Towards Characters With A Dynamic Model of Social Identity

In this work we propose a dynamic agent-based model of social identity, named IDeA, which is capable of creating characters that have an improved ability to handle and comprehend the social context in which a game situation takes place as well as the social identities involved in that context. The model explores how a character can use identity processes that are grounded on the social sciences literature as a tool for behaviour selection and filtering. As a result, characters will choose to adopt different identities dependent on their resources and goals as well as the relevant features of the contexts in which they find themselves in. A simple demonstrator application was implemented using our model to illustrate how a character can make different decisions in the same game scenario. Using the implemented demonstrator, a study was conducted where participants observed and judged how the character behaves in different conditions regarding the context of the situation. The results obtained revealed the presence of a dominant identity among the alternatives.