Virtual worlds can be used in a variety of ways. According to the “Avatar II: The Hospital” article, health care facilities and professionals can use virtual worlds to practice medicine. There are no life-threatening mistakes or casualties when you’re practicing in the virtual world. The article “Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life,” explains how the virtual world can replace business meetings and conferences that require expensive traveling. The virtual world allows employees in different states and even countries to virtually meet with one another to discuss business. According to the article “I’ve been in that Club, Just Not in Real Life,” you can even use the virtual world to party and have fun. Virtual worlds can also be used to live a virtual life where you get to be whoever you want other than yourself. You can splurge, and do whatever you want knowing it’s not the real world. It can even be used in classrooms as well. Virtual worlds certainly has its pros. It can be beneficial for giving people a space to escape from the real world. It can help people from all over the world virtually meet. It can help health professionals practice medicine, and so much more. There are some cons to it too. In the article “At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide,” politicians question the virtual world’s safety by asking “Could Second Life be used as a place to launder money? Are children safe in online worlds?” The Internet has already proven that it can be unsafe when it comes to identity theft and pedophiles that prey on innocent, gullible children. There’s no telling what could happen in the virtual world. Also, according to the article “Virtual World May Impact Real World Behavior,” virtual worlds could affect the way people start to act in the real world, in a negative way. Their studies showed that those that took on violent characters in the virtual world, replicated their mean or inhumane actions in real life. Virtual worlds foster creativity by allowing the unimaginable or the unattainable in real life to happen in the virtual life. The future of virtual worlds is wary. As of right now, tech is entering virtual reality with VR headsets. Google’s Cardboard allows users to enter a cute virtual world with a simple cardboard box and your cellphone, and while in it you get a chance to fly, go fishing, amongst other actions. They’re releasing the Google Daydream VR headset that takes the virtual world to a completely new level. What does this mean exactly for the virtual world? What will we be able to accomplish with it? Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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