US20100311491A1

US20100311491A1 - Gaming System and A Method of Gaming

Info

Publication number: US20100311491A1
Application number: US12/793,819
Authority: US
Inventors: Christer Hutchinson-Kay
Original assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-06-05
Filing date: 2010-06-04
Publication date: 2010-12-09
Also published as: AU2010202207A1

Abstract

A gaming system is disclosed which is arranged to identify a player and to display a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at a gaming device. The gaming system comprises a game selector arranged to facilitate selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu, and a game implementer arranged to implement the game selected by the player. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Australian Patent Application No. AU2009902592, filed Jun. 5, 2009, which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a gaming system and to a method of gaming.
It is known to provide a gaming system which comprises a game controller arranged to randomly display several symbols from a predetermined set of symbols and to determine a game outcome such as a game win based on the displayed symbols. In some arrangements, a win outcome is defined on the basis of occurrence of symbols along defined win lines which may be preselected or selected by a player prior to display of symbols by the gaming system.
Such gaming systems may commonly be implemented as a stepper machine provided with reels with each reel carrying several symbols of the set, or a video machine wherein selected symbols are displayed on virtual reels on a graphical display device.
In some gaming arrangements, multiple games are available at a gaming device for selection and play by a player.
However, while such gaming systems provide users with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming system arranged to identify a player and to display a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at a gaming device, the gaming system comprising:

- a game selector arranged to facilitate selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu; and
- a game implementer arranged to implement the game selected by the player.

In one embodiment, the gaming system comprises a game menu controller, the game menu controller being arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games.
The game menu controller may be arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games from a remote location.
The game menu controller may be arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games through the Internet.
The game menu controller may be arranged to store player specific game menus for a plurality of players.
The game menu controller may be arranged to enable a person to select characteristics for at least one game included in the player specific game menu.
In one embodiment, the characteristics comprise game denominations and available win lines.
In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to enable data indicative of one or more games identified in a player game menu to be downloaded to a gaming device from a remote game repository. The game menu controller may comprise the game repository and a game server arranged to facilitate downloading of games to a gaming device.
In one embodiment, the gaming system comprises a player identification device arranged to facilitate identification of a player at a gaming device.
In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to download a player game menu to the gaming device when the player associated with the player game menu is identified at the gaming device.
In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to download the or each game in the player game menu to the gaming device when the player is identified at the gaming device.
In one arrangement, the gaming system is arranged to enable a player to nominate at least one gaming machine or to nominate at least one gaming venue at which the player desires to play one or more games identified in the player game menu associated with the player.
The gaming system may be arranged to download a player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of a game menu.
The gaming system may be arranged to download data indicative of the or each game identified in the player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of the player game menu.
In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to send a communication to a player when the data indicative of the or each game identified in the player specific game menu has been downloaded to the player nominated gaming device or to the player nominated gaming venue.
In one arrangement, the gaming system comprises at least one gaming device in the form of a gaming machine.
The gaming system may comprise a gaming terminal and a gaming server in networked communication with the gaming terminal.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of gaming comprising:

- identifying a player;
- displaying a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at a gaming device;
- facilitating selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu; and
- implementing the game selected by the player.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming device comprising:

- a player identification device arranged to identify a player;
- a display arranged to retrieve and display a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at the gaming device;
- a game selector arranged to facilitate selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu; and
- a game implementer arranged to implement the game selected by the player.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided game menu controller comprising:

