Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for online community management. The disclosed system allows for automatic identification and punishment of players exhibiting bad sportsmanship through a combination of automatic detection schemes and a peer reporting scheme. In addition to the sportsmanship check, the disclosed system also provides automatic checks for identifying potential cheaters and generating a potential cheaters list for review by admin staff. As a result of either classification system, players found to be either bad sports or cheaters are not allowed to participate in play with the general pool of players, but instead must play in an alternate pool. For extremely harmful conduct, players may be banned from the online community.

Abstract: Innovative systems and methods are disclosed for adjusting the perceived flow of time in a multiplayer videogame system. A game mechanism is provided to slow the perceived flow of time for an initiator player, players in the line of site of the initiator, players seeing any other players in an altered time mode and players seen by players in an altered time mode. Meanwhile, other players not fitting these criteria continue to experience a normal perceived flow of time. This permits the use of the time slowing mechanic without negatively affecting all players in the multiplayer game.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for operating a peer-to-peer multiplayer gaming architecture. Scripts are provided to define multi-player game environments and scenarios. The operation of the multiplayer game is accommodated by the transmission of high-level game events among the multiple players. One player is designated host and charged with maintaining the consistency among the game players. The host role is transferred from one player to another quickly and seamlessly, as needed.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine has an electronic game controller and a display where game symbols are arranged in an array of predetermined groups, at least one of the groups displaying at least one special symbol in a first play of the game and a subsequent play. In the first play, the electronic game controller selects a first group to display the at least one special symbol and in the subsequent play, the electronic game controller selects a different group to the first group to display the at least one special symbol. A gaming method is also provided.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine has an electronic game controller and a display where game symbols are arranged in an array of predetermined groups, at least one of the groups displaying at least one special symbol in a first play of the game and a subsequent play. In the first play, the electronic game controller selects a first group to display the at least one special symbol and in the subsequent play, the electronic game controller selects a different group to the first group to display the at least one special symbol. A gaming method is also provided.

Abstract: A gaming system comprises at least one display for displaying a main window and a plurality of activatable additional windows and a game controller. The game controller is arranged to activate one or more of the activatable additional windows in response to one or more activation conditions being met and conduct at least one game round.

Abstract: A gaming system comprises a display, a symbol determiner for determining, for each of a plurality of game instances corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of display areas on a display, a set of symbols for display at a plurality of display positions arranged in an array in the respective display area, wherein determining the set of symbols comprises a symbol selector selecting one or more of the symbols and wherein selecting one or more of the symbols by the symbol selector can result in the selection of a replicating symbol, a symbol replicator for, upon a replicating symbol being selected at a display position of at least one game instance that satisfies one or more adjacency criteria with respect to a corresponding display position of another game instance, replicating the replicating symbol at the corresponding display position of the other game instance, and a symbol evaluator for evaluating symbols, including the replicated replicating symbol, displayed at the display positions of the other ga

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for keno game play. A keno board is displayed having a plurality of spots. A player selection of a plurality of player spots is received. One or more modifications to a three-dimensional structure of the keno board are determined, with the one or more modifications including changes in position of one or more spots from the plurality of spots. The display of the keno board is updated with the one or more modifications to the three-dimensional structure of the keno board. A plurality of draws are determined and displayed on the keno board. Three dimensional movement of a draw, from the plurality of draws, landing on a spot included in the one or more spots whose positions changed is displayed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for pre-game and post-game video game character presentation and equipping are disclosed. According to one aspect of the invention, a computer implemented method useful for video game play comprises: determining identities and equipment of at least some game characters for participation in game play; in a time period outside of game play, providing information for rendering the game characters with their equipment in a scene having visual characteristics of a virtual world for game play; providing game players the opportunity to change and/or purchase equipment for their game characters; and providing for game play including the game characters.

Abstract: An automatic card shuffling device for randomizing playing cards is disclosed. The device comprises a processor in informational connection with the shuffling device, and a detection system capable of detecting or predicting a deficiency in operation of at least one component of the shuffling device. The detection system is configured to transmit an indication of a deficiency to a distal location.

Abstract: Systems and methods for exchanging information in a distributed computing system implementing an interactive application, such as a location-based parallel reality game, are provided. In particular, the subject matter of the present disclosure provides an alternative approach for providing and processing return results from a remote procedure call (RPC) by which remote computing systems (e.g. a game server and a remote client) send requests and responses to one another. Rather than providing a single return result in response to a single request as in typical remote procedure calls, information about updates to the state of the interactive application, such as updates to game status, can be returned via side channels which are handled generically while passing the main return result of the invoked service directly back to the caller.

