Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds is a new software technology that gives us the ability to experience an environment digitally, vs. realistically. It can be used for many purposes including video games, design, entertainment, and even education. Some pros include that the virtual worlds can be better experienced than the real world with more detail. It allows you to feel like you are in a different location than you physically are in. It allows for very good communication and connection with other people. As the article, The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher states, “The internet offers such advantages as flexible access and new ways of communicating...” However, there are also some cons to it. Virtual worlds are very costly and cannot be accessed by all. There are not set guidelines and rules in the virtual world, so some things that are usually unacceptable in the real world, may get away in the virtual world. There is a lot of creative room to explore and to create more purposes and uses for virtual reality. Diane Mehta further explains in her article, After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?, “No one has been creative enough to think beyond what’s already out there. Some businesses got into virtual worlds early on, at the top of the hype cycle, and got disappointed and left. Virtual worlds still aren’t ready for a full monetization plan, though they’re getting close”. Since virtual reality is built off of the virtual world, and not the real world, there is a lot of room for creativity and customization. The avatars used in the virtual can all be customized as needed, as long as the purpose and software of the virtual world. They will definitely continue to work on trying to make the virtual worlds more and more realistic, but I don’t know how close they will be able to get.