Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

What's a better way to escape the reality world than to dive into the virtual world which allow us to be someone we can't in the reality world? A virtual world can fill in gaps that we cannot fill in real life. Since it's based on computer simulated technologies, we can create who we want to be and do what we want to do in a virtual world. This all can be done through the use of avatars. Games like MMORPG and Grand Theft Auto allow the users to do things that is almost impossible to do in real life. It allow us to express ourselves in ways that only our imagination can imagine. If you can think of it, the virtual world can do it. Similar to what it's mentioned by Diane Mehta on "After Second Life, Can virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?” But Minecraft is a virtual world. It's digital LEGOs if you will, but it's a space for kids to exercise their imagination and to connect with others to also want to build and create things. This agrees to what I mentioned earlier, if you can think of it, the virtual world can do it. Another example written by Stephanie Simon "Avatar II: The Hospital", which allows nurses to act as if they are on duty and performing emergency decisions to better prepare them for the real situation.

There are pros and cons to everything, and this includes the virtual reality world. Pros to this is that it allows one to tackle real life situation before it happens which gives the user an insight of how to react and the decision it makes to complete a mission successful. Another pro is that it allows the user to express their feelings and actions that they held inside in which is not allowed to be performed in the real world. The cons to the virtual reality world is that it can lead to addiction. Someone can become so addicted to the virtual world that they lose a sense of the real world along with the necessity needed to interact with humans normally. This can be seen with kids who are playing games constantly and never go outside, it tends to lead to isolation, trouble finding friends, and may even lead to having hard time communicating through human interactions.

Virtual worlds foster creativity in a way that it allows the users to create anything they wish that is on their mind. As I’ve mentioned many times previously, it allows the user to do things that they simply cannot do in real life. One can show off their personalities in terms of avatar in the virtual world, they can be as creative as they want in terms of decorating their avatar. They can also speak in ways that they want, or test certain personalities and see how others reacts in a virtual world. They can talk in a way they never thought they would do when face to face with someone else. One can simply do something and just disconnect from the virtual world as if nothing has happen. To many users, virtual worlds allows second chances where the real world does not.

Diane Mehta. “After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?” Forbes. April 30, 2013. Web. June 20, 2016

Stephanie Simon. "Avatar II: The Hospital". The Wall Street Journal. April 13, 2010. Web. June 20, 2016.