Even Their Glitches are Fun: Exploring the Charm of Virtual Idols

Article published: October 01, 2023

Original source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/032/0003252241?sid=103

English translation: plaveintl

Amidst the expansion of the virtual human market with technological advancements, a new environment has been created where virtual idols join forces with K-pop idols to grace large-scale concerts.

Virtual idols PLAVE and ISEGYEIDOL took to the stage for their first major offline concert on the 23rd. On the 23rd, just a week before the Chuseok holiday, a special screening was held at a CGV theater in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. It featured a live broadcast of performances by "virtual idols" who had performed at a music festival in Songdo, Incheon. This event, which was held in only seven CGV theaters nationwide, including Seoul and Daegu, sold out quickly. Social media was abuzz with people begging for tickets. Some even offered to pay extra for them. The term "virtual idols" may sound familiar to some, but a lot of people may not know exactly what they are. ere's a breakdown of the current trend of virtual idols that you might find interesting.

Simply put, a "virtual idol" refers to an idol that acts as a virtual character. These virtual characters can be 2D animations or images similar to webtoons, or they can be designed to resemble real people as closely as possible. The "entity" or real person behind the character can be either a real human being or an artificial intelligence (AI). If you're still thinking, "What's this all about?" think of it as a K-pop version of the 1998 "cyber singer" Adam, but with the latest modern technology added in a significant way.

Virtual Idols Also Do Fan Signings and Live Performances

A virtual idol group also performed at the MBC Idol Radio Concert held at the World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Seoul. They are PLAVE, an up-and-coming male virtual idol group consisting of five members.

PLAVE's album, which was released in August, has already sold over 200,000 copies in its initial release, making it a hot topic. During the concert that day, their fanbase, PLLI, showed their enthusiastic support with light sticks, and videos of their spirited cheering were shared on social media. Like ISEGYEIDOL, PLAVE have five real people behind their characters. Their appearance gives off a vibe similar to that of male protagonists in Korean webtoons, unlike previous Japanese-style virtual characters.

PLAVE is a group created by the startup VLAST. From the very beginning, they deliberately avoided the discomfort that people might have with virtual humans. They also planned to resemble Korean webtoon characters. What sets PLAVE apart is their advanced technology. Human movement is directly reflected in the characters, allowing for live broadcasts without post-production. Using this technology, PLAVE has even held fan signing events via video call. Now isn't that an incredible technological feat?

Glitches are Also Part of the Charm of Virtual Idols

What is the appeal of virtual idols? Fans often say, jokingly or half-seriously, "It's comforting because you don't have to worry about (or write about) their real-life antics like you would with real people.

In reality, however, the reasons for being a fan are not much different from other idols. It could be watching the growth of members who are going through hardships and being moved by them, getting caught up in their comedic content, or stumbling upon their music and falling in love with their songs, and so on.

A fan in their 20s, A, who is a fan of PLAVE, mentioned that they were captivated by the charm of the members while watching PLAVE's official YouTube shorts. They said, "The editing style of the shorts was fun, and I started to like them because of the chemistry between the members. I didn't know anything about virtual idols in the first place, but because of PLAVE, I have become interested in other virtual idols as well." A also visited a birthday cafe dedicated to PLAVE and attended this year's IDOL RADIO Concert.

Virtual idols have an "unexpected charm" that is unique to them. A mentioned, "PLAVE's charm probably lies in its 'glitches'." PLAVE uses a system that reflects the movements of "entities" behind the characters in real time, and sometimes errors occur. For example, when members are sitting together at a table, one member's leg may appear bent at an odd angle, or when they're standing, their right hand may appear twisted. A said, "Even though some fans may not like it, the way each member handles the mistakes differently adds to their charm. Among fans, 'glitches compilation' videos have a lot of views. My bias, Noah, often goes off-screen to solve problems with the staff. Bamby might vigorously punch or shake the part where glitches occurred, which I find entertaining." If you watch actual clips with glitches, you'll notice that instead of getting upset, the members often laugh, tease each other, and casually handle the situation by asking others to wait while it's resolved.

But if you only see these "virtual" characters, don't you ever wonder about the "entities" behind the characters? Many virtual idol fans don't seem to be curious about the real people at all. In fact, it's more like they don't want to know. It's like they're saying, "Don't try to find out and don't tell us." Finding out who the real person behind the character is is sometimes referred to as "taking the red pill," which is a reference to the movie "The Matrix," where taking a red pill leads to an awakening. In reality, if a completely different looking real person suddenly appeared behind the character you've grown to like, it might feel a little incongruous.

A mentioned, "I think knowing the real people is separate from liking PLAVE. I have no negative or positive view of them, and I just respect their choice to work as PLAVE."

Now that you've learned a little bit about your virtual idols, how would you like to close out this holiday season with some of their music?