- a player interface usable to facilitate selection by a player of at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games;
- the game menu controller being arranged to produce a player menu identifying the at least one selected game, and to communicate the game menu associated with a player to a gaming device in response to identification of the player at the gaming device.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program arranged when loaded into a computer to instruct the computer to operate in accordance with a gaming system according to the first aspect of the present invention.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to operate in accordance with a gaming system according to the first aspect of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of core components of a gaming device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of functional components of a gaming device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a gaming device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with the gaming device implemented in the form of a stand alone gaming machine;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of operative components of the gaming device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of components of a memory of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of gaming in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention with the gaming system implemented over a network; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of gaming in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present gaming system operates such that a player is able to create a customized game menu of games which have been selected by the player, and to use the game menu at a gaming device to select a game for implementation by the gaming device. In this way, the player is provided with more control as to the range of games which are available for play at a gaming device, and player enjoyment and satisfaction is thereby increased.
Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a gaming system 10 comprising a game menu controller 12 arranged to enable a person to define a customised game menu specific to the person by selecting from a plurality of available games, in this example using a computing device 14, and to subsequently play one or more of the games associated with the game menu at a gaming venue 16.
In this example, the game menu controller 12 is accessible through a communications network, such as the Internet 20, although it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, a person may interact directly with the game menu controller 12 using a computing device 14 or any other suitable interactive terminal disposed locally relative to the game menu controller 12.
The game menu controller 12 in this embodiment comprises a web server 22 arranged to serve web pages to and facilitate communication with a computing device 14 for the purpose of enabling a person to create a customised game menu. By connecting the computing device 14 to the web server 22, a person is able to create a customised game menu, which for example identifies the person's favourite games. The created game menu in this example is stored in a game menu database 24 as a game menu record 26.
In the present embodiment, components of the game menu controller 12 are interconnected through a communications network, in this example a LAN 28.
Selection by a person of games to include in the game menu may be carried out by displaying on a computing device 14 information indicative of all games available for inclusion in the game menu, and facilitating selection of games, for example using a mouse.
In this example, the computing device 14 is a personal computer. However, it will be understood that any computing device capable of communicating with the game menu controller 12 and enabling a player to select games for inclusion in the player game menu is envisaged.
The game menu controller 12 also includes a control unit 30 arranged to extract the game menu record 26 associated with a prospective player from the game menu database 24 and send the game menu record 26 to a gaming device desired to be played by the player, and a game download server 32 arranged to control and coordinate distribution of games 34 from a game repository 36 to gaming devices in accordance with the game menus and the gaming devices desired to be played by players.
In this embodiment, a plurality of gaming devices 40 are provided at a gaming venue 16, the gaming devices 40 being in communication with the game menu controller 12 through a local communications network such as a LAN 41 and the Internet.
A schematic block diagram of a gaming device 40 which may be used with the present gaming system 10 is shown in FIG. 2.
In the present example, the gaming device, either alone or in association with a remote server, is arranged to implement a probabilistic game of the type wherein several symbols from a set of symbols are randomly displayed, and a game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed symbols.
Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of core components of a gaming device 40 in accordance with the present embodiment is shown. The core components comprise a player interface 42 and a game controller 44. The player interface 42 is arranged to enable interaction between a player and the gaming system and for this purpose includes input/output components required for the player to enter instructions and play the game.
Components of the player interface 42 may vary but will typically include a credit mechanism 46 to enable a player to input credits and receive payouts, one or more displays 48 which may comprise a touch screen, and a game play mechanism 50 arranged to enable a player to input game play instructions.
The game controller 44 is in data communication with the player interface 42 and typically includes a processor 51 arranged to process game play instructions and output game player outcomes to the display 48, which may be in the form of a touch screen. Typically, the game play instructions are stored as program code in a memory 52 that can also be hardwired. It will be understood that in this specification the term “processor” is used to refer generically to any device that can process game play instructions and may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic device or other computational device such as a personal computer or a server.
A functional diagram illustrating operative components of the gaming device 40 is shown in FIG. 3.
The memory 52 is arranged to store game data 53 indicative of a plurality of games which are implementable by the gaming device, and game menu data 57 indicative of one or more game menus associated with prospective players of the gaming device 40.
The game controller 44 includes a game implementer 54 which is arranged to implement a game after selection by a player from the game menu associated with the player. In this example, the game is implemented using a random number generator 55.
It will be appreciated that the random number generator 55 may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number, and that in this specification the term “random” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random.
