Virtual Reality
...1
Second Life – From Hobby to Business 2
Second Life Technology - Value in Work Systems 2
Collaboration 2
Research and Concept Testing 2
Promotion and Marketing 3
Fundraising and Philanthropy 3
Education and Training 3
Communication 4
Medicine and Medical Technology 4
The Advantages of Second Life Over Real Life 5
Limitations of Second Life in Work Systems 6
The Future of Second Life in Work Systems 7
Summary – in progress 8
Sources 8
Introduction
Second Life is not just responsible for the fun and exciting games we see out on the market. Second Life has become a power tool to help expand our capacity in many important industries, including education, military and the medical field. Different companies use Second Life technology in their work systems for various purposes such as collaboration, research and concept testing, simulation and prototyping, events, brand promotion, philanthropy and fundraising, political organization, education and training, and communication. For these reasons, Second Life has become more interesting and valuable to businesses and the systems they depend upon.
In Gartner’s first Hype Cycle for emerging technologies in 1995, Virtual Reality is listed in the declining peak of inflated expectations. Ten years later (2005) as it became more mainstream, virtual reality is no longer listed in the Hype Cycle. Businesses in Second Life have begun to understand the benefits of this technology.
Because so many of the things we need to understand these days are either too complex, too vast, too small, too far, or too dangerous to be experienced directly, we can no longer rely, as we did for so long, on hands-on learning. Simulation provides us a solution and is, in fact, the only way to experience, try, and learn many of things we really want to know about. We can model complex behaviors while providing...
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