Blogzene

As the Olympic Games reach their climax in Beijing, a former DigitalCity fellow has announced his plans to launch an original computer game to help people learn about the culture, language and communication skills needed to succeed in the Far East.

Jeremiah Alexander is a ‘serious games’ and new media specialist who runs Babel Digital from the University of Teesside’s Victoria Building. During the last 18 months, Jeremiah has worked closely with experts at the IDI to develop Guanxi. Guanxi - which literally means ‘relationships’ - is the first in a range of serious games that Babel Digital is developing to help people overcome the challenges of learning foreign languages and new cultures, especially in a business environment.

Babel Digital developed Guanxi using 3D graphics and advanced animation techniques which accurately represent body language and gestures. These allow users to learn and practice this essential area of communication, a vital business tool, which are often overlooked by traditional methods of learning languages.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows users to practice conversation skills and cultural etiquette and build rapport with different characters within the game as they would in the real world.

Guanxi is currently a PC-based tool but Babel Digital is currently working on launching it online.

Jeremiah said: “Computer games technology has enhanced phenomenally in recent years and we aim to be at the forefront of it in the variety of serious games and educational tools we develop. Thanks to expert help from the IDI we now have an original concept to take to the marketplace which takes learning to the next level. Users are immersed within virtual environments where they can actively learn and practice their foreign language and cultural awareness skills.”

For more details on Guanxi visit the Babel Digital website