symbol positions, the controller for moving the first special symbol to the first predefined symbol position along a predefined payline, and for moving the second special symbol to the second predefined symbol position along the predefined payline such that the predefined payline extends across the first and second special symbols.

15. The gaming machine of claim 12 , the controller for assigning the same multiplier function value to each of the first special symbol and the second special symbol, and for providing an enhanced award to the player if the third game outcome includes a winning outcome including the first and second special symbols, the enhanced award being a function of the first special symbol multiplier function and the second special symbol multiplier function.

16. The gaming machine of claim 12 , the controller for releasing the first and second special symbols in a subsequent forth game outcome if a third special symbol is not displayed in the third game outcome.

17. A gaming system, comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including a user input device for accepting a player's selection input and a display device; and

a system controller coupled to each gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices, the system controller for displaying, on at least one gaming device, a game including a plurality of symbols at a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of normal symbols and at least one special symbol, for receiving, from the at least one gaming device, a signal indicative of a wager on the game, for responsively generate an outcome of a first game and display the generated first game outcome on the at least one gaming device, for determining if a first special symbol is displayed in the generated first game outcome and responsively retaining the first special symbol during a subsequent second game, assigning a first multiplier function to the first special symbol, generating the second game outcome including the retained first special symbol, and for providing an enhanced award to the player if the second game outcome includes a winning outcome including the first special symbol, the enhanced award being a function of the first special symbol multiplier function, the system controller for determining if a second special symbol is displayed in the second game outcome and responsively releasing the retained first special symbol in a subsequent third game if the second special symbol does not appear in the second game outcome, and retaining the first and the second special symbols in the subsequent third game and assigning a second multiplier factor to the second special symbol if the second special symbol appears in the second game outcome.

18. The system of claim 17 , the system controller for moving the first special symbol to a predefined symbol position, and for retaining the first special symbol in the predefined position and responsively randomly generating the subsequent second game outcome including the first special symbol being retained in the predefined symbol position.

19. The system of claim 17 , the system controller for generating the subsequent third game outcome including the first special symbol and the second special symbol and providing another award to the player as a function of the third game outcome.

20. The system for claim 19 , the system controller for releasing the first and second special symbols in a subsequent forth game outcome if a third special symbol is not displayed in the third game outcome.