Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds


Virtual worlds are a piece of technology/advancement that is very important to our society today. They could be used for entertainment or professional purposes but whichever it is they, bridge community and creativity. As most technology there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages when working with them. One advantage is that it mimics the real world, therefore it could help improve many activities, such as gaming, prototypes, training programs, and medical operations. However, it is difficult and very time-consuming to truly recreate a virtual reality that captures all the detail.
One example of how virtual reality is used is in the article “Avatar II: The Hospital,” by Stephanie Simon. In this article, Simon discusses how health-care services are realizing that practicing in a virtual world could have major benefits. These worlds allowed for nurses to participate in an accurate and complex drill that mimics a real-life crisis. In addition, their ability to monitor these nurses and their reactions helps them learn more efficiently because at a time of a crisis it's difficult to know how someone would react. With this training there is an advantage that would allow the nurses to handle the situations better.
Even though Simon’s example is one that would benefit many, not only the nurses, there are some disadvantages. The article, “At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide,” from C-SPAN showcases some of these drawbacks. At this hearing they discuss possibilities the virtual world, Second Life could be used to launder money. Another question posed was if children were safe, which is a very big point to bring up. Though there are some clear benefits, these are just a few examples of what disadvantages are associated with virtual worlds.
            Virtual worlds are very flexible, which in turn fosters creativity. It allows people to create whatever they want and make their own idea into a reality. This concept ignites a bigger push into advancements of new technology. The virtual world will continue to grow and expand into bigger things. However, there is possibility that people could grow too accustomed to this technology and won’t be able to separate what is real and what isn’t. As it grows, it’s important to make the distinction of what is real and what isn’t so that this wouldn’t be the case.

References:

1. Avatar II: The Hospital by Stephanie Simon
2. At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide

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