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This was asked of me some time ago, so I should probably answer it now.

Is fantasy online dating, like on Everquest, cheating?

This probably comes as a result of an article in the Wall Street Journal, debating Second Life marriages. I personally have no idea what the hell has possessed the WSJ and MSNBC to give so much attention to Second Life over the last few years, but I digress- to the question.

The answer is yes, it is cheating. Here’s why.

First off, let’s cut the bull. Ivory tower PhDs in the social sciences rarely understand the “real” face of the internet, mainly because they do it from such a stand-offish perspective. When articles like the WSJ article above pitifully try to grasp at the idea of “popular” MMORPGs, they tend to lose focus on a lot of the little eccentricities of the online realm. That being said, let me speak from not only a column writer, but someone who has played a ton of games- and MMORPGs- in his lifetime.

Games like There are not just blank fantasy. Reading the WSJ article above, it’s clear that they picked a somewhat extreme example- but it’s nonetheless fairly accurate. No matter how you spin it, games like Second Life are taken seriously by a huge number of participants, often to the point of obsession. It’s stupid to act as if this kind of stuff isn’t real, and even worse to pretend that players don’t get seriously involved in it.

In any case, I think it is. If you have a girlfriend, I know the fun of MMORPGs is often based on social interaction, but nonetheless, real life fidelity trumps online crap. Hell, virtual sex online is lame anyway, the real stuff is much better.

As will be the standard for all Sex Q&A articles, we encourage you to comment below- give us your opinion on the situation. Is fantasy online dating cheating?

Tags: Dating, internet, MMORPGs, Second Life