## 2 State-of-the-Art and Related Work  
Analyzing utterances and natural language occurring during negotiation in terms of conflict handling is a hard task which is still open [16; 17]. The most common approach requires the analysis of the parties' behaviour in terms of linguistic blocks, which can help interpret the concern and the power of one party on the other [18]. These blocks that can describe stalling or making threats, as well as demands [19; 20] or persuasion [21; 22], or relational versus rational power [23]. The occurrence of these coding blocks can be measured with statistical models [24] such as Markov chain [25]. Other works focused on the outcome of the negotiation, constituting instead a training ground [26]. However, a more molecular and traditional approach to explore negotiation utterances, especially in relation with [PERSON] and [PERSON]'s five style model, is personal pronoun analysis. In literature, previous pioneering work investigated the relationship between personal pronoun use and the level of engagement in the negotiation among the parties involved, e.g., [27; 28]. The level of engagement and detachment is related to concern for self and for others in the interaction. As per [PERSON] and [PERSON]'s dimensions, highly engaged agents are cognitively involved with the other agent of the negotiation, while low-engaged agents show detachment from their own as well as others' conversation subject and arguments. In particular, one pioneering study in communication [29] takes into account three types of pronouns (first person, second person and relational pronouns) and uses the ratios second/first person and relational/first person pronouns to estimate the level of cognitive and communicative involvement the speaker has with the other party. The theory hypothesises that second/first person ratio indicates the position of the conversation on a continuum from \"concern for the other\" to \"concern for self\", while the relational/first person ratio indicates how integrative the approach is. Finally, other recent studies confirmed first person pronouns and second person pronouns as indicators of concern in the negotiation [30; 31]. It has to be highlighted, however, that all the mentioned studies operated on limited datasets. Among the many game-based e-learning technologies for the assessment of soft skills that make use of virtual agents, [PERSON] recently proposed a scenario-based role-play serious game for training communication, gender awareness and cultural awareness in peacekeeping missions aimed at police officers, civilians and the military [32]. Eutopia [33], instead, is a multiplayer platform that provides role-play simulations focused on the development of soft skills. The aim of this tool is to represent a training system able to promote the improvement of mediation skills. In particular, the goal of the training is to allow users to get in touch synchronously in verbal and non-verbal modes within a predefined simulated scenario and test their communication strategies. A game-based platform for the assessment of leadership skills and styles was also developed recently by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [34] in order to promote motivation, facilitation, coaching, mindset changing, and communication. All the previously mentioned e-learning tools can provide valid scenarios for the learners to practice their skills, either individually or within peer groups; however, although some interactions can be made via natural language, none of them analyzes and makes use of the sentences expressed by the users during the interactions with virtual characters as variables to identify user profiles and provide an accurate assessment. Additionally, the limitations of the existing platforms lie in the absence of a theoretically sound interpretation of the assessment and training provided. The progress and the evaluation achieved with these technologies, in fact, cannot be reconciled with a validated and standardised assessment provided by traditional methodologies.