Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds have many functions in todays society that include functions of recreation but also functioning as real world duplicates or look-alikes. Virtual worlds are used a lot in gaming. One game that illustrates the creative aspect of virtual worlds for their users is MineCraft, a game that is basically virtual legos with more details. The article "Going to the virtual office in Second Life" by Mark Tutton, shows how virtual worlds can be used for everyday activities like meetings where a virtual setting is created and subjects who use it create their own personal avatars to resemble themselves. The article "At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide" by Mike Musgrove further illustrates this point, reporting about a congressional subcommittee hearing about virtual worlds that was done in a virtual world. Virtual worlds are helpful because they are able to create a unique experience as well as create a realistic experience that can resemble real life. With these two pros, virtual worlds are helpful for recreation and for long distance communication in a dynamic, realistic environment. Creating the virtual worlds to begin with takes a lot of creativity. As long as there is a demand for the programming of virtual worlds, creativity will be fostered by the programmers and creators of virtual worlds. For gamers that use these virtual worlds, they are able to be creative within these worlds whether they are building things, talking to people, or creating ideas or art. As new technologies continue to develop in a society where internet communication is used more than ever, the ability to collaborate effectively using technology as a communication medium will most like become a crucial job skill in future job markets.