March 28, 2008, Square Haven has ceased updates indefinitely. What you see below is an archived version.

Not-quite photo-realistic game images really creeping people out

  • Published at 21:50:12 PT
  • Reported by Jeriaska
  • Read 20,969 times
  • Karma:  -17 
  • Share: link to this page e-mail this page Digg it! Facebook
Roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term "Uncanny Valley" in 1970 to refer to the anxiety produced by looking at human marionettes that are entirely lifelike... only not quite. Now the term is being used to describe near photo-realistic videogames like French developer Quantic Dream's Playstation 3 thriller Heavy Rain, whose kinda almost lifelike visuals are reportedly really creeping the shit out of people. The term "uncanny" comes from Sigmund Freud's concept of the Unheimlichkeit, the sensation of seeing a dreamlike image in reality. Be sure to weigh QD's Uncanny Valley effect against Square Enix's equally Freudian Sexy Lightning effect when deciding your game purchases.

Submit a trackback link

Post a New CommentPlease register or login to comment

Copyright © 1998-2024 Square Haven. This material may not be published or rewritten without crediting Square Haven as the author. Terms of Use

Login here
or cancel
Forgot your password?