Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds


               I believe most people have experience playing virtual reality games. It provides a simulated environment where people can get auditory and visual feedback. Compared with traditional video games, people can have more interactive communication in reality game and feel more realistic. Besides entertainment, the virtual world has a lot of applications in different areas. In the health care industry, the virtual reality tech helps surgeons practice procedures. And it can motivate stroke or brain injury victims to practice everyday activities. It is easier and faster than traditional physical therapy.  The U.S military uses virtual reality simulator to train soldiers before they are deployed. The automotive industry uses virtual reality not only for design purpose but also to educate teenagers and parents about distracted driving.
               In a virtual world, we can have a lot of amazing experiences which are not able to do any time in the real world. I played some virtual reality games, including shooting game, ski, archery, taking rollercoaster and more. Most of them need to be done in a specific environment or with a specific instrument in reality. It still satisfies me because it’s not easy to be done anytime and anywhere even I know it not real. It’s the same reason as for why the surgeon and soldier need virtual reality technology. Because it provides them an opportunity to practice and experience before they start their missions. However, the virtual world still has a drawback. The virtual world is very simple. There is no law or rule to guide people’s behavior. People can do whatever they want even something illegal in the real world. And they will be likely influenced by what people do in the virtual world. Not like traditional video games, the influence caused by the virtual world will be wide and further because people experience it as the first person perspective. “Given that virtual behavior is controlled by computer programmers and animators, the influences can be dreadful.” (Chirag Prajapati)
                The convenience of the virtual world fosters creativity. NASA plans to use virtual reality technology to control rovers or other instruments millions of miles away. The technology is planned to be used to transport people Louvre in Paris, the Acropolis in Athens and the Guggenheim in New York City, all in one day. I believe more and more creative applications of the virtual world will show up in the future.  It will help us to overcome the geographic boundary and connect people regardless of where they are. “Anyone with a smartphone and a Cardboard VR headset can now take a tour of the world” (Knvul Sheikh, Staff Writer) Maybe one day in the future, we will create a virtual world like the one in “Ready Player One.”

Reference

Knvul Sheikh, Staff Writer, Beyond Gaming: 10 Other Fascinating Uses for Virtual-Reality Tech, January 19, 2016, https://www.livescience.com/53392-virtual-reality-tech-uses-beyond-gaming.html

Chirag Prajapati, The Conformity Stigma: Is Our Virtual Behaviour Impacting the Way We Really Behave?, January 14, 2018, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/307457

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