The satirical value of virtual worlds

Abstract

Imaginary worlds have been devised by artists and commentators for centuries to focus satirical attention on society’s problems. The increasing sophistication of three‐dimensional graphics software is generating comparable ‘virtual worlds’ for educational usage. Can such worlds play a satirical role suggesting developments in distance education practice and policy? The article examines the emergence of Hinterlife, a cartoon world run by a disarmingly despotic academic known to the real world only by his virtual name, Professor Horace. This article suggests that a healthy dose of satire can help distance education to overcome the problems generated in difficult economic times.

Keywords:

• graphic learning environments
• virtual worlds
• online learning
• recession
• diploma mills
• plagiarism
• burnout
• mutual deprivation
• shared misery
• satire