Phil, 48, hasn't had sex with his real-life wife, Sara, in more than a year. Their marriage has deteriorated into daily squabbles over raising their 9-year-old hyperactive son or whether to have Sara's recently widowed mother move in. Instead of trying to work this out with Sara, Phil has escaped to his computer. He spends hours online living his imaginary existence. Phil's avatar, Frank, is everything he's not -- young, muscular and great in bed. Frank never has a problem with his erection, and his lover never turns him down. He's become obsessed with his avatar love, Diane, a cocktail waitress with beautiful red hair and amazing legs. When he's not 'in the world,' he's thinking about it. . . . He's worried that this 'game' has gotten out of hand."Phil has a problem. A real one.
Yes, I saw that BBC special where they follow two real life couples who are together in SL and meet-up in real life. One is a happy story, the other a lot more likely (in terms of the interaction on meet-up - but not necessarily with her real life situation.)
This is a pretty good article that basically shows-off the same concepts. However, I also believe stories like these are really the exception, rather than the rule.
It's like the myth that 'most people' in Second Life are all out looking for virtual sex. Though there is real research and demographic to show this isn't true (about 18% of SL residents relax with porn of any kind, compared to 20% of web users - actually less than the established 'norm') - I don't have any statistics for my own claim. Let's just call it a gut-feeling.
Still, and interesting read, whether you take it as gospel or a huge pinch of salt:
The Pitfalls Of Online Role-Playing Games -- Courant.com: "As graphic technology advances, virtual social interactions are blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. More people are so transfixed by the imaginary, they prefer it to their mundane existences.
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