Harsh reality of China's fantasy craze

Hey fellas . . . its just a game. Get a grip! This is what happens when you selectively breed a major gender imbalance into a population the size of . . . well China. But there is an interesting issue behind all of this and that is to what extent will legal systems recognize virtual property? How will the comming virtu-reality communuities be recognized? How far will liability be extended in this new world and how far away are we from thought crimes.

I know a bit of a leap.

Just wait for the lawyers, they'll prosecute it, they'll prosecute anything.

Lawyers are what happen when open source fails.

Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Guardian

When Qiu Chengwei reported the theft of his "dragon sabre" he was laughed out of the police station. So the 41-year-old online games player decided to take matters into his own hands.

Swapping virtual weapons for a real knife, he tracked down the man who had robbed him of his prized fantasy possession and stabbed him to death.

Mr Qiu is now facing a possible death sentence in a Shanghai court case which has highlighted concern about the social, psychological and economic impact of one of China's fastest-growing industries.

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A spate of suicides, deaths by exhaustion and legal disputes about virtual possessions have been blamed on internet role-play games, which are estimated to have more than 40 million players in China.