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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

Gizmoz new offering makes me feel good about some of our Voki features. Yup, I now have another avatar on my sidebar... a photorealistic 3D avatar created from a photo. You can even comment on a Gizmoz. Commenting on an avatar? Really... wow, I wonder where they got that? Still, kudos for adding that feature after the Voki launch. I also like the way they did it without a popup. We'll have to add that ourselves.

Still, I have to ask... what do people think about photorealistic avatars? Frankly, I think they're a little creepy. We've added them as part of the Sitepal service, but I've gone from using my custom drawn one, to a cartoon one, to one that's even more cartoony? I love my little bigheaded cartoon Voki guy and I think that one of the best parts of an avatar is that it's a representation of you... not actually you. We have this debate internally a lot and I've never been a big fan of 3-D photo conversion and am just fine sticking to my flat little 2D avatars.

PS... New commentary on StumbleUpon and Mahalo at Walken's site.

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May 31, 2007 in Venture Capital & Technology | Permalink

I am with you on that one. Those realistic avatars creep me out, just like those commericals that they have out there that look like actual humans but they are really cartoons :) But I guess it is the next great thing!

To Your Success!
Shannon Q.

Posted by: Shannon | May 31, 2007 1:02:21 PM

The fact that your avatar has a "big head" is kind of hilarious, no? It is a representation of you!

Posted by: Adrianna | May 31, 2007 1:50:27 PM

Oh my god that's creepy.

Posted by: Tim Marman | May 31, 2007 4:32:31 PM

Agreed. I dont actually get the whole 3d attempt in 2d form...it seems to be taking a step backwards, since realism has kind of already been established... remember video cameras?

Posted by: hannah | Jun 1, 2007 11:08:20 AM

ultimately, there will be a market for both, IMO breaking down the same way I see things evolving in film:

1. Cartoon/Sprite avatars will increase in ability to replicate your features while remaining pleasingly simple in layout and detail. You will have total freedom of choice to do 3D (pixar, grommit) or 2D, both will succeed or fail in the marketplace based on their ability to telegraph emotions true to the character (you) in a manner that impacts from the farthest distance away from the screen. Walken is great animated, but he's hardly animated enough given that he's... animated. You guys would do wonders for this app bringing in someone from Disney, pixar or perhaps a manga/anime studio, as they're totally facile with the 2D environment. "Extra-impactful" expressions that POP, but still true to the live human behind them FTW.

2. 3D/realistic will continue to evolve as well, transitioning through a painful period, similar to where video games have been for the last ten years. Until website/browser processing catches up to current state-of-the-art graphics-card-powered desktop/software imaging, and you arrive at results like this. Realism is not the killer app here though, the killer app is to take ultra-realistic representations of characters (you) and put them in ultra-realistic, but completely fantastical environments. One of the best examples of this IMO was Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which may not have had the most airtight plot in the history of celluloid, but had exotic locations that really captured the imagination (sky fortress, shangri la and a crazy cave in the himalayas). A winner in this space will be someone who lets you choose (or contextually auto-selects) humorous / interesting / inspiring environments from which to deliver your avatar messenging.

Posted by: Jonah | Jun 4, 2007 1:39:07 PM

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