Wagering game with moving symbol arrays
View Patent ↗A gaming system for conducting a wagering game includes an input device, a display device, a processor, and a memory device for storing instructions that cause the processor to operate the gaming system. The gaming system receives an input to play the wagering game and randomly determines a plurality of symbols to populate symbol positions in one or more symbol arrays. The gaming system displays dynamic content in the symbol positions concluding with the randomly determined symbols while the one or more symbol arrays are moved with respect to an indicator region. The gaming system displays an indication of an outcome of the wagering game determined based on any of the one or more symbol arrays appearing in the indicator region after the one or more symbol arrays are moved.
1. A gaming system primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, comprising:
a gaming cabinet for housing components associated with the casino wagering game;
at least one electronic input device coupled to the gaming cabinet, the electronic input device configured to receive a physical input from a player to initiate the casino wagering game and transform the input into an electronic data signal;
at least one electronic display device coupled to the gaming cabinet;
a random element generator configured to generate one or more random elements; and
one or more controllers configured to
receive an input to play the at least one casino wagering game in response to the electronic data signal from the at least one electronic input device;
determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;
portray a plurality of separated symbol arrays in motion with respect to an indicator region, each of the plurality of symbol arrays having a plurality of symbol positions;
while portraying the movement of the plurality of symbol arrays, display, via the at least one electronic display device, dynamic content in the symbol positions of each of the plurality of symbol arrays, the dynamic content including a plurality of symbols for indicating an outcome of the respective symbol array; and
stop the movement of at least one of the plurality of symbol arrays with respect to the indicator region such that the at least one of the plurality of symbol arrays is associated with the indicator region to indicate the outcome of the at least one casino wagering game.
2. The gaming system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one display device displays video content to render a rotatable wheel having an exterior cylindrical surface with the plurality of symbol arrays situated on the exterior cylindrical surface of the rotatable wheel, and the portraying the movement of the plurality of symbol arrays is carried out by rendering the rotatable wheel undergoing rotation.
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 , wherein the dynamic content includes a series of symbols passing through the at least one of the plurality of symbol positions.
4. The gaming system according to claim 3 , wherein a rate of symbols passing through the plurality of symbol positions is non-uniform.
5. The gaming system according to claim 1 , wherein the portraying the movement of the plurality of symbol arrays is carried out by displaying the at least one symbol array as traveling along a predictable path, via the at least one display device.
6. The gaming system according to claim 5 , wherein a rate of travel along the predictable path is non-uniform.
7. A computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the gaming system including a gaming cabinet, a random element generator, one or more controllers, one or more electronic display devices, and an electronic input device, the electronic display device and the electronic input device being coupled to the gaming cabinet, the method comprising:
generating one or more random elements with the random element generator;
receiving, responsive to a physical input to the electronic input device, a wager input to initiate the at least one casino wagering game;
determining, by the one or more controllers, an outcome of the at least one casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;
displaying, via the one or more display devices, dynamic content in a plurality of symbol positions of each of a plurality of separated symbol arrays, the dynamic content including a plurality of symbols that move through the plurality of symbol positions of the respective symbol array;
while displaying the dynamic content in the plurality of symbol positions of the respective symbol array, portraying the plurality of symbol arrays in motion with respect to an indicator region; and
stopping the movement of one of the plurality of symbol arrays with respect to the indicator region to thereby indicate the outcome of the at least one casino wagering game.
8. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the indicator region is a region having an area sufficient to indicate selection of a single one of the plurality of symbol arrays without overlapping additional ones of the plurality of symbol arrays, the indicated symbol array indicating the outcome of the wagering game.
9. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the indicator region is a region of the display having an area sufficient to indicate selection of more than one of the plurality of symbol arrays, the indicated more than one symbol arrays indicating the outcome of the wagering game.
10. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the portraying is carried out by displaying video of the plurality of symbol arrays in motion via the one or more display devices.
11. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 10 , wherein the indicator region is distinguished by a differential color or contrast between the indicator region and a region of the one or more display devices at least partially surrounding the indicator region.
12. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the displaying dynamic content is carried out by providing video content on the one or more display devices to render a series of symbols passing through at least one of the plurality of symbol positions.
13. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 12 , wherein a rate of symbols passing through the at least one of the plurality of symbol positions is non-uniform.
14. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 12 , wherein the displaying dynamic content includes gradually slowing a rate of symbols passing through the at least one of the plurality of symbols positions until the displaying dynamic content is concluded.
15. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the indicator region includes a fixed region of the one or more display devices, and wherein the portraying is carried out by displaying the plurality of symbol arrays as traveling at least partially toward the indicator region.
16. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the portraying is carried out by displaying the indicator region as traveling relative to the plurality of symbol arrays.
17. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more display devices displays video content to render the plurality of symbol arrays are situated on an exterior cylindrical surface of a rotatable wheel, and wherein the portraying is carried out by rendering the rotatable wheel undergoing rotation so as to cause the plurality of symbol arrays to move with respect to the indicator region on the one or more display devices.
18. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , further comprising receiving a user input to influence a path of movement of at least one of the plurality of symbol arrays, and wherein the portraying is carried out according to the user input.
19. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 17 , wherein the user input is received via a touch screen user interface, the user input including an indication of a user gesture, the method further comprising:
determining a trajectory of the at least one symbol array, wherein the trajectory is characterized at least in part by the indication of the user gesture, and
wherein the portraying includes displaying the at least one symbol array moving according to the determined trajectory.
20. The computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
displaying indications of path-influencing features via the one or more display devices, and
wherein the portraying includes displaying at least one symbol array moving along a path determined at least in part according to the displayed indications of path-influencing features.