Situated Play, Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Conference © 2007 Authors & Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Personal and educational classroom use of this paper is allowed, commercial use requires specific permission from the author. Exploring the Uncanny Valley with Japanese Video Game Characters Dr. Edward Schneider Yifan Wang Shanshan Yang SUNY Potsdam Abstract: Dr. Masahiro Mori’s robotics design theory, the Uncanny Valley, has become a common reference in virtual character design. The theory holds that robots whose appearance is very close to being human, but not fully, will evoke a very negative human reaction. The theory is often referenced in design outside of robots, especially in video games, but there is very little data to support this application. The attempts at photorealistic graphics in the latest round of video game hardware have made reference to the valley common in even mass media discussion. This study asked 60 subjects their opinions on 75 different virtual characters from both inside and outside video games to investigate the relationship between human-like appearance and attraction. The results found definite parallels between Mori’s predictions with robots and subject opinion on virtual characters, and have direct application to video game character design. Keywords: Uncanny Valley, virtual characters, video games, character design. Introduction: Masahiro Mori’s robotics theory, The Uncanny Valley, has become an increasingly common reference in discussion of video game character design [Duffy 2003]. The term ‘Uncanny Valley’ refers to a temporary dip in the positive relationship between how human a robot looks and how comfortable people are with its appearance. Mori theorized the positive relationship continues until robots get too close to being human in appearance without being fully, at which point human reaction becomes negative [Mori 1970]. Mori uses prosthetic limbs and zombies as examples to explain the concept of being very close to being human but still evoking a negative reaction. The most positive reaction then will come from robots that perfectly mirror humans. The dip in perceived attractiveness is what he called the ‘uncanny valley.’ Examples of the concept coming up in media are the repeated mentions by film critic Roger Ebert [2004, 2006] and its use in discussion on American sports channel ESPN of the newest version of an American football game franchise [Hruby 2006]. However, unlike academic discussion of the Valley, popular media discussion will most often use it in discussion of media like video game and film..[Mori 2005] Research on the existence or other aspects of the Uncanny Valley are almost entirely with Robots, thus application to virtual characters is not what the theory was intended to describe. Mori’s original depiction of the Uncanny Valley [1970] This research is an effort to investigate the application of Mori’s theory to virtual characters, especially looking at how popular video game characters fit into the spectrum. The design of this study is simple, it asked 60 people to give their reactions to 75 virtual characters from both games and elsewhere, as an effort to study the relationship between human-like appearance and visual appeal. Objective: Obviously in the early 1970’s robots were less common than they are today. At the time of its writing it would have been very difficult for Mori to find robots that represented the range from industrial to human in order to test his theory. Lack of available robots is informally indicated by how Mori uses non-robotic examples to explain the Valley. His use of a Japanese bunraku puppet as an example in his initial graphing of the valley, as well as comments he has made since its publication indicate that he feels the theory could apply outside of pure robotics. Today there are thousands, if not millions, of virtual characters that span video games, television, film, and comics. Considering the frequency of which Mori’s theory comes up in virtual character design [Weschler 2002], it is appropriate to investigate and measure the relationship between how human-like virtual characters appear and how people react to them. This is an especially important issue in video game design, where all the characters are virtual, and the increasing strides towards photorealism in games has put more and more characters into what many feel is the Uncanny Valley [Thompson 2005]. The 546