Virtual Affair Ends in Real-Life Divorce

LONDON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- The line between actual reality and virtual reality has become more blurred with the advent of the popular online game "Second Life."

The virtual world provides a place for individuals to create an avatar and engage in most everyday activities, including attending concerts, conducting meetings, meeting new friends, and apparently having virtual extra-marital affairs.

Amy Taylor, 28, and David Pollard, 40, expect to have their divorce finalized next week. Their three-year marriage came to a crashing end after Pollard was caught by his wife e-snuggling with another Second Life female avatar lover.

"I caught him cuddling a woman on a sofa in the game. It looked really affectionate," Taylor told Sky News.

When Taylor confronted her husband about the matter and asked to see his chat history, he quickly turned off both the monitor and the computer to erase any evidence of his interaction.

The incident was the last straw for Taylor, since it wasn't the first time Pollard had strayed digitally.

After the couple met and were smitten with each other in an Internet chat room in 2003, they decided to get married and held an online wedding in Second Life in 2005. But the honeymoon didn't last long -- Pollard's avatar was caught having sex with an online prostitute in Second Life.

"I went mad…I was so hurt," Taylor told Sky News. "I just couldn't believe what he'd done."

Dr. Cynthia McVey, Head of Glasgow Caledonian University's Psychology Department, told ABCnews.com that Taylor's emotions reflect her feelings that she "may not be exciting enough" to her husband and even though Pollard may not have committed physical infidelity it still signaled a "step away from her."

Second Life serves as a meeting place for friends and a virtual marketplace, and some countries have even set up embassies on the platform.

Richard Gandy, a Second Life devotee, told ABCnews.com that it was "more than just a game," adding that it was a full-fledged "3D virtual world."