Virtual worlds can be used for educational purposes. Virtual worlds can create simulated learning environments. In the Wall Street Journal article “Avatar: II the Hospital” med school students are able to experience what working in a hospital is like to practice before the real thing. The downside to learning in a simulated environment is that “The lack of face-to-face interactions with other peers and the instructor can be a disadvantage for the students and professors.(The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher)”
Virtual worlds can foster creativity because people can adopt personas that’s different from your real life persona. Virtual worlds allow people to express themselves if they can’t express themselves that way in real life. In the New York Times article “In Simulated Worlds Online, Consumption Is Still Conspicuous,” people during the recession of 2009 were able to express themselves by dressing online avatars in designer clothes, clothes that they aren’t able to afford. “ Certainly her real-world occupation as a nurse affords Ms. Cocke scant opportunity “to rock my new leather Gucci messenger bag or Jimmy Choo sandals,” she said. In contrast, “Vixie’s style is a better representation of my true self,” she said, “as it’s hard to be fashionable in hospital scrubs.””
I think the future of virtual worlds will include virtual/augmented reality. Also projected holograms. The quality of computer graphics will also improve so that graphics can look close to real life.
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