Avatar personalization in virtual environment.
Techniques are disclosed to facilitate avatar personalization in a virtual environment. A request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a requesting entity is received. Data pertaining to the requesting entity is retrieved, the data not specifying any visual appearance of the avatar. A proposed avatar is generated based on the retrieved data. The proposed avatar is output to the requesting entity.
BACKGROUND(1) A virtual world is a simulated environment in which users may interact with virtual objects and locations of the virtual world. Each user may control a respective avatar through which the user may interact with other users' avatars in the virtual world. An avatar generally provides a graphical representation of an individual within the virtual world environment. Frequently, virtual worlds allow multiple users to enter the virtual environment and interact with one another. Virtual worlds are said to provide an immersive environment, as they typically appear similar to the real world and objects tend to follow rules related to gravity, topography, locomotion, physics and kinematics. Of course, virtual worlds can suspend or alter these rules as well as provide other imaginative or fanciful environments. Users typically communicate with one another through their avatars using text messages sent between avatars, real-time voice communication, gestures displayed by avatars, symbols visible in the virtual world, and the like.(2) Some virtual worlds are described as being persistent. A persistent world provides an immersive environment (e.g., a fantasy setting used as a setting for a role-playing game, or a virtual world complete with land, buildings, towns, and economies) that is generally always available and where events continue to occur regardless of the presence of a given avatar. Thus, unlike more conventional online games or multi-user environments, the virtual
1. A computer-implemented method of avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user; detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules; determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user; generating, by operation of one or more computer processors, a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of: (i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region; whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program, which when executed, is configured to perform an operation for avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the operation comprising: receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user; detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules; determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user; generating, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the program, a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of: (i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region; whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.
17. A system of avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the system comprising: one or more computer processors; a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation comprising: receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user; detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules; determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user; generating a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of: (i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region; whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.