Abstract: This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods to provide an in-game friend object in a game instance of a multiplayer online game uniquely associated with a host player. The friend object has a unique association with a player who is a guest player with respect to the host player's game instance. A state of the friend object is automatically altered, for example deteriorating at random intervals, and can be restored subject to performance of a maintenance object by the guest player, performance of the maintenance action being limited only to the guest player. The friend object may be a display object, such as a picture frame, that displays an image associated with the guest player.