As someone who has traveled a lot, I have come to face a lot of loneliness while being apart from family, friends and anything familiar. I created an interactive virtual friend to address the theme of loneliness. I will focus on friendship and how just being with someone you know can make you happy and less lonely. My main visual component is an alien-esque being who want to be your friend that will demonstrate this concept.
I programmed a monster named is Leroy. Leroy is just a kid who seems to have the same response for everything. Despite being an annoying little kid, Leroy will listen to whatever you say no matter what. He loves your company and he will become someone you would want to talk to and be friends with. Leroy can always be there to listen to your problems and you will soon forget that he’s just a computer-generated creature.
He works by reading the volume level in the room so Leroy will know when you are talking, to be quiet. He knows when you are quiet; he is allowed to talk. When you yell at him, he will yell back just like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. These reactions are all displayed using videos. On top of the videos, there is a live feed from a webcam so that there is a more realistic feel of an online video chat.
I’ve always wanted to be able to talk and interact with the alien/monster characters I create and share them with other people. Leroy will be the first one who gets this chance. Everyone will be able to share experiences with him and find a friend in him. He is not a Tamagachi or any other virtual pet that you may have seen before. He is on the same level as you: a friend, not a pet. You don’t feed or bathe him. He is you’re true-life virtual friend.
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