Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds grow everyday and just as fast as technology does.  There are so many vehicles out there that make this possible and accessible.  There have been games like The Sims or Roller Coaster Tycoon in which the child (or whoever is playing this game) get to manage and create every aspect of the amusement park or city.  This teaches children about all the different things that go into constructing such an entity.  Obviously these technologies have limitations just because it is meant for children but technology in its general sense does not have any limits.

Creativity is oozing out of the Virtual World.  this is the birthplace to a visual composition without limitations.  One can make a city, amusement park, a car, a shirt, whatever the user desires.  Imagine playing with legos but there was an unlimited supply and of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Its every kids dream and its only a click away.  Diane Mehta speaks of the lego metaphor regarding the game MineCraft in "After a Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot."

The Virtual World has grown from gaming to teaching and learning for adults.  Stephanie Simon's "Avatar II: The Hospital" describes how nurses get certain types of training at a computer screen that they would never get a chance to in person.  If they did get this training in person it would of taken more time and had to pay actors to act out the session.  These training's are specific such as a disaster recovery session or quarantining a diseased patient.

Pros of virtual worlds are efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and imagination.  The cons are looking at a digital screen instead of a first hand experience.  People remember certain situations because of something small that happened or because of a strange item in the room.  Learning online can mask the individual experience with standardized boredom.



Simon, Stephanie. "Avatar II: The Hospital." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204?KEYWORDS=avatar+ii+the+hospital&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204.html%3FKEYWORDS%3Davatar%2Bii%2Bthe%2Bhospital>.

Mehta, D. (2013, April 30). After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/