Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

There are many different ways that virtual worlds may be utilized. There are articles on how virtual reality is being used in the government, in battling Autism, and also as a marketing tool. The government aspect describes when multiple people, including individuals from IBM and congress, came together virtually to hold a meeting. (Musgrove, Washington Post) They used avatars and speech bubbles to mimic attendance while a projector showed everything live, this was all on the virtual platform Second Life. In the meeting they discussed the dangers and limitations of Second Life. In another situation, Second Life is used to created a virtual safe space for those on the spectrum (Saidi, CNN) Another example would be using virtual reality to explore spaces like the Lower East Side of Manhattan  (Itzkoff, NYTimes) People will be able to login to their Avatars and be able to walk around and even go into real stores. 

There are many pros to this. People can use it to be more productive for meetings and group projects because they can just do it online without having to waste time to meet up. Also it can be used for those with mental disabilities, as shown through Second Life and how some use it to combat Autism. There are other uses like for medical professionals, they can get more practice in before dealing with real humans. However, virtual reality is not without its cons. For example, some may argue that the more and more time we spend online, the less actual social human interaction we will have. This will lead to the fact that people will have less social skills and will not know how to communicate. Also even with the virtual reality of exploring the Lower East Side, people have expressed dislike to the idea that people will be able to enjoy landmarks and establishments without actually having to visit them. Also the idea of virtual performances and who would be hosting is another issue that came up. Even with the congress meeting, there were concerns over illegal activity online. Beyond all of that too, it's hard to reconstruct reality. There may even be instances where it's doesn't follow the laws of physics because it was programmed incorrectly. 

Virtual worlds also foster a learning environment for creativity. Many of these virtual reality sites allow you to customize your own avatar in almost every way possible. There are thousands of combinations to try. Not to mention the fact that these platforms are always changing, and users who know how to can change their entire virtual world with the click of just a few buttons. 

In the future I see virtual reality going very far. For example, with the new advancements in Virtual Reality headsets, there are an immense amount of games and educational seminars that have come from that. Entire thrilling games have been shown, 3-D IMAX movies are becoming more and more advanced with their viewers too. 


Itzkoff, Dave. "I’ve Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Musgrove, Mike. "At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide." The Washington Post. WP Company, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Saidi, Nicole. "IReport: 'Naughty Auties' Battle Autism with Virtual Interaction." CNN. Cable News Network, 28 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.