Patent ID: 7819749

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for initiating interaction in a session of an on-line game, the method comprising: displaying a participant list of on-line potential participants for a general purpose communication interface to a first user, the participant list being associated with the first user of the general purpose communication interface and the on-line game, receiving, from the first user, an indication of a potential participant of the on-line game accessible over a network of computers, wherein the potential participant is one of the potential participants displayed on the participant list, and wherein the indication represents user input selecting the potential participant from the participant list, and initiating interaction in a session of the on-line game between the first user and the potential participant, wherein initiating interaction within the session of the on-line game comprises: enabling transmission of an invitation to the potential participant, the invitation including a game parameter that describes a game option to be used when playing the session of the on-line game, enabling display of the invitation and the game parameter to the potential participant, enabling conditional acceptance of the invitation to play the session of the on-line game by the potential participant, the conditional acceptance including an alternative game parameter, and enabling rejection or acceptance of the alternative game parameter by the first user.