You stole my Dragon Saber -NOW DIE!!! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Astrocloud · 03-30-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Onliner gamer stabbed over 'stolen' cybersword
By Lester Haines
Published Wednesday 30th March 2005 12:30 GMT

A Shanghai man stabbed to death a fellow online gamer who sold a virtual sword they had jointly won while playing "Legend of Mir 3", Reuters reports.

Qiu Chengwei, 41, repeatedly stabbed Zhu Caoyuan after discovering that Zhu had sold the "dragon sabre" for 7,200 yuan (£464). Qiu had lent his friend the cybersabre last February, later reporting it as "stolen" when he learned of the transaction. Police, however, told him that - as the disputed weapon was virtual property - he had no recourse to law.

A Shanghai court heard on Tuesday that "Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him." Qui has admitted "intentional injury" and awaits the court's verdict.

China Daily notes that the sorry affair raises something of a legal poser regarding online "possessions". Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China, told the paper: "The armour and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them."

A lawyer for a Shanghai-based internet game company countered: "The 'assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by nature just data created by game providers."

Indeed, a Japanese woman recently had a run-in with the authorites after deleting her ex's online gaming data - including clothes and weapons. In this case, though, she was charged with "violating a law banning illegal access" rather than offences pertaining to the wanton destruction of her former lover's virtual goods and chattels. ®

Ahhhh, cybertheft. The online sword had value -obviously because the thief was able to get money for it. Should the cops have done something about this? Obviously the murderer was a little obsessed with the online world. I'm suprised he could get out of his chair to stab the victim.

liquidlight · 03-30-2005, 01:08 PM

And people say that IGE and selling in game items doesn't harm anybody :P

Is it sad that I've had the urge to do this to a few of the gil sellers that I've fun into through the world of MMORPG's? Though I find it less incriminating to just come bitch with TFP.

Ace_O_Spades · 03-30-2005, 01:16 PM

This is just ridiculous... I don't even know what to say.

People just get so into these online games that the lines between what's real and not is obviously blurred for some (clearly NOT all) people.

You can't help that some people are crazy I guess

kutulu · 03-30-2005, 01:27 PM

If the victim would have had his ring of invulnerability +1 this would have never happened.

BigBen · 03-30-2005, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

If the victim would have had his ring of invulnerability +1 this would have never happened.

Awesome.

I think World Of Warcraft did it best when they "Soulbound" your equipment to the character, meaning that you can't give or sell it to someone else.

Hey people, remember Ultima Online when it was selling virtual gold pieces on EBay and the exchange rate was better than the mexican peso?

Those crazy online people. Stay away from them. They are likely to kill you at any moment. Just ask.

Coppertop · 03-30-2005, 02:06 PM

So sad. I guess a PK wouldn't have sent the same message, eh?

FngKestrel · 03-30-2005, 02:10 PM

Not surprising. Korean gamers playing Lineage in internet cafes have had various beatings over in game events.

People have equated online worth to real world worth for a while now.

http://www.gamingopenmarket.com/market.php?symbol=SLL

These guys used to support more MMORPGs but have been hit by fraud.

I suppose a system wipe would just cripple some of these players.

lindseylatch · 03-30-2005, 02:46 PM

You can't blame the games though. MMORPGs don't make people crazy, their parents do.

Midnight_Son · 03-31-2005, 06:11 AM

a "buddy" of mine jacked my Diablo account and cleaned me out....I can't see killing another human being over such a dispute. I did however bitch slap him and it made me feel a whole lot better. As far as laws, an item in a online game is the property of the company that made the game. for instance, you can buy Diablo items on ebay...but the seller must state that the items are and will remain property of Blizzard entertainment and the buyer is mearly paying for the time the seller put into finding them.

d*d · 03-31-2005, 06:29 AM

virtual property having value will definately be one of those things courts and the law will have to address, something doesn't need to be tangible to have worth - as the price paid for the virtual sword proves

braisler · 03-31-2005, 07:12 AM

Are we blurring the lines between what is real and what is online entertainment? If we make "virtual" possessions have the worth and value of real possessions how far are we from valuing the "life" of an online character. Maybe we could have cybertrials for the cybercrimes that are being committed.

We already have CSI as a PC game. And there is a Law and Order game. How about a Crimes and Courts game? You could play the high priced defense attorney or the lowly, overworked prosecutor for the state.

Zeraph · 03-31-2005, 11:17 AM

People can get upset over anything. Just because the loss is not in "reality" doesn't make it any less real to them. Point being they arn't neccessarily crazy to get pissed about it, though they might be for killing someone

What's sad is the state of affairs that leads people to value their game time over real life.

spectre · 03-31-2005, 09:17 PM

I can already see Clinton and Blagojevich using this in their campaign against violent videogames.

Phage · 03-31-2005, 09:48 PM

1) The reason he stabbed his 'friend' was because he betrayed him and stole something of value. Suppose it was treasured keepsake with no real monetary value; it would still be worth something to him. An assault over a verbal insult would be less explainable than this.

