Patent ID: 8898233

Claim:
A computer system for rating relationships between pairs of virtual characters in a virtual world comprising: a server computer having a user metrics storage component that collects and stores activity data and relationship data including personality traits of each virtual character of a pair of virtual characters and points that are allocated from each virtual character to each other of the pair of virtual characters; said server computer further comprises a user metrics analysis component that sets a relationship scale value for each character of the pair of virtual characters to an initial value based on a combination of the personality traits assigned to each virtual character of the pair of virtual characters, wherein the initial value of the relationship scale value is randomly selected from a predetermined range of points on a relationship scale determined by an initial personality type of each character and wherein the relationship scale value is representative of a level of affinity that a first virtual character and a second virtual character of the pair of virtual characters have toward one another, wherein the user metrics analysis component adjusts the relationship scale value based on the activity data and relationship data; and said server computer sends data related to the relationship scale value for one of the characters of the pair of virtual characters over a computer network and displayed on a user computer.