Apparatus and method of on-line reporting

A method of on-line reporting, comprising the steps of:

• connecting to an online virtual environment and generating a representation of it for display to a user;
• receiving data representative of the actions of other users within the on-line virtual environment;
• receiving content sourced from one or more of the other users of the one or more remote entertainment devices interacting with that online virtual environment;
• instigating a reporting event;
• generating information indicative of the content sourced from one or more of the other users of the one or more remote entertainment devices and that was available to the entertainment device when the reporting event was instigated;
• and
• wherein generating the information indicative of the content comprises generating a report containing a substantially 360 degree lateral view with respect to the user's position in the virtual environment when the reporting event was instigated, the substantially 360 degree lateral view being a snapshot that freezes a current state of the online virtual environment, the snapshot watermarked to incorporate time stamp information and at least one of identification data for the entertainment device and user identification data, thereby limiting the creation of spoof reports;
• and
• transmitting, to a remote device, the report containing the watermarked snapshot incorporating the time stamp information and at least one of the identification data for the entertainment device and the user identification data.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable program product comprising a recording medium for storing a program, the program, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method of on-line reporting, the method comprising:

• connecting to an online virtual environment and generating a representation of it for display to a user;
• receiving data representative of the actions of other users within the on-line virtual environment;
• receiving content sourced from one or more of the other users of the one or more remote entertainment devices interacting with that online virtual environment;
• instigating a reporting event;
• generating information indicative of the content sourced from one or more of the other users of the one or more remote entertainment devices and that was available to the entertainment device when the reporting event was instigated;
• wherein generating the information indicative of the content comprises generating a report containing a substantially 360 degree lateral view with respect to the user's position in the virtual environment when the reporting event was instigated, the substantially 360 degree lateral view being a snapshot that freezes a current state of the online virtual environment, the snapshot watermarked to incorporate time stamp information and at least one of identification data for the entertainment device and user identification data, thereby limiting the creation of spoof reports;
• and
• transmitting, to a remote device, the report containing the watermarked snapshot incorporating the time stamp information and at least one of the identification data for the entertainment device and the user identification data.