Wagering game with progressive game award values associated with reel symbols

A control module for a gaming system including a plurality of gaming terminals for playing wagering games having a plurality of moveable reels that define a symbol array, the wagering games provide access to a progressive game having multiple progressive game awards that are indicated by progressive-game symbols, each of the progressive-game symbols has a base reset value and an individual value that increases from the base reset value in response to wager inputs at the plurality of gaming terminals, each of the gaming terminals including a display for displaying the plurality of reels, the gaming-system control module comprising:

• at least one controller configured to:
• allocate a portion of a wager input received from a first player at a first gaming terminal to the progressive-game symbols, each of the progressive-game symbols receiving a percentage of the allocated portion of the wager input;
• determine an updated value of each of progressive-game symbols based on the allocated portion of the wager input received from the first player;
• and
• instruct each of the plurality of gaming terminals to display within the symbol array, on their respective displays, the updated values of the progressive-game symbols during the wagering game.

A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming terminal, the wagering game including a plurality of reels with symbols including progressive-game symbols, the plurality of reels defining a symbol array to be displayed to a player, the wagering game providing access to a progressive game having progressive awards indicated by the progressive-game symbols, the method comprising:

• receiving, from at least one wager input device on the gaming terminal, wager inputs from a player playing the wagering game;
• displaying within the symbol array, via the use of at least one display on the gaming terminal, the incrementing of individual values of the progressive-game symbols, the incrementing occurring in response to the game play activity of the wagering game;
• determining, via the use of at least one controller, that the player has achieved a progressive game award while playing the wagering game;
• and
• awarding the progressive game award to the player, an overall value of the progressive game award based on the individual values of the progressive-game symbols that are displayed on the plurality of reels on the display and that triggered the progressive game award.

A gaming terminal for playing a wagering game having a plurality of reels with symbols including progressive-game symbols, the wagering game providing access to a progressive game having progressive game awards that are indicated by the progressive-game symbols, the gaming terminal comprising:

• a wager input device for receiving a wager input for playing the wagering game;
• a display for displaying the plurality of reels with the progressive-game symbols, the plurality of reels defining a symbol array, each of the progressive-game symbols being displayed with an associated individual value within the symbol array;
• and
• at least one controller coupled to the display and operative to:
• cause the display to display the incrementing of the individual values of the progressive-game symbols based on game play activity;
• provide a progressive game award based on the individual values of the progressive-game symbols on the plurality of reels that triggered the progressive game award.

A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, the wagering game including a base game and a progressive game having progressive game awards that are indicated by progressive-game symbols, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a wager-input-device, a wager input from a player playing the wagering game;
• allocating, by use of at least one controller, a portion of the wager input to the progressive game, the allocated portion being assigned to the progressive-game symbols;
• presenting, on at least one display, the base game with a plurality of moveable reels having symbols thereon, the symbols including the progressive-game symbols, each of the progressive-game symbols having a displayed individual value that is associated therewith, each of the displayed individual values moving with the associated progressive-game symbol across the at least one display;
• in response to a first triggering condition, awarding a first progressive game award to the player, the first progressive game award based on the displayed individual values of a first group of progressive-game symbols being displayed on the plurality of moveable reels, and
• in response to a second triggering condition, awarding a second progressive game award to the player, the second progressive game award based on the displayed individual values of a second group of progressive-game symbols being displayed on the plurality of moveable reels, the first progressive game award being different from the second progressive game award.

A control module for a gaming system including a plurality of gaming terminals for playing wagering games having a plurality of moveable reels, the wagering games provide access to a progressive game having multiple progressive game awards that are indicated by progressive-game symbols, each of the progressive-game symbols has a base reset value and an individual value that increases from the base reset value in response to wager inputs at the plurality of gaming terminals, each of the gaming terminals including a display for displaying the plurality of reels, the gaming-system control module comprising:

• at least one controller configured to:
• allocate a portion of a wager input received from a first player at a first gaming terminal to the progressive-game symbols, each of the progressive-game symbols receiving a percentage of the allocated portion of the wager input;
• determine an updated value of each of progressive-game symbols based on the allocated portion of the wager input received from the first player;
• and
• instruct each of the plurality of gaming terminals to display, on their respective displays, the updated values of the progressive-game symbols on the plurality of reels during the wagering game, a first displayed updated value for a first progressive-game symbol being different from a second displayed updated value for a second progressive-game symbol, the first progressive-game symbol and the second progressive-game symbol being the same type of symbol.