Benincasa, B.

Di Ferdinando, Andrea

Miglino, Orazio

Rega, A.

PUblication MAnagement

ECEL 2007 
6th European Conference 
on e-Learning 
Copenhagen Business School 
Denmark 
4-5 October 2007 
Edited by 
Dr Dan Remenyi 
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland 
 
 
SISINE: Teaching Negotiation Through a Multiplayer Online 
Role Playing Game 
Orazio Miglino1,2, Andrea Di Ferdinando2, Angelo Rega1 and Barbara 
Benincasa3 
1University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy 
2 nstitute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome, Italy 
3XiWrite, Italy 
 
Abstract. Trainers have used role-playing games to teach negotiation skills for a long 
time. In traditional practice, learners in a small group “act out” the roles assigned by the 
trainer. The SISINE Project (www.SISINE.net) – funded by the EU Leonardo Program - 
has developed a teaching methodology making it possible to conduct this kind of role 
playing game at a distance. The teaching methodology exploits a specially-developed 
technology platform allowing a small community of players to communicate, interact and 
play online. The current beta version supports up to twenty simultaneous players, 
represented by avatars. Communication among players is based on short text messages 
displayed in bubble cartoons above the avatars’ heads. Special controls allow players to 
control the avatars’ movements, gestures and facial expressions. This way, the community 
can communicate, interact and play online. The platform provides the normal functionality 
expected by players of Multiplayer On-line Role-Playing Games (MORPG) as well as 
special functions allowing a trainer to set up games, intervene during game play, record 
specific phases of a game, annotate recordings and discuss them with the players. Since 
January 2007, the SISINE project has been testing its platform and methodology in 
Poland, Slovakia and Italy. In Poland the experimental group consists of company sales 
representatives; in Slovakia of managers in NGOs; In Italy of teachers. The testing is still 
in progress. In each case, the group uses a custom-designed virtual environment to 
practice specific forms of negotiation: commercial negotiation (in Poland), negotiation in 
human resources management (Slovakia) and intercultural negotiation (Italy). In all cases, 
SISINE helps learners to acquire basic notions and rules about negotiation and, more 
importantly, practical know-how on how to apply this knowledge. 
 
 
Keywords: Role games, negotiation, vocational training, MORPG 
 


SISINE: teaching negotiation through a Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

http://puma.isti.cnr.it/rmydownload.php?filename=cnr.istc/cnr.istc/2007-A2-085/2007-A2-085.pdf

SISINE: teaching negotiation through a Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

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