Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

     Virtual worlds are used for many purposes. Many virtual world accounts are registered to children ages 5-15 who use them to interact with the outside world since they cannot go out into the real world on their own yet. For these kids, virtual worlds are a source of interaction with others. However, adults can also use virtual worlds to satisfy social needs. For example, people use Virtual Lower East Side (VLES) to go out to clubs and other locations where they can interact with people, but without having to leave their home. It makes it more convenient to socially interact without actually having to see real people.

     Virtual worlds also have other purposes. An example is the 3D virtual world, Second Life. A man named Michael Brown used this site to create a virtual version of Hotel Chelsea, as it existed in the past. This particular user used this technology to bring back a world of the past instead of envisioning a virtual future. Whether creating the past or the future, however, sites like Second Life give users a chance to foster their creativity and create or preserve a version of the world that they would like to experience.

     Some companies, such as Linden Labs, use technology in the workplace to bring employees together for meetings and conferences in a more convenient way. This company also uses Second Life for its virtual world interactions. For meetings, attendees can project a virtual version of the Rayburn House Office Building onto television screens on the wall to see the other attendees without having to physically be in a room with them.

     Virtual world technologies can potentially make it very convenient for people to interact both socially and in business situations, while also using the same technology to express their creativity in a way that would be much more difficult to express in the real world. People can create whatever kind of world they want to without having to worry about its maintenance and preservation in years to come.

Works Cited

Itzkoff, Dave. "I've Been In That Club, Just Not In Real Life." The New York Times. The New York   Times, 5 Jan. 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html?_r=0>.

Knafo, Saki. "In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2 May 2009. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1413915256-hhgschfGOgv7aymF46FnIQ>.

Mehta, Diane. "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/>.

Musgrove, Mike. "At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/01/ST2008040103032.html>.