The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on focused, quantitative research to understand how virtual worlds and immersive games may have real world effects–particularly effects that could positively impact individual and group analytic performance.

Due April 12, the responses will provide IARPA with information relevant to a possible future program and will inform a potential Broad Agency Announcement.

IARPA is interested in responses considering questions such as what are the important virtual and real world environmental variables that control the strength and persistence of real world performance. Variables could include the degree of fidelity, image and sound quality, level of immersion, amount of repetition, social effects, narrative structure, language skills, and cultural background.

Submissions should be theory-driven, and any prospective virtual world or game development, along with experimental paradigms to test their effectiveness, should be informed by existing or new theories, the RFI said. Theories may be derived from a number of disciplines, including but not limited to: education, clinical psychology, social psychology, health care, or neurology.

Additionally, RFI responses may be used to inform a two day workshop to be held in May.

Inquiries about this RFI must be submitted to [email protected].