Thieves on WOW should be punished like 'real-life' criminals

[yoda you can call me]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 24020.html



Gamers who steal virtual items in online games, such as swords and wizard robes, should be punished in the same way as 'real-life' thieves, an MP has suggested.

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove, East Sussex, and Prime Minister David Cameron’s chief adviser on intellectual property, put forward the idea in Parliament on Wednesday.

He asked Mike Penning, the Minister of State for Justice, to bring forward legislative proposals which would see cyber criminals who steal online items with a real-world monetary value receive the same sentence as offline criminals.

Mr Weatherley is one of the 7.6 million people worldwide subscribed to play the hugely popular World of Warcraft, a so-called massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG.

Other popular MMORPGs include Runescape, and Guild Wars.

Players can spend large amounts of real-word money on items that only exist online, and should be offered the same protection as any other victims of theft, Mr Weatherley said.

"The video games industry has raised concerns with me on behalf of gamers who have clearly being targeted by hackers and while I’ve not personally been a victim of online theft, but certainly sympathise with those who have had something stolen from them," Mr Weatherley told The Independent.

“Legitimate in-game theft of something with a real-world monetary value should be treated in the same way as people who steal physical items. Small individual thefts might seem trivial, but if targeted and carried out hundreds or thousands of times it does present a serious problem," he added.

Responding to Mr Weatherley’s parliamentary question, Mr Penning said those who commit theft or fraud online can be prosecuted and “face severe maximum sentences.”

“Sentencing for individual cases is a matter for the courts,” he added.

Mr Weatherley’s said Mr Penning's response "rightly highlights that theft and fraud online do face prosecution and severe maximum penalties."

But he added: "I have raised the point before in Parliament that crimes committed online should not be treated differently from crimes committed offline, as I believe that it sends out the wrong message."

WOW

[SliK]

I agree, the time people invest in these games to craft a "sword or wizards robe" will often be much much more than you invest in anything. I'd rather lose (or have stolen) $100 than something in the game that might have taken me 40 hours of my life to obtain.

[yoda you can call me]

I agree, the time people invest in these games to craft a "sword or wizards robe" will often be much much more than you invest in anything. I'd rather lose (or have stolen) $100 than something in the game that might have taken me 40 hours of my life to obtain.

Yeah, i suppose so. I just think people are stupid, spending money on virtual data. Guess this is the future though

[mdemaz]

People still play WoW?

[UofLCard]

I'm suddenly reminded of the Big Bang Theory episode where a guy steals Sheldon's WOW things.

[SliK]

I agree, the time people invest in these games to craft a "sword or wizards robe" will often be much much more than you invest in anything. I'd rather lose (or have stolen) $100 than something in the game that might have taken me 40 hours of my life to obtain.

Yeah, i suppose so. I just think people are stupid, spending money on virtual data. Guess this is the future though

It's not about the money at all though, it's about the time.
You could buy an item on eBay for $100 or literally spend 40 hours making it. I earn about $1000 from 40 hours work at my place of employment so tell me what is more valuable, time or money?

That's the only reason they're worth money, to save people time.

[yoda you can call me]

I agree, the time people invest in these games to craft a "sword or wizards robe" will often be much much more than you invest in anything. I'd rather lose (or have stolen) $100 than something in the game that might have taken me 40 hours of my life to obtain.

Yeah, i suppose so. I just think people are stupid, spending money on virtual data. Guess this is the future though

It's not about the money at all though, it's about the time.
You could buy an item on eBay for $100 or literally spend 40 hours making it. I earn about $1000 from 40 hours work at my place of employment so tell me what is more valuable, time or money?

That's the only reason they're worth money, to save people time.

I misread your post breh. I completely agree

[Flamez]

I haven't played WoW in a couple months, but I'll prolly return when the new xpac releases to see how it is. haha

Agree with SliK.