Applying direct manipulation interfaces to customizing player character behaviour

The ability customize a players avatar (their graphical representation) is one of the most popular features of online games and graphical chat environments. Though customizing appearance is a common ability in most games, creating tools for customizing a character's behaviour is still a difficult problem. We propose a methodology, based on direct manipulation, that allows players to specify the type of behaviour they would like in a given context. This methodology is iterative, with the player performing a number of different customizations in different contexts. Players are also able to continue customizing their character during play, with commands that can have long term and permanent effects.