Abstract: Provided is a game device for executing a game in which a user participates and another user is allowed to join the game in mid-game. The game device obtains stored data from a unit for storing data that indicates a situation of the game being executed and that is updated with progress of the game. A situation determining unit determines whether or not the situation of the game being executed satisfies a given condition. A mid-game joining restricting unit keeps a user who has not joined the game being executed from joining the game in mid-game, based on a result of the determination of the situation determining unit.

Abstract: The system described in this disclosure may be configured to read information stored on toy objects that indicates whether the toy objects have been used and/or are being used with other toy objects, gaming systems, and/or other devices. The system described in this disclosure may be configured to facilitate an association of the information stored on the toy objects with virtual entities in a virtual space, update virtual content associated with the virtual entities, determine relationships between users, and/or other perform other functions based on the information stored on the toy objects. The information stored on the toy objects may be updated responsive to the toy objects being used by users with other toy objects, gaming systems, and/or other devices. The use of the toy objects by users may include two or more users playing together with toy objects and/or playing with gaming systems associated with the toy objects.

Abstract: Systems and methods for verifying player proximity within a location-based game are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for verifying player proximity may include receiving a request associated with verifying the proximity of a first player of the location-based game relative to a second player of the location-based game and transmitting a visual indicator to a first client of the first player, wherein the visual indicator is associated with a data record configured to expire within a predetermined time period. In addition, the method may include receiving a copy of the visual indicator from a second client of the second player and determining whether the copy of the visual indicator was received prior to the expiration of the data record.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method in a gaming system includes, in response to a participant's search query, conducting, by one or more processors, a search on a search engine through a web browser; and presenting, by at least one of the one or more processors, search engine results including one or more standard indices and one or more incentivized indices, each of the one or more standard indices including a selectable hyperlink for directing the participant to a third-party website, each of the one or more incentivized indices including a selectable hyperlink for playing a game.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to reflect status in a virtual environment. An artist associated with audio content being played by a first user controlling a player avatar is determined. A companion avatar providing a virtual representation of the artist of the audio content is generated. The companion avatar is associated with the player avatar in the virtual environment. The companion avatar is configured to interact with the player avatar, and presence of the companion avatar conveys to one or more other users interacting within the virtual environment that the first user is currently listening to audio content of the artist.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention set forth systems, apparatuses and methods for combining symbols in gaming devices. Accordingly, a gaming device can be configured to display a plurality of game elements each including a game symbol on a game display in response to a game initiation signal. When one or more predefined game conditions are satisfied, the method further includes combining two or more of the game symbols in a single game element. In some instances, one or more of the symbols that left their respective game elements are replaced with additional game symbols. The resulting game grid may then be evaluated to determine prizes associated with winning symbol combinations, including using one or both of the symbols combined in the single game element in the winning symbol combinations.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to reflect status in a virtual environment. An artist associated with audio content being played by a first user controlling a player avatar is determined. A companion avatar providing a virtual representation of the artist of the audio content is generated. The companion avatar is associated with the player avatar in the virtual environment. The companion avatar is configured to interact with the player avatar, and presence of the companion avatar conveys to one or more other users interacting within the virtual environment that the first user is currently listening to audio content of the artist.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a game related to fantasy sports is described herein where a database includes information associated with live sporting events, a user module receives information associated with the live sporting events, a gaming server communicatively coupled to the database and the computing device is configured to display a list of the live sporting events, receive selections from teams of event outcomes, receive event outcome information from the database, display event outcome information on the user module, and determine whether the team is a winning team or a losing team. Winning teams are awarded points based on the number of losing teams and a predetermined multiplier. Losing teams are deduced points based on the number of winning teams and a predetermined multiplier. Adjusted spreads associated with the live sporting events may be calculated and applied to confer a competitive advantage to the teams.

Abstract: System and methods for physical toy and virtual toy interactions are disclosed. According to aspects of the invention, a system for purchasing a physical toy and a corresponding virtual toy comprises a video game console, a physical toy, and a virtual toy corresponding to the physical toy. The virtual toy corresponding to the physical toy may be made available in a video game played on the video game console. The physical toy may be purchased by a user of the system from an external merchant. The virtual toy corresponding to the physical toy may be separately purchased by the user from a purchasing system within the video game. The physical toy may be registered with the gaming platform. If the user registers the physical toy with the gaming platform and the user previously purchased the virtual toy, the system refunds to the user the purchase price of virtual toy.