Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are models of the real world. They can be used in many ways and in any industry thinkable because virtual worlds mimic the real world. For example, in Avatar II: The Hospital, Simon writes about a virtual simulation of a chaotic situation that can happen in a hospital. Nurses can play on this simulation for practice so when a situation like this one does pop up they can be prepared. In another example, the virtual world is used for meetings because it is less costly and still has the same security as a real life one. The virtual world is not just a game. It is beneficial in many ways. It provides training programs for the military, medical procedures for doctors, psychology therapy, training astronauts and many more. The virtual world can do all this because it mimics the real world. However, there are some negatives to the virtual world such as lag time and it overlooks basic laws of physics. In Going to the virtual office in Second Life, Tutton states, “one problem is that virtual teams may not share national and organizational cultures, and that virtual workers should make a conscious effort to see things from their colleagues' point of view.” Virtual worlds foster creativity because there is no risk to whatever you try. You can try something out in the virtual world and if it works you can bring it back to the real world. I think more and more companies will be using virtual worlds to do the tasks that take travelling, time, and money because via the virtual worlds it is free.

Simon, Stephanie. Avatar II: The Hospital. The Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2010

Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life. CNN.com. Nov 5, 2009