Event Notification System for Wagering Game Machines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wagering game machines struggle to attract frequent play and increase profitability as players are drawn to the most entertaining and exciting machines, necessitating continuous development of new games and enhancements to maintain player interest.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses network communication to notify players about events associated with selected wagering game machines through email, social networking, and micro-blogging platforms, which can include time-triggered or entry-triggered events, offering incentives like better pay tables, free spins, or jackpots, and can be initiated based on minimum player logins or geographical proximity, creating viral notifications and flash mobs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If new games and enhancements are continuously developed to maintain player interest, then player engagement and profitability increase, but system complexity and development costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The event notification system serves multiple functions: it notifies players of events, promotes specific wagering game machines, creates flash mobs, and enables viral marketing. This multi-functional approach allows a single system to address various player engagement needs without requiring separate systems for each function, thereby managing complexity while maintaining high player engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an event notification system as an intermediary between the wagering game machines and players. This mediator communicates event information, incentives, and machine locations to players through multiple channels (on-machine displays, mobile devices, email), reducing the need for direct complex interactions between players and the gaming system itself.
2Productivity
If events are promoted through multiple communication channels including social networking and micro-blogging, then player attraction and participation increase, but communication infrastructure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The event notification system is designed to operate across multiple communication channels (on-machine displays, mobile devices, email, social networking platforms, micro-blogging services) simultaneously. This universal design allows a single event notification to be distributed through various channels without requiring separate notification systems for each platform, managing infrastructure complexity while maximizing player participation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages existing social networking and micro-blogging platforms' inherent capabilities for distribution and sharing. Rather than building proprietary communication infrastructure, the patent utilizes these existing services' self-service features (automatic posting, sharing mechanisms, user networks) to extend event promotion reach, thereby avoiding the complexity of maintaining dedicated communication infrastructure for each channel.
3Productivity
If flash mobs and viral notifications are created to attract players to specific machines, then machine utilization and profitability increase, but coordination and management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures events with target machine selections, incentive structures, and notification parameters before event execution. By performing preliminary setup and configuration, the system automates the coordination of flash mobs and viral notifications, reducing the complexity of real-time management and coordination during actual event execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The event notification system incorporates feedback mechanisms that track player responses, machine utilization rates, and event performance. This feedback enables automatic adjustment and optimization of event parameters, reducing the need for complex manual coordination and management by allowing the system to self-regulate based on observed performance data.
Data Source
AI summary
A computerized method includes creating an event associated with a number of wagering game machines in a wagering game establishment, wherein the event is configured to provide an award comprising at least one of better pay tables, a number of free spins, unlocked content, and a jackpot award. The method also includes identifying persons to notify about the event prior to a time of the event. The method includes creating an event notification to notify the persons of the event. The method also includes outputting the event notification to the persons through a network communication using at least one of a social networking website, a micro-blogging website, text messaging, and an email.