We host Dr Stephanie Rennick and Dr. Seán Roberts at CGCO’2022. Posted on:2022-02-02 Dr. Stephanie Rennick, a philosopher from the SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES at University of Glasgow, and Dr. Seán Roberts, a linguist from School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University will present the results of their recent research at CGCO’2022. Dr. Stephanie Rennick works on tropes, video games, time travel, and causal loops, and runs the Epicurean Cure, and Dr. Seán Roberts works on digital tools for testing causal theories of how language evolves. They will present their 2021 paper entitled “Improving video game conversations with trope-informed design” at our conference. Abstract: One of the challenges for designers of role-playing video games is creating non-player characters that have realistic conversations. There are now many tropes about how this can fail. We suggest that these tropes offer an opportunity to identify key areas for improving immersion. We demonstrate how politeness theory from linguistics can help us understand when and why conversations with NPCs disrupt player immersion. Based on these insights we propose alternative designs to improve immersion. We call this approach Trope-Informed Design: tropes are tools that can make or break a player’s experience. Considering how and when to perpetuate, subvert, or transcend tropes can help guide designers in improving their game mechanics. The slides of the presentation can be found here and the video is available here. Back