IMO, it may not be legally adultery, but it is infidelity. - Ladyepiphanybug

Simply, Y - Mona Nomura from IM

@heather it's only infidelity if it's done "on the sly" ... I'm not a fan but if a couple agrees that cyber whatever is in bounds then it's OK - Sean Reiser

@Sean that would be true for virtual or real infidelity. It's a simple yes for me. - Jen (SquirrelGirl)

TOTALLY agreed. - Mona Nomura from IM

having written the book on second life (literally!) i would say the answer is y - sean percival

It 'happened' in your mind. That's all that matters. Answer: yes. That's my one FF comment for lunch. Back to work. - The Fat Oracle

Yes - Aaron Krug

What Sean (and some others here) said: It pretty much depends on the ground rules you have with your RL partner. I'm not a philosopher so I can't tell you if it's adultery -- but it's definitely cheating. It's kind of like having an emotional affair with a co-worker. - Mitch Wagner

The only way to be sure is to test it. I'll be in touch. :) - Mattb4rd

Emotional shifts are a larger offense than physical ones, imo. And RL / Virtual, it's the same for me. - Mona Nomura from IM

Y - I agree Mona. Adultery is adultery no matter what "worlds" you go to. It's about (not) crossing that emotional line. - Carmen wBabby

Yes - Niki Costantini

Yes, definitely. - Clay Newton

Yes. - Jasmin Smith

Yes - Yolanda

yes, emotional adultery is worse than physical - Shevonne

Mitch, I'm most interested in your perspective since you spend so much time in-world. What if you aren't voice chatting, etc. but, say, go to an Island that facilitates random hook-ups? - Cyndy

Cyndy, I think a person needs to discuss that with their RL partner and decide what they're comfortable with. It's really no different from RL. I don't think there's a universally agreed-on set of rules for monogamy in RL. Sure, the overwhelming majority of Americans would say that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is definitely adultery. But how about sexual contact that falls short of sexual intercourse? Every couple has its own rules. - Mitch Wagner

[con't] And some forms of cheating fall short of the big A (adultery) but still cause friction in a relationship. What if you get drunk and make out with someone at an office party? What if you never touch that other person, but you flirt excessively and are obviously infatuated? What if your contact is nonsexual, but you share emotional intimacies that you withhold from your partner (the "emotional affair")? - Mitch Wagner

[con't] What if you try to get in touch with an ex without the permission or knowledge of your current partner? - Mitch Wagner

y - Pokai

Mitch, I'd definitely agree, and in the other thread (shows up as "related" I think, one of my friends had a great answer for it. I guess I don't view av sex as sex, myself. - Cyndy

Cyndy, if you and your RL partner are comfortable with that (assuming you are partnered in RL) then it's nobody's business but your own. - Mitch Wagner

It's infidelity if you feel the need to hide it from your partner or lie to them about it. It's the kind of thing that needs to be discussed with boundaries and comfort zones (as well as desires) clearly defined. Mitch is dead on above - the rules for monogamy aren't some universally known and agreed upon truth. Every couple has to define their own set. - Eric P

I'm waiting for Spin. Spin? - Mona Nomura

haha i can't believe some of the discussions in FF lol - stanleyyork

Stanley? It's even worse on my Facebook wall LOL - Mona Nomura from IM

Wow, great question Mona. I'd have to say I'm pretty liberal in this regard, but if you're worried about sharing it with your partner then you're guilty about it, and it probably is something you should have told them about. But as to what material VR = cheating, second life sex hookups are so laughable, I can't think of getting jealous over that. But online dating sites, definite no-no. - anna sauce

You weren't kidding when you said you're liberal, Anna. IMHO, cheating is cheating, on or offline... ESPECIALLY when there's emotions involved. - Mona Nomura

Infidelity is about breaking faith, not about the content of the act. If you have boundaries in the relationship and go past them, then that is a breach of faith. I think, for example, that people who ignore their partners and refuse to put the time and energy in the relationship are being "unfaithful". It has nothing to do with sex unless sex is one of the places there are boundaries (which it almost always is; even polyamorous people have rules, trust me). - Neal "thePuck" Jansons

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS - Susan Beebe