Interventions involving simulated interactions aimed at mimicking real situations must be engaging to maximize their effectiveness. This study aimed to assess how a sample of middle school girls displayed behavioral and cognitive indicators of engagement when interacting with avatars representing game characters that were controlled by a human digital puppeteer. The simulation game, DRAMA-RAMA, is a component of an intervention intended to reduce at-risk girls' sexual and other risky behaviors. We used verbal/nonverbal behaviors and surveys to assess the game players' cognitive and behavioral involvement (N = 131). Participants perceived the game scenarios and interactions as realistic and the characters as similar to people in real life. Participants' behavior indicated their involvement and interest in interacting with the game characters. Finally, participants tended to be appropriate but not effective when attempting to advise/support the characters. These findings have implications for assessing successful operationalization of communication designs in interactive virtual learning environments.

Keywords: Behavioral Engagement; Communication Design; Computer-simulated training; Interactive Virtual Learning Environments; Narrative Engagement; communication competence.