Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

According to After Second Life, Can Virtual World Get a Reboot? by Diane Mehta,  she proposes using virtual worlds as a way for Soldiers to cope with their trauma after they come back from war. I think that is a great idea and I second that. Actually, we can even take that idea to another level given the level of technology we have now. we can bring this 2D screen world and make it 3D. There are now updated worlds where you put on these special goggles and it brings you into a very realistic version of a story. For example, there are facilities that allow people to try this and they can do a horror theme one. They sit in a chair and the chair along with the glasses and headphones stimulate the same effect as being at a haunted house or being chased by a murderer who will pop out at you. Likewise, we can take this terrifying experience and make it into a sanctuary for soldiers. I think it is very smart to turn this entertainment into a therapeutic way to help people cope. 

The limitation and down side to this virtual world concept is that it could easily be misconstrued. According to Virtual World May Impact Real-World Behaviors children often take either one of two roles. They are either the hero or the villain in the virtual world. This could carry into their mindset and create a habit for children to act out. This usually leads to violence or a child to carry themselves in a negative way. For example, children who believe they are heroes begin to think they are invincible that could lead to crazy motions to prove their ability, which could potentially lead to accidents. Villains may act out in violence to be better than others and show a dominating personality. This could easily lead to fights.

Virtual world foster creativity because it can easily be worked into business. Currently e-commerce has taken over many industries and chains. Brick and mortar stores are slowly beginning to lessen. Payless was once a very successful shoe store. However, now that Amazon, Nike, Zappos and many online retailers have provided faster and more convenient form of delivery, physical stores have been removed from the blocks. I could picture a future where we have a virtual world with streets just like the ones in New York City. We can view this virtual world in a 3D form and go "window shopping" through our own phones computers.