Where else would one meet a biologist in London and a student in Spain, let alone chat with them for free. All this can be done from the comfort of your own home. One can meet people worldwide in a space designed to promote discussion of a specific topic or simply for free socializing. By the same token, educators are excited by the possibilities that this new technology offers. They have a new way of encouraging students to write, they can connect classes worldwide, and they can help student overcome fear of the internet.
Games are another obvious use for MOOs.
This is where they started and this is where they continue to grow. This interactive gaming takes away the static nature of games. One surprising aspect of MOOs is the focus on sci-fi themes. While MOOs could be used for almost anything, such as recreating historical events or exploring real life locations virtually, my search for and consequent listing of MOOs finds that there is little use in these areas. On the other hand, an unusually large number of MOOs have been used to create, or recreate from books and movies, the possible futures presented by sci-fi.