An old friend got in touch with me last week, and we spent several hours last night getting caught up.
He mentioned something about Second Life. I know it's been around awhile, and I had a vague idea of what it is and what it's about, but I didn't have any particulars. I've since looked into it a little bit and if I'm understanding this correctly, it's basically a virtual world apart from the real, physical one. It's got an economy and interpersonal relationships. There have also been real-world divorces precipitated because of Second Life relationships. I found some articles about some couples who filed, but the stories originated in the Fleet Street press, so I'm inclined to take them with a grain of salt.
So this is what I'm wondering. Is a marriage entered into on Second Life (or any other virtual environment) as legally binding as one entered into in the real world? Should a SL marriage be considered bigamy if one or both of the participants are already married? Is an affair conducted entirely on SL adultery?
I'd like to point out that I have no interest whatsoever in SL. I've got too much going on right now as it is to spend even more time online. I just started thinking about this stuff and thought a little debate might help sort this out.