Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are a form of technology that has not progressed the way other forms have, such as social networking sites. This is a result of businesses having the inability to "think beyond what's already there." Virtual worlds foster creativity because with every new development there is always something new and better that can be discovered. It is up to the inventors to study the needs and wants of the consumer and allows that to spark new ideas. According to Diane Mehta, "you can use virtual worlds in education, in delivery services, or as an advanced form of telehealthcare that offers so much more than videoconferencing." One of the benefits of using virtual worlds is the improvement it makes on psychotherapy. Virtual healing spaces are created for soldiers returning from war and even victims of autism. People suffering from unfortunate disorders like Autism and PTSD can now use these safe worlds as a form of therapy. On the other hand, virtual worlds create another world for people to be apart of and excessive use can lead to a loss or neglect of reality and the real world. Similarly to any other form of technology, virtual worlds hamper the traditional conversation and socializing and replace it with online networking. I believe that if the promoters of virtual worlds can find a way to market them to a wider range of individuals, it can have a very bright future. Virtual worlds can possibly be expanded into other segments of therapy and even used to close the gap of long distance communication.

Works Cited

1. Mehta, Diane. “After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?” Forbes.com. Forbes, 30 April 2013. Web. 20 March 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/>.

2. Saidi, Nicole. “'iReport: Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction.” CNN.com. CNN, 28 March 2008. Web. 20 March 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText>.