Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are animated recreations of the physical world and its functions. At first thought, a virtual world may seem silly or useless, but virtual worlds have a multitude of purposes, ranging from education to recreation.

For example, many teachers use virtual worlds in the classroom to bring their students in closer contact with places and spaces. While a virtual world is not a perfect representation, it beats a one dimensional photo in a text book! Some teachers create virtual worlds for their classes, allowing students to interact in an alternate educational universe. Students may practice skills in an interactive web-based community.

In terms of recreation, virtual worlds are used in a number of video games (many multiplayer), including The Sims, World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Guild Wars. These games are enjoyed by people of all ages and provide people with a different sense of place and space. For instance, the Sims removes the player from his or her physical surroundings to control an artificial reality. Because virtual worlds are three dimensional, they are incredibly life like. In addition to video games, some virtual worlds are used by everyday people to document experiences. For instance, the blog below provides a virtual world tour of bars he visited in the UK. In this case, the virtual world is an opportunity for the blogger to provide the public with more detailed information about a particular place.

http://barblog.lastminuteliving.com/my_weblog/virtual_bars/index.html