Patent ID: 8648865

Claim:
A method for viewer-responsive transformation of avatars in a virtual universe, the method comprising: defining a plurality of different appearance attributes for use in rendering a first avatar of a first user to a virtual universe client of a second user of a second avatar within the virtual universe, wherein the different appearance attributes comprise visually different clothing attire items or visually different hairstyles; associating each of the different defined appearance attributes with a different key of a plurality of keys, and with different ones of a plurality of unique identifiers; in response to the second avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe, analyzing an inventory of assets of the second avatar to determine a nature of an item possessed within the second avatar inventory, and determining if a unique identifier assigned to the second avatar is one of the plurality of unique identifiers assigned to the different keys; rendering the first avatar to the second user in a virtual universe graphic user interface display as wearing one of the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle that is associated with one of the keys that is associated with the determined nature of the item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and that is associated with the unique identifier assigned to the second avatar; and rendering the first avatar simultaneously to a third user of a third avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe environment as wearing another of the appearance attribute clothing attire items or hairstyles that is visually distinct and different from the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle rendered to the second user as worn on the first avatar as a function of an inventory of the third avatar not possessing an item having the determined nature of the item possessed by the inventory of the second avatar.