Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds have an array of uses. The New York Times cites one such use, marketing. MTV's attempt to recreate the unique atmosphere of New York's Lower East Side via "VLES" is one way they're trying to bring in "new consumers and curiosity seekers into MTV’s sphere of influence" (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1352570802-s6SHsEXPEOoqsehfaEk1AA) There are many reasons this would seem appealing. For starters, here, MTV is trying to sell more than just a single sight or sound, they're trying to recreate a unique atmosphere. With such an ambitious project, MTV is able to offer a sampling of the neighborhood, beyond what pictures and music can offer. CNN offers yet another use, saying that the Virtual World "Second Life" is used by businesses to host virtual meetings. One appeal of this is setting, as the environments allowed in Second Life include  (a) "whole range of environments, from auditoriums and collaboration pods to social areas" (http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html). Additionally, another reason a company might opt to use a Virtual World is because it's a money saving technique. Instead of having employees physically appear for a meeting, they could take part in one virtually.

While all this seems like a lot of trouble to simply recreate things that already existed, it isn't without its benefits. As stated before, such Virtual Worlds provide a more engaging and interactive atmosphere, which can be beneficial for things such as marketing and collaboration. However, another Virtual World came to mind - "Minecraft". Minecraft is the name of a game that's been tossed around for a while, and initially, I couldn't see the appeal. The game is essentially virtual legos, and while that might not seem like much, that's the draw of the game. Being virtual, there are some drawbacks that never come into play, that would if it were a physical product. Right away, the idea of playing with a virtual lego set removes restrictions such as cost, and physical space, both of which would be problematic factors when using physical legos. With restrictions such as these removed, creativity flourishes, and already people have recreated everything from scale recreations of their own homes, to complex machines, all with the use of the virtual building blocks provided in Minecraft. The sheer amount of possibilities afforded by such technology is what I believe the future of Virtual Worlds will look like, and time will only see these things expanded, with greater tools, accessibility, and ease of use.