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by tig2

There is a blog from Sonia on something quite similar- virtual companies are suing over virtual theft in Second Life. As a poster in that thread remarked, "They need to worry about getting a First Life!"

The minute that vapor started to be directly related to cash dollars, this problem began. Maybe it hadn't happened yet, but the seeds were planted and germinating.

To me, it is a question of emphasis. What are we teaching and espousing? There seems to be a high tolerance for spending one's life in an alternate reality. Electronic crack, anyone?

Don't be so flip on that "murder charges for pretend people". Although I think kidnapping of pretend people to be the more likely scenario.

by maecuff

Maybe a virtual life will soon overtake the real one. Then the 400 lb woman who hasn't left her house in 3 years can fall in love with the guy with one eyebrow and three nipples and never have to lay eyes on each other.

In their virtual life, she gets to be a princess and he gets to be a knight and they live in a castle instead of the trailer park.

by tig2

There may be a twisted sense in that scenario, but I think I will keep what I've got.

There seems to be a phenomenon lately where people are so de-sensitized by the life they're living that a canned reality is somehow better. I don't get it.

by jdclyde

for sex toys and delivered pizza and direct deposit of the welfare check, why would they ever NEED to leave the trailer? :0

by dadspad

a really good one. It will cost money, what doesn't, you pay for internet service now.

There will always be kids that trash sites. Happens now, will happen in future. But secure sites will be set up to do business meetings, long distance friends meetings, etc.

The difference here is passwords stolen. That should be prosecutable, not virtual furniture.

by dr dij

If you paid for a software program or use of it such as a subscription to second life, is it any different? they hacked into a system and took data / accounts. Not much dift than if they hacked into a bank account online: the $ there are just 'vapor' that has to be converted to something else (via an ATM or transfer) to spend.

They apparently felt they COULD transfer the 'vapor' into money by trading it or something.

My only disappointment: To 'steal' the virtual furniture, it should be required that they preform a virtual burglary within the game / virtual environment. That they call 'virtual cops' who come and investigate, and prompt for the installation of 'virtual locks' and 'virtual video cameras' in the game :)

And that the kids be allowed to carry 'virtual shotguns' where legal, with which they can 'virtually blast' the burglars when they enter.

Of course a 'virtual ambulance' or 'virtual hearse' will carry them off to a 'virtual hospital .. morgue .. jail' where they will await 'virtual burial' and laments by 'virtual mothers' that their 'virtual son' couldn't have committed this 'virtual crime'.

by the scummy one

ohh, hey Mae, you stole my -- ummm -- words that I typed. I didnt receive payment for them so 'm gonna sue you now.
Please send payment to me at URASUCKER@Paypal.com

LOL -- :^0

Now as far as the theft, it was for actual paid for items right? They went on a phishing attack and got user info, that would be the illegal part in my mind. As for people spending actual money to create a virtual room -- I think they need to get out more.... And I thought that I was in bad shape :0

by jdclyde

for the breaking into someone elses system/account.

It happens a lot.

I play Diablo2 with my boys. (several systems in a row so we can play together or at the same time individually). There are people who load keystroke loggers on your system to get your id and password, then take all your gear.

A lot of the gear is sold on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Diablo2-D2-LOD-USE-Lot-of-75-Assorted-Unique-Items_W0QQitemZ110191439611QQihZ001QQcategoryZ4596QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

that is already up to $20 for gear you use in a game. I looked and the loser that is the top bidder has paid over $20 for similar stuff.

He will then use the "Godly" gear to show off to everyone else how cool they are. Many go around killing everyone else......

I have seen where you can PAY people to create a character for you. You tell them the name of the account to use and name of character, and for about $20 (and 3 days later) you will have a level 90 character. [i](they get paid to play this and build your character because your too much of a loser to make your own)[/i]

by jdclyde

Life isn't easy, and you have to work hard to get what you want.

Lazy/stupid people have been raised with a mentality of feeling they are OWED something/anything by others.

When they are not HANDED the flashy life they are told is so great by the dream machine (some call it a TV for short) they feel like they are incomplete and have been shorted in life.

In a virtual world they can be something useful, for a change.

by ontheropes

It's going to be a cold day in hell when I spend real cash for virtual furniture. My wife would kick my real-life butt.

I'd love to see the day when the on-line realm is the way it is in some Tom Clancy novels but if I've got to pay for a virtual Ferrari I'll be walking. I might get virtually car-jacked anyway.

by ontheropes

I bought the complete series of The Sims first and then the Sims2 when it came out. That was a couple of hundred bucks. My duaghter enjoys it so I didn't think anything of it. If she had a better Internet connection where she lives I might even pay for her to go on-line in some virtual world of her choosing. I'd be ticked if someone ripped her off.

by ganyssa

In my case it's not so much for the virtual stuff, it's for the opportunity for the virtual killings - it's very cathartic, and you don't go to prison. And you can sell their gravestones for $5 when they're dead.

by thevirtualone

actually its just a picture of one. but I can email it to you... it resides on my server that you can have access to whenever you like all I need it some way to authenticate that you are real and not just another bot. please enter your credit card information here. _________________________

get her a doll.

by maecuff

Why suffer anymore? everything can always go your way in a virtual life. No dieting, no nagging spouse. You get to be young and beautiful and adored.. No real threat of violence. Well, other than your pretend couch can get stolen..

by maecuff

that the couch was comfortable? Hmmmmm??

