Virtual GuidesA Hybrid Approach to Immersive Learning

Defense GameTech 2012 March 28, 2012

Mr. David Fliesen, Sonalysts, Inc.Dr. Cynthia Calongne, Colorado Technical University

Characteristics

• Companionship– A virtual guide not only offers information– The imaginary friend from your youth– Navigation, intelligence and emotion

• Affect – emotional intelligence [1]– Igor, push the first lever…

• Expectations of behavior

Emotional intelligence [1]

The design of a learning companion

Affect

Bardic Storytelling

• Characters and companions• Stimulating affective emotional states [1]

– The role of emotion in learning– Building a Learning Companion [2]

Books as Virtual Guides

andCompanions

[3]

An Example ofAffect

Virtual Guides

• Daden Limited [4]

• Bots R Us group

• Altair AI – chat bot, navigation, movement, emotional process

• Bots that screen scrape Web content to select and discuss

• Simplicity Labs - virtual agents

Virtual Guide Game Examples“Arthur ” from the Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Timeby Presto Studios and Red Orb Entertainment

“Lucy” from Assassin’s Creed 2by Ubisoft Montreal

“S.A.R.A.” from ShadowGunby Madfinger Games

• The artificially intelligent character Arthur provides a virtual companion in the Heads Up Display with adjustable humor to accompany the player in their epic quests

• Lucy mentors Desmond to tap into his stored ancestral memories in a battle of Templars and Assassins

• Personal android assistant S.A.R.A. provides situational awareness to John Slade in his adventures

EM 840 Mayan Temple Guide

Chat bots as guides – are navigation and gesture required?

Are All Virtual Guides Humanoid?

Virtual Guide in a Civic Simulation by a group in EM 825Guides come in all shapes and sizes (right)

Which is the guide?

ExtremeReality

by MysticalDemina

&SimplicityLabs by

JB Hancroft[5]

The Mars Expedition – Grand Prize Winner in the FVWC at GameTech 2010 [6]

Who is theVirtual Guide?

[6]

Guide Characteristics

• Features – Information, conflict mgt, skills

• Interaction• Behavior• Emotion • Attitude• Outcomes

References[1] Kort, B. (2011). Cognition, Affect, and Learning. The Role of Emotions in Learning.

http://knol.google.com/k/cognition-affect-and-learning#

[2] An Affective Model of Interplay Between Emotions and Learning: Reengineering Educational Pedagogy – Building a Learning Companion http://affect.media.mit.edu/projectpages/lc/icalt.pdf

[3] Automated Avatars in Second Life by Daden Limitedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hte2MJ54CA

[4] Simplicity Labs by JB Hancroft in Second Lifehttp://slurl.com/secondlife/SPConference%203/11/232/38

[3] What does your dream library look like?

http://martavallelibrary.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/what-does-your-dream-library-look-like/

[5] Extreme Reality and Simplicity Labs at the SP Expo

http://slurl.com/secondlife/SPConference%203/26/235/37

[6] The Mars Expedition, A virtual context in Storytelling http://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/mars-expedition-game-tech-2010

For More Information

Papers by Jonathon Gratch on • emotion & social modeling• rapport & social effects• virtual humans• socially situated planning• intelligent agents• adaptive problem solving• machine learning http://people.ict.usc.edu/~gratch/pubs.html

Game ReferencesJourneyman Project 3: Legacy of Time (1999) by Presto Studios and Red Orb

Entertainment: Web: http://presto.tommyyune.com/presto/journeyman3Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ULXcrfLxnE

Assassin’s Creed 2 (2010) by Ubisoft Montreal:Web: http://assassinscreed.us.ubi.com/assassins-creed-2/ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBUPHv5-IM Cloud-based gaming demo: http://www.onlive.com

ShadowGun (2011) by Madfinger Games: Web: http://madfingergames.com Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62SnLQ04CcA&feature=relmfu

For more information

Joey Aboma For a copy of these slides, visit:http://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo

Lyr Lobo

Virtual GuidesA Hybrid Approach to Immersive Learning

Mr. David Fliesendfliesen@sonalysts.com

Joey Aboma in Second Life

Dr. Cynthia Calongnecalongne@pcisys.net

Lyr Lobo in Second Life