Lately, there has been a rise in virtual YouTubers. Streamers and YouTube content creators use digital renditions of themselves using A.I to change their appearance. This creates an opportunity for those who feel self-conscious about personal appearances to present themselves as social media celebrities.
On this subject, a new Vtuber in the name of CodeMiko gained viewers with an interesting concept. Project CodeMiko is a virtual streamer. She is created using the Unreal Engine software and controlled via an Xsens motion capture suit. The suit alone can cost from $30,000 (RM124,080).
Being a virtual character, this is about the person behind Miko. She goes by the nickname, The Technician. She is the one devving, engineering, and rigging – in other words mapping Miko’s body so that she can move fluently.
Miko creates content on Twitch, which mostly revolves around interviews with fellow streamers and hanging out with her chat. The Technician describes it, the streams are a ‘quasi interactive RPG, where it’s kind of like an arcade and a game and a stream and an RPG at the same time.’
Viewers can also alter (sometimes) Miko’s physical attributes, by interacting in the chat room through Twitch’s special currency. From the innocuous mute/unmute options to making dead bodies explode behind her, Miko’s streams really go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds.
Although there are a few glitches that pop up here and there during streams, the progress is already quite impressive. Interested, you may check out her Twitch stream and keep up with her channel.