There are many anecdata of people being unwilling to harm NPCs (Non player characters) in video games, and even feeling pity for them. Personally, I found Synd

There are many anecdata of people being unwilling to harm NPCs (Non player characters) in video games, and even feeling pity for them. Personally, I found Syndey's/Bing's distressed messages very difficult to stomach. I am consciously aware that "it's just a bot", but ... for whatever reason my brain is getting distressed reading them, so I have mostly excused myself from that conversation.