Patent ID: 8339418

Claim:
A method of generating combined content suitable for including in a virtual environment, comprising: inputting a background associated with the virtual environment, wherein the virtual environment includes a computer generated three-dimensional graphical environment that can be navigated by a user, wherein navigating in the virtual environment by the user includes navigating as an avatar in the virtual environment; capturing a live subject, including gestures and movements of the live subject, in a real time video; using a processor to combine the background with the real time video to generate combined content suitable for including in the virtual environment; placing at least a portion of the combined content at a location and an orientation within the computer generated three-dimensional environment in a manner that allows the live subject captured in the real time video to appear immersed in the computer generated three-dimensional graphical environment as a virtual representation of the subject; receiving a communication directed to the live subject from the user, wherein the communication includes communication that is communicated through the avatar; and providing a screen for the live subject captured in the real time video to view the communication as the real time video is being captured, wherein the live subject is enabled to communicate back to the user in response to the communication via the real time video capturing the gestures and movements of the live subject that appears as the virtual representation, and to view simultaneously the computer generated three-dimensional graphical environment from a point-of-view of the virtual representation of the subject appearing immersed in the computer generated three-dimensional graphical environment, including viewing the avatar navigating in the virtual environment.