Patent ID: 8108774

Claim:
A method for configuring a chameleon avatar in response to data associated with a target avatar within a virtual universe, the method comprising: determining that an engagement of a chameleon avatar with a target avatar within a region of a virtual universe is indicated, wherein the chameleon avatar presents one or more initial gender, ethnic, body dimension and clothing attire appearances to other avatars within the virtual universe; determining whether any of the initial chameleon avatar gender, ethnic, body dimension or clothing attire appearances should be changed for the indicated engagement with the target avatar within the indicated virtual universe region; if determined that one of the initial chameleon avatar gender, ethnic, body dimension or clothing attire appearances should be changed for the indicated engagement with the target avatar within the indicated virtual universe region, reading an attribute from metadata associated with the target avatar or the indicated virtual universe region and changing the one of the initial gender, ethnic, body dimension and clothing attire appearances as a function of the read attribute; and the chameleon avatar engaging the target avatar within the indicated virtual universe region in the initial gender, ethnic, body dimension or clothing attire appearances if determined that none of the appearances should be changed, or in the changed ones of the initial gender, ethnic, body dimension and clothing attire appearances if determined that the at least one of the initial gender, ethnic, body dimension and clothing attire appearances should be changed.