Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

    There are a myriad of ways that virtual worlds can be used. For instance, it can be used for virtual museum tours. Virtual worlds are being used a lot as of recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will be virtual to avoid crowds of people from gathering. Even schools are using virtual worlds to practice social distancing and teach from home. There are also virtual social worlds, where you can create your own world and interact with others. An example of a virtual social world is The Sims. 

    In the virtual world, there are pros and cons. Beginning with pros, the virtual world provides gaming experiences such as the PlayStation VR. With the PlayStation VR, one can feel as if they are in the game itself, feel like they are in a theater when watching a movie, and much more. Virtual prototypes is also another pro, being that you can see a car in your room virtually and see its' features. It is helpful to have this feature when you are purchasing furniture online, being that most websites will let you virtually place your desired item in your room so that you can decide if it is a good fit. We even see this on the Sephora website, where you can try on lipstick virtually. The virtual world is especially beneficial when it comes to performing medical procedures. Doctors are able to see the inside of their patient with the use of this technology, decreasing the risk of the operation. 

    On the other hand, there are many cons to the virtual world. One of the cons is when it comes to education, being that teachers find it more time consuming to prepare lessons for students. In The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher, it depicts how teachers have to dedicate time to not only creating the learning material, but they also have to structure it in a manner that will fit the Internet's structure. The virtual world also becomes a disadvantage for students as they cannot network and create a bond with peers like they would in person. Lack of training is another con that professor face. One especially saw this during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, where some professors struggled to teach their students virtually due to lack of understanding BlackBoard's features such as BlackBoard Collaborate. 

    Despite these cons, virtual worlds can help foster creativity by inspiring people to create their own world. As Saki Knafo depicted on In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again,  the virtual world Second Life fostered Michael Brown's creativity by inspiring him to create a replica of the Chelsea. With his creation, a resident of the Chelsea felt reminiscent of how the hotel used to before disturbing changes occurred. With Second Life, Michael created a world in which he had always dreamed of, such as having "dozen hip-looking avatars gather together for a poetry reading".

    I believe the future of virtual worlds will look like social interactions being held online. For instance, one will be able to FaceTime someone and see them through their Virtual Reality headset. I also believe that holograms will become more common. Concerts have already seen hologram technology, such as with Michael Jackson. Instead of holograms being exclusive for concerts, people will be able to see their family members in their home through holographic technology.

References:

1. In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again,"by Saki Knafo, The New York Times, May 3, 2009, p. CY6. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html

2. The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher by Guy Posey, Thomas Burgess, Marcus Eason, and Yawna Jones