When thinking about virtual worlds, the first two things that come to my mind are Second Life and World of Warcraft. Though curious at first, I never found myself attracted to either for very long. Second Life just seemed like a waste of time. Due to the many nights I spent playing D&D many years ago, World of Warcraft poses the threat of me losing myself to it altogether. Unfortunately, I have more than one friend that has either lost a job or a spouse due to time lost on WOW.
Some people become absorbed with their virtual existence. Recently, I read an article about a Korean couple that allowed their three-month-old daughter to starve to death while they raised a virtual child. They would leave the innocent victim unattended while they spent countless hours at internet cafes participating in their virtual lives. This complete loss of any concept of reality is the one con that I continue to see, repeatedly, when it comes to these role-playing virtual realities.
Before reading the assigned lecture notes and readings, I never really thought about the positive applications of virtual worlds like Second Life. I was especially moved by the YouTube clip, A Second Life on Second Life. Here we see Second Life offering individuals with serious disabilities an opportunity to escape the confines of their personal situations and participate in a community without these 'boundaries.' It's amazing what a place like the Heron Sanctuary offers those not as fortunate as most of us. Saki Knafo, in the article In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again attempts to define Second Life in one sentence, "Second Life is a multiuser virtual environment, a computer program that lets online users construct settings, and hang out in them, using video-game-like characters called avatars." It is in being these avatars and coexisting in this virtual environment that these people find the happiness of being able to participate in a much needed social setting.
I would never have guessed, before reading Stephanie Simon's article Avatar II: The Hospital, that "Dozens of hospitals, medical schools, and health foundations have staked out space in Second Life, where participants can build their own virtual clinics and stage any training drill they can imagine." It's amazing to think that what must have started out as a recreational tool has evolved into so much more. The fact that these virtual worlds are being used as venues for professional training and collaboration further supports the case for the existence of places like Second Life in a context other that escapist entertainment.
Virtual worlds provide an opportunity for creativity to flourish and for individuals to showcase their talent. Stephanie Simon mentions how one person, Dr. Ramloll, "charges up to $150,000 to build a full scale hospital... (and).. a replica of a smaller clinic, with 20 rooms, costs about $10,000." The opportunity for financial reward further fosters creativity.
I expect that with the current pace of technological advancement, the virtual worlds of the future will further mirror the real world as we see it. No longer will avatars by pixelated. Instead they will be indistinguishable from the real thing. The experience will be further enhanced by adding sensory stimulation. You will not only see and hear the world around you; you will be able to feel, smell, and taste the virtual life as if it were the real thing. Just think The Matrix, but hopefully without the evil robots and farms of human batteries.
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