You Killed My Avatar!

[Mitsuki]

This is very interesting.

TOKYO: 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.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/online-divorcee-jailed-after-killing-virtual-hubby/1259111


So if they find this woman guilty, she will either get fined up to $5,000 or face five years of prison. Now, is it me or does that not seem to be balanced? $5,000 v.s. 5 years of prison...I'd rather be fined.

But the whole thing is ridiculous in itself! People take the online world so seriously I don't even know if it's funny anymore or what. She shouldn't have to be punished for that - it's like typing in the login information (that was freely given to you) and deleting someone's myspace account. Sure I can understand if people get ticked off, but to complain about it to the police?

Then again, the woman's pretty dumb for getting worked up over something such as a virtual divorce. It did say she was jailed for "suspicion of hacking" but then it says "The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married"...so I'm assuming he gave her the login information prior to the "online killing" of his character.

Weird people...

 

[Ironman]

wow, thats pretty psychotic, you divorce me so i kill your online character. thats like mean, but in theory the guys deserved it if he just up and divorced her out of the blue. although breaking the law isn't condoned in any way he did kinda deserve his avatar to get murdered.

 

[Bambi]

Technically using someone elses login information without their express permission is hacking, even if they knowingly provided you with it at a prior date. Using it to destroy/damage property/data is becoming a pretty big deal now...

It can damage alot of lives, even if it's just done for fun....

Anyway, the topic at hand is pretty laughable, the woman is pretty crazy IMO, but if she had hacked into anything else then she could have done major damage......

Even if the subject is abit stupid (woman needs her bumps feeling), it's still a pretty serious thing, I wouldn't want anything of mine to be hacked. It could be anything from just messing with say my profile on facebook, or stealing money. Regardless of what she did, if she gets sent down/fined whatever, it's setting an example that hacking aint gunna be taken lightly

 

[Mitsuki]

Well yeah, that situation is pretty laughable and yet the seriousness of it all is hanging between them. Because just think - even if she had "killed" his character online, it can be seen as there being the possibility that she may have plotted something in real life. Who knows - I mean she's pretty crazy enough to go as far as hack into someone's account and kill the character...so she could certainly be crazy enough to try something stupid in real life as well. That's just my opinion. But I'm still slapping my forehead at the idea that both parties are so damn worked up over something as the online gaming world.

And I know that hacking should be taken seriously. But it seems to me that the man complained to the police for the reason of her killing his "beloved character". I mean c'mon, that should be the least of his problem - rather he should feel 'threatened' that A) yes, he was hacked B) it could have been him instead of his online avatar. I don't know, that's just how I interpreted it.

 

[Bambi]

Haha I see what you mean

I guess the dumb arse was complaing about the wrong thing...and she needs psychiatric treatment...so does he by the sounds of it. I think people get a little to involved in virtual lives......

 

[SaShman]

In all honesty this if fukkin ridiculous. Sure hacking is serious and if she hacked the mans bank account or something I would see it as a serious offense. But this is a bloody video game.

I guess the only way to justify the ladies punishment is the possibility that the man has spent much money on it. However Maple Story is free and it is unknown as to whether or not he spent any money on the game at all.

I hardly think that the lady is crazy. I think this whole situation just shows the immaturity of the man, I mean it would be like going to the police if your little brother deleted your save file in FFX or something. This man just takes his video games far too seriously.

 

[Mitsuki]

Orrrr, it could also just be something simple as her trying to piss him off by saying, "Okay, you divorced me, so no more avatar for you." It did say though as "suspicion of hacking" and she used his login information without his permission. I don't know if I'd necessarily view that as "serious hacking" on her part because it's not like she stole money or hacked into his bank account - just kill his avatar, lol. Big deal. I totally can see the funny side and yes, serious side if you look deeper into it. I'm going all over the place here, I know, but I honestly think it's just a simple story that makes me laugh more than anything.

Edit: Ninja'd by SaShman. xD

 

[zombies[INC]]

I mean she's pretty crazy enough to go as far as hack into someone's account and kill the character...so she could certainly be crazy enough to try something stupid in real life as well. That's just my opinion. But I'm still slapping my forehead at the idea that both parties are so damn worked up over something as the online gaming world.

And I know that hacking should be taken seriously. But it seems to me that the man complained to the police for the reason of her killing his "beloved character". I mean c'mon, that should be the least of his problem - rather he should feel 'threatened' that A) yes, he was hacked B) it could have been him instead of his online avatar. I don't know, that's just how I interpreted it.

Hmm, I'm not sure if you really have to be all that crazy to log into someone's account in which you already have the password, and kill their 'avatar' as revenge. It could be done very light heartedly. But I do agree with you, she is probably fairly crazy with rage and hatred, so she more than likely didn't do it light heartedly. So, if that's the case, people could assume she could easily do the same thing in real life, and kill him.

I can see why they're taking it serious to a point, hacking is an offense, and there are laws against it, thus certain actions need to be taken. If that's the reason behind the $5000 fine, and the possibility of five years in prison, fair enough I guess. I don't know enough regarding hacking and the laws against it to dispute it. But if it's a possibility of five years in prison because she killed his avatar, I simply cannot understand it. That's why I'm assuming these actions against her are because of her 'hacking'.

