Rhizome Experiment, Fall 2015

How the Virtual Transfers to the Real

As many people create new avatars and explore in the virtual world, they tend to branch out and try new things because of how the creation of a character is a fresh start. People could not sometimes do the same in the real, but having some exposure of new behaviors in the virtual can cause the same interactions to occur in the real. People get more and more confident in their ability to interact with other avatars, it could potentially increase confidence in every day life. According to a Time article, “even 90 seconds spent chatting it up with avatars is enough to elicit behavioral changes offline” (Time). There are accounts that show how people approached others better, and the game also made it easier for them to voluntarily begin talking to strangers.

Though the social aspect can only apply to games like Second Life and Sims, other simulations can also help enhance the skills they project. For example, sport video games like FIFA and NBA 2K can help deal with the knowledge and instinct of the game. Playing these games helps players learn techniques, shortcuts, and rules that can be applied when they play in real life. Games are also becoming more in-depth to allow the player to control the management of a franchise, so players will also learn some of the analytics that are used to run a sports team. With this, users have the ultimate experience of learning without really knowing it. Simulators are becoming more and more realistic, and aspects of the virtual are more applicable to real-life scenarios. This is not only limited to how the real is depicted in the virtual, but how it can cause people to think and act differently based on their engagement level in the video game. 


http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1739601,00.html
 

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