The game controller 44 communicates with a network interface 56 arranged under control of the processor 51 to receive a game menu associated with a prospective player, either in response to identification of the player at the gaming device, or automatically after the game menu has been created by the player. In this example, the received game menu 58 is stored in the memory 52.
The gaming system 40 also includes a player identification device 58 arranged to identify a player and provide the game controller with a player identifier usable to determine the appropriate game menu to display to the player. The player identification device 58 may be implemented using a player marketing module, such as a Sentinel III device produced by Aristocrat Technologies Pty Ltd.
The game controller 44 also includes a game selector 59 which in association with a touch screen display 48 and/or a game play mechanism 50 enables a prospective player to select a game to be implemented by the gaming device 40 from a game menu associated with the player.
The game controller 44 also comprises an outcome evaluator 70 which determines game outcomes based on the game data 54 and the random number generator 56.
In the embodiments described below, the game implementer 55, the game selector 59, and the outcome evaluator 70 are at least partly implemented using the processor 51 and associated software, although it will be understood that other implementations are envisaged.
The gaming device 40 can take a number of different forms.
In a first form, a gaming device in the form of a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components required for implementing a game, storing video information related to winning outcomes, and making the video information available to a player are present in a player operable gaming machine.
In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components required for implementing a game are present in a gaming device in the form of a player operable gaming terminal and some of the components required for implementing the game are located remotely relative to the gaming terminal.
For example, a “thick client” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming terminal and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gaming server; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming terminal is used only to display audible and/or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player.
However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming device is networked to a gaming server and the respective functions of the gaming device and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. For example, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the game being played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.
A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine 61 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The gaming machine 61 includes a console 62 having a display 64 on which is displayed representations of a game 66 that can be played by a player. A mid-trim 70 of the gaming machine 61 houses a bank of buttons 72 for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during gameplay. The mid-trim 70 also houses a credit input mechanism 74 which in this example includes a coin input chute 74A and a bill collector 74B. Other credit input mechanisms may also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smart card, debit card or credit card.
A top box 76 may carry artwork 78, including for example pay tables and details of bonus awards and other information or images relating to the game. Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a front panel 79 of the console 62. A coin tray 80 is mounted beneath the front panel 79 for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine 61.
The display 64 is in the form of a video display unit, particularly a cathode ray tube screen device. Alternatively, the display 64 may be a liquid crystal display, plasma screen, or any other suitable video display unit. The top box 76 may also include a display, for example a video display unit, which may be of the same type as the display 64, or of a different type. The display 64 may comprise a touch screen usable by a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during game play.
A player marketing module (PMM) 82 having a display 84 is connected to the gaming machine 61. The PMM 82 allows a player to interact with a player loyalty system. The PMM has a magnetic card reader for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. However other reading devices may be employed and the player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device. In this example, the PMM 82 is a Sentinel III device produced by Aristocrat Technologies Pty Ltd.
In this embodiment, the PMM 82 also functions to identify a player and to generate an identifier usable by the gaming device to determine the appropriate game menu to display to the player.
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of operative components of a gaming machine 100 which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine shown in FIG. 4.
The gaming machine 100 includes a game controller 101 having a processor 102. Instructions and data to control operation of the processor 102 in accordance with the present invention are stored in a memory 103 which is in data communication with the processor 102.
Typically, the gaming machine 100 will include both volatile and non-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with such memories being collectively represented by the memory 103.
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory 103. The memory 103 includes RAM 103A, EPROM 103B and a mass storage device 103C. The RAM 103A typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor 102 and related data. The EPROM 103B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or game related code. The mass storage device 103C is typically used to store game programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/or authenticated by the processor 102 using protected code from the EPROM 103B or elsewhere, and in an embodiment wherein video information is stored locally, video information indicative of winning outcomes.
The gaming machine has hardware meters 104 for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, an input/output (I/O) interface 105 for communicating with a player interface 120 of the gaming machine 100, the player interface 120 having several peripheral devices. The input/output interface 105 and/or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input/output interface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module 113 generates random numbers for use by the processor 102. the gaming machine also includes a player identification device 114 usable to identify a player.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller 101 comprise one or more displays 106, a touch screen and/or bank of buttons 107, a card and/or ticket reader 108, a printer 109, a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism 110 and a coin output mechanism 111. Additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine 100, or hardware may be omitted as required for the specific implementation.
