Woman arrested for killing virtual reality husband

Some people become so wrapped up in the events of virtual worlds that they're willing to commit real crimes for their digital characters. I guess when you've invested hundreds of hours of your life to a game, it must be hard to let go or perhaps even to distinguish fantasy from reality sometimes.

From CNN.com

Woman arrested for killing virtual reality husband

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" raise and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and was taken across the country, traveling 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sapporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

In recent years, virtual lives have had consequences in the real world. In August, a woman was charged in Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through "Second Life," another virtual interactive world.

In Tokyo, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of swindling virtual currency worth $360,000 in an interactive role playing game by manipulating another player's portfolio using a stolen ID and password.

Virtual games are popular in Japan, and "Second Life" has drawn a fair number of Japanese participants. They rank third by nationality among users, after Americans and Brazilians.

It's also interesting to see the rise of therapy in these virtual worlds...

From CNN.com

Avatars in rehab: Getting therapy in virtual worlds

Sometimes a sign of the times is subtle.

For clients of an alcohol rehab center in Atlanta, one appears in the form of an after-care option: they can meet their therapist for follow-up sessions in Second Life, the popular virtual world.

The clients at Accelerated Recovery Centers, all addicted to alcohol, first complete an initial two to three weeks of intensive therapy at the center, undergoing training and meeting with psychologists, counselors, life coaches, medical professionals, nutritionists and personal trainers.

Then they go home -- where temptation waits. To cope with that, over the next nine to 12 months they have sessions with their therapist over the phone, through a video-chat service like Oovoo.com, or in Second Life.

In the latter, an avatar that the client controls meets with another that the therapist controls. The rehab center has been carefully replicated within Second Life, on a secure parcel of virtual real estate called Identity Island.

The furniture, walls, and layout of the virtual rehab center look the same as in Atlanta. The therapist's face is mimicked on the avatars. Audio is used rather than text chat, so the therapist's voice comes from the avatar during sessions.

There's also group therapy, with many avatars meeting at once.

But the rehab center is not about technology -- it's about helping clients overcome alcohol addiction. (The center was started about three years ago; the Second Life option came last year.)

Some clients decide against Second Life. They're not comfortable with computers, perhaps, or they don't like being represented by an avatar.

But for many, the virtual world works. They have a sense of having "been somewhere," notes David E. Stone, a licensed psychologist at the center and its chief technology officer.

And they feel "more comfortable meeting in a replica of the therapy room that they used in real life." Many also tend to reveal more, or be more direct, in the virtual world -- a phenomenon called "online disinhibition." (You can see it in chat rooms too.)

And different aspects of identity tend to emerge with different mediums, whether text, voice, video or avatar (or in-person), just as a group setting reveals different things than one-on-one.

Avatar-based therapy raises some intriguing questions. For instance: Do clients identify with their avatars?

"Clients may possibly objectify or distance themselves from their avatar, which in some cases might attenuate the effects of the therapy," notes John Suler, a psychology professor at Rider University in New Jersey who has studied the topic.

But in some cases an avatar might help, he notes. For instance developing an "observing ego" -- the ability to look at oneself objectively and rationally -- is critical to many kinds of psychotherapy.

"It's possible that interacting through an avatar might stimulate that observing ego," he says.

The rehab center's use of the virtual world is, if anything, restrained.

Of course not every problem can be addressed in Second Life, such as, Stone feels, psychotic disorders.


Immersive worlds help cope with the real world

But many therapists believe virtual worlds can help clients deal with fears or addictions and experiment with new behaviors and means of expression.

Avatars are not always involved. For instance a virtual world can be immersive, with earphones, wrap-around goggles, vibrating floors or chairs, and even smells, so users feel they're "in" the world rather than controlling an avatar moving through it.

The former has more power to distract, to the point where in some experiments burn victims have felt reduced pain while immersed.

Such setups, however, can get expensive, whereas Second Life is free or low cost, making it an easy way for therapists to experiment with virtual worlds.

The U.S. military uses virtual reality to help Iraq War veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Added to the visual experience are smells and sounds -- like burning rubber and Arabic prayer -- to help trigger flashbacks so they can be dealt with gradually in a safe environment, with a therapist on hand.

A California chain called the Virtual Reality Medical Center helps clients overcome a wide range of fears, including of flying, heights, public speaking, closed spaces and spiders. Virtually Better in Georgia has similar offerings.

The list goes on, with variations seen around the developed world.

But these are still early years, and much remains to be seen and tested when it comes to virtual worlds and psychotherapy.

Stone and his team plan to share their findings on the use of Second Life at an American Academy of Psychotherapists event in November.

A fair bit of self-help goes on in Second Life, without therapists. For instance some physically disabled users combat depression by flying, dancing and earning a living in the virtual world. Shy types gain real-world confidence in virtual parties.

This sort of thing is likely to happen more often. Research firm Gartner estimates that 80 percent of Net users worldwide will be in non-gaming virtual worlds like Second Life by the end of 2011.

Ironically, Internet addiction is also likely to rise -- meaning in some cases one malady could be swapped with another.

Not all therapists will go virtual. Many insist on seeing cues like appearance, facial expressions and body language. Some set up shop in Second Life but require a real-world meeting first. Others accept PayPal and offer their services to any avatar or website visitor who happens along.

Of course long-term success is rarely a sure thing in psychotherapy, whatever the approach. Back at the rehab center, therapists and clients are easing into virtual reality.

Avatar-based therapy is just an option. In any case clients must return to the center at least once. The real center, that is, in Atlanta -- to meet with the real version of their therapist.

lol, I love living in this age.

i play maple story, guess i better play nice. lol

...some people

:doh:

I understand her feelings and her lashing out. Used to be that we were all entitled to our feelings and any destruction that caused as long as we didnt act out causing any physical harm to anyone but ourselves. I'd think she is less of a risk to others than people who act out in the 'real world'. Seems to me it's less violent than reacting physically by smashing your fist into a wall or throwing ornaments even...
Why don't they just fine her in 'virtual' money or confine her in 'virtual' time? The punishment ought to fit the crime.

I heard about that through my Media teacher. The story was so vague and I think a bit misleading. I don't think she was arrested because she killed her virtual husband (haha xD), but because she hacked into his account and likely did other things as well. I'm sure there's even more to it than what's been reported... she had his password, she was angry, I'm sure she took advantage of it. xD

Killed his toon because of a divorce in game?
Gadzooks.

I'm not sure if this is a joke or a fact, but here is some food for thought:
Q: Why is divorce so expensive?
A: Because it's worth it.

PoleRat said:

Q: Why is divorce so expensive?
A: Because it's worth it.

Click to expand...

:laugh4:

...and the madness continues... :lol: Now you can sneak around without even leaving home!

From CBC.ca

Virtual affair in online community yields real divorce for British couple

LONDON - British newspapers say an Internet affair in the online community Second Life has shattered a real-life marriage in England.

Reports say 28-year-old Amy Taylor and 40-year-old David Pollard of Newquay in southwest England split after she spotted her husband's online alter-ego cuddling with a virtual home wrecker.

But while their flesh and blood marriage has disintegrated, both say they are still looking to the Internet for love.

Taylor was quoted by newspapers including The Guardian and The Times of London as saying she has found a new man in an alternative cyber universe, World of Warcraft.

Pollard says he is already virtually engaged and can't wait to marry his new fiance "in rl" - short for "real life."

That's pretty hysterical!