Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds allow for people to visit all over the world and communicate with new technology without having to leave your desk. It also mimics the real world and can be used to improve many activities such as medical training and gaming experiences. It fosters creativity because it allows people to work with an altered reality where you get to design and create anything you'd like to. According to Jacki Morie, a virtual world designer in telehealth care, a pro of virtual worlds is that it "can give us social connectivity, built-in support groups, and ways to avoid ever being alone again." Many kids are using virtual worlds as "entertainment, social connection, and learning." In Going to the virtual office in Second Life, Mark Tutton adds that "The ability to collaborate effectively using virtual tools may now become an increasingly important skill as technology offers more options than, say, video conferencing."

As mentioned by Surinder Kahai, associate professor at Binghamton University, "I've seen people mess up completely because they think that what works in a face-to-face environment also works in a virtual environment." Adding to the cons, a major problem is that "virtual teams may not share national and organizational cultures, and that virtual workers should make a conscious effort to see things from their colleagues' point of view. Another issue is that virtual teams can't take advantage of the kind of impromptu "water cooler" conversations that occur in a real workplace, where colleagues can share information they may have forgotten to communicate in meetings." Lack of human contact can also lead to feelings of isolation. Although working in a virtual world can be exciting, human interaction can be crucial and vital to our performance.

The future of virtual words will become a part of our everyday routine. Whether it be in work meetings or gaming, I envision virtual worlds to be a chance for everyone to explore a second life and have fun doing it.

Source:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/#635ef569735a
http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html