Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

There are many ways for a virtual world to be used as opposed the real world. The virtual world is one that takes place online, allowing someone to embody a character, avatar or simply someone they are not. And thats okay! The virtual world allows us to be someone we're not. This is popular especially popular in gaming. In the article "After Second Linfe, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?" talks about simply this. There are many games that are virtual worlds that don't get acknowledged as such. Minecraft is a virtual world. It may not seem like it because of its simplicity but it allows the player to play as a character and create masterpieces they might not be able to do in the real world. 

I think as technology evolves, the meaning of virtual worlds will mean even more so. With virtual reality becoming more advanced as every year goes on, the possibility of creating an entire ecosystem in a virtual world and having people have a "second life" there is really possible. Even now, with gaming and graphics so powerful, these games have been able to create near online replicas of cities in video games. Like in "I've been in that club, just not real life", there are people who have been to places and know exactly how it looks like but never actually there. They're all virtually generated.
I look forward to the advancements of virtual worlds as the future nears.