Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

What are different ways these virtual worlds can be used?

One different way this virtual world can be used is as a virtual office. It will help in your operating expenses. It will minimize capital outlay, reduce the overhead of permanent office space and it will create a more established presence for your business. According to Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, more than 1,400 organizations including large companies, educational institutions, government agencies and even the U.S. military use Second Life to hold meetings, conduct training and prototype new technologies more efficiently. Another large company that is using virtual offices is IBM.

What are the pros and cons?

Virtual reality helps autistic kids and adults develop skills. "Naughty Auties" it's in a virtual world called second life and it helps those with autism and one of the pros is to practice social interaction with each other. A 22 year-old man created the site with autism named David Savill. They can represent themselves with 3-D images called avatars and connect with each other over the Internet. As the article 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction states, "He was able to use chat rooms and soon realized that people used symbols to express themselves: the smiley signs, the angry signs, hug signs, etc., to enhance the text. He went on to say that subconsciously his brain was learning about communication from these sessions of chat." This site will help kids and adults affected by autism. I don’t really see a lot of cons. The only concern I see is that kids and adults won’t get to interact with each other face to face more often.

How do virtual worlds foster creativity?

Virtual worlds foster major creativity in the healthcare world. Many hospitals, medical schools and healthcare clinics are participating in this virtual world. The three-dimensional environment allows users to interact with each other through a virtual representation of themselves known as an avatar. It is designed to help students, and nurses make quick decisions in a case of an emergency. This virtual world serves as an immersive experience.

What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?

The article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff reminds me of the movies “The matrix” and “Avatar”. I think we can create what we want in the virtual world as avatars that can look like us or even create different identities. As the movie Avatar the main character Jake Sully was invalid in the real world but in the avatar world he wasn’t. The author Dave Itzkoff created an avatar just like him but just cooler, “I was bold enough to dress my avatar in anything more daring than the white T-shirt and blue jeans he was issued; only recently I added a magenta sport coat, hip eyeglasses and an angular haircut called the Crispin to his ensemble. (“He looks like the cool version of you,” my girlfriend told me.)”  My imagination flies just to think how technology is going to be in years from now.

References

iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction by Nicole Saidi, CNN, March 28, 2008. Available from:http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText or HERE

Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html 

"Avatar II: The Hospital" by Stephanie Simon, The Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2010http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204.html?KEYWORDS=avatar+ii+the+hospital 

"I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times, January 6, 2008, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html