From Robot to Virtual Doppelganger: Impact of Avatar Visual Fidelity and Self-esteem on Perceived Attractiveness

Abstract

This paper presents the first study of a series of experiments aiming to investigate the impact of avatar visual fidelity on user experience with emphasis on the sense of embodiment in immersive virtual environments (IVE). This first experiment requires participants to evaluate three characters with several levels of visual fidelity: a robot, a suit and a virtual doppelganger. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the impact of truthfulness (degree of similarity between users and avatars) and self-esteem on perceived avatars’ attractiveness. Our results demonstrate the positive impact of truthfulness on the evaluation of attractiveness and suggest a correlation between self-esteem and avatar selection.