The document discusses the future of virtual and gaming worlds and their potential influences and effects. It examines issues like the impact of virtual currency, whether branded goods will have a presence in virtual worlds, expected improvements to computer technology, the usefulness of virtual reality, and both potential positive and negative social effects of increased virtual world engagement. The conclusion questions whether the positive effects will outweigh the negatives and if the impacts will be magnified over time.

1. THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL AND
GAMING WORLDS AND THEIR
INFLUENCE ON EFFECTS
Mariam Jabbar - 0904023

2. Virtual currency
 Is virtual currency going to have an impact on
the virtual world?
 Are people likely to spend large amounts of
money on buying this currency?

3. Branded goods
 Are virtual worlds and social gaming offering a
new type of business model to other
companies?
 Is this just the case for advertising (within a
virtual world or game) or is it so that they
would set up boutiques in these games?

4. Computers
 Growth /Improvement of computers in the
next few years
 Gordon Moore’s interpretation : Moore’s law

5. Virtual reality
 Is Virtual reality as useful as computers?
 Are the negative issues surrounding virtual
reality worth the positive aspects?

6.  ‘’Those inexperienced with 3D social
environments like Second Life struggled to
learn about the potential in virtual worlds
while others heralded its future impact,
noting that the millennium generation had
effortlessly transitioned into digital avatars.’’
(www.globalmantra.blogspot.com)

7. Effects
Positive Negative
• Social Effects • Social Effects
• Education • Isolation
• Improvement of • Withdrawal effects on
human consciousness long-term users
• Allows people to • Avatars becoming
express their increasingly real –
creativity ethical issues

8.  Will the positive effects outweigh the
negative?
 Do i think the effects will be magnified? Why?

9. References
 Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and behaviours during
development, http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html
(Accessed 13th April 2011).
 Gears of War 2-Life effects, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y-9pt3BQHA
(Accessed 16th April 2011).
 Jenkins, H. (no date) Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked.
Available at: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html
(Accessed: 18 November 2011).
 McDougall, J and O’Brien, W (2007) Studying Videogames. Abingdon: Auteur.
 Jenkins, H. (no date) Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked.
Available at: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html
(Accessed: 18 November 2011).
 McClean,G. [Online] Available at:
http://globalmantra.blogspot.com/2007/04/virtual-worlds-future-of-gaming.html
(Accessed 1st December 2011).