Abstract: Payout methods in a mechanical, an electro-mechanical and/or computer-based slot machine-like games-of-chance enable a series of awards based upon: appearance of predetermined symbol combinations in the symbol matrix; issuance of awards for the predetermined combination of symbols; removal of the winning symbol combinations from the symbol matrix; replacement of removed symbols with other symbols; issuance of awards for predetermined combination of symbols in the symbol matrix; and recurring cycles of award, removal and replacement until no winning symbol combinations appear in the symbol matrix.

Abstract: Methods for a mobile device with a front facing camera to use the detected position of the user's face as a game controller as well as a method of displaying the live streaming face within the video with audio within a virtual environment. Using a reference frame which serves as the origin, the subsequent frames of the live streaming video are used to calculate the change in position of the face detected within the video frame, and calculations of position, rotation, speed and distance are used to position a game object. Additionally this is a method for having a live video stream with live audio textured onto 2D/3D objects within a virtual environment with only the perspective cropped face displayed. This provides the appearance of the face as stable and unmoving even when the device's camera and/or user's face are moving relative to each other.

Abstract: A media processing unit may identify, automatically based on game play data relating to game events of a sporting event and a set of source selection rules, different media portions from different media sources to include in the media coverage of a particular sporting event. Each of the different media sources may be configured to deliver different media related to the sporting event. The media processing unit determines a plurality of media mappings, which each associate a media portions with a game portions. Based on the determined media mappings, for each game portion, a media processing unit may select a media portion delivery to a user as media coverage of the game portion.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining game objects to be displayed on a display comprising: causing to be displayed on the display a plurality of selectable game objects comprising tiles stored in at least one memory, each tile having a letter; operating a processor in communication with the at least one memory to cause the tiles to be arranged in a manner enabling a user to select one or more of the tiles in a manner that spells a word, the game board being updatable; and causing the processor to use at least one dictionary stored in the memory to select one or more words to be displayed on the game board, the at least one dictionary comprising a plurality of words of a first type and a plurality of words of a second type, wherein the method comprises the processor causing the tiles to be arranged such that the game board comprises at least one word of the second type.

Abstract: A gaming system comprising: a display for displaying selected symbols in a plurality of columns of display positions corresponding to respective one of a plurality of reels; a random number generator; a memory storing reel strip data for each of the reels, the reel strip data specifying a sequence of reel strip positions and a symbol associated with each reel strip position, the reel strip data of a reel of the plurality of reels including expansion data associated with a reel strip position, the expansion data defining an expansion to apply to the reel strip and a probability that the expansion will be applied, the expansion defining a number of reel strip positions to be added to the reel strip, each added reel strip position having the same symbol as the symbol position with which the expansion data is associated; and a game controller.

Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention operate a randomized initial condition hybrid game including a gambling game providing a game of chance and an entertainment game providing a game of skill, where the autonomous agent hybrid game utilizes a randomized initial condition module constructed to: communicate an initial condition random value request that triggers a random number generator of gambling game to generate at least one initial condition random value; communicate at least one initial condition that triggers generation of an initial condition within an entertainment game gameplay session, where: the initial condition setting is based upon at least one initial condition random value; at least one payout parameter is determined upon the generation of an initial condition; and communicate a gambling event occurrence detected from the entertainment game that triggers a wager made using at least one payout parameter to produce a wager payout.

Abstract: A gaming machine that provides an operation unit, a display unit that displays a plurality of symbols in a determination area, changes and stops a plurality of symbols displayed on the display unit according to an operation of a player received from an operation unit, and a control unit that pays a payout according to the symbol stopped inside of the determination area, a control unit displays an object that shows a symbol inside of a virtual three-dimensional space that extends a column of the determination area in a depth direction on the display unit, aligns a plurality of objects in a depth direction in a non-determination area and the determination area, and changes a plurality of symbols by moving the plurality of objects along in a depth direction.

Abstract: A system including two handheld electronic devices, each device including a housing, a communicator mounted in the housing continuously receiving images from an internet server, a display mounted in the housing, and a sensor mounted in the housing and connected to the communicator, configured to detect sizes of objects in an adjacent detection zone, and including an analyzer recognizing the other handheld electronic device when the sensor detects that an object in the adjacent detection zone is as long as an edge of the housing, wherein the server receives outputs from the analyzer and partitions each of the images into two half-images, and continuously transmits one of each half-image to the handheld electronic device and the other of each half-image to the other handheld device, such that each full image spans the two device displays.

