The uncanny valley : in games & animation This book is based on a series of empirical studies the author conducted to establish how aspects of facial expression and speech may be manipulated to control the uncanny valley in character design. It presents a novel theory that goes beyond previous research in that the cause of the uncanny valley is based on a perceived lack of empathy in a character. This book makes an original scholarly contribution to our current understanding of the Uncanny Valley phenomenon and fills a gap in the literature by assessing the biological and social roots of the uncanny and its implications for computer graphics animation.