Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Usually when one thinks of virtual worlds they may think of a video game however because of the growing use of this technology that might not always be the case. Not only do virtual worlds provide entertainment but they also change the way people interact with one another.  Programs like Second Life allow users to enter a virtual world where they can experience many different environments without leaving their home.  Some of the uses found for virtual worlds thus far are to replace a physical meeting, become a learning tool, and therapeutic means.

 In the article “Avatar 2: The Hospital” by Stephanie Simon various universities such as Stanford and Michigan have begun using programs like Second Life for medical training and education purposes.  Through the use of Second Life universities can train nurses in a virtual hospital. The training they receive on Second Life allows for a more immersive experience than a traditional tabletop run, or diorama of a hospital.  The training can even be so detailed that not only will they be tested on diagnosing virtual patients but they will also be tested on emergency exit routes within the virtual hospital.

Another use for virtual worlds can be found in the article “'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction”, by Nicole Saidi. David Savill has created a virtual world to serve as a resource center for people with autism.  When people have difficulty leaving their house programs like Second Life can help people stay active. While there is no scientific evidence to show that virtual worlds help people with autism this article shows how the use of a virtual world can be used to help people cope with a particular problem and not let it get in the way of their social interaction.

Going back to the article “Avatar 2: The Hospital” we can see that one clear benefit of using virtual worlds is the cost. A traditional medical mannequin can cost up to $65,000 and often only one will be available to a whole class of med students while buying land in Second Life will only cost $1000. Of course a person will still have to spend the time building on the virtual land or hiring someone to build it for them but overall this saves costs and allows for more people to have better access to the material.  Also if companies choose to have a virtual meeting this saves costs associated with travel. Another benefit of virtual worlds is the opportunity it brings to people who do not have easy access to the real world such as those will autism. Because of virtual worlds these people will not have to miss out on social interaction. Some of the cons associated with virtual worlds are the fact that they can be addictive and even though it provides social interaction it lacks the same degree of interaction that the real world has. While it is rare that you will hear of someone being addicted to Second Life it is becoming more common that someone is addicted to a virtual world found in the form of a video game.  Just as with social networks some feel that virtual worlds do not possess the same quality of interaction that the real world does; just because someone knows how to type over the internet doesn’t necessarily mean they will possess good social skills in person and the same applies for someone who uses virtual worlds.

  

Virtual world’s foster creativity by allowing a person to use their imagination to create a new world, or a new persona for themselves found in their avatar. Many virtual worlds cater to the user’s imagination; if you can think it up and put the time into it you can more or less build anything in Second Life. From a technical stand point I imagine that future virtual worlds will have higher resolution graphics. Similar to video game developers updating their game’s graphics every year I believe the next generation of virtual worlds will have to do the same in order to attract users. We will probably see virtual worlds be incorporated into already popular new media technology such as social network sites and blogs or forums.  Many online websites try to form a sense of being part of a community and virtual worlds may be a good way of doing this.