Project Presentation

The project aims to explore the potential of Virtual Reality technology for early learning through play in a theatrical context.

In the Virtual Puppet Theatre young children can interact and play with life-like virtual playmates in
a virtual 3D-world, and use this experience to learn about the motives and intentions of others. This is something that a 3D world can provide which extends the possibilities of everyday play: a major goal of PUPPET. To do this we trade on the potential of an agent-based system, to provide interactive possibilities with autonomous agents 
who can act as characters in a play, with the child taking different roles as audience, actor, director 
or author/editor.

The current implementation presents a scenario 
that allows the child to assist a farmer in establishing order by helping him to trace a freedom-loving cow into its pen, or alternatively to help the cow escape from the farmer and enjoy the pleasures of life. The idea is for the child to become involved with scenarios that develop and challenge his or her appreciation of the motivations underlying simple 'improvisational' dramaturgical scenarios. The provision of facilities for taking different points of view, taking part in the play, and for simple editing of the states of the characters, allows us to investigate the effectiveness of the virtual world
for early learning.

A repertoire of animations for the characters involved designed to reveal clear visual expression of the mental states of the characters. These mental states follow logically from the sequence of events that develops in an improvised way, and which the child influences through his or her Avatar, the Black Sheep. The Avatar is the child's representation in the Virtual Puppet Theatre. It can be controlled by the child, and it can interact with and be perceived by the virtual characters.

The perspective is to have a range of life-like characters acting autonomously with a mind of 
their own. When starting a play, the child may specify which characters to play with and their typical personality —  like aggressive, friendly, and so on. This will allow for a multitude of improvisational plays to take place, with emergent behaviours and a range of alternative stories developing.