Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

I don't have an avatar in any of those virtual worlds but they are kind of a big deal. I mean they take people out of their comforts zones...they allow them to do things they would never do in their normal lives. Like mentioned in the Nicole Saidi article iReport: ''Naughty Auties" People who have a problem socializing for whatever reason they are able to create a second life where they would meet new friends and create friendships that can overall improve their mental well being. This also goes for people who has physical disabilities they can walk around or go shopping or any other thing that they can't do that us able bodied people take for granted. Along with people who just want to experience the nightlife scene without having to deal with the issues of actually leaving the comfort of their homes.

I've heard of second life providing people with jobs that actually pay them. Companies even have boardmeeting on second life as to save them money.However for everything that has a positive impacts there are also negative ones. For instance i can see these same people losing touch with reality after spending so much time in virtual worlds. It may make them severly depressed after realizing that no matter how manny friends they have in the second life if they were to physically need someone for help they may not be around. Those same people meeting in those boardrooms on second life may not be fully able to convey what exactly they're trying to say and or do so their may be break down in communication.

The most intersting thing i've heard about second life was someone getting a job as a result of them creating a virtual flower garden and helping run a virtual sanctuary. I mean it does make a bit of sense because even though what ever people are doing isn't actually real they have to go through the same procedure as if it was real. So this would definitely expose people to learning things they didn't even think they can do in real life. Then they can go out into the real world and put what they learnt to good use.

As to the future of second life i think eventually people would begin to pay more attention to it after they realize that it's not JUST a game. That it can help people in a lot more ways than just wasting time on a pc because they choose not to socialize.