Man stabs another MMO gamer over 'stolen' loot sword.

[Anonymous]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/0...e_gaming_death/

Onliner gamer stabbed over 'stolen' cybersword
By Lester Haines
Published Wednesday 30th March 2005 12:30 GMT

A Shanghai man stabbed to death a fellow online gamer who sold a virtual sword they had jointly won while playing "Legend of Mir 3", Reuters reports.

Qiu Chengwei, 41, repeatedly stabbed Zhu Caoyuan after discovering that Zhu had sold the "dragon sabre" for 7,200 yuan (£464). Qiu had lent his friend the cybersabre last February, later reporting it as "stolen" when he learned of the transaction. Police, however, told him that - as the disputed weapon was virtual property - he had no recourse to law.

A Shanghai court heard on Tuesday that "Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him." Qui has admitted "intentional injury" and awaits the court's verdict.

China Daily notes that the sorry affair raises something of a legal poser regarding online "possessions". Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China, told the paper: "The armour and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them."

A lawyer for a Shanghai-based internet game company countered: "The 'assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by nature just data created by game providers."

Indeed, a Japanese woman recently had a run-in with the authorites after deleting her ex's online gaming data - including clothes and weapons. In this case, though, she was charged with "violating a law banning illegal access" rather than offences pertaining to the wanton destruction of her former lover's virtual goods and chattels.

[Anonymous]

Wow Never Knew People Murdered People over "Cyber Swords"

[Avzeke (Khr0n1k)]

dude you captialized everyone word o_0

[Anonymous]

But it was definately the Flaming Spork of Death.. I'd kill for that.

[Anonymous]

who wouldn't? thats awesome and extremely hilarious!

[Ketamininja]

Its a bit of a problem tho.
You can see why FPS might influence school shootings.

I got a 404, but I guess they were adults... Thats pretty bad tho, I suppose they guy would have done it if it were "real" property as well?

[Anonymous]

totally

[Anonymous]

Article says a 41 year old.

[Anonymous]

working url

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/30/online_gaming_death/

[Kosila]

The guy was probably someone who doesn't have a real life. It could be mxo.mastema.

[Anonymous]

nah its prob someone who was big when everquest 1 was out.

[Anonymous]

There are games that are far far far bigger in Asia than anything we know in our little world.  Ragnarak Online was getting 265,000 player logins a day when Everquest 1 first launched.  They've been MMO crazy way before it was introduced to our side of the pond and they have many, many more games availible than we do, some of which are still text based MUD format (which IMO are still superior in every way to the modern MMO except graphics ).
This guy never played EQ, he's a part of the Asian MMO world.

[Anonymous]

thats cause azns are crazy.