For something that isn’t strictly a videogame, Second Life is responsible for so much unbelievably stupid crap that it’s difficult to ignore. Take, for example, the case of Amy Taylor, who is divorcing husband David Pollard for having an “affair” via the online social network.
Both Amy and David are avid Second Life players, and their online avatars became a couple to match their real world status. That is until Taylor caught Pollard having virtual sex with a virtual prostitute, virtually. She stayed with David in real life, but the avatars broke off their relationship … are you still following this?
Taylor decided to test her man’s loyalty by hiring a Second Life “private investigator” who lured Pollard into a “honeytrap.” I should remind you all at this point that these people are not 12-years-old. Pollard actually passed the test and did not break any virtual fidelity. Thus satisfied, Amy Taylor married David Pollard in Second Life, once again matching their offline relationship.
That is until she discovered him chatting to another avatar that was not her own, and displaying “genuine affection.” So disgusted was Taylor that not only did the Second Life marriage end, but so did the first life one. Taylor and Pollard are now divorced — both in the game world and the real one.
This happened between a 28-year-old woman and 40-year-old man. Just think about that.
