Some points to consider with virtual worlds:
- Anonymity can be a drawback, especially with recruitment. How does a recruiter know that the avatar they are interviewing is actually the person who is applying for the job?
- Confirmation of identies can be difficult especially with privacy issues
- High cost for some organisations, including upgrading software and hardware, training staff on how to interact within the virtual world
- Build time can lag behind the training need – it is important to be proactive in developing training programs
- Occupational health and safety – repetitive strain injuries may increase from sitting in front of the computer for too long. Other health issues include spinal injuries and obesity.
- Recreational users need good hardware and software to run virtual worlds
October 16th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)
Hi Suemin! I agree with you about recruitment, how can you be sure that the applicant hasn’t hired someone to act as them in the interview? An interviewee always has to act a bit when in an interview, but the scope for ‘acting’ is so much larger in a virtual world. And what happens if a brother or sister hijacks your avatar and runs rampant: The actions of your brother or sister are going to be attributed to you.
I have to disagree with you, however, about the high cost. Sean mentioned that video conferencing is actually more expensive than buying and maintaining a place in a virtual world, like Second Life. And while training and upgrading soft/hardware costs are definently necessary while operating a virtual world, they are also necessary for things like videoconferencing. Same thing for the OH&S; if you’re in front of a computer all day, does it matter if you’re typing a report or talking to your boss in a virtual world?
October 17, 2007 @ 9:29 am[...] was just reading a post by Suemin about the negative aspects of virtual worlds and left the following comment [...]
October 17, 2007 @ 9:32 am