Look at 4chan culture, which is the ultimate version of shedding your IRL [in real life] identity - you don't even keep a consistent screen name from thread to thread. That's very important to them, this belief in the possibility that what I do online is completely separate from who I really am.
Arthur ChuFor a lot of geeks, gaming is all about stripping who you are completely and entering this imaginary space, this world that's made for you, where winning and losing have nothing to do with real life.
Arthur Chu