Modelling Reality with Virtual Worlds

With the advent of technologies such as computers, creativity has had its limiters unlocked. We're able to create simulations and mold them to however we desire. The first instance of this is video games: Since the 70s, Nintendo has created experiences through video games, virtual creations of what Shigeru Miyamoto envisioned, that has captivated and become an integral part of our lives. Fast forward to now, Video Games, and in turn virtual worlds, have evolved to a point where they can simulate experiences we could never have in real life: Grand Theft Auto, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, games with realistic graphics that blur the line of real and virtual, allows us to immerse into stories designed by authors in a way that books and movies can't. In a sense, virtual worlds can be used to simulate what-if situations or create experiences that one normally doesn't have.

VLES, or the Virtual Lower East Side, is a project from MTV that is a simulation and recreation of the real Lower East Side neighborhood. Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times wrote his fascinating experience in VLES in his article "I've Been in that Club, Just Not in Real Life". VLES is simulated almost to a tee of its real life counterpart. It is a surreal experience when one experiences something they know is not real but somehow it feels like the actual thing. VLES is akin to a documentation of the landmark.

Simulations such as There.com where customers are able to simulate their shopping experiences virtually. Ruth La Ferla of the New York Times disclosed her experiences on these virtual shopping experiences in her article "No Budget, No Boundaries; It's the Real You". Virtual shopping experiences can be utilized to simulate real life counterparts in order to satisfy the shopping habits/psychology without purchasing. They can also be used to simulate how clothes would actually look on an avatar before a customer purchase the garments.


Sources:
Itzkoff, Dave. “VLES - Lower East Side - MTV.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Jan. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html.
Ferla, Ruth La. “In Simulated Worlds Online, Consumption Is Still Conspicuous.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Oct. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html.

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