In this show the principles of gaming and practice in virtual realms are illustrated with the work of Dr. Glenn Albright, of Kognito Interactive. He talks about a role-playing game he has helped develop “to train family members of returning veterans to (1) recognize when their loved one is exhibiting signs of post-deployment stress including signs of PTSD, TBI, depression, and thoughts of suicide and (2) approach and talk to the Veteran about their concern and motivate them to seek help at the local VA medical center”. He explains that the user “assumes the role of various family members and engages in conversations with three emotionally responsive Veteran Avatars that exhibit signs of post-deployment stress. The avatars visually and verbally express emotions in reaction to users’ decisions in the conversations, effectively replicating real life interactions and conversations with at-risk individuals.”

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