Virtual Communities
‘The world is your oyster’ well the virtual world that is. All you need is a decent internet connection and you can go anywhere and do anything you could possibly imagine. There are online communities dedicated to living in virtual worlds and your virtual neighbours might be from Croydon, California or Colombo. The concept of creating online virtual communities and worlds isn’t new but they have become increasingly sophisticated with all the nuances of everyday society reflected in a virtual one.
You invent your online personal – your avatar (hence the film title) and can begin a whole new life. Virtual world games can be played with the computer simulating the environment or you can join a gaming community already occupying a virtual world. There seems to be two main streams of virtual world games; those that replicate the real world and the fantasy worlds which have developed from the roll play communities of the 70’s and 80’s. Your avatar may acquire special powers and magical abilities the further you progress in the game.
Virtual communities are thriving and this is probably down to a number of reasons but one of the best (although also possibly the worst) is that anyone can enter a virtual world and pretend to be anyone else. A lonely 40 year old man might take the role of a young hero or even a princess. Who’s to say your buxom 20 something virtual neighbour isn’t actually a grandmother from Stoke on Trent?
There are some virtual arenas which are designed to appeal to a younger audience where there are levels of regulation to try and ensure that adults aren’t posing as children. Internet security and guidance should apply to all though as sometimes the borders between virtual and real worlds cross. No one should arrange to meet someone they have only met online without taking some precautions like meeting in a public place, make sure other real life people know who and where you are meeting etc.
Are virtual worlds one day going to supplant living in the real world? For some they already do to a large extent but there are lots of positive aspects of experiencing virtual worlds including educational aspects and opportunities for those limited by money or physical or mental issues to ‘see’ things which they simply wouldn’t be able to do in ‘real life’.