A control apparatus is connected to a device (20) for detecting a user's hand motion and controls a motion of a virtual character. The control apparatus decides, in accordance with a detection result of the user's hand motion by the device (20), whether the detected user's motion is a first instruction action or a second instruction action. The first instruction action achieves a match between a hand motion of the character and the user's hand motion. The second instruction action instructs an action different from the user's hand motion. When it is decided, as a result of the decision, that the detected user's hand motion is the first instruction action, the control apparatus achieves a match between the character's hand motion and the detected user's hand motion. When it is decided that the detected user's hand motion is the second instruction action, the control apparatus causes the character to perform an action different from the hand motion.