Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds exist without preconceptions. This means less inhibitions and, therefore, easier expression and a more comfortable experience. Places that only suit certain types of people can expand their reach by creating virtual realities of themselves, inviting a wider range of types to experience what it has to offer. A concert in a virtual Lower East Side invites a person who might not enjoy visiting the Lower East Side or joining a sweaty crowd to experience music. It sets the focus on whatever a person wants to focus on, by opening a world that is theirs to interpret and use. A con in this situation might be that people could become antisocial and lose abilities to interact in some healthy ways. Pros, though, are that it provides a space for creativity— for the mind to expand toward things that aren't necessarily as possible in the physical world. Instead of buying an expensive pair of shoes in the physical world, someone might build an entire world of virtual goods, creating a second existence that allows them to express themselves in ways they can't every day in the physical world. Included in the opportunity to exist without boundaries like budgets is the opportunity to focus thoughts elsewhere, perhaps on inventing something new or discovering a dream you've never realized. The virtuality lifts the weights of the regular world but keeps you thinking in terms of the best life you can imagine for yourself. Virtual worlds will someday become more interactive, I imagine. I'm thinking along the lines of the movie "Her", which portrays a man becoming so invested in his virtual ventures that he changes everything about his physical life as well.