Multi-player gaming system controller with centralized event coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gaming systems lack innovative mechanisms to enhance player engagement and enjoyment in multi-player games, particularly in determining winners and awarding prizes across multiple gaming devices connected through networks.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system comprising multiple gaming devices and a controller that generates, evaluates, and awards multi-player game events, allowing for modified game events based on player inputs, identifying winning devices, and distributing prizes accordingly, with options for tournament and non-tournament game modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a multi-player game system allows participation by multiple players across independently playable gaming machines, then player accessibility and network flexibility are improved, but player engagement and enjoyment may deteriorate due to lack of interactive competition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines independently playable gaming machines into a unified multi-player game system where a central controller coordinates game events across multiple devices. This merging allows players on different machines to compete in the same game instance, maintaining accessibility while creating engaging competitive interactions that were previously impossible with completely independent machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The gaming system is designed to support both single-player and multi-player modes on the same gaming machines. The system can operate as individual standalone units or network together for multi-player competition, providing universal functionality that satisfies both accessibility requirements and engagement desires through flexible operational modes.
2Device complexity
If a gaming system uses independently playable gaming machines for multi-player games, then system simplicity and device independence are improved, but game fairness and controlled competition deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A central controller is introduced as an intermediary between the independently playable gaming machines. This mediator generates coordinated game events, distributes them to participating machines, and collects results to determine winners. This intermediary ensures game fairness by controlling the game logic centrally while maintaining the simplicity of individual machine operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments game functionality into two parts: local game execution on individual machines and central coordination through the controller. Each gaming machine independently handles player input and local display, while the controller manages game events and winner determination. This segmentation maintains device independence while ensuring fairness through centralized control.
3Productivity
If a multi-player game awards prizes to winners from multiple gaming devices, then player motivation and game appeal are improved, but system complexity and prize management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback loops where the central controller monitors game outcomes from multiple devices, identifies winners based on coordinated evaluation, and manages prize distribution. This centralized feedback mechanism motivates players by ensuring fair winner determination while simplifying prize management through unified control, rather than requiring complex distributed prize management across independent machines.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices each operable to participate in a multi-player game; and a controller in communication with each gaming device, and arranged to generate one or more multi-player game events in respect of the multi-player game, wherein: the gaming system is arranged to: receive for each multi-player game event, a player input from each gaming device participating in the multi-player game; generate for each multi-player game event, a modified multi-player game event for each participating gaming device; evaluate the modified multi-player game events to identify at least one winning multi-player gaming device; and make an award in respect of the at least one winning multi-player gaming device.