Comments on: The Uncanny Valley (yeah you should know this already) http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/ Artificial intelligence, virtual worlds, and game design. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:07:50 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Allan Hill http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-36 Allan Hill Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:03:58 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-36 I wonder. Does the uncanny valley apply to other aspects of games as well? For example UI. Puzzle Pirates is cartoony and I am willing to put up with some 'unrealistic' stuff like stopping what I am doing at every league point to check my progress. Or the unrealism of being able to tell the name and relative strenth of other avetars in most games. Another question, does this apply to online society and government? Will we hit a point where making more realistic online structures makes them less likable? I wonder. Does the uncanny valley apply to other aspects of games as well? For example UI. Puzzle Pirates is cartoony and I am willing to put up with some ‘unrealistic’ stuff like stopping what I am doing at every league point to check my progress. Or the unrealism of being able to tell the name and relative strenth of other avetars in most games.

Another question, does this apply to online society and government? Will we hit a point where making more realistic online structures makes them less likable?

]]> By: Allan Hill http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-34 Allan Hill Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:04:15 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-34 Hello Bryan. Happy Thanksgiving. :-) Hello Bryan. Happy Thanksgiving. :-)

]]> By: Bryan Alexander http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-33 Bryan Alexander Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:48:08 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-33 That's a great video. I'm reminded of Scott McCloud's argument about this very point in terms of images, in his excellent _Understanding Comics_. He showed that simple, "cartoonish" images are easy containers to hold our character identification, while photorealistic ones don't do that as well. I wonder if this applies to detail in game, in terms of player characters vs NPCs. Perhaps NPCs should get the best photorealism treatment, especially ones without a lot of motion. And player characters be more cartoony. This helps explain why so many folks in Second Life prefer fantasy character details. That’s a great video.

I’m reminded of Scott McCloud’s argument about this very point in terms of images, in his excellent _Understanding Comics_. He showed that simple, “cartoonish” images are easy containers to hold our character identification, while photorealistic ones don’t do that as well.

I wonder if this applies to detail in game, in terms of player characters vs NPCs. Perhaps NPCs should get the best photorealism treatment, especially ones without a lot of motion. And player characters be more cartoony.

This helps explain why so many folks in Second Life prefer fantasy character details.

]]> By: Bill Walker http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-19 Bill Walker Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:31:07 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-19 I don't seem to wonder why compelling AI matters as much as I wonder if I'll ever encounter such a thing in my lifetime. I don’t seem to wonder why compelling AI matters as much as I wonder if I’ll ever encounter such a thing in my lifetime.

]]> By: Mike Sellers http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-16 Mike Sellers Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:26:03 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-16 Emotion, animation, meaningful goals we can empathize with... outside of movies and TV, this is new territory. Emotion, animation, meaningful goals we can empathize with… outside of movies and TV, this is new territory.

]]> By: david sellers http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/the-uncanny-valley-yeah-you-should-know-this-already/#comment-11 david sellers Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:50:22 +0000 http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-11 Yes, but how does one make something compelling, as in this character is so compelling, I am overwhelmed, or I feel compelled, somehow, to identify with this character. And the character does not have to human or human-like,right? Remember Thumper? Yes, but how does one make something compelling, as in this character is so compelling, I am overwhelmed, or I feel compelled, somehow, to identify with this character. And the character does not have to human or human-like,right? Remember Thumper?

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