System and method for providing awards to users of an online game

1. A system for incentivizing players of an online game that takes place in a virtual space by providing the players with information regarding potential awards that are available in a secondary game for the players that achieve particular progress in the online game, the system comprising:

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:

execute an instance of the online game and use the instance of the online game to generate game state information that is transmitted to client computing devices over a network, the game state information facilitating presentation of views of the online game to the players via the client computing devices, wherein the client computing devices include a first client computing device associated with a first player, wherein execution of the instance of the online game includes performing operations in the instance of the online game in response to commands received over the network from the client computing devices, wherein execution of the instance of the online game further includes facilitating player participation in the online game, such that the first player participates in the online game through a game interface on the first client computing device, wherein the game interface is configured to present views of the online game to the first player and to receive commands from the first player;

determine a gameplay metric for individual ones of the players of the online game, wherein the gameplay metric is based on individual progress of the players in the online game, such that a first gameplay metric for the first player is based on a first level of progress by the first player in the online game;

selectively provide access for the players to a secondary game, wherein the players are presented with the secondary game through the game interface while participating in the online game, and wherein participation in the secondary game potentially results in awarding the players with a set of potential awards, wherein the set of potential awards includes one or more virtual items usable in the online game;

determine a subset of potential awards that corresponds to a higher gameplay metric than the first gameplay metric, wherein the higher gameplay metric corresponds to a target level of progress in the online game that is higher than the first level of progress; and

provide information to the first player regarding the subset of potential awards that corresponds to the higher gameplay metric, wherein the subset of potential awards would be available to the first player through the secondary game upon the first player reaching the target level of progress in the online game, thereby incentivizing the first player to make progress in the online game.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

determine, for individual plays of the secondary game, an outcome of the secondary game, wherein the outcome includes an award from the subset of potential awards as an actual award, such that for a first play of the secondary game by the first player, a first actual award is determined from the subset of potential awards.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

facilitate distribution of the first actual award to the first player.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary game further comprises:

obtaining a set of probabilities for the awards in the subset of potential awards; and

stochastically or quasi-stochastically selecting an award from the subset of potential awards as the actual award for distribution to the players.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

provide information to the players of the online game regarding the subset of potential awards that corresponds to the higher gameplay metric.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of potential awards includes virtual items, wherein the virtual items have a perceived value in the online game, and where the virtual items in the subset of potential awards corresponding to higher gameplay metric values have a higher perceived value in the online game than the virtual items in other subsets of potential awards corresponding to lower gameplay metric values.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary game further comprises:

effectuating presentation of an interface to facilitate participation by the players in the secondary game.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein participating in the instance of the secondary game is associated with a cost to the user.

9. A method for incentivizing players of an online game that takes place in a virtual space by providing the players with information regarding potential awards that are available in a secondary game for the players that achieve particular progress in the online game, the method to be performed on a computer having one or more physical processors, the method comprising:

executing an instance of the online game and using the instance of the online game to generate game state information that is transmitted to client computing devices over a network, the game state information facilitating presentation of views of the online game to the players via the client computing devices, wherein the client computing devices include a first client computing device associated with a first player, wherein execution of the instance of the online game includes performing operations in the instance of the online game in response to commands received over the network from the client computing devices, wherein execution of the instance of the online game further includes facilitating player participation in the online game, such that the first player participates in the online game through a game interface on the first client computing device, wherein the game interface presents views of the online game to the first player and receives commands from the first player;

determining a gameplay metric for individual ones of the players of the online game, wherein the gameplay metric is based on individual progress of the players in the online game, such that a first gameplay metric for the first player is based on a first level of progress by the first player in the online game;

selectively providing access for the players to a secondary game, wherein the players are presented with the secondary game through the game interface while participating in the online game, and wherein participation in the secondary game potentially results in awarding the players with a set of potential awards, wherein the set of potential awards includes one or more virtual items usable in the online game;

determining a subset of potential awards that corresponds to a higher gameplay metric than the first gameplay metric, wherein the higher gameplay metric corresponds to a target level of progress in the online game that is higher than the first level of progress; and

providing information to the first player regarding the subset of potential awards that corresponds to the higher gameplay metric, wherein the subset of potential awards would be available to the first player through the secondary game upon the first player reaching the target level of progress in the online game, thereby incentivizing the first player to make progress in the online game.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining, for individual plays of the secondary game, an outcome of the secondary game, wherein the outcome includes an award from the subset of potential awards as an actual award, such that, for a first play of the secondary game by the first player, a first actual award is determined from the subset of potential awards.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

facilitating distribution of the first actual award to the first player.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the secondary game further comprises: obtaining a set of probabilities for the awards in the subset of potential awards; and

stochastically or quasi-stochastically selecting an award from the subset of potential awards as the actual award for distribution to the players.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

providing information to the players of the online game regarding the subset of potential awards that corresponds to the higher gameplay metric.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the subset of potential awards includes virtual items, wherein the virtual items have a perceived value in the online game, and where the virtual items in the subset of potential awards corresponding to higher gameplay metric values have a higher perceived value in the online game than the virtual items in other subsets of potential awards corresponding to lower gameplay metric values.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the secondary game further comprises:

effectuating presentation of an interface to facilitate participation by the players in the secondary game.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein participating in the instance of the secondary game is associated with a cost to the user.