Perception of complex emotional body language of a virtual character

Cathy Ennis, Arjan Egges

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Virtual characters are a common phenomenon in serious game applications, and can enrich training environments for a range of different purposes. These characters can be used in games that have been developed to help people with learning difficulties. They can also be used to help users develop social skills, such as communication. For social interactions, much communicative information is contained in the body language between the parties involved. We know that humans are sensitive to emotions when they are conveyed on a virtual character and are capable of correctly identifying certain emotions. However, research on emotions and virtual characters tends to focus on a small number of emotions. We wish to create characters for a serious game who will convey a wide range of complex and subtle emotions. This paper presents a first investigation into the use of complex emotional body language for a virtual character. In two experiments, we examine participants' perception of a range of motion-captured subtle emotions. Results from a pilot shows that participants are better able to recognise complex emotions with negative connotations rather than positive from a virtual character's body motion. A second experiment aims to identify perceptual overlaps in these emotions, and results obtained motivate further investigation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMotion in Games - 5th International Conference, MIG 2012, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages112-121
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9783642347092
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
Event5th International Conference on Motion in Games, MIG 2012 - Rennes, France
Duration: 15 Nov 201217 Nov 2012

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume7660 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference5th International Conference on Motion in Games, MIG 2012
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityRennes
Period15/11/1217/11/12

Keywords

  • Animation
  • Perception
  • Serious Games

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