Is your SL avatar your 'friend' or your 'alter ego'?

A couple in Britain were divorced after a Second Life (SL) affair via their avatars. A couple had a steamy affair after meeting in a chat room. Their slim SL characters physically bore no resemblance to their real world appearances, but the aggrieved wife filed for divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

The question of whether an avatar is ‘you’ or ‘a friend’ seems clear in this case, given that the emotions of love and jealousy were experienced in the real world.

Story Dominion Post (Wellington) Saturday 15 November 2008