That is bound to happen. Our computing power is just increasing exponentially and virtual reality is just in its infancy right now and already producing great results. Also we are already running several simulations on the world's supercomputers for various purposes. 

Just imagine the possibilities when the power of a supercomputer could be put inside a personal computer thanks to quantum computing and when that is combined with the ability to create virtual worlds, even kids would be able to create worlds of their own. Now, being able to create conscious beings in those world is a different matter.