In addition, the gaming machine 100 may include a communications interface, for example a network card 112. The network card may, for example, send status information, accounting information or other information to a central controller, server or database and receive data or commands from the central controller, server or database. The network card 112 is also arranged in this embodiment to facilitate access to video information indicative of winning outcomes from a remote location, for example through the Internet.
It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine 100 to be distributed, for example input/ output devices 106,107,108,109,110,111 may be provided remotely from the game controller 101.
A specific example will now be described in relation to flow diagram 140 shown in FIG. 7 which illustrates steps 142 to 164 of a method of gaming implemented by a gaming machine 40, 71.
With this embodiment, a prospective player first connects to the web server 22 by directing an Internet browser to an appropriate web page and logs onto 142 the game menu controller 12, for example by entering a username and password associated with the player. Using the website, the player is able to select games 144 from a plurality of available games for inclusion in a game menu, and in this embodiment the player is also able to select desired configurations for the selected games, such as the available denominations, available win lines, and so on. When the player has finalized selection of the games, the game menu and game configurations are stored 148 in the database 24 as a game menu record 26.
The player then selects 150 the desired gaming place, which may be one or more specific gaming devices or a specific gaming venue, and the games referred to in the created game menu are downloaded 152 to the specific gaming devices or the specific gaming venue by the game download server 32 under control of the control unit 30. When all games have successfully been downloaded, a confirmation communication is sent 154 to the player, for example by SMS, email or in any other way.
After receiving confirmation that the selected games listed in the player's game menu are available for play at the designated gaming place, the player then logs into a designated gaming device or logs into a gaming device at a designated gaming venue and using the player's login details the gaming device retrieves the game menu associated with the player, for example directly from the database 24 or from the memory 52 of the gaming device.
The game menu is then displayed 160 to the player and the player selects 162 a game desired to be played. Based on the game selected, the gaming device implements the game.
An alternative embodiment of the gaming system 200 is shown in FIG. 8. The gaming system 200 includes a network 201, which for example may be an Ethernet network, a LAN or a WAN. In this example, three banks 203 of two gaming machines 202 are connected to the network 201. The gaming machines 202 are in the form of gaming terminals and provide a player operable interface. While banks 203 of two gaming machines are illustrated in FIG. 8, banks of one, three or more gaming machines are also envisaged.
One or more displays 204 may also be connected to the network 201. The displays 204 may, for example, be associated with one or more banks 203 of gaming machines. The displays 204 may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines 202, and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional or informational material.
In a thick client embodiment, a game server 205 implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as both the game server 205 and the gaming machine 202 implement part of the game, they collectively provide a game controller. A database management server 206 may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices 202 in a database 206A. Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in a Jackpot game, a Jackpot server 207 will be provided to monitor and carry out the Jackpot game.
In a variation of the above thick client embodiment, the gaming machine 202 may implement the game, with the game server 205 functioning merely to serve data indicative of a game to the gaming machine 202 for implementation.
With this implementation, a data signal containing a computer program usable by the client terminal to implement the gaming system may be transferred from the game server to the client terminal, for example in response to a request by the client terminal.
In a thin client embodiment, the game server 205 implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 essentially provides only the player interface. With this embodiment, the game server 205 provides the game controller. The gaming machine will receive player instructions, and pass the instructions to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gaming machines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components.
Servers are also typically provided to assist in the administration of the gaming system 200, including for example a gaming floor management server 208 and a licensing server 209 to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games. An administrator terminal 210 is provided to allow an administrator to monitor the network 201 and the devices connected to the network.
The gaming system 200 may communicate with other gaming systems, other local networks such as a corporate network, and/or a wide area network such as the Internet, for example through a firewall 211.
A loyalty program server 212 may also be provided.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques, functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers. For example, elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separate server may be provided. For example, the game server 205 could run a random number generator engine. Alternatively, a separate random number generator server could be provided.
A specific example will now be described in relation to flow diagram 230 shown in FIG. 9 which illustrates steps 232 to 250 of a method of gaming implemented by the gaming system 200.
With this embodiment, a prospective player first connects to the web server 22 by directing an Internet browser to an appropriate web page and logs onto the game menu controller 12, for example by entering a username and password associated with the player. Using the website, the player is able to select games from a plurality of available games for inclusion in a game menu, and in this embodiment the player is also able to select desired configurations for the selected games, such as the available denominations, available win lines, and so on. When the player has finalized selection of the games, the game menu and game configurations are stored in the database 24 as a game menu record 26.
The player then logs into any gaming device associated with the gaming system 200 and using the player's login details the gaming device retrieves the game menu associated with the player, for example directly from the database 24 or from the memory 52 of the gaming device.
The game menu is then displayed to the player and the player selects a game desired to be played. Based on the game selected, the gaming terminal 202 downloads the game from the game repository 34 through the game download server 32 and implements the game.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.
Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gaming system arranged to identify a player and to display a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at a gaming device, the gaming system comprising:

