Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are the epitome of the double-edged; it can give a new feeling of unboundedness to the disabled but restrain those who are afraid of everyday interaction bringing comfort where it is not needed.
The argument of the pros and cons of virtual worlds was nearly produced in real by the movie "Surrogates" produced by Bruce Willis, a movie that depicted the world being taken over by robots that are designed to take the place of people, "let them live the life" they always wanted, sans fear sans "real" danger. By the end of the movie however, Bruce Willis the leading actor in the film, shows humanity what it has in turn become, a humanity fearful of the real world, one that has forgotten the sensation of a real touch or the pleasure of seeing a friend or family member's face wrinkle as they bend over laughing. Though my depiction of "Virtual Worlds" is hardly as dramatic as the movie, my fear is that instead of bringing unbounded freedom, as advertisements promote, it would simply comfort people into their own demise. If a person is angry for example, consoling the person's anger over the long term will simply exacerbate it further, by comforting the person you are legitimizing their anger and making them more prone to going through the tyrade yet again. In the same manner, in the case of an anti-social person, instead of a friend or family member coming along and coaxing them, teaching them the joys and benefits of interactions with friends and family, something like Second Life would instantly rid themselves of the "perceived danger" in interacting with other people, it would serve as the "quick fix' or the instant "hit". Though some may argue Second Life can serve as a stepping stone to the real world, one can imagine how impossibly difficult it would be to remove themselves from a fantasy world that they "finally" fit into, or a world that cannot "possibly" harm them. Such a step-wise approach wold only serve to further entrench the problem turning a viscous liquid into an immovable object.
However, I do believe that in some cases, Second Life can be seen as a relatively permanent solution. For example, in the case of the disabled, programs like Second Life can restore part of the life they once lived, an maintain social relationships that otherwise, because of logistical difficulties, would dissolve. In terms of creativity I see little advantage in Second Life. In the case of your common consumer, one can say their creativity does increase, if only because they have a more sophisticated toy to play with. However, if “creativity” speaks in regard to humanity itself, as in pushing technology farther or creating new solutions to socioeconomic problems for example, I see Second Life as the constriction as opposed to reality.
In the end, Second Life is sure to succeed. However, Second Life in general carries more cons than does pros mainly on the point that those who are anti-social or afraid of social engagement will find themselves in a world that makes them comfortable, and in their comfort they starve themselves of the true benefits of real person to person interaction.