Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

So for this assignment I was asked to comment on Virtual Worlds.

Virtual worlds are basically online communities in which one is able to interact and live another life through the internet. Virtual worlds can include a variety of different things. They can be either the video games that we play online, or they can be an environment in which we are able to live in a world similar to ours, but one that we live from behind a screen. An example of this type of world is Second Life. Saki Knafo discusses in his article, "In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again", the concept of Second Life. He states that, "Second Life is a multiuser virtual environment, a computer program that lets online users construct settings and hang out in them, using video-game-like characters called avatars.  Another popular example of a virtual world is the popular and acclaimed video game, The Sims, which is basically the same thing as Second Life, but available on my more platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, etc.

The advantages that virtual worlds have is that they allow people to do things that they normally would not be able to do in their daily everyday lives. People with illness' are also able to benefit from virtual worlds and do thing that they normally would have a hard time doing, or feel uncomfortable doing. Nicole Saidi talks about a virtual world called Naughty Aunties in her article, "iReport: 'Naughty Aunties' battle autism with virtual interaction." Autism can cause behavioral and social problems. In Naughty Aunties people with autism are able to interact with other people through this online portal and do so comfortably. Psychologists and researchers are also able to use Naughty Aunties to help acclimatize autistic people to situations that may arise in their day to day lives. Other users of virtual worlds are also able to push the boundaries of their existence. Virtual worlds foster creativity. A person is able to be as creative as they want, and do things that they usually would not do in their real lives because of the fear of being judged. Virtual worlds are fun and allow a person to do things that they only dreamed of doing.

I know I made virtual worlds sound perfect, but they do have cons. Virtual worlds can be addictive. A person's vision of what is real and what is fake may get blurred. They may start to believe that what they do in their virtual worlds is alright and that they can do the same in their real lives. This may not be accepted at times because of our law and societal norms. The lines between real and fake may become twisted causing problems for people psychologically and physically. Their have been a number of cases where people have become addicted to their virtual lives and started to neglect themselves in their real lives causing problems to their health.

Even though virtual worlds do have cons, I believe that they are here to stay. With the amount of revenue companies are generating through virtual worlds and the increasing amounts of time people are spending on the internet, virtual worlds can only grow. Virtual worlds can only become more innovative and unique in the future. As technology advances so will the virtual world experience.

I personally play online video games, but aside from that my virtual world experiences are limited. I guess that is all I can say, so for now Blog to you later.