Virtual Worlds: An Opportunity and a Challenge

by San Murugesan

Virtual worlds are brave new worlds on the Web. These three-dimensional, interactive Web environments can deliver an immersive experience that is much richer than what we currently experience with the traditional Web. As a result, virtual worlds are emerging as communal places for a wide range of activities -- gaming, social networking, education and training, marketing, and e-business [1, 2, 3]. Virtual worlds are a hot topic among both users and businesses eager to exploit and embrace these new worlds.