| 03.01.08 | |
What is a virtual world?
Virtual worlds pick up where the world wide web left off. They allow people with internet access not only to connect and communicate with people from all over the globe, but also to create a new identity in a space that they imagined for themselves. Millions of people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities inhabit virtual worlds.
A virtual world is any simulated, 3-D computer environment that allows users to interact with other users in the form of a digital alter-ego, known as an avatar.
Avatars are controlled by users with the keyboard. The user can also control what the avatar looks like, how it dresses, and what expressions it uses when it interacts with others. Avatars can communicate with the user's voice, or through instant messaging with text. They may speak in private or within earshot of other avatars. Avatars can build, purchase and sell virtual objects, own land and attend social gatherings and meetings.
Virtual worlds often borrow the images and structure of the real world, without the limitations of the real world. Weather, gravity, and time are flexible and escapable.
Because of their international accessibility, virtual worlds provide an opportunity to create, foster and sustain inter-cultural dialogue, and have the ability to facilitate understanding between people of different nationalities. The USC NCP works to discover innovative ways to practice public diplomacy in these artificially developed societies.