Quote Originally Posted by Yukimura View Post
Now I'm more interested in knowing what role things like eating and drinking play in the game and whether they are actually necessary to survival. If they aren't then how people approach them would offer further insight into how they are experiencing the world.
If they can taste and feel what they eat and drink, then it will offer considerably less insight. After all, potato chips and candies serve no nutritional purpose in RL, yet people eat them, as well as booze can be hard to justify unless it's a part of a social gathering, yet people drink it happily (not counting pro drunkards here). Similarly people would eat and drink the virtual food and drinks if it gives them the pleasure of taste and the familiar feeling of chewing something.