Making the Human Care

Computer games research has focused strongly on improving the tactical intelligence of computer opponents. However, the social aspect of gaming has been largely ignored. We claim that, in many cases of multi-player gaming, the simple knowledge that one’s opponents are emotional creatures is far more important than the opponents’ skill or intelligence. We also claim that conveying this emotion in online games can be achieved through simple and cheap mechanisms. As proof of concept, we present a non-player character system for the game Counter-Strike that begins work in this direction.