I, myself, cannot understand why the man would complain to the police. For one, he did suddenly divorce her. Even though it was an online community, a lot of people take it very seriously. A lot of people do find true love online, and a hell of a lot more people connect with others online. Simply because there is no physical aspect to it, doesn't mean it can't be genuine. And his actions could have deeply hurt her. For two, it simply is an avatar. But as I previously said, many things can be taken quite seriously in the online world, and perhaps that deeply hurt him. And in turn, I guess the complaint about the death of his 'beloved avatar' makes sense.

True, a lot of people get involved in this virtual world, but, to a point, that's fine. People find true love, true meaning, blah blah blah, in this virtual world. Some people live in that world, and merely work in the real world simply to survive. That's fine. To each their own. But until they reach this point it's unfair to suggest that anyone who takes the virtual world 'so seriously' needs psychiatric treatment. Not that that's what you were implying Artemicion, I know. These people may very well need a little help.

But y'know... it could also be the media's fault, this seemingly ridiculous situation. These people could have been serious with one another, could have loved each other. Perhaps, she loved him, and she was hurt and angry when she logged into his account. And maybe he was hurt, surprised or whatever he was, and whined to the police. The hacking aside, this entire situation could have been blown out of proportion.

Ultimately, who knows... it'll be interesting to see what results in this situation. It would be really interesting to hear a few words of explanation from the woman, and even the man. Quite interesting...

 

[Mitsuki]

Hmm, I'm not sure if you really have to be all that crazy to log into someone's account in which you already have the password, and kill their 'avatar' as revenge. It could be done very light heartedly. But I do agree with you, she is probably fairly crazy with rage and hatred, so she more than likely didn't do it light heartedly. So, if that's the case, people could assume she could easily do the same thing in real life, and kill him.

I can see why they're taking it serious to a point, hacking is an offense, and there are laws against it, thus certain actions need to be taken. If that's the reason behind the $5000 fine, and the possibility of five years in prison, fair enough I guess. I don't know enough regarding hacking and the laws against it to dispute it. But if it's a possibility of five years in prison because she killed his avatar, I simply cannot understand it. That's why I'm assuming these actions against her are because of her 'hacking'.

Perhaps not crazy then (that was just the first word that came to mind at the time), but she's probably not all "there" together either. When I first read the article, I interpreted as her going to prison for killing his avatar, which yes, I think that's a little too harsh. But then again, her action can be viewed differently from other people and I'm sure they're just using caution.

However, if she's being fined $5,000 for "suspicion of hacking" (again, there's also the argument that it's not a serious case of hacking as it's not like her action led to her taking money, serious personal data, etc) then yes I can very well understand that. I know she destroyed someone's data and while that is something that shouldn't be taken lightly, I think the $5,000 fine alone should be enough punishment...but for five years of prison? That's taking it a little too far, to be honest. Her life will certainly be ruined and all because she logged into someone's account out of anger.

Yes, the action was illegal in itself but since all she did was type in the login information he provided to her in the first place (even without his permission) they might take it into consideration that there was no serious harm done in the end. (Except of course, the possibility of that "threat" since what she did was a stupid move overall.) He has the right to sue her, yes, especially if he did spend a lot of money for his avatar and general online account in Maple Story, and if that's the case, then she'll certainly be in a heap of trouble. But still, I don't think she should go to prison for that reason alone.

Now, let's say he did NOT give her his login information, but she had went her way to go find access to his login information anyway...then yeah, that should be taken more seriously and I can understand more if she face prison time for that. But the fact remains that he had given her his login info freely in the first place, and they might see it as the reason for her to have gotten in trouble for all this. If she had no easy access to his login info, who knows - she may not have done what she did. But since she knew that logging into his account is as simple as 1-2-3, what was stopping her from taking her little revenge just to piss him off? Anyway, she should have thought more clearly about the possible consequences, but she obviously didn't.

I'm also not too familiar with the laws regarding hacking, so I may be wrong. But I'm just stating what can very well happen and my views on the matter.

I, myself, cannot understand why the man would complain to the police. For one, he did suddenly divorce her. Even though it was an online community, a lot of people take it very seriously. A lot of people do find true love online, and a hell of a lot more people connect with others online. Simply because there is no physical aspect to it, doesn't mean it can't be genuine. And his actions could have deeply hurt her. For two, it simply is an avatar. But as I previously said, many things can be taken quite seriously in the online world, and perhaps that deeply hurt him. And in turn, I guess the complaint about the death of his 'beloved avatar' makes sense.

True, a lot of people get involved in this virtual world, but, to a point, that's fine. People find true love, true meaning, blah blah blah, in this virtual world. Some people live in that world, and merely work in the real world simply to survive. That's fine. To each their own. But until they reach this point it's unfair to suggest that anyone who takes the virtual world 'so seriously' needs psychiatric treatment. Not that that's what you were implying Artemicion, I know. These people may very well need a little help.

But y'know... it could also be the media's fault, this seemingly ridiculous situation. These people could have been serious with one another, could have loved each other. Perhaps, she loved him, and she was hurt and angry when she logged into his account. And maybe he was hurt, surprised or whatever he was, and whined to the police. The hacking aside, this entire situation could have been blown out of proportion.

Ultimately, who knows... it'll be interesting to see what results in this situation. It would be really interesting to hear a few words of explanation from the woman, and even the man. Quite interesting...

Ah, good point. I admit I never did consider the possibility that the woman might have found a connection with the real player instead, and not the actual avatar. It's just that after reading about someone killing an avatar online, I immediately laughed and thought that her action was just simply childish. But yes, childish or not, feelings could have been genuinely hurt and I suppose that's understandable. I just can't seem to grasp the full situation and would like to see what happens to the woman.