Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, create a platform for us, as individuals, to be whoever we want to be. The potential is endless, as are the uses. More than allowing us to be whoever we want though, virtual worlds also allow people from all over the world to connect and meet no matter where they are. It is this aspect of virtual worlds that I feel is important for their future. Although Second Life's popularity has diminished in recent years, the concept of virtual worlds opened a new world, literally, to both individuals and corporations.

According to a CNN article by Mark Tutton called "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life" some companies are using Second Life to allow employees to interact, no matter where they are physically located, and hold meetings within a virtual world hosted on the companies own private network. Given sufficient development of these systems, the possibilities are endless. Imagine a world where nobody has to leave their home to go to work. Without geographic limitations, the possibilities for productivity are endless.

Likewise, the possibilities are endless for non-corporate clients too. With the advent of virtual worlds you can have entire family reunions from the comfort of your home, just by having everyone log on to a specific server at a specific time. The possibility for creativity is similarly limitless because your identity in this world is limited to just how you were born. Your avatar and your virtual character can be an expression of who you've always wanted to be.

Not all these things are good, however. The big fear, depicted in the movie Surrogates, is that humanity will cease to interact in real life. On a smaller, and more immediate, scale it is important to realize that nothing can truly replace face to face interaction. Meeting in virtual worlds may be more convenient, but they may not be as persuasive. Having the real life and in person aspect to any interaction is very important and that is something virtual worlds will never be able to compensate for.

When Second Life was first developed it was the hot story. Everyone saw it as the future for both companies and individuals. Once the hype died down, however, so did Second Life. I see a reincarnation of virtual worlds in the future that, like Second Life, will try to bring in the masses, but for the time being I think that we can only make use of the bits and pieces of information gained from Second Life. Telecommuting, for example, is becoming a big part of organizations, but its still not quite the same as logging in to a virtual world. Perhaps as telecom telecommuting uting grows, there will be a push for new virtual world technologies and we will see growth in the field.