Yes, a high percentage of online gamers take in-game friendships and romantic relationships seriously. People who have never met in real life do develop intense intense attachments in online games. They identify with their avatars.
The Associated Press reported on October 25th that a 43 year old female teacher in Japan was jailed and criminally charged after her in-game spouse jilted her, and she responded by hacking into his account and murdering his avatar. The entire story can be found here:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i6uWUGXDt2weftMFg76UD1qyWabwD940B2DG0
Looking at the psychology of the virtual world experience, we come back to the question "What is reality?"
For many people the virtual is very, very real.
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