Virtual, Is It Good Or Bad? | Teen Ink

Virtual, Is It Good Or Bad?

July 10, 2010
By Khanh SILVER, Ho Chi Minh City, Other
Khanh SILVER, Ho Chi Minh City, Other
5 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Points of view

The world we’re currently living in is rapidly being globalized and changing as technology and evolve. There are factors and objectives which are destined to be crossed by us. However, there are one in particular that can change our ways of thinking into a downside direction or even to a complete change, and it could be the development of the virtual worlds/MMORPGs.



There are many factors and facts already given to this newly arisen issue. Firstly, given the fact of today’s attraction/attention towards the media, internet and games, making the virtual worlds and online society more useful and dangerous alike. The virtual world can help enormously in the rapidly changing world in IT education and meaning including more interactive learning than before, similar to a program developed by Australia, Mathletics. Also, pairing with these positive altitudes to these changes comes consequences as its usage are still limited to that of depending on who uses it, what are they going to do with it? Why? These are the important questions that can be a threat to the currently growing world and to the teenager/children generation today. In China, there has been reported a person of the aforementioned generation, died of playing virtual games online too much, due to playing over 72 hours consecutively without much stopping. It is arguable that the Online MMORPGs can create such devastating effects even more in the near future. This can be viewed to many as being a rare and hyperbolic situation. Again, this is changing as well. In contrast, this view had lead to many teenagers playing online games and using the virtually created world without realizing its potential harm.


Secondly, the situation can cause even worse long lasting effects such as a huge impact in global education. This situation have largely presented in the asia continent but rare in other countries, this is due to that the technology have not yet expanded to such range. Currently though, a theory named “Moore’s law” said that technology will continue to double itself in short period of times, in terms of a couple of years only, this has been proved righteous for the passed ears, but still continues to be investigated. Taking this as being right, for only a couple of years, then this could also mean that the virtual world will try its hardest to catch in time and technology with the world. This mean that in the near future, the virtual world will spread into the entire human world. Teenagers who are drawn to this is arguable to be “ drawn to a form of tobacco” as the virtual world and MMORPGs gives recreation in the person’s mind and thinking that it is real. This could be blocked by education, but there are also chances that some cases might yield the virtual world as a blockage for education. That the person would not cease to accept that this is a form of possible harm to them but rather to them simply recreational activities. This would result in the student focus less on education, putting more time and effort into the virtual world, pointless it is that the virtual world brings no real benefits but recreation and communication. This can be seen as the reason why many school had banned gaming sites in its computers, realizing its potential to harm its pupil’s studying habits. The virtual world/MMORPGs could and will harness negative impacts on the new e-learning world.


Furthermore, to the virtual world/MMORPGs extent can help pupils who have true passion to create it then that could be a positive motivation of this new trend. Unfortunately, this had not been the case today, as the tool has been used mainly for recreational purposes mostly. These virtual tools have been developed and created mostly by adults who have dedicated a humongous time researching and developing it, to a positive direction. However, for the nowadays teenager generation it is not likely that such an occasion will happen. Thus, teenagers will not likely benefits from using the virtual worldMMORPGs in general terms. In many roads to happiness, there are one common thing to attain happiness, work - endurance - passion - success - happiness. We as humans, always tries to find the quickest way to happiness, and as a result, the introduction of this new technology had allowed a route to such temporary happiness and laughter. Euclid, a Greek mathematician, whom have thought to have had created the Algebra field, an essential for mathematics, when asked by the emperor of the nation:” Is there any easy way to learn Algebra?” Euclid replied:” Your Highness will have to learn it the hard way, there is no such ‘royal roads’.” This emphasized the philosophy of doing hard work and earns good rewards. Also, this applies in many different religions and beliefs in the world, Christianity for an eternal reward after-life, in Japanese shinto, one must endure pain, tears, realization to reach happiness. It is natural that the introduction of the virtual world/MMORPGs could receive such a welcoming reception to the modern era, without realizing that such temporary happiness can be meaningless even harmful. Using it little could be neutral however, but anymore than the mentioned level could generate unexpected consequences. Even to invoking a new path of society in the future, either near of faraway.


Given the nature of the virtual worlds/MMORPGs, they are more harmful than beneficial to the world. That there is no real easy road to anything and the serious investment in it can make the new generation suffer indirectly. Finally, there are other recreational activities that are healthy and mindful, such as sports, arts and reading, that are more beneficial to the human world than a virtual reality dimension. Would you agree to this? Is the virtual world/MMORPGs a positive or negative development?


The author's comments:
The wonderful nature of humankind The historical traces of men, the wondrous environment of our world and globalisation. This has what bring me to create such an opinion question...

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