Electronic gaming systems and methods

A gaming system, comprising:

• a housing;
• at least one display device supported by the housing;
• one or more input devices;
• at least one processor;
• and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the one or more input devices to:
• (a) establish a credit balance associated with a monetary amount received through the one or more input devices;
• (b) receive a wager to initiate play of a wagering game in response to actuation of a wager through the one or more input devices, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;
• (c) randomly display an outcome of an instance of play of the wagering game, wherein the displayed game outcome includes symbols from a plurality of symbols in an active symbol display area and symbols from the plurality of symbols in an inactive symbol display area, an award outcome being determined by the plurality of symbols in the active symbol display area, the inactive symbol display area being distinguishable from the active symbol display area in the displayed game outcome by at least one identifying characteristic;
• (d) determine the award outcome based on the plurality of symbols in the active symbol display area, the credit balance being increasable by the determined award outcome;
• (e) responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event in the displayed game outcome, wherein the triggering event comprises at least three of a same symbol being displayed in the active symbol display area:
• (1) modify the displayed game outcome by discontinuing display of (i) the at least three of a same symbol displayed in the active symbol area and (ii) the one identifying characteristic in at least a portion of the inactive symbol display area;
• (2) display a modified game outcome wherein (i) the at least three of the same symbol are replaced by at least three other symbols and (ii) the active symbol display area includes the at least a portion of the inactive symbol display area in which the display of the at least one identifying characteristic is discontinued;
• and
• (3) responsive to an occurrence of the triggering event in the modified game outcome, repeat (1) and (2);
• whereby additional portions of the inactive symbol display area are included in the active symbol display area of the modified game outcome;
• and
• (f) responsive to at least one of (i) the absence of an occurrence of the triggering event and (ii) the discontinuing of the display of the at least one identifying characteristic in at least a preset amount of the inactive symbol display area of the modified game outcome, determine an enhanced award outcome associated with the symbols in the active symbol display area of the modified game outcome, the credit balance being increasable by the enhanced award outcome amount.

A gaming system, comprising:

• a housing;
• at least one display device supported by the housing;
• one or more input devices;
• at least one processor;
• and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to communicate with the at least one display device and the one or more input devices to:
• (a) establish a credit balance through the one or more input devices;
• (b) receive a wager through the one or more input devices to initiate play of a wagering game, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;
• (c) randomly display an outcome of an instance of play of the wagering game, wherein the displayed game outcome includes (i) a depiction of adjacent virtual reel strips forming an array of rows and columns defining a plurality of cells, each cell of the plurality of cells having at least one symbol of a plurality of symbols displayed therein, (ii) an active symbol display area including a plurality of cells in the array, the active symbol display area being determinative of an award outcome and (iii) an inactive symbol display area including a plurality of cells in the array, wherein the inactive symbol display area is visibly distinguishable from the active symbol display area in the displayed game outcome by at least one identifying characteristic, the at least one identifying characteristic obscuring at least a portion of the plurality of symbols in the inactive symbol display area;
• (d) determine an award outcome based on the plurality of symbols in the active symbol display area of the displayed game outcome, the credit balance being increasable by the determined award outcome;
• (e) responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event in the displayed game outcome, wherein the triggering event comprises at least a preset amount of one or more predefined symbols displayed in a preset configuration in the active symbol display area:
• (1) modify the displayed game outcome by (i) discontinuing the display of the predefined symbols resulting in the occurrence of a triggering event, (ii) displaying symbols as moving from a starting position in the displayed game outcome into a cell from which the display of the predefined symbols is discontinued, the starting position being an adjacent position in the virtual reel strip with respect to a predefined symbol, and (iii) discontinuing the display of the at least one identifying characteristic from a portion of the inactive symbol display area;
• (2) display a modified game outcome wherein the active symbol display area includes the portion of the inactive symbol display area in which the display of the at least one identifying characteristic is discontinued;
• (3) determine an enhanced award outcome associated with the symbols in the active symbol display area of the modified game outcome;
• and
• (4) responsive to an occurrence of the triggering event in the modified game outcome, repeat (1), (2) and (3), whereby additional portions of the inactive symbol display area are included in the active symbol display area of the modified game outcome;
• and
• (f) responsive to one of (i) the absence of an occurrence of the triggering event and (ii) the display of the at least one identifying characteristic being discontinued for all of the plurality of cells in the inactive symbol display area of the modified game outcome, increase the credit balance by the determined enhanced award outcome.