Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds can be used many ways. From mental health rehabilitation to making friends with strangers in Germany. Not only do virtual worlds give you the opportunity to be someone else on the internet, but it can also be a tool to help you practice and hone skills that you would be too scared to pursue in real life.
In many instances, virtual worlds are used for mental health. In one case they were used to help treat Army vets with PTSD or who were unable to reintegrate normally within civilians. By creating worlds that resemble the ones they grew use to, or have experienced trauma in, psychologists will be able to help the vets overcome the fears and terrors they once lived. It could even work for patients that suffer from severe forms of agoraphobia, allowing them to experience the world and possibly interact with other people, which they might not have been able to do otherwise.
Aside from need based therapy, virtual reality worlds opens up the possibilities for "normal" people to turn on their computers, log in, and use their avatars to roam a world that can model anything from the lower east side in NYC to made up fantasy worlds. Avatars can interact and become friends, hang out at hip places or pretend to be someone completely different.
The ability to create a virtual world requires minds to be creative. What we see in the everyday world is a culmination of thousands of people's decisions, but to be able to create a world where everything does something and people are able to interact and possibly make changes within the world, takes many levels of ingenuity.
The benefits of having these devices are just that- overcoming fears, exploring unknown worlds, meeting people from all around. However, the fact that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home for such relations can lead people to avoid leaving their homes all together. Becoming solely dependent on the virtual world and not focusing on the one in front of us could lead to the formation of anti-social behavior regarding in person interacts, not to mention how terrible, staring at a screen for several hours is terrible for your eyes.
As to what the future hold for virtual reality? That's something many people are asking themselves. With the inventions of virtual reality gear, where you put some eye gear on and grab the controls and feel like you're in that game, the possibilities are infinite. Perhaps very soon, like we see in futuristic movies, we will be able to almost be transported into these virtual realities and have it feel as real as stepping outside on a cloudy and humid New York city day.
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Aside from need based therapy, virtual reality worlds opens up the possibilities for "normal" people to turn on their computers, log in, and use their avatars to roam a world that can model anything from the lower east side in NYC to made up fantasy worlds. Avatars can interact and become friends, hang out at hip places or pretend to be someone completely different.
The ability to create a virtual world requires minds to be creative. What we see in the everyday world is a culmination of thousands of people's decisions, but to be able to create a world where everything does something and people are able to interact and possibly make changes within the world, takes many levels of ingenuity.
The benefits of having these devices are just that- overcoming fears, exploring unknown worlds, meeting people from all around. However, the fact that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home for such relations can lead people to avoid leaving their homes all together. Becoming solely dependent on the virtual world and not focusing on the one in front of us could lead to the formation of anti-social behavior regarding in person interacts, not to mention how terrible, staring at a screen for several hours is terrible for your eyes.
As to what the future hold for virtual reality? That's something many people are asking themselves. With the inventions of virtual reality gear, where you put some eye gear on and grab the controls and feel like you're in that game, the possibilities are infinite. Perhaps very soon, like we see in futuristic movies, we will be able to almost be transported into these virtual realities and have it feel as real as stepping outside on a cloudy and humid New York city day.
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