Patent ID: 8601051

Claim:
A method for changing an avatar associated with a player in an online game, the avatar characterized by an avatar data packet comprising a plurality of avatar characteristic identifiers and a set of avatar characteristic data, each of the plurality of avatar characteristic identifiers associated with a one of the set of avatar characteristic data in the avatar data packet, the method comprising: parsing, by a server, an avatar characteristic self-defined data packet from a client computing device, through which a player logs on a server using the player's registered account on the internet, corresponding to a logon account to obtain from the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet one of the plurality of avatar characteristic identifiers which corresponds to avatar characteristic requiring modification and avatar characteristic data corresponding to the obtained avatar characteristic identifier, wherein the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet reflects modification or creation made by a player to the avatar and wherein the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet comprises the one of the plurality of avatar characteristic identifiers and associated avatar characteristic data; determining, by the server, whether the avatar characteristic data in the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet extends beyond a pre-defined scope; if the avatar characteristic data in the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet does not extend beyond the pre-defined scope, finding, by the server, the avatar data packet corresponding to the logon account, and replacing, by the server, avatar characteristic data corresponding to a one of the plurality of avatar characteristic identifiers in the avatar data packet with the avatar characteristic data corresponding to the same avatar characteristic identifier in the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet to obtain a replaced data file; storing, by the server, the replaced data file as an avatar self-defined data packet, wherein the avatar self-defined data packet includes complete avatar data which are formed by combining an original avatar pre-defined in the game with the avatar characteristic self-defined data in the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet; and transmitting, by the server, the avatar self-defined data packet to the client computing device corresponding to the logon account providing the avatar characteristic self-defined data packet, and/or a second client computing device participating in the online game and displaying the avatar.