Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

      A virtual reality, or virtual world, is a computer-generated simulation that can be interacted with to give the appearance of a real-world feel. This type of technology can be used for professional advantage or personal gain. When talking in terms of professional advantage, virtual worlds give the user an opportunity to practice their potential professions safely and inexpensively. This type of environment could be beneficial to medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses. According to the Wall Street Journal article "Avatar II: The Hospital," medical schools are more inclined to using virtual reality programs than practicing live in class. This is because mannequins that are purchased by medical schools are around $65,000 are provided to every 50 to 100 students to practice on. In the case of virtual reality, every student has a virtual mannequin that they could practice on, so sharing is out of the option and each student has the opportunity to practice thoroughly. This also increases the percentage of safety because everything is done virtually, so no harm can be done to patients or medical professionals. For personal gain, virtual reality allows the user to live in certain environments vicariously through a simulation you make yourself. In the New York Times article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life," author Dave Itzkoff attends the music club Cake Shop in real life only to find out that he wasn't really into it. This inclined him to log onto his virtual reality to attend the same club but without all the hassle of bouncers and unwanted smells. In addition to avoiding certain situations, people can place themselves in certain situations or obtain certain things that they couldn't in their real lives. The New York Times article "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You," it states that "it's [virtual worlds] the newest manifestation of how people live vicariously: if I can't afford a Bently, my avatar can." It continues to state that avatars aren't restricted by real-life problems such as not being invited to a party. Therefore, because these restrictions are removed from the equation, the potential for creativity is limitless. This allows the user to become anything he or she wants to be in a virtual setting. 

As with all good pieces of technology comes with numerous positive aspects, they also come with certain disadvantages as well. The main disadvantage is towards the developers of these programs. Programmers are pushed to create an exact replica of the real world. This process can be very difficult and time-consuming and may discourage the developers to continue programming. Other issues that they can run into are lag time, overlooking laws of physics, and lack of acuity. 

Considering both positive and negative aspects of virtual reality, we can see that it can be completely beneficial, professionally. Hopefully, more medical institutions are more inclined to use it to help further students' academics. In terms of personal use, this can help those who have certain diseases such as agoraphobia, the fear of leaving home. This allows for individuals to experience things without leaving the comfort of their own home. In conclusion, we can see that the pros outweigh the cons and should be used more in daily use.

Citation

Ferla, Ruth La. "No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real You." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Oct. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Itzkoff, Dave. "I’ve Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Jan. 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Simon, Stephanie. "Avatar II: The Hospital." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Comments

  1. Tiffany MastrotaMarch 26, 2017 at 6:23 PM

    I found it really interesting when you discussed the professional use for virtual reality and how medical professionals take advantage of this technology. I agree that this is a huge breakthrough to be able to practice procedures without the risk of harming real people or costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in mannequins.

    ReplyDelete

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