The rise of shared virtual environments

In the future, people using a microcomputer-based system may routinely log on to a computing network and find themselves in a highly graphical environment. This computer-generated world would be populated by many other people, all of whom will be able to interact in real time, helped by various computer tools they could pick up and use intuitively, almost as they would a hammer. These shared, computer-resident worlds are called distributed virtual environments (DVEs). Like any truly new generation of computer technology, DVEs could radically alter the way we work, learn, consume and play.