Patent ID: 8662980

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including: at least one input device; at least one display 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, causes the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device to enable a player to place a wager to play a primary game, each player being associated with an individual participant; and at least one controller configured to communicate with each of the gaming devices, said at least one controller programmed to: (a) independent of any occurrence of any community game triggering event: (i) cause a display of: (A) a community game matrix including a plurality of displayed positions, a plurality of the displayed positions each associated with a community game award opportunity, and (B) for each of the plurality of players, the individual participant associated with the player at one of the plurality of displayed positions, (ii) determine if a participant movement event occurs, and (iii) if the participant movement event occurs, independent of any player designation of any of the displayed positions, cause a display of the individual participant associated with one of the players moving to a different displayed position; and (b) if a community game entry event occurs, for each of at least one position move associated with one of the players: (i) enable the player to designate one of the displayed positions, wherein which of the displayed positions available to be designated by the player is based on the position the individual participant associated with the player is displayed at, (ii) cause a display of the individual participant associated with the player moving to the designated displayed position, (iii) determine any community game award of any community game award opportunity associated with the designated position, and (iv) cause any determined community game award to be provided to the player.