Week 5: Virtual world effect the real world

Second life the game where the player controls an avatar and socialise with other players, has had numerous cases where in game actions effected the real world. According to the Guardina.co.uk a married couple in real life divorced after the wife found out that her husband has been having an affair with another avatar (full story here http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/13/second-life-divorce). One of the points of this game is to become someone else but is having a relationship in this virtual word cheating if you have a relationship in the real world? I believe it is as it is no different from if you where flirting on Facebook or any other social network. How far will virtual word relationships effect real life? Resent games like Sims, Mass Effect and Dragon age origins have the player role-playing as the main character and giving them the choice to form relationships with NPC. Games are evolving very fast and soon we might not be able to tell the different between a NPC or a real persons in these virtual word . Will people start divorcing their partners because they are having a relationship on games? Or will people start to find companionship in games instead?