a game selector arranged to facilitate selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu; and

a game implementer arranged to implement the game selected by the player.

2. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a game menu controller, the game menu controller being arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games.

3. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the game menu controller is arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games from a remote location.

4. A gaming system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the game menu controller is arranged to enable a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games through the Internet.

5. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the game menu controller is arranged to store player specific game menus for a plurality of players.

6. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the game menu controller is arranged to enable a person to select characteristics for at least one game included in the player specific game menu.

7. A gaming system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the characteristics comprise game denominations and available win lines.

8. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged to enable data indicative of one or more games identified in a player game menu to be downloaded to a gaming device from a remote game repository.

9. A gaming system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the game menu controller comprises the game repository and a game server arranged to facilitate downloading of games to a gaming device.

10. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a player identification device arranged to facilitate identification of a player at a gaming device.

11. A gaming system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the player identification device is located at the gaming device.

12. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged to download a player game menu to the gaming device when the player associated with the player game menu is identified at the gaming device.

13. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged to download the or each game in the player game menu to the gaming device when the player is identified at the gaming device.

14. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged to enable a player to nominate at least one gaming machine or to nominate at least one gaming venue at which the player desires to play one or more games identified in the player game menu associated with the player.

15. A gaming system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the gaming system is arranged to download a player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of a game menu.

16. A gaming system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the gaming system is arranged to download data indicative of the or each game identified in the player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of the player game menu.

17. A gaming system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the gaming system is arranged to send a communication to a player when the data indicative of the or each game identified in the player specific game menu has been downloaded to the player nominated gaming device or to the player nominated gaming venue.

18. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system comprises at least one gaming device in the form of a gaming machine.

19. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a gaming terminal and a gaming server in networked communication with the gaming terminal.

20. A method of gaming comprising:

identifying a player;

displaying a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at a gaming device;

facilitating selection by a player of a game from a plurality of available games using the player game menu; and

implementing the game selected by the player.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising enabling a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, comprising enabling a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games from a remote location.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, comprising enabling a person to select at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games through the Internet.

24. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising storing player specific game menus for a plurality of players.

25. A method as claimed in claim 21, comprising enabling a person to select characteristics for at least one game included in the player specific game menu.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the characteristics comprise game denominations and available win lines.

27. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising enabling data indicative of one or more games identified in a player game menu to be downloaded to a gaming device from a remote game repository.

28. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising identifying a player at a gaming device.

29. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising downloading a player game menu to the gaming device when the player associated with the player game menu is identified at the gaming device.

30. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising downloading the or each game in the player game menu to the gaming device when the player is identified at the gaming device.

31. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising enabling a player to nominate at least one gaming machine or to nominate at least one gaming venue at which the player desires to play one or more games identified in the player game menu associated with the player.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31, comprising downloading a player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of a game menu.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, comprising downloading data indicative of the or each game identified in the player game menu to the player nominated gaming device or the player nominated gaming venue in response to creation of the player game menu.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, comprising sending a communication to a player when the data indicative of the or each game identified in the player specific game menu has been downloaded to the player nominated gaming device or to the player nominated gaming venue.

35. A gaming device comprising:

a player identification device arranged to identify a player;

a display arranged to retrieve and display a player game menu specific to the player when the player is identified at the gaming device;

a game implementer arranged to implement the game selected by the player.

36. A game menu controller comprising:

a player interface usable to facilitate selection by a player of at least one game for inclusion in a player game menu from a plurality of games;

the game menu controller being arranged to produce a player menu identifying the at least one selected game, and to communicate the game menu associated with a player to a gaming device in response to identification of the player at the gaming device.

37. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computer program arranged when loaded into a computer to instruct the computer to operate in accordance with said gaming system.

38. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to operate in accordance with said gaming system.