Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds





   
 
Virtual worlds bridge community and creativity. They foster creativity by allowing users to express themselves however they choose to. Creativity is made or produced by having no boundaries, which these online worlds allow users to experience. Virtual reality mimics the real world and has many different ways they can be used. However, like many things, virtual reality has its own pros and cons. Virtual worlds can be used for simulation games to improve the overall performance of the user. The user in this instance depends on what the virtual simulation game is based on. From the Wall Street Journal "Avatar II: The Hospital," Stephanie Simon describes an online simulation game designed to help nurses make quick and firm decisions during emergencies. This online community is called SecondLife "where participants can build their own virtual clinics and stage just about any training drill they can imagine. Dozens of hospitals, medical schools, and health foundations have staked out space in the online community." This is a prime example of how virtual worlds can be used. It has become so useful that universities have started to conduct workshops and trainings in the virtual world. Simon illustrates that one of the pros for virtual training is that it typically costs less than a full-dress drill with hired actors. Allowing it to be cost efficient, virtual worlds enable more people to afford it. One con or disadvantage for the online world is that the SecondLife system cannot be run on older computers. This is a disadvantage for those who are unable to upgrade or a buy a new computer because they then miss out on the trainings the online community provides. The article "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You" by Ruth Ferla describes how the virtual world allows users to express themselves the way they want to in the real world if financial constraints did not exist. Virtual worlds allow people to build an identity that portrays an accurate representation of them and their actions despite economic/financial circumstances that may be occurring in real life. There is no reason to compromise or settle in the online world which allows users to find out more about themselves if they could live that way in actuality. A few advantages of VR would be its ability to improve activities such as gaming experiences, virtual prototypes, training programs, medical training, psychological training, training astronauts, etc. A few disadvantages of VR would be the hardship in creating a virtual world that truly mimics all aspects and details of the real world. Some of the obstacles developers face when creating virtual reality technologies are better tracking systems, lag time, overlooking basic laws of physics, and lack of acuity. There are many pros to back up virtual reality such as its capability to form relationships with others based off interests than general location, virtual reality trainings in medicine especially enable users to practice in what would be very risky situations if it were real life, and disabled people who are not able to fully experience reality are able to explore the virtual world for a full life. Cons against virtual reality consist of the less fortunate who are left out due to not being able to afford or obtain access to this technology, addiction to virtual reality worlds is very possible, and it has been studied that many people have motion sickness due to using the VR headset. I think the future of virtual worlds will become even more realistic and improved. Right now all the details of the real life are not mimicked but I believe the future will consist of those small pieces as well. More people could become attracted to virtual worlds since it can be used as an escape from reality. 




Comments

  1. Amreen ZamanMarch 16, 2019 at 4:09 PM

    I agree that "the future of virtual worlds will become even more realistic and improved" but in the same time I hope we do not become too technologically advance where we lose connections with people in real life and become fully dependent on the tech world. As of now, I hope VR does not take away prospects of our real lives like robots are taking away our jobs.

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