This is a preliminary sort of the ethical and metaphysical issues arising and in general from virtual reality environments. The lessons we learned seem promising, but more analysis remains. Perhaps the most important lesson is that virtual actions and interactions have consequences for flesh-and-blood persons and hence, the flesh controllers of virtual action, whether they control directly (as in playing a character) or indirectly (as in designing a virtual world), have responsibilities for their actions.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Huff et al. (2003) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 4 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: