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DaldorA

Online Virtual Game Rape?

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I found this in my local news paper. It's about the authorities arrenting people, and scared of the new threat of online, virtual raping and child abuse in games. Also they talk about the bands of players killing other players and taking there personal belongings

 

"In World of Warcraft, the most popular online game, with an estimated 8 million participants worldwide, some regions of this fantasy domain have grown so lawless that players said they fear to brave them alone. Gangs of animated characters have repeatedly preyed upon lone travelers, killing them and making off with their virtual belongings." - quote from the article

 

C'mon It's just part of the game. :P

 

yea the parts where they add drug usage, and suggested child abuse and rape scenes in teh game arent all that neccesary. but it might add to teh game.. or it might be taking it too far

 

in Japan they arrested someone for virtually mugging another player and selling his items for real life cash.

 

I dunno, to me it just seems that SOME games are becomign a dangerous place for people?

 

hrees the link to the article

 

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc...0,6923000.story

 

kinda interesting.. share your thoughts

Edited by DaldorA

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yo Dal wassup

 

IMO, what distinguishes the real and virtual world lessons every day.

 

We've seen people meet, marry online and in virtual life.

In the artical, people have stolen virtual commodities and sold them for RL cash (happened here too didn't it?)

In one true story someone died whilst playing computer games. In another true story a couple were jailed for neglegence whilst their baby died as the parents were too glued to playing their game.

In some games (and in this one), people are so attached to their non-existant equipment that upon losing it, they cry in real life.

 

I don't how know online rape would have occured...I don't know how/what people who cybersex do but surely its too easy to ignore the "eRapist" if they are raping you.

 

At the end of the day, if you simply turn off that game or even stop playing. You need not become a victim.

There are always going to be people harassing others in games, take EL for example hmm?

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yo Dal wassup

 

IMO, what distinguishes the real ... take EL for example hmm?

 

people need to know thier limits...

 

i think one of SL features is to do those stuff and SL isnt allowed for -18

there's a teen version tho.

 

WoW... it's prop the fun part teaming on lone traveler (never played the game) it teaches the traveler to travel in packs or with a warrior to protect them.

 

The selling version item happens in every game... Runescape as well

 

if people know thier limits and see the 'dangers' of life it can cuase (like WoW people flush thier life down the drain) it wouldnt be dangerous.

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Yeesh! This one has me actually thinking! Obviously, the concept of e-rape is overblown. There is no physical contact, and any "victim" has no right to use the word 'rape'. The psychological effect that occurs from using an online avatar in any situation can be very strong, positive or negative. I notice it myself from time to time, then I realize the wrong thing I might have construed came from a machine!

 

It's a matter of online anonymity. Maybe there should be a disclaimer for everyone to be reminded stating "This is virtual, virtual means fake, don't get too involved!" Everyone is safe on the web so long as they don't let other individuals know their personal information.

 

I do feel sorry for individuals who have been taken advantage of. I was as a kid in school, but that was real. Real broken glasses, real stolen lunch money. On the web it is virtual (repeat: Virtual means Fake) and you lose nothing. If you spend real money on a virtual item and it is stolen..... there is only one logical determination on that one.... It is a shame that people, young people in particular, are getting so involved in "un-reality" that it becomes this much of a life affirming activity. If you aren't having fun being PK'ed by your new husband or being virtually tied up and peed on, then turn off the computer and go outside.

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If you aren't having fun being PK'ed by your new husband or being virtually tied up and peed on, then turn off the computer and go outside.

 

I kinda agree, but also think you are missing the best half of the point. In EL there is no reason that any player may not virtually tie up and pee on anohter, if that is what they want. But there are children playing the game, with their own childish fantasies. Who knows the age of another player ingame for sure? How appalling if the respective fantasies of adults and children get mixed?

 

Also, don;t forget the fact that developing minds can play in a realistic environment where it is acceptable to commit such acts is really worrying when you think about it.. Not just that there are lunatics that choose to directly copy actions from games in real life, but also that over time the thought patterns developed in otherwise normal children could lead to reactions entirely inappropriate in real life. If children in the peak of their social development are spending more time playing such games than they do in RL interactions, what do you suppose the end result could be?

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Doom made me go out and murder passing aliens. Now I have a highly lucrative job as a Men In Black agent, agent L.

 

People (in the norm liberals) blame everything on everything else. I know that If *I* do something *I* am the responsible party, not my ficus for taunting me in my formative years.

 

If I steal an apple should I get away with it because I was neglected as a child (if indeed I was)? how about a car? how about murdering classmates?

 

Jail me for my wrongdoings, don't blame my environment. The human mind knows right from wrong, my one year old baby girl says a-a-a (the noise we make to tell her she is forbidden from doing something) if she is doing something wrong, we as parents know to look and see what she is doing when she makes that noise, in the main she is doing something she shouldn't at the time.

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If you want the Julian Dibbell article that described the first cyber-rape in a virtual world, here it is: The Bungle Case on LambdaMOO. It was probably the case that first brought cyber-rape to light, and it was a pretty serious thing. A character called Mr. Bungle used a bot to hack the other characters and make them emote truly disgusting things... all while allowing the players involved to see it happening and being unable to stop it.

 

It was as if some strange bot in EL suddenly hacked your account and started sending messages like

 

" :sucks Bungle's smeg"

" :sticks a big rod up her smeg and orgasms in pleasure"

 

... all while you're connected and watching it happen, being completely unable to stop it.

 

Even if there ISN'T any physical contact, if that isn't sexual violation of one's person (i.e. "rape" of one's personhood embodied through the online avatar), what is?

 

-Lyn-

Edited by Lyanna

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Hum... Mixed feelings on this...

Yeah, its fake/ non existant... but the feelings that can result from events are completely real. Just know how to avoid them and don't take the game too seriously, always remember that the real world has a better resolution than your monitor.

For example, on a game I no longer play, a group of friends I held very dear to me decided to haxz0r me. I knew that the items taken were fake, but, it was not the items I cared about. It was the act of people I put my trust into collaborating to stab me in the back that bothered me very much. For a very long time I could not trust people. But I realized, a handful of assholes on the internet shouldn't stop me from living well and prospering. People just need to realize, in the end, the games not going to matter.

 

Sorry if I rambled off there.

 

I found the above article a little hard to comprehend, but I still found it very interesting so I dug this up... incase anyone else is having trouble too =P

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rape_in_Cyberspace

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In the US, it is legal, it's protected by the 1st amendment.

Even virtual (3d avatars/paintings/etc.) children having sex is OK in the US.

 

So for the time being we don't have to worry about shit like a dumb ass politician making laws about virtual worlds in the US.

 

For example, on a game I no longer play, a group of friends I held very dear to me decided to haxz0r me. I knew that the items taken were fake, but, it was not the items I cared about. It was the act of people I put my trust into collaborating to stab me in the back that bothered me very much. For a very long time I could not trust people. But I realized, a handful of assholes on the internet shouldn't stop me from living well and prospering. People just need to realize, in the end, the games not going to matter.

 

It's called no giving your password away. Very simple.

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It's called no giving your password away. Very simple.

 

Yeah yeah yeah... I was an idiot. First and last time. Thought I could trust two friends of two years, bad judgement on my part. Guess I'm an example for the 'no password sharing' rule :)

Edited by LoneWolfStrider

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heres a way to sum it up dont trust anybody and #ignore is the way to go not sinking to there level.

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Cracking (not hacking) accounts might be a breach of trust thing, but it's not really the issue at point. Killing and even banditry in MMORPGs is, while not exactly a good thing, part of the game. But when you start to talk about things like rape, it's a whole different story.

 

I'm going to talk in general here, not at any specific event. So don't read too much into it in the wrong way.

 

Yes, you have #ignore... But why do you have to use it? Sure, there are cases where people over-react, mis-interpret (quite common online, with lack of voice (eg tone)/face/body language clues), or just don't get the 'joke', such as it may be intended. And there are, of course, many cases where #ignore is the appropriate thing to do.

But there're also cases that really are inappropriate unless between consenting adults.

"It's not a real person, so it's okay to kill them" sorta works. I mean, it'll probably have an emotional response (anger, frustration, fear, whatever), but it can be part of the challenge and atmosphere of the game.

But "It's not a real person, so it's okay to sexually harass them" doesn't. Because at that stage, it's not the character, it's directed at the player on the other end.

Now, the number of women who play online is a lot higher than some people would expect... Why? Because some guy's behaviour (largely the teenaged male, I suspect, though they're hardly the only culprits) gives them good reason not to broadcast their gender. There are other things that come into play as well, of course, but I imagine the bad elements online are a large part of the equation.

 

Personally, telling people with valid concerns (where they really are valid, which they aren't always) that they should just use #ignore is about as bad (generally not as severe, but as wrong) as saying women should be careful of what they wear and where the walk at night to prevent real-world rape... It can help, but why should they be the ones to make changes because someone else did/does/will do something wrong? (I used to believe, without thinking a lot about it, that they should just avoid problem areas. And today I'd still suggest they do. But when I read the above elsewhere online I agreed straight away. They weren't the ones in the wrong, so it's not right they're the ones to have to change).

 

Now, I know a lot of people won't agree (both male and female) with what I've said, but please consider it, and don't just brush off inappropriate behaviour because it's online.

Because the person on the other end is a person, whether you talk to them face-to-face, on the telephone, by letter, or in an online game.

Anything that you wouldn't say face-to-face (social interaction and proximity, the only distance of communication that evolution is close to preparing us for) or in a letter (where you have time to think about what you'll say) probably shouldn't be said online either.

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Sexual harassment is against the rules in EL, and if it gets reported we take action (usually a warning, if continued there can be other actions, such as a ban, but it never happened, AFAIR).

 

If the sexual harassment is an issue in some other virtual world, and their administration doesn't care, then fuck that game, and play some other game.

I don't think that the government should regulate virtual worlds; they should, however regulate sexual harassment (or other forms of harassment) if they affect the RL; there are laws for that already.

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