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by Animats 2676 days ago
Yes. It goes further back than that. That's what Alan Kay thought Smalltalk should be for. Read "Personal Dynamic Media".

Going forward, there are the persistent shared modifiable virtual worlds, from There to Second Life to SineSpace and beyond. There are many good 3D CAD systems now, and the pro ones have some simulation capability. There's Minecraft and its imitators.

We have the capability, and sizable numbers of users. It's not mainstream, but it's in wide use.
2 comments
PinkMilkshake 2676 days ago
Alan Kay (and others) developed a 3D collaborative world in Smalltalk called Croquet [1]. Definitely one of the most interesting virtual worlds I've come across.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquet_Project

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jonsen 2676 days ago
It goes further back than that:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simula

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