Blog: Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are definitely interesting. New York Times says, “In most virtual worlds, memberships are free, but players trade real money for virtual currencies, used to buy products, save up in an account or eventually redeem for real money”. People are finding themselves spending a lot more money virtually, indulging in their favorite luxurious brands. On the plus side, shoppers have significantly cut their spending in the real world. In the Forbes article, they explain an interesting fact that virtual worlds can help bring people together. They feel isolated on their own, but in this world they won’t be fully alone, they are still connected to others. So far, there are about 2 billion accounts in around 100 virtual worlds, which certainly connects many people.
Virtual worlds foster creativity by bringing people together and allowing them to engage in activities they wouldn’t in the real world.I think virtual worlds will increase in the future, but I cant see them exponentially expanding. There is only so much people can do on them, ofcourse for the shopping addict they are great, but there needs to be more variety. I think they will look like our reality, with more color and enhanced features.