Efficient distribution of emotion-related data through a networked virtual environment architecture

1 In this paper we describe the way in which emotion-related data can efficiently be exchanged between participants in a large-scale networked virtual environment. This type of metadata is extracted from real-time captured video streams using off-the-shelf webcams and applied onto a 2D stylized avatar; thereby improving the immersion the user experiences while navigating and communicating in the virtual world. As emotion-related data – once processed through the system – can be considered a specific type of state information, a generic networked virtual environment architecture can be used to distribute the information between participants. We have opted to extend the in-house developed ALVIC-NG architecture to be able to process the information flows. We will show that the inclusion of this new type of information does not have a detrimental effect on the scalability of the system.