Avoiding Virtual Characters: The Effects of Proximity and Gesture

We explored how study participants interacted with virtual characters in a virtual reality study. Specifically, we developed a 3 (proximity: close vs. middle vs. far) $\times 2$ (gesture: passive vs. active) experimental design (N = 26) to understand how combinations of proximity between two virtual characters and gestures assigned to them influence study participants’ self-reported ratings (co-presence, attentional allocation, behavioral interdependence, emotional reactivity, and perceived politeness). We also examined their avoidance movements (duration, trajectory length, and speed) and their avoidance decisions (passing through/around and minimum distance side). We collected both survey responses and our participants’ trajectories. Our study revealed that 1) the proximity factor impacted how our participants rated their co-presence and behavioral interdependence, as well as whether they decided to pass through or around the virtual characters, and 2) the gesture factor impacted how participants rated their behavioral interdependence, emotional reactivity, perceived politeness, and also affected their duration, trajectory length, and speed. Our research contributes to understanding personal space and social norms in virtual environments, offering valuable insights for virtual reality developers on the importance of social dynamics in designing interactions with virtual characters.