Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can be used in a multitude of ways. It can be used for purposes such as entertainment, education, social connections, or to discover a newfound interest.  

Some positive attributes of virtual worlds include the fact that they are much cheaper than actually experiencing whatever they’re looking at in person. For example, a VR headset would be a lot cheaper than buying tickets and going to places to explore them. Virtual worlds are easily changeable as well. Going back to the VR headset example, the same headset that I can use to see a place, I can also use to watch a movie or play a game. I think virtual worlds are a nice way to explore something for the first time and to see if you have an interest in something. If I really like the landscape or weather of the place I’m looking at through the headset, then I may be able to pinpoint a specific place that interests me the most. Virtual worlds foster creativity because the possibilities are endless. It almost seems like anything can be programmed virtually. Two years ago, I did a robotics independent study, in which we were able to use bits and pieces to program things like a car, a musical piece, a game, a security system etc. I think virtual worlds and virtual objects are a great way to prototype and test out ideas before we return to the real world and actually build or test it. Back in 2013, in her article, After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot, Diane Mehta said, “Virtual worlds still aren’t ready for a full monetization plan, though they’re getting close.” Looking back seven years ago, I would agree but I also think about all the progress we have made to further develop the virtual world. I think virtual worlds will play a major part in how we continue to advance technologically. We already hear about how surgeons are programming and controlling robots to do surgeries in hard to reach locations because of a robot’s precision and I think one day they can completely take over for smaller surgeries and perhaps drive cost down as well.  

However, there are some negative attributes as well. It’s hard to replace the physicality of things especially for people like myself, who learn by doing. While the virtual world may be good for someone who is a visual learner, I find myself often having trouble focusing because things are two dimensional. For example, when I need to go to a new location, no matter how many times I look at Google Maps and remember the streets I should pass, I will never remember directions as well as physically taking a trip to that location. I think it may also be part of muscle memory. Virtual worlds help narrow choices, but I would say that it wouldn’t be the be all, end all, at least in its current state. In Dave Itzkoff’s article I’ve Been in That Club, Just not in Real Life, he says that the real Ms. Ok “explained to [him] that the interaction [they] had over the Internet was just as valid as the one [they] were now having over a plate of French fries.” I find myself disagreeing. I think it may be a good conversation starter and a nice way to get to know a new person, but I find it hard to believe. In the article, he describes a Virtual Lower East Side platform, and because I went to high school on the Lower East Side, I was able to recognize the pictures he used, but the concepts he brought up sounds a lot like a more realistic version of Sims. Unlike physical interactions, everything you can do and wear on this platform is predetermined, which means that our actions are predetermined too. How can we have a genuine interaction this way?

Additionally, in Mehta’s article, she talks about Minecraft and how it has captured the internet and called it “virtual Legos.” However, this means that many of the users are familiar with Legos before they jumped to Minecraft, and I think this has to do with aging. Legos are often categorized as kids’ toys and take up space. Minecraft users are often a bit older and it is much easier for them to log into an online base and build instead of being at a location and taking out Lego blocks, especially with their now busier schedules. This goes back to my previous point about virtual worlds being a first step, but I don’t think, as of right now, it can be the final step. 

Work Cited: 

1. After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get A Reboot by Diane Mehta, April 30, 2013.

2. "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times, January 6, 2008.