Virtual Worlds

So I thought the frontline documentary we watched in class was really interesting and decided to view some of the other segments. The one that struck me was labeled Virtual Worlds. It discusses the use of virtual gaming basically to simulate face to face interaction. Now I know most people would think, oh cool virtual games must be awesome and of course if I were into video games I would be excited about it too. But these people of Second Life are using virtual worlds to a new extreme. I went on their website and it kind of freaks me out. People are now using virtual worlds to replace their interactions in the most crucial ways. For instance, people are now going to business meetings via their virtual world. They have 'avatars' that they can customize to look like themselves and use microphones to literally have a business meeting. They will shake hands and sit down around a conference table or even go get coffee via this virtual life. The whole idea is really creepy to me. Do people really think that this virtual world is substantially replacing the idea of physical contact that we miss in video chat or phone calls? I find trying to bring the real world literally into the virtual world is an outrageous concept. I would feel silly trying to move around my avatar in front of my boss. I think it degrades how a corporate meeting works and the importance of human interaction. I would never want to be a part of this Second Life or any type of virtual world for that matter. I'm perfectly fine living out here... in the real world.



here's a little thing i just stumbled upon... perhaps it captures the absurdity of virtual living...