Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

There are many ways the virtual world can be used for corporations to help them improve their business performance. With virtual worlds, companies can create avatars to replicate their associates and have people talk to them about their issues. Companies can also create a virtual world demonstrating what the business is actually like. For example, a clothing store can have a virtual store with similar items that users can try on and see how they look in it. Real estate companies can also have virtual houses replicating those that are in the market and users can use their avatars and walk through the houses or apartments to have a feel of what it is like being in a desired home. Companies can also use virtual worlds to communicate with their customers and have avatars sit and chat with them about any inquiries they might have. The benefits a virtual world brings to society is that people can be in a comfort zone and see what companies have to offer to them, while sitting and relaxing at home, instead of physically getting up and making time to meet associates to get business done. there can be a "dark side" in which companies can deal with their users and take such conversations with them seriously, when there can be some users who just feel like roaming any virtual world and wasting an associate's time online. This can also open the door to many false purchases as users might think these virtual worlds are simply just virtual, but in reality you can pay for something to have for real. These technologies can evolve in the future because instead of seeing products to buy from a company, companies can make virtual worlds so people can feel what it is like to have the product apart of their life and how they can make use of it by testing it out in their virtual world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2jY4UkPbAc

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/01/ST2008040103032.html

http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/24/61/08.html