Wagering game with superimposed images for highlighting gaming information

Abstract

A gaming machine is provided that has a wager-input device for receiving a wager from a player to play a wagering game. The wagering game includes a basic game and a bonus game. A display initially displays first indicia of the basic game. The first indicia indicate a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes. Second indicia of the bonus game are incrementally superimposed on the first indicia on the display in response to the randomly selected outcome including a bonus-game-triggering event.

1 . A gaming machine comprising: 
 a wager-input device for receiving a wager from a player to play a wagering game, the wagering game including a basic game and a bonus game; and    a display for initially displaying first indicia of the basic game, the first indicia indicating a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes;    wherein in response to the randomly selected outcome including a bonus-game-triggering event, second indicia of the bonus game are incrementally superimposed on the first indicia on the display.    
   
   
       2 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein a color of the first indicia is dimmed in response to the bonus-game-triggering event.  
   
   
       3 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein in response to the randomly selected outcome including the bonus-game-triggering event, the second indicia are incrementally displayed, one-at-a-time, to create a bonus game scene.  
   
   
       4 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the second indicia include a plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements masking an award.  
   
   
       5 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the basic game is a slot wagering game with a plurality of reels.  
   
   
       6 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the basic game includes a moveable indicator, the moveable indicator providing the bonus-game-triggering event in response to the moveable indicator stopping on a certain symbol of the first indicia.  
   
   
       7 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the first indicia remain stationary during the incremental superimposing of the second indicia.  
   
   
       8 . A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, the method comprising: 
 receiving a wager from a player to play the wagering game, the wagering game including a basic game and a bonus game;    initially displaying first indicia of the basic game, the first indicia indicating a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes;    in response to a bonus-game-triggering event being achieved, incrementally superimposing second indicia of the bonus game on the first indicia on the display such that at least some of the first indicia are visible.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further including dimming a color of the first images in response to the bonus-game-triggering-event.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the incrementally superimposing step includes incrementally displaying the second indicia, one-at-a-time, to create a bonus game scene.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second indicia include a plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements masking an award.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 8 , further including animating one symbol of the first indicia of the basic game, the one symbol becoming a symbol of the displayed second indicia of the bonus game.  
   
   
       13 . A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming device to perform the method of  claim 8 .  
   
   
       14 . A gaming system for playing a wagering game, comprising: 
 at least one display; and    a controller coupled to the display and programmed to cause the display to 
 initially display first images of a basic game, the first images indicating a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes;  
 in response to a bonus-game-triggering-event, incrementally display second images of a bonus game, dim the first images, and overlay the second images over the first images, wherein the second images are brighter than the first set of images.  
   
   
   
       15 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , wherein the display and the controller are both located within a gaming machine.  
   
   
       16 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , wherein the display is located within a gaming machine and the controller is located outside of the gaming machine.  
   
   
       17 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , wherein a color of the first images is dimmed in response to the bonus-game-triggering event.  
   
   
       18 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , wherein in response to the bonus-game-triggering event, the second images are incrementally displayed, one-at-a-time, to create a bonus game scene.  
   
   
       19 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , wherein the second images include a plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements masking an award.  
   
   
       20 . The gaming system of  claim 14 , the controller being further programmed to animate at least one symbol of the first images of the basic game, the at least one symbol becoming a symbol of the displayed second images of the bonus game.