VIRTUAL REALITY

VIRTUAL  REALITY:

  Virtual reality is simulated reality. Computers introduced us to the virtual world. In the virtual world one can assume any identity and no one will be the wiser. Such identities are called ‘avatars’.

This is part of its attraction. But it also has its dangers. Many youngsters today live more in the virtual world than in the real world. This has made sociopaths out of some of them. They are so used to interacting with people in the virtual world that they no longer know how to interact with real people.

In face to face encounters they may be shy and awkward. But their online personas might be the exact opposite. This is not conducive to form stable relationships with people in the real world. Computer games which are played on a computer or on a console system like the Sony Play station or Microsoft Xbox are a favorite with children and teenagers.

They spend many hours, even days, playing such games, sacrificing food and sleep. In short, it becomes an addiction. In China, such youngsters are sent to camps which are like de-addiction centers. These youngsters are known to get violent if they are not allowed to play these games

People play computer games to escape their mundane lives. Gaming allows them to live out their secret fantasies. They offer a world of excitement, challenges and non-stop action where one can indulge one’s wildest fantasies. As it is a virtual world, one can inflict harm and kill enemies knowing that it is not real and therefore harmless.

But soon one finds that it is becoming increasingly hard to tear oneself away from the game and return to the real world. Even adults get addicted and they may quit their jobs and neglect their loved ones so that they can keep on gaming with single-minded obsession.

Lives have been wrecked by such addictions. The virtual world is also a place where unknown dangers lurk. Lonely women have been lured to their deaths by strangers whom they met on the net. Pedophiles on the prowl in the virtual world assume the identities of children to lure innocent children into their trap.

So parents have to keep an eye on what their children are doing and who they are meeting on the net. Technology is only a tool. It is how we use it that matters. If we don’t use it wisely, it can even destroy us.