Two articles from Clive Thomson's blog collision detection speculating on just that question from inside two, now extinct, virtual worlds. The articles record how those within them respond to The End, and how the creators try to manage the apocalypse:
Some players tried to predict what exactly would happen when the event
began, and where it might be focused. Some seemed to want closure,
frantically attempting to obtain the final pieces of certain equipment
sets or to finish uncovering all areas of the world.
Some thanked the developers for their continued support of the game until the final days; others cursed NCsoft for a perceived botched publishing job; many did both. A few stayed in character, attempting to rise to the occasion. “Men and women of the AFS, it has been an honor serving with you,” offered Nebalain.
Collision Detection: Teleportation... How the world ends inside an online game
and from within the flames:
Gamesetmatch: A first hand account of the end of the world
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