A 43-year-old Tokyo woman was arrested after she used her virtual ex-husband’s ID and password to kill off his avatar.
After the man surprised her with a virtual divorce on the online game “Maple Story,” the woman lost her temper and virtually murdered the man, reported the Washington Post. When the man learned his avatar was gone, he called the real-life police and the woman was arrested.
According to the Washington Post, the woman told authorities, “I was suddenly divorced without a word of warning. It made me so angry.” The woman had no intention of carrying out the crime in reality, reported the Associated Press.
The woman was arrested for "illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data," reported the Washington Post. If convicted, the sentence will be up to five years in prison or up to a $5,000 fine.
“This is the first time I've ever heard of real-life authorities getting involved with virtual homicide. While the charges have nothing to do with the avatar's death, but rather the woman's illegal methods of bumping it off, it certainly illustrates how emotionally involving online MMORPGs can be,” reported the Washington Post.
You don't understand. If my wife killed one of my Everquest avatars into which I have poured literally hundreds of hours of development, I would be justified in killing her in self defense....my avatar is an extension of ME!
You must have more time than I do. I cannot imagine pouring hundreds of hours into an avatar. On the other hand, I do spend a lot of hours on crosswords, cricklers, and other such puzzles. To date, the only problem I have is getting my computer back from my wife who has now decided that she likes to use it also. Murdering her has not yet seemed to be a viable solution.
In the meantime, I would love to see what piece of legislation makes it illegal to "kill" an avatar.
I feel bad for the woman. The man should be held accountable to some degree. What kind of man lets his wife take the fall? Sure, he's divorcing from her but that still doesn't give him the right to get off without any blame.
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