A virtual world is an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users through an online interface. Virtual worlds are also called "digital worlds," "simulated worlds" and "MMORPG's (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games)".
Virtual worlds have been created for many different purposes; but they are widely used for commercial gaming. Commercial gaming worlds tend to focus on a singular fictional theme and consistently follow formal conventions like character-focused avatars, progression through an interactive narrative storyline, and a series of competitive events.
Many commercial community-focused virtual worlds also emphasize socializing. Participants are not necessarily there to win or play a game, but rather to socialize with others. Casual games may be incorporated into a social world, in many cases, to create and decorate a personal space such as a home, room, apartment and even a farm. Social worlds tend to use settings based on idealized versions of reality.
Some virtual worlds have been created for educational purposes. Educational worlds come in a wide variety of forms, including 3D recreations of museum and gallery spaces, computer programming tutorials, virtual libraries, and meeting spaces for online university courses. They are used as models as well. For example, for architectural purposes, before actually building something, you can use virtual worlds to create buildings and design them to at least have ideas on how they will look like.
The US Military also uses virtual world technologies to recruit potential soldiers and develop military simulations. Before shooting real weapons, they allow you to try virtual simulations first to have ideas on the impact of shooting heavy weapons.
What's interesting with virtual worlds is that anybody can make an avatar that will represent themselves in the virtual worlds, regardless if you are disabled or if you have a social disorder or illness. Your avatar will be your character and you can customize it anytime. Virtual worlds allow many users to participate at once. They allow and encourage the formation of in-world social groups like teams, guilds, clubs, cliques, housemates, neighborhoods, etc. Therefore you will be able to virtually meet the people who have the same interest as you have. They allows users to alter, develop, build, or submit customized content. This is how they foster creativity among users. They continue to exist regardless of whether individual users are logged in. Interaction also takes place in real time.
From a particular video I saw in class, virtual worlds allow disabled people to represent themselves in the virtual world as people without disabilities. For example, if they cannot walk in real life, they can do so in the virtual world and even surpass the abilities of a normal person. They boost their confidence yet I think this also make them believe to a world that does not really exist.
For the future of MMORPGs, there may come a time where people will play MMORPGs for a living, or momentarily forgetting if you yourself is playing in the real world or in the virtual world.
Virtual worlds have been created for many different purposes; but they are widely used for commercial gaming. Commercial gaming worlds tend to focus on a singular fictional theme and consistently follow formal conventions like character-focused avatars, progression through an interactive narrative storyline, and a series of competitive events.
Many commercial community-focused virtual worlds also emphasize socializing. Participants are not necessarily there to win or play a game, but rather to socialize with others. Casual games may be incorporated into a social world, in many cases, to create and decorate a personal space such as a home, room, apartment and even a farm. Social worlds tend to use settings based on idealized versions of reality.
Some virtual worlds have been created for educational purposes. Educational worlds come in a wide variety of forms, including 3D recreations of museum and gallery spaces, computer programming tutorials, virtual libraries, and meeting spaces for online university courses. They are used as models as well. For example, for architectural purposes, before actually building something, you can use virtual worlds to create buildings and design them to at least have ideas on how they will look like.
The US Military also uses virtual world technologies to recruit potential soldiers and develop military simulations. Before shooting real weapons, they allow you to try virtual simulations first to have ideas on the impact of shooting heavy weapons.
What's interesting with virtual worlds is that anybody can make an avatar that will represent themselves in the virtual worlds, regardless if you are disabled or if you have a social disorder or illness. Your avatar will be your character and you can customize it anytime. Virtual worlds allow many users to participate at once. They allow and encourage the formation of in-world social groups like teams, guilds, clubs, cliques, housemates, neighborhoods, etc. Therefore you will be able to virtually meet the people who have the same interest as you have. They allows users to alter, develop, build, or submit customized content. This is how they foster creativity among users. They continue to exist regardless of whether individual users are logged in. Interaction also takes place in real time.
From a particular video I saw in class, virtual worlds allow disabled people to represent themselves in the virtual world as people without disabilities. For example, if they cannot walk in real life, they can do so in the virtual world and even surpass the abilities of a normal person. They boost their confidence yet I think this also make them believe to a world that does not really exist.
For the future of MMORPGs, there may come a time where people will play MMORPGs for a living, or momentarily forgetting if you yourself is playing in the real world or in the virtual world.
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