Animation realism affects perceived character appeal of a self-virtual face

Abstract

Appearance and animation realism of virtual characters in games, movies or other VR applications has been shown to affect audiences levels of acceptance and engagement with these characters. However, when a virtual character is representing us in VR setup, the level of engagement might also depend on the levels of perceived ownership and sense of control (agency) we feel towards this virtual character. In this study, we used advanced face-tracking technology in order to map real-time tracking data of participants' head and eye movements, as well as facial expressions on virtual faces with different appearance realism characteristics (realistic or cartoon-like) and different levels of animation realism (complete or reduced facial movements). Our results suggest that virtual faces are perceived as more appealing when higher levels of animation realism are provided through real-time tracking. Moreover, high-levels of face-ownership and agency can be induced through synchronous mapping of the face tracking on the virtual face. In this study, we provide valuable insights for future games that use face tracking as an input.