SoCueVR: Virtual Reality Game for Social Cue Detection Training

The ability to recognize social cues and knowing how to approach people in public is an important skill. SoCueVR is a virtual reality game, intended to teach children with autism how to detect social cues and knowing how to initiate contact with strangers. The goal of the game is to support a charity by selling pens to people walking around a mall. Only some of the virtual people are interested in buying and that can be seen in their nonverbal behavior, such as gaze and facial expression. By detecting the nonverbal cues early, the player spends more time selling and less time getting turned down. A prototype was user tested and reviewed by an expert in social training for children with autism, suggesting strong potential.