2) Do you have a bank account or a credit card? In both of these cases all you have are numbers stored in a computer somewhere, and they only refer to the physical world through a worth people agree on. In this same way the sword equated to labor someone did in the game, which was just converted into another form of currency when it was sold.

People who think the sword was worthless think so because they do not see it as being worth time or effort to acquire. I do not think this is fair; what if someone reported that their store of lutefisk was stolen and sold for a profit, but the police dismissed the theft because they personally saw lutefisk as being disgusting and worthless as a food?

03-30-2005, 01:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
liquidlight AHH! Custom Title!! Location: The twisted warpings of my brain.	And people say that IGE and selling in game items doesn't harm anybody :P Is it sad that I've had the urge to do this to a few of the gil sellers that I've fun into through the world of MMORPG's? Though I find it less incriminating to just come bitch with TFP. __________________ Halfway to hell and picking up speed.

03-30-2005, 01:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ace_O_Spades The Death Card Location: EH!?!?	This is just ridiculous... I don't even know what to say. People just get so into these online games that the lines between what's real and not is obviously blurred for some (clearly NOT all) people. You can't help that some people are crazy I guess __________________ Feh.

03-30-2005, 02:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
lindseylatch Addict Location: Seattle, WA	You can't blame the games though. MMORPGs don't make people crazy, their parents do. __________________ "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." -Voltaire

03-31-2005, 06:11 AM	#9 (permalink)
Midnight_Son The Cover Doesn't Match The Book Location: in a van down by the river	a "buddy" of mine jacked my Diablo account and cleaned me out....I can't see killing another human being over such a dispute. I did however bitch slap him and it made me feel a whole lot better. As far as laws, an item in a online game is the property of the company that made the game. for instance, you can buy Diablo items on ebay...but the seller must state that the items are and will remain property of Blizzard entertainment and the buyer is mearly paying for the time the seller put into finding them. __________________ SWM, tattooed, seeks meaningful tits and beer. Enjoys biker mags, pornography, and Sunday morning walks to the liquor store. Winners of erotic hot dog eating contests given priority.

03-31-2005, 07:12 AM	#11 (permalink)
braisler Addict Location: Midway, KY	Are we blurring the lines between what is real and what is online entertainment? If we make "virtual" possessions have the worth and value of real possessions how far are we from valuing the "life" of an online character. Maybe we could have cybertrials for the cybercrimes that are being committed. We already have CSI as a PC game. And there is a Law and Order game. How about a Crimes and Courts game? You could play the high priced defense attorney or the lowly, overworked prosecutor for the state. __________________ --- You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. - Albert Einstein ---

03-30-2005, 01:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	If the victim would have had his ring of invulnerability +1 this would have never happened.

03-30-2005, 02:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
Coppertop Getting Medieval on your ass Location: 13th century Europe	So sad. I guess a PK wouldn't have sent the same message, eh?

03-30-2005, 02:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	Not surprising. Korean gamers playing Lineage in internet cafes have had various beatings over in game events. People have equated online worth to real world worth for a while now. http://www.gamingopenmarket.com/market.php?symbol=SLL These guys used to support more MMORPGs but have been hit by fraud. I suppose a system wipe would just cripple some of these players.

03-31-2005, 06:29 AM	#10 (permalink)
d*d Addict	virtual property having value will definately be one of those things courts and the law will have to address, something doesn't need to be tangible to have worth - as the price paid for the virtual sword proves

03-31-2005, 11:17 AM	#12 (permalink)
Zeraph Banned Location: The Cosmos	People can get upset over anything. Just because the loss is not in "reality" doesn't make it any less real to them. Point being they arn't neccessarily crazy to get pissed about it, though they might be for killing someone What's sad is the state of affairs that leads people to value their game time over real life.

03-31-2005, 09:17 PM	#13 (permalink)
spectre Junkie	I can already see Clinton and Blagojevich using this in their campaign against violent videogames. __________________ "Fuck these chains No goddamn slave I will be different" ~ Machine Head

03-31-2005, 09:48 PM	#14 (permalink)
Phage Insane	1) The reason he stabbed his 'friend' was because he betrayed him and stole something of value. Suppose it was treasured keepsake with no real monetary value; it would still be worth something to him. An assault over a verbal insult would be less explainable than this. 2) Do you have a bank account or a credit card? In both of these cases all you have are numbers stored in a computer somewhere, and they only refer to the physical world through a worth people agree on. In this same way the sword equated to labor someone did in the game, which was just converted into another form of currency when it was sold. People who think the sword was worthless think so because they do not see it as being worth time or effort to acquire. I do not think this is fair; what if someone reported that their store of lutefisk was stolen and sold for a profit, but the police dismissed the theft because they personally saw lutefisk as being disgusting and worthless as a food?