Abstract: A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include determining a bank gaming effect for presentation on a bank of content presentation devices. The bank of content presentation devices can be associated with a plurality of wagering game machines. The operations can further include receiving presentation status information for the bank of content presentation devices. The presentation status information can indicate one or more events that affect a state of availability of each of the bank of content presentation devices to present the bank gaming effect. The operations can further include determining, based on the presentation status information, one content presentation device, from the bank of content presentation devices, that is ineligible to present the bank gaming effect. The operations can also include excluding the one content presentation device from participation in the bank gaming effect.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for managing motion sickness of a user while the user is wearing a head-mounted device (HMD). One method includes an operation for monitoring the physical characteristics of the user while wearing the HMD that is presenting a virtual reality with multimedia content, where the physical characteristics including motions of the user. The multimedia content includes audio and video for presentation on a display of the HMD. Additionally, the method includes an operation for determining if the user is experiencing motion sickness based on the monitoring of the physical characteristics of the user while the virtual reality is being presented. When the user is experiencing motion sickness, supplemental sound is delivered to the user, where the supplemental sound is combined with sound from the multimedia content for delivery to the user, and the supplemental sound is defined to decrease the motion sickness experienced by the user.

Abstract: Systems to gamify a data processing application using auditing data. Processing commences upon accessing electronic records comprising a set of application auditing specifications that identify one or more transaction types to be executed by a data processing application. Certain transactions corresponding to the identified transaction types are observed by an auditing facility during operation of the data processing application. At least some of the identified transaction types and measured audit parameters corresponding to the transactions are recorded. A gamification module associates the measured audit parameters with game parameters. Motivational imagery such as a scoreboard is generated for display.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for providing an in-game offer to one or more players of an online game. The offer is provided to players that have newly joined the game and/or to players that have not yet made a purchase. In some implementations, the offer may be meant to incentivize purchase upon entry into the game. The in-game offer may comprise an offer to one or more items and a bonus comprising one or more bonus items provided to the player responsive to the offered items being purchased. The in-game offer may only be made available to a qualifying player for a certain amount of time.

Abstract: Once embodiment of the invention is directed to a method comprising receiving, at a computing device, image data from a camera, converting, by the computing device, the image data to a YUV color space, filtering, by the computing device, the converted image data based on intensity and a predetermined color to produce a filtered image, and determining, by the computing device, a location of light emitted from a controller from the filtered image.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus capable of near field wireless communication with an information storage medium includes a reading/writing module which reads and/or writes data from and/or into first and second information storage media by establishing near field wireless communication with the first and second information storage media and a data processing module which processes data read as a result of reading of data from the first and second information storage media by a first application program executed by the information processing apparatus. The data processing module performs first processing affecting progress of a game based on the data read from the first information storage medium and performs second processing not affecting progress of the game based on the data read from the second information storage medium.

Abstract: Various embodiments relating to adjusting a variable audio parameter of a game are provided. In one embodiment, based on a user ability level, a variable audio parameter of the game is adjusted to an adjusted audio parameter that either increases the difficulty level of the game or decrease the difficulty level of the game. The adjusted audio parameter is utilized to provide audio content of the game to a user via an electronic gaming machine.

Abstract: When a predetermined time has elapsed after a handheld game apparatus received “game information” from another handheld game apparatus, a character corresponding to a player of the another handheld game apparatus appears as a passerby in a shopping center in a game world of a game of the handheld game apparatus. The predetermined time is determined based on the positional relationship between the shopping center in the game world and the present position of the player character of the game of the another handheld game apparatus.

Abstract: A system and method for aggregating results in a slot game are disclosed. In a given pull outcome of the slot game, multiple results may be determined. An order or orders for aggregating the results in the given pull outcome may be obtained. In some examples, the obtained order(s) may specify temporal sequence for applying different types of results in the given pull outcome. In some examples, the order(s) may be based on the player character(s). In some examples, the order(s) may be based on a difficulty level selected by the player. In some examples, such orders may be for purchase for selection by the players. In some implementations, the results in the pull outcome may include gameplays for implementation in a game space associated with the slot game. In those implementations, the implementation of those gameplays may be in accordance with the obtained order(s).

Abstract: A user device supports a computer implemented game. An input from a user is received. This input requests a purchase of an in-game item. When this input is received, a determination is made as to whether the user device is on-line or not. If the user device is off-line, it is determined if the in-game item can be purchased in dependence on a locally available in-game currency budget. If so, the requested in-game item is provided in the computer implemented game.

Abstract: An apparatus for executing a computer game are provided. The apparatus includes an output unit configured to transmit a first image generated based on a form of a first user participating in the computer game and a second image generated based on a form of a second user participating in the computer game to a display apparatus, and a control unit configured to predict a possibility of a collision between the first user and the second user, and to control transmitting warning information indicating the possibility of the collision to the display apparatus via the output unit, according to a result of the predicting.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a sensor to be carried by a piece of sporting equipment and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program logic that operates different operational modes. The program logic receives signals from the sensor, determines from the signals whether the piece of sporting equipment is in a sport action state or a mode input state, records a sport action result in response to determination that the piece of sporting equipment is in a sport action state, and switches the program logic to a different operational mode in response to determination that the piece of sporting equipment is in a mode input state.