Game Technology to Help Women With Dating Violence

Women interested in protecting themselves from sexual assault may be turning to virtual reality for strategies in the future. Dedman College's Psychology Department and The Guildhall at SMU have begun experimenting with virtual programs that put women in situations where they can understand and avoid potential problems that occur with dating violence.

The simulation currently being used places the female participant in an automobile passenger seat of a car on a dark, rainy day next to a male actor who will control the virtual driver. The female then puts on a head-mounted video display that senses head movement and an audio headset.

The actor can control his virtual self with facial expressions and movement through a video keyboard and even map his lips to sync his in-game avatar. The virtual-driver has the ability to nod, shrug, and even pound the steering wheel out of anger, creating a very realistic scenario. The female will be drawn into a conversation that will eventually turn aggressive and demand sexual intimacy.

"We created an enclosed environment," says Jeff Perryman, Guildhall lecturer, who worked on the program with Tony Cuevas, Guildhall deputy director. "We wanted our participant to feel powerless. The rain was added to isolate her. The car is particularly creepy- we worked hard at that."

Earnest Jouriles, professor and chair of psychology, says that while role-playing is an established means in teaching people to deal with social problems, he hit a wall when he tried the same method to teach relationship violence.

"The role-playing produced giggles," Jouriles says. "And from my perspective, it didn't capture the imagination of the students."

62 undergraduate women were randomly assigned to either traditional or virtual reality role-play and were asked to fill out a questionnaire afterward. Those who experienced the virtual scenario rated the experience to be much more realistic than those of the role-play group.

Jouriles claimed the results were "very promising" and that hopes to see some variation of the program used in high schools and colleges. "This is a potential breakthrough opportunity for gaming technology - to help solve an important social problem."