Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can be used in many different ways and forms in our present society. Although virtual worlds and virtual reality may seem very futuristic, there have been many technological developments and advocates that have been contributing to the progression of its capabilities throughout the years. One way that virtual worlds may be used to impact our society in a beneficial way is by creating scenarios for professional such as doctors and pilots to be able to practice simulations of real world events and increase their level of skill and competency in those areas. I believe this is a pro for society because without virtual world training such as this would be nearly impossible. Another pro of virtual worlds would be the bridge it creates between community and creativity. Virtual worlds are a platform that allow creative individuals to interact with one another and share / learn from common experiences. A negative side of virtual worlds is a very common one interpreted by society which is the overload of online activity instead of in-person communication which creates a lack of social skills. Although this is true among excessive users of these virtual platforms, studies such as the 'iReport' CNN article demonstrate that "Although not much research is yet available, there is clearly considerable potential in use of new technologies for fostering social skills," (1). Another disadvantage or con to virtual worlds is the excessive time and effort that goes into creating a realistic world. Mimicking real world interactions or environmental features has proved to be a very challenging task. Details such as "...a whole range of environments, from auditoriums and collaboration pods to social areas where the avatars could pick up a beer around a log fire, or walk around a sculpture park and talk,", as Parmar told CNN in the news article "Going to the virtual office in Second Life" (2) are very hard to manipulate and regulate to ensure the quality remains the same for each individual user of the platform. 
I believe virtual worlds foster creativity because of the innovative nature of the platform. Just one decade ago, technology such as virtual reality seemed very far off and now that it has arrived, I believe that sparks creativity among all users to imagine the impossible and use virtual worlds to connect and share ideas, as I mentioned above. I think that the future of virtual worlds is bound to grow and become integrated into our daily lives simply because of the practicality and wide range of uses, as we discussed. The applications of virtual worlds seems infinite at the moment particularly due to the large-scale progress that has been made in that effort. 


(1) iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction by Nicole Saidi, CNN, March 28, 2008.

(2) Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009.