Mitch Kapor, chairman of Second Life-operator Linden Lab, delivered the keynote address at the Virtual Worlds conference on Friday, speaking on the benefits of virtual education and training, which includes providing an environment in which trainees can fail safely. Although it is an obvious setback that people don’t gain any real-world experience from learning to do their job via the Internet, Kapor said interacting and communicating becomes easier. He goes on to compare virtual worlds to drug trips in that they put people in new environments, which can lead to inspiration.

Mitch Kapor: Virtual Worlds Are Like A Drug Experience [InformationWeek]