Do you play video games or watch sci-fi with CGI-ed human characters? You have probably wandered into the “Uncanny Valley.” I have long been fascinated with the concept of the Uncanny Valley, a term coined by Japanese roboticist, Masahiro Mori, in 1970. In recent years, technology has come a long way from the super-pixelated, 2-D sprites, and more and more games are moving toward realism, and the rendering of human characters in this way. But something is a little bit off . . . . Is it the way these characters move, it is the unnatural expressions on their faces? The Uncanny Valley can be described as “the paradoxical point at which a simulation of life becomes it’s so good, it’s bad.”
Interested in learning more about the Uncanny Valley? Check out these articles!
The Undead Zone: Why Realistic Graphics Make Humans Look Creepy