Retaining Bonus Game Conditions in Electronic Gaming Machines
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic gaming machines lack mechanisms to retain and utilize bonus game conditions across multiple plays, leading to repetitive default conditions and reduced player engagement.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where bonus game conditions such as held special symbols or multipliers can be retained and reused in subsequent bonus games, allowing players to select between cashing out or retaining these conditions for future plays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bonus games are triggered repeatedly with default conditions, then the game structure remains simple and easy to implement, but player engagement and entertainment value decrease due to repetitiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by retaining and storing bonus game conditions (such as held symbols, multipliers, and game states) between bonus game triggers. When a bonus game is subsequently triggered, these pre-retained conditions are automatically applied, eliminating the need for players to restart from default conditions and reducing the perceived repetitiveness without requiring complex additional game structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by embedding retained bonus conditions within the bonus game structure itself. The retained conditions (such as held symbols or multipliers) are nested as underlying layers that automatically influence subsequent bonus games, allowing the system to maintain complexity internally while presenting a variable and engaging experience to players without proportionally increasing external system complexity.
2Productivity
If bonus conditions are retained for future plays, then player engagement and potential winnings increase, but the game logic and state management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically managing the retention and application of bonus conditions without requiring complex external intervention. The gaming device autonomously stores bonus game states, determines when conditions should be retained, and applies them to subsequent bonus triggers, thereby improving player retention while keeping the added logical complexity contained within self-managing system components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors bonus game outcomes and player choices (such as whether to cash out or retain conditions). This feedback loop allows the system to dynamically adjust which conditions are retained and how they are applied, optimizing player engagement while managing game logic complexity through adaptive, rule-based decision-making rather than hard-coded complex pathways.
3Ease of operation
If players are given the option to retain or cash out bonus conditions, then player control and engagement improve, but the interface and decision-making processes become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies segmentation by dividing the bonus condition management into distinct, manageable options: players can choose to either cash out retained conditions or retain them for future use. This segmentation presents clear, discrete choices to players rather than overwhelming them with complex simultaneous decisions, improving ease of operation while the underlying system manages the complexity of tracking multiple possible states and outcomes.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic gaming machine enables implementation of a base game, from which a bonus game may be triggered. Outcomes achieved during a play of the bonus game may be retained for use during subsequent triggering of the bonus game. For example, during play of the bonus game a player may achieve one or more game conditions, such as held special symbols, sticky WILD symbols, or award multipliers. These game conditions may be retained at the end of the bonus game and used if the player subsequently triggers another bonus game while playing the base game.