Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

           Virtual worlds are such an interesting invention. Technically the idea of virtual worlds has always existed in the minds of the people, it is just through technology that this idea became a 'reality'. There are many ways virtual worlds can be used such as for gaming purposes, personal matchmaking, meeting places for businesses and even a virtual environment to help people train for real life scenarios.
            As with everything else, there are pros and cons to virtual worlds. Some of the pros include two scenarios where soldiers can be trained and experience possible battlefield scenarios as seen in the article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot" by Diane Mehta. In the article "The Avatar II: The Hospital" by Stephanie Simon, nurses use virtual worlds to help them make decisions quickly during an operation. Another pro is that people who are shy and are afraid to express themselves or simply don't know how to, can join something like the Second Life, and meet people. They can finally leave the comfort of their own home without actually leaving it. This allows people to 'live' instead of wither away in their home.
            Of course there are also cons to virtual worlds. For my last statement regarding a pro of virtual worlds, it is also a con. While it is nice to not have to leave your home and be comfortable, this should only be used as a starting point. There is only so much to be gained through a virtual world, you still have to live in the real world whether you like it or not. Getting used to living in a virtual world can actually be more damaging in the long run as you can get so used to it that you really find no reason to try and adapt to reality.
             Virtual worlds foster creativity because they allow one to express themselves more freely. They  have to worry less about people directly laughing at them, they can only get laughed at virtually. Virtual worlds also allow people in far away lands to communicate and collaborate more easily. This alone will bring forth a much more creative experience whether is be in something like composition of music, political ideas or even just everyday conversation.