Abstract: Mechanisms for visual identification of a user in a gaming environment. For example, a digital image is used to identify a user, whether the user is on-line or off-line. This digital image is easily verifiable as an appropriate and non-offensive image because it May come form a controlled digital image source (or set of sources). The digital image is also revocable in a variety of gaming environment contexts by a gaming authority. Lastly, the digital image is changeable depending on the context of the gaming environment, in one aspect, being configured to be visible to the entire gaming environment in one form, and being visible to a subset of the gaming environment in another form.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an absolute and relative coordinate based format description system and method for displaying information, such as text, graphics, audio/visual multimedia, hyperlinks, etc. within a computer environment. Multimedia information including text, graphics, audio media, visual media and hyperlinks, is effectively presented and displayed within the computer environment. The multimedia information is contained within geometrical objects, which can be located anywhere within a working area with absolute or relative positioning and properties. Each object can be independent of other objects (absolute values) or dependent on other objects (relative values).