Crime & unishment
Henry Nortnmore finds out what is being done to tackle crime within virtual worlds
liexe tltl}\. \\ hen \\ e talk
about erime in the e_\ber
\xorld \xe're not l‘Clt‘l'l‘lltg‘ to lllL‘ l0}l'ltllltf_‘ \lk‘l‘lk'lk‘tl it] \i('('(/ It'l' S/ii'i'i/ or the multiple murders ol .llii/i/iiiiit. 'l‘liexe are erimex against eotiiputer eonti'olled eliaraeterx \\ itliiii gaiiiex.
'l‘his ma} sound l'ri\olou\_ btit il~ ton eoininit a eriiiie iii a .\la\\i\el_\ .\lultiplay‘t‘ ()iiline Rl’(i t.\l.\l()R|’(ii. as in the games \lmi/ ol'lliiii'mll and Si'i‘oiii/ lite. }oii are eoininitting an aet against another pla_\ er. .‘\nd il' )titi take into aeeount the l‘aet that eertaiii people are making their li\ing l‘i‘om \irtual \\Ul'ltl\ ll.llltlL‘lt l.;ll‘.\ .‘r't'illlil lift” has et'eated real \\oi'ld paper millionairexi \ueh Cl‘llllL‘\ beeome more serious. Indeed. thelt or an} other erinie ean ha\ e \er} real iiiiplieations in both e)ber\paee and
da_\ to da} lite. l’amouxl}. in ('hina. a [tee/til of .llir 9’ pla}er \\;l\
senteneed to me imprisonment alter
killing a lt‘llrm pla}er \\lttt stole a pouerl'ul word ta ‘dragon \abre‘i then \Ultl i1 00 L‘l‘a}.
()l' L‘tttll'\L‘. erimex \ueh as setting tip eomputer eontrolled eharaetei‘s
tor botxi that mine l‘or l’L‘\Ulll'L‘L‘\ or
attaek other pla) erx. break the rules ol‘ the game and are not tolerated.
'l‘hen there is the eomple\ issue ol‘
hon to deal \\itli aetixities that are illegal in \;tl'l0tl\ eountries. 'l‘liis ineludex gambling. \\hieh has now been banned on Set-om! lire as it is illegal in the l'S.-\ and gambling regulations \ai'_\ \xorlduide. But there are man} other erimex that ean oeeur in the gaming \xorld.
[lil't' ()ii/i'iie is a eomple\ \paee- lai'iiig \ei—l‘i .\l.\l()RP(‘i. l‘roin leelandie de\eloper\ ('(‘P “I would
PLAY
\a_\ theie are et'llllLN iii ldt and the) ho e eonsetiueneexf \a_\\ ('('l’\ ehiet e\eeuti\e otlieer llilmai l’etui‘xxon. 'l’eople |tl\l|l} it b} strung. "it's onl_\ a \iitual world. it doesn't matter". But I tliitik \eeretl} in their hearts the} knoxx the§ ha\e lk‘ll‘;i_\t'tl people.
Spaee pirae} is an intrinsie pait ol lai‘i' ()ii/iiii'. But a t'eeent eotip and a \L't‘tex Ul litgli le\el ;t\\;t\\ittati0tt\ l‘} the (ittiding Hand Soeial ('lub I'HL'kL‘tl lllL‘ \Hll'ltl til lit‘t'. \kllll literall_\ l‘llllt‘lh ol‘ in game ereditx ehanging hands or being destro} ed. Sewral tl\L'l'\ [k'ltlittttctl littl’ (Til) lU el‘l'eetixel} hit ‘reset‘. btit the} \tuek b} their guns. ‘lt “as a simple deeision but not neeesxaril) an eas} one as there u ere hundreds ol people hurt b} this aetion.‘ \a_\\ l’etursxoii. 'B} not doing an}thing. itt llii\ (the. it opened [X'UPlL'.\ C} L‘\ to the laet the_\ were reth lixing in a \irtual \xorld \\ here aii_\thing eould happen and it‘s lelt tip to the t‘lll/L‘IIN Hli llttil \ktit‘ltl [ti tlL‘ttl \killt lltL‘ tiegati\e\ ttlltl pti\lll\c\.i
linden l.ab spokesman Mareel Ka} puts l'oruartl a similar point ol \ ie\\ in regards to .S‘emiii/ life. '( )ur aim has nexer been to poliee all in— world aeti\ ities btit rather to l'oxtei‘ a selllgmei'iiing eoiiiniunit). \xhere residents are enipouered to aet on things the} led \troiigl} about] he \ll}.\. ‘.lti\t like in the real uorld. there is a rieh tapestr} ol belielix. liliest} lex and polities \\ itliiii Serum! life. and \x e are eommitted to making it ;i\ open an e\perienee Lt\ ptixsiltle. lltm L‘\L‘l‘. the ICt‘ltix Ul‘ \er\ iee l‘or Seen/til life inelude a eode ol' eonduet and a \ll‘lL‘l prohibition against illegal aetix it}.‘
He adth "You eannot kill an a\'atar or steal l'roin them in .S'i'imii/ 1.1/2: That said. there \‘tlll itl\\1t}\ be people or “grielers” \\ ho \till 0'} and disrupt the majorit} 's e\perienee in—uorld. In lieu ol‘ a \xoi'lduide gmermuent. Linden Lab has k'l'L‘illL‘kl lUUl\ [0 help t'L‘\ithti[\ manage their oun e\perienee. You ean ban others l‘rom entering )our propert} or disallow eertain
aeti\itie\ like \eripting or building eontent on }our land. We eneourage our residents to report an} real lile eriminal aets the} ma} \VilltL‘\\. so that we can take the neeexsar} aetion to ptit a \top to it.‘
‘THAT CRIME EXISTS SHOWS HOW FAR THESE GAMES HAVE EVOLVED'
('ertain erimes are more dillieult to define. While some assaults ha\ e been reported. the tlllt‘NllHll ol \xhat e\aetl_\ eonstitutes ‘\irtual rape and llU\\ it should be punished is a eomple\ one. 'l'hen there is the l'urtlier gre} area ol ieoiisentingi iltlllll\ thing eliiltl ;i\alat'\ to lia\e \irtual \e\ and l.iuden l.ab\ lia\e L‘\pL‘llCtl [X‘Uplt‘ lt'itlti Xi'i‘iilti/ lilt' l'or eoiiiiiiitting \ueh aets. 'l‘hix in ttit'ii raises the issue ol lantas) role pla_\ tman} oi these games speeil) that pla)ei\ must be met IX l’oi’ e\amplei \xliieh is at the eore ot the L‘\l\lL‘ltCL‘ 0i lllt)\l \it‘lllttl \\tit‘ltl\. ‘RL‘Vltlentx til Xi'ium/ life are inorall}. \oeiall} and legall} responsible lor their opinions and their beha\ iour inuorld.’ \il}\ Kay.
With \iitual \xorldx griming at an astounding rate tthere are our \e\ en million users on .S'i'i-oiii/ lite. nine million on World or Him-raft. and lire l\ rapidl} approaehiiig 300.000. the population ol' ll\ nati\e leelantll. pcl'ltap\ crime is itte\il;tl)lc. 'l‘ltitl eriiiie C\l\l\ in \iittial \xorlds is an indication ol him lai‘ these games ha\e exohed. People will alua'u \tant to make an eas} buek. but at least \\ hen it eonies to \irtual \torltlx )iiti eaii ill\\il}\ suiteli oil the eoiiiputer.
“ z , ,‘THE LIST 95