I would like to mention the connection between trans and gamers in one of my replies, though my theory of how it affects people is different from the author you just mentioned.

My theory is that there's been a growing disconnect from reality because people have gone outside less they have observed people less, this makes them more susceptible to radical ideas. People are always looking for identity, community and trying to be different all at the same time, so they hinge on the most deluded concepts, like being trans and because we live in an age where individuality is worshipped and being "boring" and the "same" as "everyone else" is something regarded as something lesser. Another thing I theorise is that people are always trying to figure out their own identities and how their identities affect how they interact in the society they live in (e.g. children of migrants feel out of place in Australia due to different cultural attitudes and mentality). By claiming "trans" you have made it more physically tangible, trans people get closure on why they might be more of a tomboy or a tomgirl compared to people of their sex.

The closest thing I have a theory to "phantom limb" like the author you mentioned is that people realise that they can't change their bodies on a whim in real life (like their avatars on the internet) which has created a sense of loss of freedom that they can't emulate in real life, but can only achieve on the internet.