Affiliations: School of Computing, University of Teesside, TS1 3BA,
UK | Department of Computer Science, University College
London, Malet Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK | Hi8us Midlands Ltd., Unit F1, The Arch, 48-52
Floodgate Street, Birmingham, B5 5SL, UK |
Abstract: This paper describes a multi-user role-playing environment, referred
to as "e-drama", which enables groups of people to
converse online, in scenario driven virtual environments. The starting point of
this research, is an existing application known as
"edrama", a 2D graphical environment in which users
are represented by static cartoon figures. Tools have been developed to enable
integration of the existing edrama application with several new components to
support avatars with emotionally expressive behaviours, rendered in a 3D
environment. The functionality includes the extraction of affect from
open-ended improvisational text. The results of the affective analysis are then
used to: (a) control an automated improvisational AI actor – EMMA
(emotion, metaphor and affect) that operates a bit-part character in the
improvisation; (b) drive the animations of avatars using the Demeanour
framework in the user interface so that they react bodily in ways that are
consistent with the affect that they are expressing. Finally, we describe user
trials that demonstrate that the changes made improve the quality of social
interaction and users' sense of presence. Moreover, our system has
the potential to evolve normal classroom education for young people with or
without learning disabilities by providing 24/7 efficient personalised social
skill, language and career training via role-play and offering automatic
monitoring.
Keywords: E-drama, affect detection, emotionally expressive behaviour and an educational improvisational interactive environment
