Many British politicians believe that the growing number of virtual worlds from online toy sites to MMORPG's aimed at young people will undermine the basic human values many parents wish to install in their children.

It is believed that many children/teenagers will learn about the environments from virtual reality rather than reality. This would then give them a false sense of 'life' and values that exist in our world.

Lord Puttnam, an oscar-winning film-marker, urges creators to build more moral worlds to help develop our children.

In a speech at the virtual worlds forum, held in London from 23rd-26th October, he voiced fears about the number of online virtual spaces cropping up. He went on to say "Might we not prefer to build worlds that encourage those same values and skills we wish them to exercise in the real world?".

"The challenge ahead is this - to ensure that virtual worlds are increasingly places that offer real meaning to their lives and in the real world to learn from the sense of community and collaboration that's been experienced in virtual worlds," he explained.

Matthias Mikshe, founder and head of Stardoll (a toy company which created a virtual world for children), took a different opinon from Lord Puttnam. "This is the first digital generation and for them this is just natural," he said. "It's our generation that calls it a virtual world and builds some mystique about it."

Marc Goodchild, head of an interactive project at BBC, sides alongside Matthias but takes it one step further. He sees Virtual worlds as a saviour to social interaction. "The social footprint of kids is diminishing year on year," he said, "they are allowed less distance from the front gate all the time."

He argues that virtual worlds let them play with others and existing friends, therefore allowing them to experience what they would have missed.

But do virtual worlds really undermine the basic values of young people? If so, how many people actually take the virtual world to hold 'true' values that fit into reality?

Tags : internet : mmorpg : Online : Second Life : virtual reality : virtual world

Comments

By: Dragonfly

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On: 03:32 Oct 25th, 2007
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First of all... damn impressive article. Good work.

deanogee;34775

If so, how many people actually take the virtual world to hold 'true' values that fit into reality?

Honestly, from my personal experience? Not many.

From my own experience of titles such as Second Life, I've found that far too many people use it as escapism, and not of the good thing. It's a "safe" enviroment where they can be in control, with complete anominity if they so choose, with few repricusions; a freedom none of us have in real life.

I've experimented with products like that to explore unique things, and see what they can offer, but I've never used it as a mask. I do think it's a worry, that many kids, realising the false safety net that the internet and games can provide, can get way to sucked into it.

It's the job of the parent to see that that doesn't happen. A parent who complains about their kids being on the computer too much are the parents who need to get up off their backside and get their child off it.

I do believe that the "virtual" world can offer a unique perspective on life. Experienced at it's best, it offers some truly beautiful things, that can teach us things and help us grow. I've met some wonderful people through such means, and learned about things I never knew.

Understanding how to seperate the "virtual" from the "real" is what is important most. Sadly, for a lot of people, the virtual is a very compelling thing, and a dangerous one.

By: Dragonsoul

On: 03:33 Oct 25th, 2007
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I find the difference between virtual and reality are blending now as the virtual world becomes ever more "real". Mircophones, webcams, video conferencing...it's all becoming technological and yet connecting more people than ever before. The virtual world is like any other medium--used to extremes it could become dangerous but the ones disciplined enough not to let it do so won't be affected.

But then, I guess we shall see, eh?

By: deanogee

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On: 03:41 Oct 26th, 2007
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(im see-ing lots of this stuff come up all the time now - most not related to gaming, but its time for an article on it - expect more in the future)
Human values threatened...?

I think so - its just like being brought up in another society, the changes i guess can be differcult for little kids or insane people back to their norm environment

However surely the point of virtual worlds is to create difference and excitiment - for the elder more mature people like us on here - obv we would have no problem.. however in the future will people learn the difference if they have been brought up alongside a virtual world from when they were born? or started using computers?

There is an article i've recently read saying humans will peak in the year 3000 however due to the dependance on technology - we will be nothing but domesticated pets, and the human race will decline... Could the virtual worlds be a first step of this if it were to happen?

By: boa

On: 08:04 Oct 26th, 2007
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I think that this could be a problem.

If parents were doing a good job IRL. I don't know about the rest of the world, but kids are pretty much left to teach themselves whatever they like due to lack of interaction with their parents and the problems with our education system not being able to do anything about trouble kids...

As it is, I think they learn better how to act in games than out on the streets with the rest of the kids...

By: Corrine

On: 09:33 Oct 26th, 2007
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"deanogee"

It is believed that many children/teenagers will learn about the environments from virtual reality rather than reality. This would then give them a false sense of 'life' and values that exist in our world.

If that's true, then fiction literature, films, art, and music have done the same thing.

Not all games are moral-less wastelands, just as not all literature/films/art/music is educated and valuable.

Video games are a relatively new medium that involves aspects of all these entertainments, and while I can understand some people being scared of their effects on children (who are subject to learning from their environments) it doesn't by any means mean that this form of expression is inherently flawed.

Hundreds of games pass through my hands during work, and a great deal of them are, to be honest, thoughtless crap. But you can't say that isn't true of other mediums such as the ones previously mentioned. It's just that VGs are new and colourful and loud and kids spend more time doing them than the older generations.

I am sure that many adult gamers, who grew up with the culture, understand this.