I'd like to see the imaginary friend return :o if they can be even creepier that'd be cool! It was such a creepy and neat feature in Sims 3! I was reminded of them when I found this hilarious artic...
Nice idea, it sounds really cool, but I think that the gender based on the name isn't a good idea, there are many unisex names out there, I'd think it'd be better if you can just choose the gender yourself :)