I think and feel just like Moongose, the problem is that most people consider it as "too serious" because they have something recorded in their minds "games are meant to be fun" and so on by killing others emotions and situations is like there will be by no at or by any means even a bit of reality in it. Basically some has died in "reality", but not in the so wrongly believed "alternate universe"/"unreality"/"another dimention" (aka "internet"). I would be really pissed if they do that to me or any in the funneral, people just forget about respect just because they consider it nothing more than a game.
When someone talk about as the internet as not being part of the reality, the response is quite instataneous, you just ask him/her "What's reality?", and it's end of the talk, they never have a bit of idea of what it is, because if they do then they woulnd't be talking about that, just in case:
Reality in everyday usage means "everything that exists". The term "Reality", in its most liberal sense, includes everything that is, whether it is observable, accessible or understandable by science, philosophy, theology or any other system of analysis. Reality in this sense may include both being and nothingness, whereas existence is often restricted to being.
Here is stated that internet is officialy considered part of reality, and anyone can go to jail if they go against the law in the internet (...)
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I wonder if a Funneral or some event like this has happened around Final Fantasy XI...