The Virtual World, is a place to browse unexplored and new domains, visual and participate in imaginary communities and do business in a virtual marketplace with real customers and colleagues.
Sims, a virtual reality simulator, was created back in 2000. As a little kid you were able to create your ideal virtual reality, from choosing the perfect house to creating your ideal husband/ wife and family. If you had a crush on Brad Pitt, you were able to create a character that looked exactly like him and make you as the spouse; along with making a huge house with a pool, tennis court and the biggest backyard you could ever think of and so much more. If you had the secret code “rosebud”, you could enhance your daily income to meet your actual needs, instead of what the game gave you. This game allowed kids of all ages to see a virtual reality that would continue to change the way to which they saw the world as they grew up, and experience interactions with other people starting from a young age. The life of the virtual would is expanding into something huge, and will have an impact on its users that will change their lives.
It has allowed us to simulate situations, from a young age, that only you could wish would happen. The virtual world has created a close nit community that will continue to expand. These worlds allow its users to create something that is completely unique to them. Since Sims, there are many other virtual realities that have allowed its users to simulate real life situations. From Second Life to World of Warcraft, these games are vastly diverse yet attract a distinctive type of person. Sims has also created numerous versions on this game, constantly updating and There will continue to be a distinct change in the virtual world, allowing it to expand into something that the whole world will soon be involved in. Business in the virtual world is still new, but it is this reality that will continue to develop relationships with customers, meet other avatars, and meet new people within this developing community.
If you were able to create an ideal life in the virtual world, what would it be?
What are some ways the virtual world has changed your life?
When reading your blog post all I kept thinking about was when I used to play SIMS and how much I loved that game! I would sometimes play the game all day for weeks at a time, either by myself or even with a group of friends. I remember that I always had to have every expansion pack and new edition because playing SIMS was a way to have either your life as an avatar or a completely new and made up life. When I think about virtual worlds now, I have mixed feelings. I am not sure why I feel like this, but as a child I can understand kids playing because it is just another game or toy. But, adults "playing" in a virtual world seems to me as a way to sort of escape their life that they have and play in this fake world instead. I can understand, and the video clearly shows this, that a virtual world can help be an escape; you can be whoever you want and do whatever you want. If you want to look different, have your dream job, or even "love" you can. But to me, adults need to live in their own reality and keep virtual worlds to kids to play with.
ReplyDeleteNicole, that is exactly the way that I felt growing up. Sims was my favorite computer game and my sister and I would fight over playing it when we had a chance to every weekend. It is definitely true that to adults it is seen as an escape, and a way to develop a virtual reality. I appreciate your post and totally agree!!!
DeleteThe virtual world is definitely a unique thing. I was one of the many people that used to play The Sims. My sister and I would create many different families for various reasons of what we were thinking of the time. We bought many of the expansions and had a ton of fun with it. I tried “Second Life” for literally thirty seconds then I realized that I had no idea what I was doing and gave it up. Recently I watched the movie Hot Tub Time Machine and an episode of Law and Order SVU and there were mentions of “Second Life” involved mostly used as an example of escapism. People always want to feel that they have complete control of their life. The easiest way for that is to make yourself have a virtual life where you can be anything you want and start over if you do not like it.
ReplyDeleteI think your post is an interesting take on the virtual world. As others, growing up I used to always play The Sims and even today I find my roommate still playing it and enjoying the creation of a virtual life. It is a world where you can create and change lives as you please, while trying to recreate your life in some sort of way, to the way you envisioned it. I think for adults to try and create a life in the virtual world to escape from the real world is ridiculous. There are other ways to have fun virtually without trying to create a false world.
ReplyDeleteWe will look at how business may benefit from the virtual world and why it is important for a company has a presence in the virtual world or in people's dream life today.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading both Reya's post and the comments above me, i think its safe to say that everyone had some strong connection to the virtual world as a kid. I remember when i was younger i used to play Sims all of the time and my friends and I would have competitions to see who could create the best virtual world. Looking back on it, I'm starting to think that the reason we used to love these kind of virtual world games was because it was a nice escape from the real world and it was a place where we could create our own world. Virtual worlds are extremely interesting, however, i think that as you get older you should not want to associate yourself as much with it because it gives off the feeling that you are trying to escape your own life which you have spent years building. The entire concept of a virtual world is extremely interesting and i think that it will evolve even more as time continues to go on.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement that we should stay away from the virtual world as you get older because sometimes people may view this as a way to escape from their every day activities. Their reality should be something that is not associated with the virtual world. While growing up it is acceptable to experience the virtual world to its upmost potential so that you are aware of what may or may not happen in the future. Thanks so much for your post Nicole!
DeleteLike many others, I was used to enjoy playing Sims when I was younger. It was my favorite game too. It was amazing that I could create any life that I want and I could be anyone that I want to be. I felt like getting vicarious satisfaction through playing the game. As Nicole said above, we can even love someone that I want to fall in with. Almost nothing is impossible in the virtual world created in Sims.
ReplyDeleteI think the virtual world is more dangerous to kids if those kind of games are played too much. Since children lack judgement compared to adults, they might not be able to keep the virtual and real life separate. If people are addicted to those virtual world like games, it would likely put themselves in situations that could lead to trouble.
When playing games like Sims, I always strive for the ideal. I want to make everything happen but I have no patience to slowly make the progress. Therefore, I often rely on “cheat programs” to make myself a billionaire in a few seconds. It feels great to have power and imagination in the virtual world but it isn’t the reality.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the downside of the virtual world may disappoint many individuals, it can be a positive sign for investment. Since there is no loss of money in real life, it gives more space for new ideas and challenges. It is beneficial for business because companies can utilize risk management and predict the performance by using the virtual world.