Wagering Game Machine Player Community Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wagering game machines lack features that enhance player engagement and likelihood of winning, relying solely on entertainment value and perceived chances, which limits player attraction and operator profitability.
Innovation Solution
Integration of virtual player communities that allow players to sign-on during gaming sessions, providing hints about bonus game types and statistics through connected systems, including wagering game machines and mobile devices, to enable informed game selections and rewards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wagering game machines provide only basic entertainment features, then device complexity is low, but player engagement and profitability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wagering game machines with social networking features by integrating player community access, hint delivery systems, and reward mechanisms into the gaming platform. This merging allows the system to provide both entertainment and social engagement functionalities, thereby increasing player engagement without requiring entirely separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
The wagering game machine is designed to perform multiple functions: delivering wagering games, providing hints about bonus game types, enabling player community access, and distributing rewards. This multi-functionality allows a single device to serve both traditional gaming purposes and enhanced player engagement objectives
2Loss of information
If wagering game machines provide hints and information about bonus games, then player information access improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary hint delivery mechanism that communicates between the wagering game machine and the player. This intermediary component manages the delivery of hints about bonus game types and statistics, thereby improving information access while containing system complexity through a dedicated communication interface rather than pervasive system-wide changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where players receive hints and information about bonus games based on their play patterns and selections. This feedback loop allows the system to adapt information delivery to player needs, improving information access while maintaining manageable complexity through conditional rather than universal information provision
3Adaptability or versatility
If wagering game machines integrate community features, then player attraction increases, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables players to automatically access player communities and receive hints through integrated interfaces that require minimal manual configuration. Players can sign on to communities and receive information about bonus games through automated delivery mechanisms, reducing the operational burden while maintaining enhanced functionality
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments of the inventive subject matter, a method includes: presenting a wagering game on a wagering game machine; detecting, during the wagering game, a trigger for a bonus game; presenting player-selectable bonus game options on a display device of the wagering game machine; detecting sign-on to an account on a player community server; after detecting the sign-on of the account, presenting a hint on the display device, wherein the hint indicates bonus game types associated with the player-selectable bonus game options; detecting selection of one of the player-selectable bonus game options, wherein the one of the player-selectable bonus game options is associated with a particular one of the bonus game types; and presenting a bonus game of the particular one of the bonus game types.