The Effect of the Emotion-related Channel in 3D Virtual Communication Environments

An emotion-related channel was combined with electronic chat in a 3D virtual communication environment. Users can convey specific feelings by manipulating the facial expressions and gestures of their 3D characters (avatars). To examine the effects of the emotion-related channel, an experiment was carried out in two elementary schools with fiftyfive student participants. It was found that the children were able to communicate more freely and effectively than by simple electronic chat sessions. In addition, the emotionrelated channel also served to stimulate textual dialogue between partners. Our findings indicate that text-based media communication environments could be greatly enhanced with an emotion-related channel.