Gaming device and method for playing an intersecting symbol game

Abstract

In a gaming apparatus, a player places a wager and plays a game. A gaming controller determines an outcome for the game and controls a display to represent the game outcome. If the game outcome is a winning game outcome, the display displays symbols from a first set of symbols, such as musical notes and symbols from a set of award symbols, such as credit symbols, multiplier symbols, etc. The display depicts movement of the musical notes and/or award symbols to create intersections between the musical notes and award symbols, with the intersections representing awards earned by the player for the game outcome.

1 . A method for playing a game on a gaming device, comprising:
 (A) allowing a player to place a wager and play a game;   (B) randomly determining a game outcome in a game controller;   (C) controlling a display with the game controller to indicate the game outcome comprising:
 (a) displaying at least one first symbol from a first symbol set on a game display; 
 (b) displaying at least one second symbol from a second symbol set on the game display; and 
 (c) depicting movement of at least one of a first symbol of the first symbol set or a second symbol of the second symbol set; 
   (D) awarding a prize to the player that correlates to the game outcome; and   (E) wherein, if the game outcome is a winning game outcome, controlling the display to indicate the game outcome comprises depicting movement of at least one of a first symbol of the first symbol set or a second symbol of the second symbol set to create an intersection between the at least one first symbol and the at least one second symbol, wherein the intersection represents an award to be awarded to the player for the winning game outcome.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 (A) indicating to the player that the game outcome comprises a plurality of first symbols; 
 (B) depicting movement of the plurality of first symbols on the game display; 
 (C) controlling the depiction of the movement of the plurality of first symbols so that the plurality of first symbols intersect with second symbols in a representation that correlates to the determined game outcome. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein determining the game outcome comprises determining the number of the plurality of first symbols. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  comprising randomly determining the number of the plurality of first symbols. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  comprising randomly determining the outcome of each first symbol. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3  comprising randomly determining the outcome of the collective plurality of first symbols. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first set of symbols comprises one or more musical note symbols. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  comprising depicting movement of a first symbol of the first symbol set and a second symbol of the second symbol set. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the first symbol and second symbol move linearly independently. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first symbols and the second symbols comprise a type, and wherein an award represented by an intersection is dependent on the type of the intersecting symbols. 
     
     
         11 . A gaming apparatus comprising:
 (A) a gaming device configured to allow a player to place a wager and play a game of chance;   (B) a game display; and   (C) a game controller in communication with the gaming device, the game controller programmed to:
 (a) randomly determine a game outcome; 
 (b) control the game display to display an arrangement of symbols on the game display that represents the game outcome, the arrangement of symbols comprising one or more first symbols from a first symbol set and one or more symbols from a second symbol set; 
 (c) if the game outcome is a winning outcome, control the display to depict movement of the arrangement of symbols to create one or more winning intersections between one or more first symbols and one or more second symbols, the one or more winning intersections representing the winning outcome; and 
 (d) award a prize corresponding to the winning outcome to the player. 
   
     
     
         12 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the game controller is programmed to:
 (A) determine a number of the first symbols to be displayed on the game display for the game outcome; and 
 (B) indicate the number of the first symbols to the player on the game display. 
 
     
     
         13 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the game controller is programmed to control the depiction of the movement of the first symbols so that the first symbols intersect with second symbols in a manner that correlates to the determined game outcome. 
     
     
         14 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the first set of symbols comprises one or more musical note symbols. 
     
     
         15 . The gaming controller of  claim 11  wherein the game controller is programmed to control the game display to depict movement of the first symbols and the second symbols. 
     
     
         16 . The gaming controller of  claim 15  wherein the game controller is programmed to control the game display to depict linearly independent movement of the first symbols and the second symbols. 
     
     
         17 . A gaming apparatus comprising:
 (A) means for allowing a player to place a wager and play a game;   (B) means for randomly determining a game outcome;   (C) means for displaying an intersection of one or more first symbols and one or more second symbols to represent a winning game outcome; and   (D) means for awarding a prize to the player that correlates to the winning game outcome.   
     
     
         18 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the means for displaying comprises means for depicting movement of the first symbols and the second symbols to create the intersection. 
     
     
         19 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the means for depicting movement of the first symbols and the second symbols to create the intersection comprises means for depicting linearly independent movement of the first symbols and the second symbols. 
     
     
         20 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the first symbols comprises musical note symbols.