Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Prompt: What are different ways virtual worlds can be used? What are the pros and cons? Be specific. How do virtual worlds foster creativity? What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?

Entering its second decade of existence, Second Life was once a popular destination for three-dimensional virtual communities, with total registration topping 37 million over its existence. Yet active users and signups on the site have not kept pace with any of the other social media services out there – the amount of users truly active is in the tens of thousands. Moreover, users do not seem willing to engage with Second Life, with 70% of users not exploring and choosing to remain in whatever place they were when they last logged out. And the amount of user-operated real estate in the game, categorized as main grid and private estates, have declined. The appeal of virtual worlds isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

That doesn’t mean smaller virtual worlds aren’t real. In fact, if we expand our definition to include the multitude of social games like Candy Crush or Farmville, people are interacting and playing in virtual environments, but not in a way that actually benefits their lives or society. Studies have demonstrated that through gamification of mundane tasks like mindlessly clicking, the reward of points-based currency in these games tricks the mind into associating these activities with real achievements. The fact that people are sucked into games of no real consequence and spend their lives idly is of great concern to me.

Another interesting avenue of virtual reality is Oculus Rift, which was purchased by Facebook. It is the first headset to provide HD-quality visualizations, and hands-on reviews of the prototypes have inspired glowing reviews of its unparalleled experience. Oculus will like be a part of the next wave of entertainment: as a social tool, as a gaming device, and an extension of film and television experiences.

One of the tangible applications of virtual reality is training for highly-skilled tasks, such as flight simulation or military training. These create enthralling environments which would likely not be feasible in real life. In his book War Play: Video Games and Armed Conflict, Dr. Corey Mead highlights the sophisticated technology the military uses to hone combat skills, develop unit cohesion, and instruct soldiers on sensitive tasks such as cultural awareness and coping with stress. In the book, one of the main theories he develops suggest that the innovation driven by the defense industry and military will ultimately arrive in civilian applications – although how that will happen is unclear.