IDEAS4Games: Building Expressive Virtual Characters for Computer Games

In this paper we present two virtual characters in an interactive poker game using RFID-tagged poker cards for the interaction. To support the game creation process, we have combined models, methods, and technology that are currently investigated in the ECA research field in a unique way. A powerful and easy-to-use multimodal dialog authoring tool is used for the modeling of game content and interaction. The poker characters rely on a sophisticated model of affect and a state-of-the art speech synthesizer. During the game, the characters show a consistent expressive behavior that reflects the individually simulated affect in speech and animations. As a result, users are provided with an engaging interactive poker experience.