Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are an alternate world in a game where people can be someone else and do almost anything they want to. They are able to become someone else by creating what is known as an avatar or character that represents themselves in this virtual world. Some examples of virtual words are SecondLife, IMVU and World Of Warcraft. These virtual worlds can serve as a place to escape from reality. You can do things in virtual words that you can't in real life such as fly or something that you are not good at such as dancing or playing a sport. Anything can happen in a virtual world. There are many pros and cons for virtual worlds. The positive effects of virtual worlds are that it encourages community and creativity. You can meet other people with same interests and goals. It can be a place where you go and relax if you are having a stressful day in real life. However, virtual worlds have some cons too. MMORPGS like World of Warcraft usually have a monthly subscription fee to play and sites like SecondLife and IMVU have virtual currency that you have to buy with real money. Some people spend a lot of money to play in these virtual worlds. According to an article titled "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You", the chief executive of There.com, Mike Wilson, said that they actually saw an increase in spending during the recession. Sometimes people spend more time playing in these virtual worlds than they do interacting with people in real life. For example, in the article titled "I've Been In That Club, Just Not in Real Life" the author writes "despite knowing that its real-life inspiration exists right outside my door, I have spent the last few months making such visits to the Virtual Lower East Side" which shows that some people would rather experience something in a game rather than do it in real life. Sometimes, people get so caught up in these virtual worlds that they forget about reality.