Wagering Game with Community Game Features

One or more computer-readable storage media encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform a method of conducting a community game in which a plurality of proxy players attempt to accrue awards via play of the community game, comprising:

• conducting wagering games at respective ones of a plurality of linked gaming terminals networked together via a network, the community game including at least one round of play during which a winner of the round is identified;
• in response to an occurrence of the triggering event, using a controller to conduct the community game and cause the community game to be displayed on a display, wherein each of a plurality of eligible proxy players of the community game who satisfy an eligibility criterion to participate in the community game compete to accrue credits via play of one or more rounds of the community game;
• during a round of the community game, at least some of the eligible proxy players of the community game accruing respective awards;
• at the end of the round, responsive to at least a winning one of the eligible proxy players accruing the highest award among the respective awards accrued by the other proxy players during the round, awarding, to the winning eligible proxy player, the highest award and at least the respective awards accrued by the other eligible proxy players during the round.

A gaming system for conducting a community game in which a plurality of proxy players attempt to accrue awards via play of the community game, comprising:

• means for conducting wagering games at respective ones of a plurality of linked gaming terminals networked together via a network, the community game including at least one round of play during which a winner of the round is identified;
• means for conducting the community game and for causing the community game to be displayed on a display in response to an occurrence of the triggering event, wherein each of a plurality of eligible proxy players of the community game who satisfy an eligibility criterion to participate in the community game compete to accrue awards via play of one or more rounds of the community game;
• means for accruing awards by at least some of the eligible proxy players of the community game during a round of the community game;
• means, responsive to at least a winning one of the eligible proxy players accruing the highest award among the respective awards accrued by the other proxy players during the round, for awarding, to the winning eligible proxy player at the end of the round, the highest award and at least the respective awards accrued by the other eligible proxy players during the round.