Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds.

There are many practical applications of virtual worlds. For example, in the article Avatar II: The Hospital by Stephanie Simon, Hospitals are purchasing land in the virtual world Second Life. They then use this virtual land to build emergency situations, such as contagious disease outbreaks and other various medial crises. They then have nurses create an avatar and put them in the middle of these situations, which they spend three hours containing, helping, and curing various virtual patients. Also, in the article At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide in the WSJ, a congressional subcommittee took their meeting online and had various invite-only speakers tune in remotely. The applications of virtual worlds are extremely vast for those who are willing to explore and develop their own lands and scenarios.


There are some pros and cons that are associated with virtual worlds. They are convenient because they emulate real environments such as offices, hospitals, schools and etc. The emulation makes the experience feel more real.  People can customize their avatars and really have a feel of personality and uniqueness in the virtual world which makes it quite fun. However, there are a few cons to go along with it. The way it is displayed makes it seem like a video game of sorts which may turn off professional and or more conservative users. It also cost money to develop land, where some businesses might turn to other services that are free such as Skype and OoVoO if they want to simulate a face-to-face experience more cheaply.


Virtual Worlds foster creativity by allowing people and groups to create their own environments, avatars, and experiences. You may choose to explore other people’s environments or create your own mansion on a private island. Many users also create online personas that are separate from their personalities in real life. What you decide to do in game is endless and ultimately, totally up to you.


In the future I see Virtual Worlds emulating reality more. For example, a club may create a virtual world which emulates the actual experience of the club. People will visit it and will become entranced and maybe even visit the physical location.  Virtual Worlds can also do this for a lot of businesses becoming a vital marketing tool for many firms.