diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/client/GameController.as b/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/client/GameController.as
index 74ff66ff..37066af4 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/client/GameController.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/client/GameController.as
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ import com.threerings.crowd.util.CrowdContext;
 import com.threerings.parlor.game.data.GameCodes;
 import com.threerings.parlor.game.data.GameConfig;
 import com.threerings.parlor.game.data.GameObject;
-import com.threerings.parlor.game.data.UserIdentifier;
 import com.threerings.parlor.util.ParlorContext;
 
 /**
@@ -54,22 +53,6 @@ public /*abstract*/ class GameController extends PlaceController
 {
     protected static const log :Log = Log.getLog(GameController);
 
-    /**
-     * Configures a means for identifying users persistently.
-     */
-    public static function setUserIdentifier (userIder :UserIdentifier) :void
-    {
-        _userIder = userIder;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the persistent user id for the supplied player name.
-     */
-    public static function nameToId (name :Name) :int
-    {
-        return (_userIder == null) ? 0 : _userIder.getUserId(name);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Initializes this game controller with the game configuration that
      * was established during the match making process. Derived classes
@@ -339,8 +322,5 @@ public /*abstract*/ class GameController extends PlaceController
      * the client knows the game is over before the server has
      * transitioned the game object accordingly. */
     protected var _gameOver :Boolean;
-
-    /** Used to map users to persistent integer identifiers. */
-    protected static var _userIder :UserIdentifier;
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.as b/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.as
index d0e790f3..c4d3e775 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.as
@@ -5,11 +5,21 @@ package com.threerings.parlor.game.data {
 
 import com.threerings.util.Name;
 
-public interface UserIdentifier
+public class UserIdentifier
 {
     /**
-     * Returns the id of the specified user, or 0 if they're not valid.
+     * Get the user id for the specified user, or 0 if they're not valid.
      */
-    function getUserId (name :Name) :int;
+    public static function getUserId (name :Name) :int
+    {
+        return (_userIder == null) ? 0 : _userIder(name);
+    }
+
+    public static function setIder (userIder :Function) :void
+    {
+        _userIder = userIder;
+    }
+
+    protected static var _userIder :Function;
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.java
index 3ced410b..eb049dc4 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/data/UserIdentifier.java
@@ -5,10 +5,31 @@ package com.threerings.parlor.game.data;
 
 import com.threerings.util.Name;
 
-public interface UserIdentifier
+public class UserIdentifier
 {
+    /**
+     * Implement this and set the mutha up.
+     */
+    public interface Ider
+    {
+        int getUserId (Name name);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the id of the specified user, or 0 if they're not valid.
      */
-    int getUserId (Name name);
+    public static int getUserId (Name name)
+    {
+        return (_userIder == null) ? 0 : _userIder.getUserId(name);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the global user identifier to use.
+     */
+    public static void setIder (Ider userIder)
+    {
+        _userIder = userIder;
+    }
+
+    protected static Ider _userIder;
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/server/GameManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/server/GameManager.java
index 3f2894f7..c73e4834 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/server/GameManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/server/GameManager.java
@@ -66,15 +66,6 @@ import static com.threerings.parlor.Log.log;
 public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
     implements ParlorCodes, GameCodes, PlayManager
 {
-    /**
-     * Configures a means by which the Parlor game services can map users to a persistent user id
-     * for things like per-game cookies and ratings.
-     */
-    public static void setUserIdentifier (UserIdentifier userIder)
-    {
-        _userIder = userIder;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Returns the configuration object for the game being managed by this manager.
      */
@@ -339,7 +330,7 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
      */
     public int getPlayerPersistentId (Name name)
     {
-        return _userIder.getUserId(name);
+        return UserIdentifier.getUserId(name);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1392,13 +1383,6 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
     /** The interval for the AI tick. */
     protected Interval _aiTicker;
 
-    /** Used to map users to persistent integer identifiers. */
-    protected static UserIdentifier _userIder = new UserIdentifier() {
-        public int getUserId (Name name) {
-            return 0; // by default no one has persistent info
-        }
-    };
-
     /** The default value returned by {@link #getNoShowTime}. */
     protected static final long DEFAULT_NOSHOW_DELAY = 30 * 1000L;
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/rating/server/RatingDelegate.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/rating/server/RatingDelegate.java
index 4a87be6f..aaaf66e0 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/rating/server/RatingDelegate.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/rating/server/RatingDelegate.java
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public abstract class RatingDelegate extends GameManagerDelegate
             BodyObject bobj = (BodyObject)_omgr.getObject(_gobj.occupants.get(ii));
             int pidx = _gmgr.getPlayerIndex(bobj.getVisibleName());
             if (pidx != -1) {
-                _playerIds[pidx] = _gmgr.getPlayerPersistentId(bobj.getVisibleName());
+                _playerIds[pidx] = _gmgr.getPlayerPersistentId(bobj);
             }
             Rating rating = maybeCreateRating(bobj);
             if (rating != null) {
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public abstract class RatingDelegate extends GameManagerDelegate
     protected Rating maybeCreateRating (BodyObject bobj)
     {
         // if this occupant is not a player (or not ratable), skip 'em
-        int playerId = _gmgr.getPlayerPersistentId(bobj.getVisibleName());
+        int playerId = _gmgr.getPlayerPersistentId(bobj);
         if (playerId == 0) {
             return null;
         }