Virtual crime or in-game crime refers to a virtual criminal act that takes place in a massively multiplayer online game (such as an MMORPG), or within the broader metaverse. The huge time and effort invested into such games can lead online "crime" to spill over into real world crime, and even blur the distinctions between the two. Some countries have introduced special police investigation units to cover such "virtual crimes". South Korea is one such country and looked into 22,000 cases in the first six months of 2003.
Notable virtual crimes occurred in 2021 on the Horizon Worlds platform, leading to a renewed conversation about safety in the metaverse.
Meaning
There are several interpretations of the term "virtual crime". Some legal scholars opt for a definition based on a report written by freelance journalist Julian Dibbell on what was the first prominent case, "a rape in cyberspace." One such scholar defined virtual crime as needing to have all the qualities of a real crime, and so was not a new subset of crime at all. Conversely, it has also been said that the connection between virtual crimes and real crimes are "tenuous at best: It is the link between a brutal rape and a fictional story of a brutal rape. Surely the difference is more striking than any similarity." As it is difficult to prove that there are real-life implications of virtual crime, thus it is not widely accepted as prosecutable.
To rectify this, the modern interpretation of the term "virtual" must be amended such that it carries the traditional implication; "that is such in essence or effect, though not recognised as such in name or according to strict definition." In this sense, it "would include those crimes that somehow evoke and approach the effect and essence of real crime, but are not considered crimes."
Virtual economies
Over time, players build their characters and collect in-game items. Some such items may have been obtained through months of gameplay, involving various tasks and a substantial level of effort. According to standard conceptions of economic value, the goods and services of virtual economies do have a demonstrable value. Since players of these games are willing to substitute real economic resources of time and money (monthly fees) in exchange for these resources, by definition they have demonstrated utility to the user.
Stemming from their value in the virtual economy, these items, and the characters themselves, have gained monetary value in the real world. eBay, along with specialist trading sites, have allowed players to sell their wares. This has attracted fraudulent sales as well as theft. Many game developers, such as Blizzard Entertainment (responsible for World of Warcraft) oppose and even prohibit the practice. Some argue that to allow in-game items to have monetary values makes these games, essentially, gambling venues.
In the online world of Brittania, the currency of one Annum equates to about $3.4 US. If someone were to steal another player's virtual currency, they could convert it to US dollars via PayPal. This stems controversy over whether or not this should be dealt with like real crime, as there are real-life implications.
In most games, players do not own, materially or intellectually, any part of the game world, and merely pay to use it. Because this "virtual property" is actually owned by the game developer, a developer who opposed real commerce of in-game currencies would have the right to destroy virtual goods as soon as they were listed on eBay or otherwise offered for real trade.
Known cases
In South Korea, where the number of computer game players is massive, some have reported the emergence of gangs and mafia, where powerful players steal and demand that beginners give them virtual money for their "protection".
In China, Qiu Chengwei was sentenced to life in prison after stabbing and killing fellow The Legend of Mir 3 gamer Zhu Caoyuan. In the game Qiu had lent Zhu a powerful sword (a "dragon sabre"), which Zhu then went on to sell on eBay for 7,200 Yuan (about £473 or US$870). With no Chinese laws covering the online dispute, there was nothing the police could do.
In the game The Sims Online a 17-year-old boy going by the in-game name "Evangeline", was discovered in 2005 to have built a cyber-brothel, where customers would pay sim-money for minutes of cybersex. This led to the cancellation of his accounts but no legal action, mainly because he was above the age of consent.