Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds empowered by advances in virtual reality technology have evolved significantly in the last few years. Believe it or not, most of us have experienced and owned VR technologies at some point. Although virtual world was initially developed for games, there are practical uses for virtual reality in the commercial world. In the article, “Avatar II: The Hospital”, Stephanie Simon wrote that medical facilities are using virtual technology to simulate emergency situations. Nurses would control an avatar in the virtual ER, issue voice commands to triage patients, interact with them, and provide diagnosis and treatment based on their conditions. In other cases, patients become avatars in the virtual world and help train medical students through role-playing, developing a sense of empathy, and allowing them to practice hands-on.

There are pros and cons with the virtual world. For the pros, virtual reality has becomes very realistic and have many practical applications, from aviation and healthcare, to consumer electronics and education. For example, Google Earth helps you explore the world and view the streets of major cities at the comfort of home. Pokemon Go is a wildly popular game that combines VR with augmented reality to catch Pokemons in the places you visit using a mobile app. As for the cons, as Simon’s article mentioned, it takes a learning curve to master movements in the virtual world, not to mention the hardware requirements and Internet speed requirements. Some are concerned, according to the article, “In Simulated Worlds Online, Consumption Is Still Conspicuous”, that virtual world seems to be promoting a generation of high-rollers, that the online persona is hardly sustainable in the real world. In addition, people may become too immersed in the virtual world that they may become detached from the physical world where face-to-face interactions is still important.

Virtual world foster creativity by allowing users to envision, build and test prototypes in a virtual environment. Since there is no cost involved in acquiring physical materials, the sky is the limit. In the article, “After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot”, it calls Minecraft a game-changer in that it is the LEGO-equivalent in the virtual world. It allows kids to use their imaginations to build and create things and to communicate with one another to exchange ideas.

There are boundless opportunities and applications for the futures of virtual world. As technologies continue to improve, virtual world will have more augmented reality built-in, making it more realistic to the real world. Virtual world help us dream bigger, as we can download an app on our mobile device, wear a VR headset and experience many interesting places in the world in 3D.  It also makes our lives more convenient, as virtual doctor visits are now possible for many common conditions. 

Works Cited:

Ferla, Ruth La. “No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real You.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Oct. 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html.

Mehta, Diane. “After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 May 2013, http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/.

Simon, Stephanie. “Avatar II: The Hospital.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 13 Apr. 2010, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204.