Virtual+Worlds

=Virtual Worlds=

A 3D virtual world you can inhabit via an avatar. The closest thing we primitives have to a holodeck. The avatar allows you to project a false image of yourself into the virtual space, and others in the virtual space will react to that image, even though it may not be a true representation of your real self.
 * What are they?**

Basically, it's an alternative reality. In the virtual world of Second Life, it’s a literal second life. You can do anything in this world that you would do in real life (RL). Eat, shop, dance, walk, talk, and have sex. You can also do some things you could never do in RL, such as fly. Many virtual worlds allow you to meet and talk with others users, either through voice or text chat.

For some, virtual worlds are escapist entertainment. It allows users to be whoever they want and to do whatever they want with no limits. For others, it may feel like a virtual prison that cuts a user off from the natural, the real.

Some successful Virtual World uses, regarding Second Life include:
 * Strategies for successful virtual world use.**
 * Creating a business
 * Advertising for pre-existing businesses
 * Networking with people you usually wouldn't come in contact with
 * Holding meetings to reach broader audiences than real life

Cons:
 * Services: pros and cons.**

1. Regarding Second Life: some may be concerned that this virtual landscape could destroy the first life a user may have. 2. Second Life is glitchy. It consumes too much computer space and data. Program functions are not straightforward to operate. 3. Most internet users prefer Facebook and Google+ and Twitter, because they are more personal and intimate, not just interactions with random strangers hiding behind avatars. 4. Who is behind the avatar? Unlike other forms of social media, like Facebook, where users have a profile so the user can gain some sort of understanding or grasp of who this person is, Second Life really only offers the avatar and screen name. Users are talking to complete strangers! 5. Develop an internet addiction, where playing too much effects real lifestyles like eating habits, sleeping habits, hygiene and etc.

Pros:

1.Connect with people of similar interests and occupations. 2.An informal and fun way to have meetings with people who are a long distance from each other in real life. 3.A healthy way to exhaust creative energy under the guise of an anonymous avatar. 4.The chance to meet people through random encounters without the "redtape" of Facebook. 5. Develop an internet addiction, where playing too much may help overcome another addiction like drugs, gambling, sex and etc.

In one of Dr. Kevin Brooks' vlogs, he pointed out three major things a VW can help the user accomplish: 1. Social networking with strangers who share your passions. 2. Avatars can help us realize our potential (without the confines of social expectations/norms) 3. VW foster our desire to create, and users utilize social networking to pull in other people into their VWs.
 * Avatars**

(adapted from [|Alyda's blog]) //Minecraft in schools// Minecraft can be used as a tool for helping kids think about real life issues. Minecraft can be a learning tool because it forces kids to think about why they would build certain things in certain ways, gives them creative license to design and create, and what’s more—it gets them thinking about how to establish ways of working together.
 * Educational Applications of Virtual Worlds**

//Machinima// People have used and crafted Second Life into different forms of media—namely, movies that tell a story. It moves from real-time personal interaction to a scripted (or potentially non-scripted) video that is preserved and shared across the internet on YouTube and in some cases, even shown in movie theaters. This interaction of media platforms and the creativity that goes into making these videos happen offer infinite possibilities. Machinima is a way for non-professionals without access to expensive equipment, etc. to create their movies—to go through the pieces of writing script, staging, directing, organizing actors—all without that barrier of having the right software programs to make it happen. This not only allows beginners to build a reputation and get noticed by the professionals, it actually begins to break down the lines between amateurs and professionals.

//Rome Reborn// Rome Reborn is a virtual recreation of what Rome used to look like. This is just one of many ways that programs such as Second Life may be used for educational and academic purposes.

//Second Life// While not technically educational, Second Life can be used to conduct real time business meetings. This can be especially useful in the workplace because it allows people to meet from all over the country without ever leaving their offices. These types of meetings may also be used by speakers for various campaigns to reach a broad audience.