Online mugger arrested

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alonzomourning23

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Police in Japan have arrested a Chinese student over the use of a network of software "bots" to steal items in an online role playing game (RPG).
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Players were attacked in the game, Lineage II, and their items were then sold for cash on auction sites.

The attacks were carried out using automated bots, which are difficult for human game players to defeat.

The student, who was abroad on an exchange program, was arrested in the Kagawa prefecture of southern Japan.

In Japan, as in England, there are no specific laws to govern trade in virtual possessions. Bot traps

Use of bots is a frequent problem in online gaming, and most game publishers have invested heavily in trying to eliminate them from their games.


Bots appear in games in the same way that human players do, so there is no easy way to tell which players of a game are not real.

Instead, complex techniques called bot traps have to be used to trick bots into revealing themselves.

For example, in a first person shooter (FPS) game, players who seem to be moving too fast or pinpointing a particular point very accurately raise alarm bells.

Asking direct questions or placing players in unusual situations in the game are techniques which are often used by administrators to identify bots. However, for every improvement in bot detection, the bots themselves become more complex and more difficult to spot.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4165880.stm

I guess this makes sense. He's stealing valuable items and making a profit by doing it.
 
LEROOOY JENKINNNNS. This could turn into a long thread if people started getting into the whole thought of did he really steal something or not. Its virtual can you really steal something virtual. I guess it is taking away from someone and that makes it theft. let the discussion begin.
 
[quote name='Grave_Addiction']I think the more important thing to point out is why the hell people pay for virtual goods.[/QUOTE]

The same reason they pay for material goods? To have and own for a short while
 
[quote name='Grave_Addiction']I think the more important thing to point out is why the hell people pay for virtual goods.[/QUOTE]


the same reason people are goin to spend over 500 on 360s launch, cause people are sheep and buy just about anything
 
[quote name='Graystone']LEROOOY JENKINNNNS. This could turn into a long thread if people started getting into the whole thought of did he really steal something or not. Its virtual can you really steal something virtual. I guess it is taking away from someone and that makes it theft. let the discussion begin.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Because, although the items only exist as 1s and 0s, the time and effort involved by the ppl who actually did the questing, treasure hunting, etc. was wasted. Even though video/computer gaming is a leisure activity, your time is still being spent and the intrinsic value of that time can be quantified by the amount or rarity of the items you've collected. This is different from using a cheat code in that the guy in question actively stole from other ppl in the game which the game can't normally do using script bots/hacks to circumvent the game. If this was an MMORPG of the sort that had thieves and in their command menu had the 'steal' command, that would be an entirely different issue since it is explicitly allowing stealing.
 
After having played WoW and seeing what people pay for gold with real money, its no surprise someones going to figure out a way to steal it.
 
[quote name='Graystone']LEROOOY JENKINNNNS. This could turn into a long thread if people started getting into the whole thought of did he really steal something or not. Its virtual can you really steal something virtual. I guess it is taking away from someone and that makes it theft. let the discussion begin.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I just had to: (I love this clip! :) ) Leeroy Jenkins... the man, the myth, the asswipe.
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96781308/K=l.../*-http://hem.bredband.net/b222680/leeroy.wmv
 
[quote name='Grave_Addiction']I think the more important thing to point out is why the hell people pay for virtual goods.[/QUOTE]

I bought a stock through etrade once. The entire process was virtual, just a bunch of ones and zeroes going back and forth, changing the status of my account. Yet I certainly feel that the stock is worth something.
 
[quote name='camoor']I bought a stock through etrade once. The entire process was virtual, just a bunch of ones and zeroes going back and forth, changing the status of my account. Yet I certainly feel that the stock is worth something.[/QUOTE]

But that's simply taking the place of what used to be tangible certificates. I can understand paying money for online goods, it's just not worth the time to do yourself (or you don't have the luck or ability). Though, I don't understand why people spend the sometimes massive amounts they do, unless they're mega rich were they'd never really need that money anyway.

Though, in this case, you have someone who cheated at the game, making it essentially impossible for the person to retain their items (due to a bot or whatever it's called), and then sold it for profit. To me, the selling for profit, or stealing of potential profit from the victim, is what makes this go from normal cheating to theft.
 
If someone jacked me for WoW gold I'd want him/her arrested or at least fined and booted. That lots of life gone spent on earning that stuff.
 
[quote name='camoor']I bought a stock through etrade once. The entire process was virtual, just a bunch of ones and zeroes going back and forth, changing the status of my account. Yet I certainly feel that the stock is worth something.[/QUOTE]

Well, no shit it was worth something. At the end of the day, you could get your real cash back. But these dumbshits are trading away real cash for fake cash.
 
[quote name='Grave_Addiction']Well, no shit it was worth something. At the end of the day, you could get your real cash back. But these dumbshits are trading away real cash for fake cash.[/QUOTE]

Well, worth is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it.

You buy games don't you? There's nothing "real" about those. I fail to see a difference.
 
[quote name='Friedle']Well, worth is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it.

You buy games don't you? There's nothing "real" about those. I fail to see a difference.[/QUOTE]

Games are tangible items (and can still be re-sold for real money.)

In-game virtual items are not tangible. You cannot hold your WoW gold or make it into a necklace. This is why many people feel it is stupid to spend tangible, real-world money on it.

But the fact is, they do, so regardless of whether or not the items are real, this guy was making tangible, real-world profit via abnormal, not-following-the-games-rules methods. If they can't find a law to call him on, I'm sure they'll be making one after this. In Korea at least. :D
 
[quote name='DuelLadyS']Games are tangible items (and can still be re-sold for real money.)

In-game virtual items are not tangible. You cannot hold your WoW gold or make it into a necklace. This is why many people feel it is stupid to spend tangible, real-world money on it.

But the fact is, they do, so regardless of whether or not the items are real, this guy was making tangible, real-world profit via abnormal, not-following-the-games-rules methods. If they can't find a law to call him on, I'm sure they'll be making one after this. In Korea at least. :D[/QUOTE]

Games aren't tangible. It's just 1s and 0s on a disc. And you're not even buying it. You pay for the right to play it. Just like buying gold or something. You're paying for the right to use it. Mind you, you're not paying Blizzard, but you're still renting 1s and 0s.
 
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