Virtual worlds are increasingly becoming popular, especially within the gaming industry targeting children. Personally, my children create avatars for some of the online games they play on their Kindle. The military uses it to help heal soldiers when they return from combat. Also, virtual worlds help in healthcare and education. For example, according to an CNN.com iReport titled, 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction,' Dave Savil suffers from Asperger's syndrome and uses his avatar to education people about autism.
Savill, who represents himself in the virtual world using an avatar named Dave Sparrow, said one benefit is that visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said.
The pros include the ability to escape to a virtual world and isolation and being "alone together", as stated in a Forbes.com piece, titled, "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?" On the flip side, some people get addicted to living in the fantasy world and have a hard time getting back to reality.
Virtual worlds foster creative across industries such as education, entertainment, healthcare, and other sectors. I think this industry will continue to grow and will target more millennia based on the buying power of this demographic group.
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