Mainly, in the media, you see blogs talk about virtual reality for recreational use. The reason virtual worlds are being used for recreational purposes is because you get to escape your reality and explore a world you may never get to experience otherwise. But businesses are also starting to take advantage of virtual worlds. In the article Going to the Virtual Office in the Second Life by Mark Tutton, he talks about how businesses are starting to hold conferences and meetings using virtual reality. The only issue I see with this is that it can take away from human in-person interactions.
There are tons of other uses for virtual worlds such as creating battle scenarios for soldiers to prepare for war as described in the After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot? by Jacki Morie. Other than that, virtual worlds can be used for therapy purposes, such as creating worlds that veterans can walk through to help them get over disorders like PTSD. With the technology that we have in this day and age, virtual worlds can grow to become a staple in different areas of our every day lives.
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