Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

What are different ways these virtual worlds can be used?
A virtual world is defiend as an online community (taking the form of a computer based ontline stimulated environment) allowing users to interact with each other other use and create objects etc. Within virtual worlds users can interact and inhabit their made up world.
MMORPG = massively multiplayer online role playing games = in this case the user playing a specific charachter is the main feature of the game (main charahcter basically)
MMORLG = massively multiplayer online real life games = in this case the user can create their charachter and make it as he/she wishes it to be; playing a more dynamic role that suits their charachter, possibly even playing more than one charachter at a time. This is the more invovled personalized version of virtual worlds.
What are the pros and cons? Be specific.
PROS
- much more creative and in a way more personal than an email or chat
- everyone is the same - age, race, gender, etc none of it matters because everyone is what they make themselves
- people ftrom all over the world, all different time zones can connect with each other and meet each other
- education - makes learning more real to students
- can make a person feel like they are worth something; like someone is paying attention to them
- highy adoptive - you can easily do things in the virtual world that you would either not have the opportunity to do or the capability to do in your real life
- takes you places and intorduces you to things that yo normally would not be able to from your home. The article "I’ve Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life " http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html?_r=1 explains more about this and gives a real life example of a man that visited the lower east side from his computer via a virtual world
CONS
- can take over your life 24/7; can become a disease
- can become your whole life - forcing you to abandon you real freidns and family
you can be tricked and decived into beleiving things about people; they can make you beleive what they want you to beleive and because you know nothing about them besides what they are presenting to you, youare forced to beleive it.
- can make a person feel badly about themsleves; lead to depression
- if you are not of the technology age, might be hard to navigate a virtual world
- there is also bad in the virtual world just as there is bad in the real world; someone can fall into bad habits very easily in the virtual world.
How do virtual worlds foster creativity?
- Opens peoples eyes to things that they have never senen before.
- Is a somewhat competitive atmosphere, and competitin can lead to creativity
- Everyone wants to get noticied and be liked - must do things that will stand out and make you noticed!
- You can see what other people do and how they do it, giving youideas of what you can do and how you can do it and make it your own.
What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?
I think that in the future virtual worlds are going to progress and become less virtal and more real. I think that this is a creepy cocnept but so cool. Cant wait ti see what is going to happen in the enxt world!