Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

As if there isn't enough going on in the world these days, we now have an "escape" via virtual worlds. A virtual world is a platform in which users can communicate via avatars in either realistically modeled environments such as Virtual Lower East Side (vles.com) or fantasy worlds like Warcraft. Although these virtual worlds come in many different flavors, they all serve the same general purpose. Sometimes these virtual worlds are used for entertainment purposes and sometimes they're used by companies to train their employees. In the article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life", the author describes a virtual world used for entertainment purposes in which users create avatars to socialize at clubs and bars modeled after their real-life counterparts in the lower east side of Manhattan. While in theory this may be a good idea, native residents to the area complain that this mimicking of their beloved nook strips the allure of the neighborhood. By the same token, companies use virtual reality to allow its employees to collaborate outside of the office. As discussed in "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life", during turbulent economic times companies are always looking to cut costs. Travel expenses are higher for some than for others and companies with high travel costs are generally the ones taking advantage of virtual reality to get things done.

Virtual worlds foster creativity through the idea that one can really be whoever he/she wants to be...an idea not available in real life. Whether this is good or bad is truly subjective. Personally, I think it's a way for people to pretend to be something they're not, which I've never been much a fan of. In other ways though, such as in the business environment, I see virtual reality as an immensely useful asset. 

The future of virtual reality, if I were to guess, would be generally geared towards enterprise use. With more and more resources available online to companies, organizations are able to cut costs more efficiently than ever before. If the current trend continues, I expect virtual reality to be a mainstay.