All's fair in Love and Warcraft

It's so much easier to lie in typeface then it is face-to-face. It's easier to cheat on someone you've never met, and it's easier to hide it from them. And then there are the people with the real life relationship, and the online affair.

Somehow the fantasy of the virtual world makes it easier, less like adultery, and more like mere pornography. But an online affair can have a devastating effect on real world relationships.We have seen one marriage and two engagements end because of a "harmless" online entanglement. There are even online support groups for WoW widows who've lost their loved ones to the charms of scandalous succubae.

Above: Not all night elves are as naughty as the epic mountress. Here we see our very own Sarah Joynt-Borger celebrating her wedding anniversary with her husband and friends

WoW, and other online games have become as pivotal a meeting place as the church social or the block party, without any of the safeguards. "It's just a game" is used to excuse abhorrent behavior. Respect for the real person on the other side of the keyboard can often be missing, and when that happens, people can get hurt.

Next week: We showcase the best costumes in WoW. Run around town in style with pirates, Jedi, and easy-access leg wear. In the meantime, head over to our Window to WoW Archives to catch up on everything from the coolest quest rewards to random acts of false chivalry. Oh, and by the way, that night elf druid?She got her mount. Both of 'em.

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