Previous research has shown that student-instructor interaction is vital to motivating students to learn a second language. However, it is unclear whether learners' demographics affect in-game immersion and interactions with virtual instructors. This study's purpose is to investigate whether the number of years learning Japanese (foreign language familiarity) influences students' immersion levels in serious games and their interactions with virtual instructors. We developed a 3D animated Japanese roleplaying game with a virtual in-game instructor. Eighty-four college students enrolled in 200-and 300-level Japanese language courses voluntarily participated in the study. Participants played the game and then answered a questionnaire concerning virtual character appearance, attentiveness to the instructor, and immersion in the game. The findings indicated that gender and the number of years studying Japanese significantly impact multiple measurements.
This between-group study investigated participants' experiences of tactile feedback patterns when asked to hug a virtual character. Five experimental conditions were developed, one with no tactile feedback and four with tactile feedback. The participants were placed in a virtual city and informed they would be meeting a virtual friend, who they were instructed to hug once the character came close to them. During the virtual hug, one of the five experimental conditions was examined. Immediately after the hug, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire to capture their experiences. The results obtained from this study indicated that: (1) even if the tactile feedback is not considered to be highly accurate in terms of timing, duration, and position, as long as it is perceived as less persistent, it provides a more positive experience; (2) the perceived realism of the virtual hug is strongly correlated with the perceived realism of the tactile feedback; and (3) the female participants had a more intense interaction with the virtual character (friend) compared with the male participants.Limitations and future study directions are discussed.
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