Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

In today's age, virtual worlds are a means in which people are able to roleplay, socialize, and express their creativity in ways that they may not be able to in real life. "But Minecraft is a virtual world. It’s digital LEGOs if you will, but it’s a space for kids to exercise their imagination and to connect with others to also want to build and create things." says Jacki Morie in the article After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot? Of course adults also play Minecraft and have built some amazing things spanning from pixel art to replicas of real world cities. Games like Second Life allow people to roleplay and express themselves in ways they may not be able to in the real world. "Ms. Rayna, an avatar on Second Life, and her free-spending cohort can quaff Champagne, teleport to private islands and splurge on luxury brands that are the cyber equivalent of Prada waders or a Rolex watch. Real-world consumers may have snapped shut their wallets. But in these lavishly appointed realms it is still 2007, and conspicuous consumption is all the rage." says Ruth La Ferla in the New York Times article No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You. Of course not every one expresses themselves positively in these virtual worlds. This introduces "e-thugs" who try to act a lot tougher than they really are, and "trolls" who try to cause arguments and chaos with provocative messages or actions. Virtual worlds can also be heavily addicting.Lately, virtual reality has been further developed and may very well be the future for virtual worlds. Advanced telehealthcare is also another big possibility.