Open AccessTurn‐Taking, Children, and the Unpredictability of Fun
Author(s) -
Lehman Jill Fain,
Leite Iolanda
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ai magazine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 2371-9621
pISSN - 0738-4602
DOI - 10.1609/aimag.v37i4.2685
Subject(s) - entertainment , character (mathematics) , chart , variety (cybernetics) , constraint (computer aided design) , turn taking , computer science , expression (computer science) , communication , psychology , human–computer interaction , artificial intelligence , engineering , mathematics , art , visual arts , programming language , mechanical engineering , conversation , statistics , geometry
When the goal is entertainment, designing language‐based interactions between characters and small groups of young children is a balancing act. On the one hand, an autonomous character should support the freedom of expression and natural behaviors of children having fun. On the other hand, an autonomous character is only capable of supporting the activity it's designed for and the behavior it anticipates. In the last five years we have watched this tension between freedom and constraint play out in hundreds of small groups in a variety of activities. Using two of the activities as examples, we chart the ups and downs of turn‐taking and other language behaviors along the Fun Curve.