Language skills from a 3D game

Aug 28 2008 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

AS the dust settles on the Bird’s Nest stadium and the Olympians head for home, one North East tech firm is preparing its own bid for gold in China.

Middlesbrough-based developer Babel Digital is set to launch a game which allows users to practise conversation skills and cultural etiquette before entering Far East markets.

Guanxi uses advanced 3D animation techniques and artificial intelligence and has received gathering interest from potential clients in China and the UK.

Managing director Jeremiah Alexander said: “We’ve been speaking with potential partners both in the UK and China and are currently working on a marketing strategy and sales predictions but expect the product to have a major impact.”

In fact Mr Alexander believes the product could help triple the size of the company’s annual revenue and workforce – which currently consists of just four people – within the next 12 months.

The company plans to release the game online next year. It will initially be aimed at the business market before being targeted at a more universal audience with the possibility of other languages and cultures in the future.

He said: “We believe that as awareness of game-based learning increases, our business will see major growth.”

“With Guanxi we asked ourselves what the single best way to learn a language and the culture was. The answer was actually living in the country of that language and culture.

“We looked into ways to emulate this invaluable experience and this is where the game comes in.”

Meanwhile, the developer is working on a game to teach children about recycling.