Paper presented at GameTec

1. Virtual Guides
A Hybrid Approach to Immersive Learning
Mr. David Fliesen, Sonalysts, Inc. Defense GameTech 2012
Dr. Cynthia Calongne, Colorado Technical University March 28, 2012

2. 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

3. Affect
Emotional intelligence [1]
The design of a
learning companion

4. Bardic Storytelling
• Characters and companions
• Stimulating affective emotional states [1]
– The role of emotion in learning
– Building a Learning Companion [2]

5. Books as
Virtual Guides
and
Companions
[3]
An Example of
Affect

6. Virtual Guides
• Daden Limited [4] • Altair AI – chat bot, navigation,
movement, emotional process
• Bots that screen scrape Web
content to select and discuss
• Bots R Us group • Simplicity Labs - virtual agents

7. Virtual Guide Game Examples
“Arthur ” from the Journeyman • The artificially intelligent character
Project 3: Legacy of Time Arthur provides a virtual
by Presto Studios and Red Orb companion in the Heads Up Display
Entertainment with adjustable humor to
accompany the player in their epic
quests
“Lucy” from Assassin’s Creed 2 • Lucy mentors Desmond to tap into
by Ubisoft Montreal his stored ancestral memories in a
battle of Templars and Assassins
“S.A.R.A.” from ShadowGun • Personal android assistant S.A.R.A.
by Madfinger Games provides situational awareness to
John Slade in his adventures

8. EM 840 Mayan Temple Guide
Chat bots as guides – are navigation and gesture required?

9. Are All Virtual Guides Humanoid?

10. Which is the guide?
Virtual Guide in a Civic Simulation by a group in EM 825
Guides come in all shapes and sizes (right)

11. Extreme
Reality
by
Mystical
Demina
&
Simplicity
Labs by
JB Hancroft
[5]

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

13. Who is the
Virtual Guide?
[6]

14. Guide Characteristics
• Features
– Information, conflict mgt, skills
• Interaction
• Behavior
• Emotion
• Attitude
• Outcomes

15. 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 Limited
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hte2MJ54CA
[4] Simplicity Labs by JB Hancroft in Second Life
http://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

16. 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

17. Game References
Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time (1999) by Presto Studios and Red Orb
Entertainment:
Web: http://presto.tommyyune.com/presto/journeyman3
Video: 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

18. Virtual Guides
A Hybrid Approach to Immersive Learning
For more information
Mr. David Fliesen
dfliesen@sonalysts.com
Joey Aboma in Second Life
Dr. Cynthia Calongne
calongne@pcisys.net
Lyr Lobo in Second Life
Joey Aboma Lyr Lobo
For a copy of these slides, visit:
http://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo