Gaming system and method for resuming a skill-based game after an interruption event

Abstract

A gaming system and method that provides one or more players with one or more pre-resumption opportunities prior to resuming the play of the skill-based game. The gaming system enables one or more players to affirmatively acknowledge, following a game play interruption, that they are ready to resume play of the skill-based game. Such an opportunity to indicate a readiness to resume the play of the skill-based game provides that the play of the skill-based game resumes when the player is ready and minimizes the affect of any game play interruption on the player's outcome of the skill-based game.

The invention is claimed as follows: 
     
         1 . A gaming system comprising:
 at least one input device;   at least one display device;   at least one processor; and   at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device to:
 (a) for a play of a skill-based game:
 (i) enable a player to make at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (ii) determine an outcome, said determination being based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (iii) determine any award associated with the determined outcome, and 
 (iv) display any determined award to the player, 
 
 (b) store game state data associated with the play of the skill-based game, and 
 (c) if a skill-based game interruption event occurs prior to a conclusion of the play of the skill-based game:
 (i) load the stored game state data, 
 (ii) for a designated period of time, enable the player to indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game, 
 (iii) if the player indicates to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, prior to an expiration of the designated period of time, resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data, and 
 (iv) if the player does not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, after the expiration of the designated period of time, resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display a countdown meter of the designated period of time. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the skill-based game interruption event includes at least one selected from the group consisting of: a power failure, a tilt, and a pause. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of: at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the stored game state data is associated with at least one of a plurality of different checkpoints. 
     
     
         7 . A gaming system comprising:
 a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including at least one input device, and at least one display device; and   at least one controller programmed to operate with each of the plurality of gaming machines to:
 (a) for a play of a community skill-based game:
 (i) enable each of a plurality of players of each of the plurality of gaming machines to make at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (ii) determine an outcome, said determination being based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input of at least one of the plurality of players, 
 (iii) determine any award associated with the determined outcome, and 
 (iv) display any determined award to at least one of the plurality of players, 
 
 (b) store game state data associated with the play of the skill-based game, and 
 (c) if a skill-based game interruption event occurs prior to a conclusion of the play of the skill-based game:
 (i) load the stored game state data, 
 (ii) for a designated period of time, enable each of the players to indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game, 
 (iii) if each of the players indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, prior to an expiration of the designated period of time, resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data, and 
 (iv) if at least one of the players indicates to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time and at least one of the players does not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, after the expiration of the designated period of time, resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data. 
 
   
     
     
         8 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein said determination of the outcome is based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input of each of the plurality of players. 
     
     
         9 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of: at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill. 
     
     
         10 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points. 
     
     
         11 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein if each of the players do not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, the at least one controller is programmed to operate with each of the plurality of gaming machines to not resume the play of the skill-based game. 
     
     
         12 . A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:
 (a) for a play of a skill-based game:
 (i) enabling a player to make at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (ii) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine an outcome, said determination being based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (iii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any award associated with the determined outcome, and 
 (iv) causing at least one display device to display any determined award to the player, 
   (b) store game state data associated with the play of the skill-based game, and   (c) if a skill-based game interruption event occurs prior to a conclusion of the play of the skill-based game:
 (i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to load the stored game state data, 
 (ii) for a designated period of time, enabling the player to indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game, 
 (iii) if the player indicates to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, prior to an expiration of the designated period of time, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data, and 
 (iv) if the player does not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, after the expiration of the designated period of time, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , which includes causing the at least one display device to display a countdown meter of the designated period of time. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the skill-based game interruption event includes at least one selected from the group consisting of: a power failure, a tilt, and a pause. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of: at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the stored game state data is associated with at least one of a plurality of different checkpoints. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , which is provided through a data network. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the data network is an internet. 
     
     
         20 . A method of operating a gaming system including a plurality of gaming machines, said method comprising:
 (a) for a play of a community skill-based game:
 (i) enabling each of a plurality of players of each of the plurality of gaming machines to make at least one quantifiable skill input, 
 (ii) causing at least one controller to determine an outcome, said determination being based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input of at least one of the plurality of players, 
 (iii) causing the at least one controller to determine any award associated with the determined outcome, and 
 (iv) causing at least one display device to display any determined award to at least one of the plurality of players, 
   (b) causing the at least one controller to store game state data associated with the play of the skill-based game, and   (c) if a skill-based game interruption event occurs prior to a conclusion of the play of the skill-based game:
 (i) causing the at least one controller to load the stored game state data, 
 (ii) for a designated period of time, enabling each of the players to indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game, 
 (iii) if each of the players indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, prior to an expiration of the designated period of time, causing the at least one controller to resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data, and 
 (iv) if at least one of the players indicates to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time and at least one of the players does not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, after the expiration of the designated period of time, causing the at least one controller to resume the play of the skill-based game, wherein the skill-based game is resumed based on the loaded game state data. 
   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said determination of the outcome is based, at least in part, on the at least one quantifiable skill input of each of the plurality of players. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of: at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein if each of the players do not indicate to resume the play of the skill-based game within the designated period of time, causing the at least one controller to not resume the play of the skill-based game. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , which is provided through a data network. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the data network is an internet.