Legal Juice
This is truly a bizarre crime. There’s a very popular game (6 million people play it each month) called Habbo. Per the BBC:
Habbo users can create their own characters, decorate their own rooms and play a number of games, paying with Habbo Credits, which they have to buy with real cash.
The crime? A 17-year-old Dutch boy has been charged with stealing 4,000 euros (about $6,000 US) worth of furniture! Who the hell would pay $6,000 for virtual furniture?
If you think that’s wacky, check out this story (from the same BBC article):
Virtual theft is a growing issue in virtual worlds; in 2005 a Chinese gamer was stabbed to death in a row over a sword in a game.
Shanghai gamer Qiu Chengwei killed player Zhu Caoyuan when he discovered he had sold a “dragon sabre” he had been loaned.