Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

  Virtual Worlds are computer programs created to emulate things people do in their lives  and build online communities. Users create virtual versions of themselves, usually called avatars. Avatars in these world can meet others, go to social functions, go shopping, or a bunch of other things that individuals do daily. People who are not familiar with virtual worlds may think of them as video games, but while games are created with a story which eventually ends and makes characters go through a progression system, Virtual Worlds do not have story and there is no leveling up for avatars.

  Many Virtual Worlds are used by people to mirror reality. The most well known example of this is Second Life. There are lots of virtual world that focus on one community; users are people who have interest in that community and can meet others with similar interest. One segment where virtual world have been successful is with children and tweens. Brands like Mattel, Hasbro, Russ Berrie have launched virtual portals. There have been Virtual Worlds that connect employees of different corporations. People are able meet others and share content with people they would have not met with the online communities.

  Virtual Worlds allow people to get to know one another and collaborate without the physical interaction. According to Annie Ok, who has created avatars in many Virtual World, interactions in places like Second Life are just like ones in reality because people are communicating as themselves (Itzkoof). It also allows brands to promote and sell products. The tween store, Limited Too, 11% of store transaction were from a virtual portal product in one quarter of 2007 (Hindo).
 
  However there are issues with virtual worlds. Often you can buy clothing, and other amenities for your avatar. Many Virtual Worlds use actual currency, which may lead over spending for things that aren't tangible. Also the success of the Virtual World may depend on how many users the world has. Without a large community, users can meet the same people over and over. Lastly being part of a virtual world may take a lot of time. While users can log on anytime, but they may feel connected to their avatars and the online communities and spend more time in virtual world than doing things outside of them.

  For me the future of Virtual Worlds seem to be a niche one. Not only are there many other ways to connect with a many people, the other ways are easier to use, much less time consuming, and have a specific purpose other than creating a life online to mirror your own. So while, I think they will exist in  the future, more people would prefer to use multiplayer games and social media to connect to new people.

Works Cited

Hindo, Brian. "Toys with a Second Life." Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 19 Dec. 2007. Web. 19

 Itzkoff, Dave. "I've Been In That Club, Just Not In Real Life." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Jan. 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.