I don't need your help supplying words. I can dig my OWN grave, thank you.

by gsg

The thing is that the product stolen was virtual, that virtual product was purchased with real money. So, in essence, the theft was the same as if real items were stolen rather than virtual items.

However, the "owner" of the virtual items, needs to use his/her cash to buy a life... A real one, not a virtual one.

by tonythetiger

What one pays for an item is not necessarily its value. If you pay $600 for an item that's only worth $400, the thief will only be charged with petty theft if he steals it. But if you get a bargain of a $600 item for $400 and he steals it, he can be charged with grand theft.

by ontheropes

Never heard of one where you could sell tombstones. Five dollars of real money? Do people buy them or are they just for sale forever?

by ganyssa

Not real money, the fake money they have in the game, Simoleons. And you can only get tombstones to sell if you kill the Sims first. If you leave the tombstones laying around you get ghosts, though, so it's a win-win.

You don't need a buyer, anything you decide you don't want anymore you can sell, back to the game, I suppose. Most things lose value, but a tombstone is always $5, no matter how long you've kept it. Or you can take it inside, where it magically becomes a nice urn.

by ontheropes

Make sense. My twenty-something daughter would play the Sims on our 60" TV and we'd watch that instead of broadcast television. She was pretty good. We never saw a Sims die so didn't see a tombstone.

That game was whacked. Of course we made Sims to represent each of us. It was hilarious.

The biggest boost to her Sims gaming was when I got a free smoking table download for her. That gave everybody more energy.

Fun game. I wish she still lived here so that we could watch more. It was better than almost anything that's on the tube now.

by ontheropes

As my daughter is 27 years old now I think that she's a little bit beyond dolls. Not too old for pc games though. Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned. I've spent hours buried into games myself with my wife as navigator. If you aren't into them that's your bag not mine.

by jdclyde

and different data has different values.

stealing data is a crime, regardless of if it is a picture, spreadsheet, or a couch.

by w2ktechman

Since it IS stealing, because it has a value and was paid for.

How will they handle theft in some games such as WOW??? Or even murder???

what if you pay for an item on ebay, and use it just to get it stolen by another player?

by tig2

The line has blurred somewhat.

You have a widget. I want your widget. I pay you for your widget and now I own said widget.

Someone breaks into my house and steals my widget. I am bummed.

The thief is caught and the local law enforcement finds my widget in said thief's house.

We prosecute for theft.

Story over... in the real world.

This case- the game has a couch. Teen player uses Mum and Dad's money to buy the couch.

Thieving other teens social engineer the password from teen with couch. Couch is removed- even sold to another player- again, for real, cash dollars. Well, pounds sterling.

Bottom line- the object didn't exist, but had value, and was stolen from the "rightful" owner.

While this is, in some ways funny, I think that it is the beginning of a scary trend. People are taking the whole gaming thing way too serious.

Sim City, I got. You buy the game, you play the game. I used to play D&D. A whole bunch of us got together and played for hours. We drank too much and stayed up too late and slept at the DM's place. In other words, we played the game. But it was a game and no one lost sight of that.

The virtual reality games are bleeding into real life. And that is the difference- as I see it.

I predict that kidnapping is the next charge we see coming from a virtual world. Sad, really.

Edit- Need coffee. There is a "d" in "and".

by jdclyde

Wasn't that a year ago, they kidnapped and tortured the guy for his password. There was even a discussion/blog about it on here.

I would link to it, but the search function sucksass.

by w2ktechman

I am buying virtual bridges. I want all bridges, to have a monopoly on them.

Ok, I am wiring virtual money to you. . When you get it you will email me the bridge, right?

by tig2

Let him play with sharp objects either.

But have you ever read "Password Cracking 101"? It is hilarious! Just don't ever follow the directions!
:D

by jdclyde

Two men and a woman are stranded on an island.

After two weeks, she is so ashamed of what she is doing, she kills herself.

After two weeks, the men are so ashamed of what they are doing, they bury her.

After two weeks, the men are so ashamed of what they are doing, they dig her back up....

by jdclyde

there are many people out there that just should not breed....

And just think how happy it will make the "Love the earth, hate the people" eco groups out there.

by tig2

RPG gamer- I think that the lead on that was his girlfriend.

What I was referring to was the potential kidnapping of a virtual person- an avatar.

So you have this fabulous avatar with a bunch of virtual "money". The avatar is "kidnapped" and a "ransom" demand is left. But the virtual money has a real dollar value.

Would they call out the FBI?

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