Rating virtual world merchandise by avatar visits

A data processing system for rating virtual world artifacts, the data processing system comprising:

• a bus;
• a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device stores computer usable code;
• at least one managed device connected to the bus;
• a communications unit connected to the bus;
• and
• a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to receive, in response to detecting an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world, information about the event;
• generate a rating score value for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event;
• increase the generated rating score value based on a number of times the virtual world artifact is accessed by the avatar within a predetermined period of time;
• and update a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the generated rating score value by increasing a size of the virtual world artifact in relation to other artifacts present in a display of the virtual world if the generated rating score value is a high rating score value and decreasing the size of the virtual world artifact in relation to the other artifacts present in the display if the generated rating score value is a low rating score value.

A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage device having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a computer for rating virtual world artifacts, the computer program product comprising:

• computer usable program code for receiving, by a computer, in response to the computer detecting an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world, information about the event;
• computer usable program code for generating, by the computer, a rating score value for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event;
• computer usable program code for increasing, by the computer, the generated rating score value based on a number of times the virtual world artifact is accessed by the avatar within a predetermined period of time;
• and
• computer usable program code for updating, by the computer, a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the generated rating score value by increasing a size of the virtual world artifact in relation to other artifacts present in a display of the virtual world if the generated rating score value is a high rating score value and decreasing the size of the virtual world artifact in relation to the other artifacts present in the display if the generated rating score value is a low rating score value.