Electronic gaming machine and method for providing hotspot functionality to GUI

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a gaming device having one or more displays, cause the one or more processors to:

• provide gameplay for a game, wherein an instance of gameplay of the game comprises determining a game state defining a display of a selection of symbols, wherein each symbol is displayed in a corresponding window;
• and
• for at least one instance of gameplay:
• identify, for that instance of gameplay, each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol and cause, for each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol, one or more windows selected from a corresponding set of windows to have a corresponding modified status applied thereto according to a predefined window selection rule, wherein:
• the set of windows for each window in which a feature symbol is displayed includes at least windows adjacent to that window, and
• each modified status that is applied to a corresponding window as a result of that instance of gameplay is associated with a corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired;
• apply the corresponding modified status for each set of one or more windows to each window in that set of one or more windows;
• decrement, for each modified status that was active for each window having one or more active modified statuses immediately prior to that instance of gameplay, the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired;
• and
• cause the one or more displays to present, for that instance of gameplay, a visual depiction of the game state, including at least one modified status for each window having one or more active modified statuses applied thereto and the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions to being expired.

A method, executed by one or more processors, comprising:

• providing, using the one or more processors, gameplay of a game, wherein an instance of gameplay of the game comprises determining a game state defining a display of a selection of symbols, wherein each symbol is displayed in a corresponding window;
• and
• for at least one instance of gameplay:
• identifying, by the one or more processors and for that instance of gameplay, each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol and cause, for each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol, one or more windows selected from a corresponding set of windows to have a corresponding modified status applied thereto according to a predefined window selection rule, wherein:
• the set of windows for each window in which a feature symbol is displayed includes at least windows adjacent to that window, and
• each modified status that is applied to a corresponding window as a result of that instance of gameplay is associated with a corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired;
• decrementing, by the one or more processors and for each modified status that was active for each window having one or more active modified statuses immediately prior to that instance of gameplay, the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired;
• and
• causing, by the one or more processors and for that instance of gameplay, a visual depiction of the game state, including at least one modified status for each window having one or more active modified statuses applied thereto and the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions to being expired.