Patent ID: 8442946

Claim:
A method for generating an advertisement in a virtual universe, said method comprising the steps of: a computer detecting a selection of a virtual object in a virtual universe by a first avatar in response to a user input, wherein the first avatar is controlled by a user associated with a user account of a virtual universe computer network, wherein the virtual universe comprises a three-dimensional computer simulated environment where the first avatar represents the user as an inhabitant of the virtual universe, wherein the computer simulated environment is controlled by one or more processors in the virtual universe computer network, and wherein the selection indicates a desire by the user for the virtual object; the computer designating the virtual object in a wish list for the first avatar in response to the step of the computer detecting the selection of the virtual object by the first avatar, wherein the wish list includes a listing of desired objects by the first avatar available from the virtual universe, and wherein the listing of desired objects are stored in a data store unit associated with the user account, said first data store unit accessible via the virtual universe computer network; the computer determining a second avatar in the virtual universe that possesses an instance of the virtual object in response to the step of the computer designating the virtual object in the wish list, wherein the second avatar is associated with an account; and the computer generating the advertisement to obtain the instance of the virtual object from the second avatar on behalf of the first avatar in response to the step of the computer determining that the second avatar possesses the instance of the virtual object.