Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can be used in multiple ways by the private and public sector. In the medical field is used as a therapeutic solution for children whom lacked the necessary social skills to interact with others. In the private sector is used by architects to create a 3D model,  real state agencies for virtual open houses, universities offered virtual tours of their campus online. In the public sector is used by government agencies like NASA to prepare astronaut, or the air force to train pilots. Nicole saidi narrates in her article how virtual worlds are used to help children with autism. She states, "Savill has Asperger's syndrome and said he wanted Naughty Auties to serve those with autism spectrum disorders and their friends and family. Savill, who represents himself in the virtual world using an avatar named Dave Sparrow, said one benefit is that visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said". In my personal opinion virtual worlds fostered creativity. I have a daughter with social and developmental delays who has benefited from the game minecraft. The game allow her to see the world in a different dimension. It has enhanced her communication skills and awaked her imagination. One downside of virtual worlds is the chance of becoming addictive and sometimes the players can take their game to an extreme. Some people might even become withdrawn from reality. We can see an example on Dave Itzkoff article. There he states, "Despite knowing that its real-life inspiration exists right outside my door, I have spent the last few months making such visits to the Virtual Lower East Side (vles.com), a three-dimensional, Internet-based social network fastidiously modeled on a small but influential swath of Manhattan real estate". I think virtual worlds are here to stay. It will continue evolving and like social media it will become an intricate part of how society interact.

Liz Ventura