Virtual worlds allows their users to take a break from their lives and create completely new ones. Examples of these virtual worlds include Second Life, a game where people can create alternate versions of themselves called avatars and go on $50,000 shopping sprees and World of Warcraft, where users can create mystical avatar versions of themselves as dwarfs or elves. Both of these sites link together thousands of people and allow them to recreate themselves in these worlds.
These worlds can be used an unusual way to network. Since all the players are actually real people many friendships are developed on these sites. The father of a colleague of mine is a real world example of this. He is an avid Second Life player and became friends with a few other people on the site. Through interacting with each other on Second Life they formed a band in the virtual world and eventually came to learn that they all play instruments in real life. They eventually started to meet on skype and have actual jam sessions online.
Of course there can be many good and bad things associated with these virtual worlds. A pro would be that many people get to satisfy desires through their avatar that they cannot in real life. An interesting quote from Eric Spangenberg from an article in the New York Times accurately sums this up; "It’s the newest manifestation of how people live vicariously: if I can’t afford a Bentley, my avatar can.” In this sense people can appease certain wants that they have without actually living out of their means.
A con would be that some people develop an attachment to these worlds. Its easy to see how their lives here can be much more grand than their real ones.There are people who spend most of their days glued to their computer screens buying new clothes for their avatar, or building a house, or creating a business. I personally know of people who have spent 16 hours straight in one day on these sites. Its in this sense that people start to neglect their responsibilities in the real world to which there are consequences and prioritize their avatar's needs over theirs.
Something positive about these worlds however, would be that they act as a means for people to harness their creative side more. Users can actually create businesses in the world where they can design a line of clothing or boots which they can sell to other people on the site.In addition there aren't any rules that hinder peoples ability to recreate places in real life. An article in the New York Times speaks about how a Mr.Brown visited a hotel he has always wanted to since he was young and then made an identical version in second life."When he visited New York last year, he spent a weekend at the hotel, and when he got home, he used photographs he had taken to construct a version of the building in Second Life."
I believe that with technology constantly improving at its rapid rate these worlds will only become more and more life like. Instead of interacting through a computer screen people will have virtual reality helmets that will completely immerse them into these worlds that they have created and will choose to leave their more boring lives behind. Its actually quite scary if you think about the implications of it. It reminds of the ending scene of the movie Repomen with Jude Law. The protagonist ends up stuck in a virtual world that he believes is real and does not know that everything is fake.
Cited Readings:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1332418894-XX6HYyTsZ16cZG41OHdjEQ
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html
These worlds can be used an unusual way to network. Since all the players are actually real people many friendships are developed on these sites. The father of a colleague of mine is a real world example of this. He is an avid Second Life player and became friends with a few other people on the site. Through interacting with each other on Second Life they formed a band in the virtual world and eventually came to learn that they all play instruments in real life. They eventually started to meet on skype and have actual jam sessions online.
Of course there can be many good and bad things associated with these virtual worlds. A pro would be that many people get to satisfy desires through their avatar that they cannot in real life. An interesting quote from Eric Spangenberg from an article in the New York Times accurately sums this up; "It’s the newest manifestation of how people live vicariously: if I can’t afford a Bentley, my avatar can.” In this sense people can appease certain wants that they have without actually living out of their means.
A con would be that some people develop an attachment to these worlds. Its easy to see how their lives here can be much more grand than their real ones.There are people who spend most of their days glued to their computer screens buying new clothes for their avatar, or building a house, or creating a business. I personally know of people who have spent 16 hours straight in one day on these sites. Its in this sense that people start to neglect their responsibilities in the real world to which there are consequences and prioritize their avatar's needs over theirs.
Something positive about these worlds however, would be that they act as a means for people to harness their creative side more. Users can actually create businesses in the world where they can design a line of clothing or boots which they can sell to other people on the site.In addition there aren't any rules that hinder peoples ability to recreate places in real life. An article in the New York Times speaks about how a Mr.Brown visited a hotel he has always wanted to since he was young and then made an identical version in second life."When he visited New York last year, he spent a weekend at the hotel, and when he got home, he used photographs he had taken to construct a version of the building in Second Life."
I believe that with technology constantly improving at its rapid rate these worlds will only become more and more life like. Instead of interacting through a computer screen people will have virtual reality helmets that will completely immerse them into these worlds that they have created and will choose to leave their more boring lives behind. Its actually quite scary if you think about the implications of it. It reminds of the ending scene of the movie Repomen with Jude Law. The protagonist ends up stuck in a virtual world that he believes is real and does not know that everything is fake.
Cited Readings:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1332418894-XX6HYyTsZ16cZG41OHdjEQ
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html
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