Patent ID: 7699696

Claim:
A method for operating a gaming device including a plurality of instructions, said method comprising: (a) causing at least one display device to display a plurality of reels; (b) providing a plurality symbols on said reels, wherein: (i) at least one of said symbols is adapted to function as a wild activation symbol, and (ii) at least one of said symbols is adapted to function as a wild termination symbol, said symbol adapted to function as a wild termination symbol adapted to occur at any one of a plurality of different display positions; (c) causing the at least one display device to display an activation of said reels to display a plurality of the symbols; (d) causing at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine: (i) if one of said symbols displayed is adapted to function as the wild activation symbol, and (ii) if one of said symbols displayed is adapted to function as the wild termination symbol; and (e) if one of said symbols displayed is adapted to function as the wild activation symbol and if one of said symbols displayed is adapted to function as the wild termination symbol, causing the at least one display device to display a transformation of a plurality of the displayed symbols into wild symbols starting at the displayed symbol adapted to function as the wild activation symbol and ending at the displayed symbol adapted to function as the wild termination symbol, and said displayed symbol adapted to function as the wild activation symbol and said symbol adapted to function as the wild termination symbol are stationary and are displayed at different display positions.