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Shrink Wrapped Psychiatric Help For Avatars

Shrink Wrapped is a rather quirky "film" that explores the idea of Second Life avatars who need psychiatric help. I heard about it from one of the comments on my previous story on therapists planning a World of Warcraft 'raid'.


(Therapist's office in Shrink Wrapped)

You can take a look at the Shrink Wrapped video on Youtube; I'm linking to it because the avatars are not all suitable for the workplace.

I was sort of fascinated by the notion of trying to analyze a person using this medium. This short video presents a client with an amusing challenge for the therapist.

Science fiction readers have been prepared for this viewpoint. John Varley's novel Steel Beach presents a computer that provides therapy children into a sort of virtual world (actually implanting false memories of living in a fantasy world). Also, Roger Zelazny wrote a novel called The Dream Master in which a therapist controls a virtual world to help patients.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 8/13/2009)

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