DEAL is a multidisciplinary research platform where challenges and potential benefits of combining elements from computer games, dialogue systems and language learning can be explored. In short, DEAL is a game with a spoken language interface designed for second language learners. The practical motivation of DEAL was to build an application where conversational skills can be practised in a fun and meaningful context. DEAL sets the scene of a flea market where a talking animated agent is the owner of a shop where used objects are sold. The users are second language learners of Swedish who by talking to the embodied conversational agent in DEAL can practise their conversational skills.

DEAL is developed as a free-standing part of Ville, a framework for language learning developed at KTH. Whereas Ville is a language tutor who provides the user with feedback on performance, the agent in DEAL does not comment on your performance but acts as your conversation partner in a role-playing fashion. DEAL adds the possibility to give conversation training.

Publications

Hjalmarsson, A. (2008). Speaking without knowing what to say... or when to end. In Proceedings of SIGDial 2008. Columbus, Ohio, USA. [pdf]

Brusk, J., Lager, T., Hjalmarsson, A., & Wik, P. (2007). DEAL Dialogue Management in SCXML for Believable Game Characters. In Proceedings of ACM Future Play 2007 (pp. 137-144). [pdf]

Hjalmarsson, A., Wik, P., & Brusk, J. (2007). Dealing with DEAL: a dialogue system for conversation training. In Proceedings of SigDial, (pp. 132-135). Antwerp, Belgium. [pdf]

Wik, P., Hjalmarson, A., & Brusk, J. (2007). Computer Assisted Conversation Training for Second Language Learners. Proceedings of Fonetik, TMH-QPSR, 50,(1), 57-60. [pdf]

Wik, P., Hjalmarson, A., & Brusk, J. (2007). DEAL A Serious Game For CALL Practicing Conversational Skills In The Trade Domain. In Proceedings of SLATE 2007 [pdf]