Virtual worlds help foster creativity in a way such that users are able to create an ideal world and life all through simulated environments on the computer. One pro is that it makes reality simpler and education and can also mimic activities people wouldn't be able to do with ease, such as surgical procedures or astronaut training. However, virtual reality may backfire such that time lags and one may come to lack awareness of the real world. With the use of virtual worlds, it's very easy to get lost in the computer simulation activity.
In the New York Times article. "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You," Ferla explains how users of "Second Life" use real money in exchange for the virtual currency in order to purchase things in the game for one's avatar to wear. One pro listed was that in the virtual world, clothes always fit and they don't wear. The avatar would never have to throw away their clothes because it's become worn or too small to wear, as opposed to the real world, where one would end up having to do so for those reasons, becoming costly. The article mentioned that over 150,000 items were created by users in the game, which depicts creativity. Users would build 3-D objects to sell in the virtual marketplace. Through "Second Life," users are able to live vicariously through their avatars and live as lavishly as they want. "It's the newest manifestation of how people live vicariously: if I can't afford a Bentley, my avatar can."
As a pro, in CNN's article, "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life," Tutton explains how virtual worlds save travel time when avatars want to meet up with one another to collaborate on a project, which is beneficial because it makes for an engaging environment. However, if one would want to know how to operate a brick-and-motar place, then virtual worlds wouldn't be the place for demonstration. Besides, there are other ways to collaborate on projects such as Dropbox or Google Drive. A con the article states is that virtual teams fail to imitate the company's work culture, especially "water cooler" conversations where in the real world, workers would gather around it to share additional thoughts and ideas that might not have been shared at a previous meeting. This interaction creates bonds and relationships, where one may not be able to achieve in virtual worlds and suffer isolation.
Virtual worlds have already come into existence in today's society, especially with virtual reality electronics. Perhaps, they'll further share the virtual world by bringing virtual reality into everyday classrooms to foster a creative and innovative way of learning. I definitely think technology would only move up from here. It's exciting to see what the future has in store for us!
Sources:
1) No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You
2) Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life
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