Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

A virtual world is a console-based simulated reality that allows individuals to explore or participate in activities using an avatar. Virtual worlds are commonly used for gaming, but have recently expanded to new areas such as medicine and education. In the article "Avatar II: The Hospital," it is stated that in health-care facilities nurses are using virtual worlds for training in emergencies. This gives them training in a more cost-efficient way than getting actors or dolls for drills. Also, in the article "The Virtual World Moves into the Classroom," the author reports on schools using virtual worlds on students to help them learn in a more interactive way. These students learn about current events, history and science using virtual worlds, and this helped them experience what they are learning about. These are also examples of how virtual worlds foster creativity, the teachers are using these new technologies to elevate their students' experiences, the nurses have the ability to retry scenarios and find new ways to handle high-risk situations, and gamers are usually allowed to create their own world and do things in games they didn't think they could otherwise do. Fostering creativity, ability to improve experiences, training programs, etc. are all advantages for virtual worlds. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages such as the hardship developers have when creating a high-quality game or program, software failures, lagging tracking systems, high-cost of purchasing a virtual world-based game or program, limited access, and aiding to technology-dependency. However, these problems would most likely be solved or ignored in the future, and virtual worlds will continue to expand and grow. In the future, virtual worlds are going to be seen as an ultimate escape from day-to-day life.
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REFERENCES
1. Simon, Stephanie. “Avatar II: The Hospital.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 13 Apr. 2010, www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204
2. “The Virtual World Moves into the Classroom.” Reporter Newspapers, 12 Sept. 2018, www.reporternewspapers.net/2018/09/14/the-virtual-world-moves-into-the-classroom/.