Virtual Characters

As we already explained, Virtual Reality (VR) refers to a technology that is capable of shifting a subject into a different environment without physically moving him or her. Immersion is a key issue in VR systems, as it is central to the paradigm in which the user becomes part of the simulated world, rather than the simulated world being a feature of the user's own world. Presence is the psychological sense of “being there” in the environment based on the technologically founded immersive base. However, any given immersive system does not necessarily always lead to presence for all people. The problem is that immersion is too often considered a hardware problem. The use of an HMD or a CAVE is supposed to provide immersion and increase the sense of presence. But how can we believe we are in a world when there is no inhabitant even when immersed? We may think about virtual worlds inhabited by a virtual character society, where virtual humans will co-operate, negotiate, make friends, communicate, group and ungroup, depending on their likes, moods, emotions, goals, fears, and so on. We may also think about a virtual world inhabited by animals or fictitious creatures. This chapter is dedicated to virtual characters and their role in virtual worlds.