Patent ID: 8790169

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one display device, at least one input device, at least one processor, and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which 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 at least one input device, for a play of a game, to: (a) generate and display one of a plurality of symbols in each of a plurality of symbol positions, said plurality of symbols including: (i) at least one active designated symbol, said at least one active designated symbol being associated with an initial indicated numeric quantity of generations said symbol will remain active, said initial indicated numeric quantity being greater than one, and (ii) at least one non-designated symbol, said at least one non-designated symbol not being associated with any indicated numeric quantity; (b) determine whether any winning symbol combinations are generated and displayed; (c) for each generated symbol, determine said generated symbol as one of: any designated symbols and any non-designated symbols; (d) for each of any generated winning symbol combinations: (i) cause an award to be displayed based on said generated winning symbol combination, and (ii) remove at least one of any determined non-designated symbols of said generated winning symbol combination, each of said removed, non-designated symbols resulting in a displayed empty symbol position; (e) for at least one of any determined generated designated symbols: (i) modify the indicated numeric quantity associated with said generated designated symbol, (ii) determine whether said designated symbol is inactive, said determination being based, at least in part, on the modified indicated numeric quantity associated with said designated symbol, (iii) if said designated symbol is determined to be inactive, remove said inactive designated symbol, said removal resulting in a displayed empty symbol position, and (iv) if said designated symbol is determined to be active, continue displaying said active designated symbol; and (f) if any empty symbol position is displayed: (i) reposition zero, one, or more of said generated symbols to zero, one, or more of the empty symbol positions to create zero, one, or more empty symbol positions, (ii) generate and display one of the plurality of symbols in each of any displayed empty symbol positions, and (iii) repeat (b) to (ef).