Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds have a lot more uses than you'd think. I've always thought virtual worlds were just your typical gaming platforms but after reading more about them, it's clear that they're impacting the business world in a huge way. I read the article "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life"by Mark Tutton. I would have never expected to find out that large corporations like IBM were testing our virtual meetings in leu of face-to-face meetings. The craziest part is that software allows them to create avatars that simulate employees. This technology cuts the huge costs of travel. That sounds pretty good, right? But of course, there's a downside to having a virtual world. Tutton mentions that employees may feel a sense of isolation from the lack of face-to-face communication. There are also no "water cooler" conversations that encourage the flow of new ideas. Human interaction is an important aspect of a healthy business, so I don't think we will ever see a totally virtual business world.

Virtual worlds foster creativity because you have the internet at your fingertips. It's crazy to think that nearly half of virtual worlds are used by children ages 5-15, according to Diane Mehta's article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?" I believe that if children are growing up using this technology, it is sure to be used in schools, offices, and government in the future.