Computer characters mugged in virtual crime spree

[ldi222]

A man has been arrested in Japan on suspicion carrying out a virtual mugging spree by using software "bots" to beat up and rob characters in the online computer game Lineage II. The stolen virtual possessions were then exchanged for real cash.

The Chinese exchange student was arrested by police in Kagawa prefecture, southern Japan, the Mainichi Daily News reports.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7865

[Heretic Machine]

I'll just keep this simple: w00t!

[ldi222]

btw: thank's Slashdot for the link. I forgot to credit them in my initial post.

[rein]

This is buy far the best crazy asian game story I have seen. I second that w00t!

[Orphiuchus]

This story makes me happy. That is all.

[Kefkataran]

May I be the first (or eigth, or whatever) to say: haHA!

[Crabby]

Get the fuck out of here.

Seriously though, bot or not, I'm predicting some bad future cases to be opened on this precedent. I better not touch UO again, I could be persued for looting ill-gotten PKed items.

[jpublic]

I'm sorry, this makes me want to giggle helplessly and cry in disgust.

It's nice to see that someone is putting a stop to such asshattery, but...<shakes head>.

[nonchalance]

So, can I just get this clear?

Is it illegal to PK and steal items, or is it only illegal if you use bots to do it?

[Dracula-X]

Is it illegal to PK and steal items, or is it only illegal if you use bots to do it?
Perhaps only when you're trying to ebay/sell the ill gained items after using methods that probably break 12 end-user agreements :)

[nonchalance]

Perhaps only when you're trying to ebay/sell the ill gained items after using methods that probably break 12 end-user agreements :)

A fair point, but if I stole a Matisse and hung it on my loungeroom wall, that's as criminal as selling it afterwards, yes?
After all, the point is that virtual items have real-world value.
So stealing a Vorpal Sword +3 for your own use is criminal if stealing it for sale on Ebay is.

"Are the cops gonna come get me if I PK you and take your stuff" is a valid, if sensationalist, question, because, according to this article, it's definitely theft if I use bots to do it.

[Montgomery_Python]

This opens a whole new can of wprms for people involved in on-line theft.

[Heretic Machine]

Don't use terminator bots to do your killing!

[Dracula-X]

A fair point, but if I stole a Matisse and hung it on my loungeroom wall, that's as criminal as selling it afterwards, yes?
After all, the point is that virtual items have real-world value.
So stealing a Vorpal Sword +3 for your own use is criminal if stealing it for sale on Ebay is.
I might be inclined to agree that stealing even for your own use is criminal. Even though virtual items may have real world value, when talking about 'criminal' activities the incentive for prosecution comes not from the items in question but in the context of how it damages the business running the operation; What this bloke did potentially translates to a loss of subscribers and thus a loss of income for the company running it, whom I believe has every right in this regard to pursue prosecution. At least, that's how I see it after giving it a minute of thought ;) I'm really not sure what the implications for everyone are, down the road. But it certainly is interesting to think about.

"Are the cops gonna come get me if I PK you and take your stuff" is a valid, if sensationalist, question, because, according to this article, it's definitely theft if I use bots to do it.
Sure, definitely a valid question, I hope I didn't imply otherwise :)

[Deathbane27]

Since the article link seems to be broken (and/or DNS issue)...

What exact Japanese law did this guy break?

I can see account bannings and possible lawsuits, both the botting and the E-baying (if the latter is, in fact, against the game's EULA). But why are the police involved? Don't these items sellings happen every week? Why does the fact that he used a bot make a difference? Or are they going to arrest everyone who plays the game now?

[Rommel]

Here is the thing: I do not blame people for farming. They influx items that the virtual markets would not otherwise have an abundance of. On the other hand, I mind it when the work is done by bots and not players. Ethical reasons on that.

[Jaded Fool]

What exact Japanese law did this guy break?

If I remember correctly (read the article a good 8 hours ago when i got to work) they got him on Fraud charges and I think this slashdot poster said it best:

I think that the issue is that the individual commited fraud and made money off of it.

I can only think he must've made a lot more money than other people, and had no intention of stopping.

I still think this sort of thing should be left to the developers though, but that's because I'm yet to be burned by this sort of thing :)

[Deathbane27]

So, basically, he fraudulently convinced the game company's computers that he had earned the items, when he actually hadn't.

Okay, that makes sense, I guess. Barely.

Do people who cheat at poker get charged with fraud?

[Eon]

I just hope he serves virtual time or pays a virtual fine too...

[BigJonno]

Am I the only one really scared by this? Botting and selling in-game items, while bad, aren't exactly criminal. I'm pretty sure that this should be a civil matter. Does this mean that you can commit virtual assault or virtual murder? Surely by playing a violent online game that involves theft you are accepting that those are possibilities?

[MasterKwan]

He's commited no crimes. He did something the game designers permitted him to do so, what's the problem? I have to assume that Farming and all the other things in game that the game designers coded are permissible. If they weren't then it's the game designers responsibility to fix the world to prevent it from happening.

It's a closed world with fixed, hard coded rules. Anything you're permitted to do by the game rules and the code is fair game in my book. I don't care how hard it is for the game programmers to code around this stuff. It's their job to fix these holes or boot people from the game.

As for "theft" of these virtual objects, I'd have a hard time with real convictions for stealing things that don't actually exist and have no intrinsic value outside of the completely virtual MMO world.

[Eon]

I doubt they prosecuted him for theft, on further investigation, I imagine they hit him up for Fraud - he's not allowed to sell the items.

He was just enough of a fucktard to make them enforce the regs.

[MasterKwan]

Since when do breaking the rules of a game constitute a real crime? At best the only recourse of the game people should be to boot him for EULA violations. Maybe there's something we haven't heard like he's using a kited credit card for his subscription. Now that's a real crime.

[Crabby]

A fair point, but if I stole a Matisse and hung it on my loungeroom wall, that's as criminal as selling it afterwards, yes?
After all, the point is that virtual items have real-world value.
So stealing a Vorpal Sword +3 for your own use is criminal if stealing it for sale on Ebay is.

"Are the cops gonna come get me if I PK you and take your stuff" is a valid, if sensationalist, question, because, according to this article, it's definitely theft if I use bots to do it.


"A Matisssseeee Paintinnnngg..."

Am I the only one really scared by this? Botting and selling in-game items, while bad, aren't exactly criminal. I'm pretty sure that this should be a civil matter. Does this mean that you can commit virtual assault or virtual murder? Surely by playing a violent online game that involves theft you are accepting that those are possibilities?

Yeah, that used to be the rule of thumb but sooner or later you had to assume that these games would pick up people who aren't used to the responsibility of being held liable for their choices.

[kickmybum]

This story is messed up, I hate bad reporting.

1) Anyone who plays L2 knows that bots wont make you "unbeatable" but they will make you lvl up to a very high point to where you are stronger than everyone else, however, the software program itself wont make you fight better or invincible.

2) Earrings of Wisdom are almost the lowest grade earring you can get and many people just delete them to clear up inventory room or sell them for, like, 16 adena.

[nonchalance]

"A Matisssseeee Paintinnnngg..."

Thanks, dude. That made my day.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Well, it seems he made the game a tad bit more 'realistic'. Isn't that what we strive for anyways? Ha, Ha!

Anyways, I can just imagine the looks he will get when his jail buddies ask him what he is in for. I can picture him getting traded for cigarettes and extra laundry duty.