Integrating Multiagent Systems into Virtual Worlds

Abstract

Incorporating autonomy and intelligence into virtual worlds to build an engaging virtual environment for applications such as serious games is becoming more desirable. There are challenges in integrating these systems including concerns with synchronization, communication, monitoring, effi-ciency, and control. This paper presents an approach to integrating a virtual world engine with a multiagent system platform through the creation of an interface between them. We show the feasibility and effectiveness of the ap-proach through developing agents controlled non-player controlled charac-ters (NPCs) in Open Wonderland and purposeful communication channels among agents using Jason AgentSpeak. A QuizMASter scenario is described as a proof of concept of the use of such agent controlled avatars in education-al context for game-based learning applications.