Using Game Engines to Develop Virtual Agents

Abstract: Virtual agents have been around since the 1960’s and theirusage is constantly increasing. They are used in manydifferent settings. At the same time, game engines are usedmore and more for various purposes. In this paper, the aim isto create two proof-of-concept virtual agents in the form of ahumanoid receptionist as part of a bigger project. The agentswere implemented using two of the most widely used gameengines, Unity and Unreal Engine. During the development,the different aspects of the engines and their suitability fordeveloping virtual agents were compared. It was found thatUnity was easier to use for someone inexperienced withgame engines, but that it in general is more of a matter ofpersonal preference.