virtual-theft
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Account security is your responsibility, not Blizzard's
PlayNoEvil recently published an article explaining why they think it is that hackers target gamers by stealing their passwords and other account information. While there is some truth in the premises offered, articles like this one only serve to fuel conspiracy rumors and encourage players to think of themselves as victims rather than take responsibility for their own account security. Gaming companies do place some of the blame for a compromised account on the account holder, and for good reason. The hacker certainly didn't gain access to your computer because of their actions, and their computers that store your information are as yet untouchable.The browsers you use, sites you visit, firewall settings, anti-virus software and update practices are just a few of the ways that you contribute to your own hacking experience. Sharing your account information with your lover, best friend and mother may sound safe, but you don't control the security of their computers, or their friends' computers. The majority of people I know who have been hacked signed into their accounts on their sibling's computer or a publically shared machine. In fact, NASA ended up with a keylogger targeted at gamers on the International Space Station. It traveled aboard on the laptop of one of the astronauts. You just can't trust any computer that isn't your own.It may be hard to hear, but a hacked account is because of something you did, whether it was an unfortunate stroke of luck, such as stumbling onto a redirect on a legitimate website in the small window before the site addresses it, or a serious oversight in security on your part.
A personal account of the devastation wrought by virtual theft
In the mainstream media it's not entirely uncommon to hear tales of virtual theft cast in a mocking or sometimes even light-hearted tone. Given the right set of details, we're sometimes guilty of it ourselves. In any case, when you actually read a first-hand account of such an experience, you quickly see how devastating a personal blow it can be to a person. A recent article in The Escapist explores one such experience, going into the depths with one unfortunate Paladin who had her Final Fantasy XI account hacked.Much the same way that a real life burglar can rob somebody of their sense of safety, virtual thieves rob players of the joy and security they get from building up a character in a virtual world. The Paladin followed in the article lost her will to play altogether, which we think is an even sadder outcome than losing her highly-valued account.
Minnesota gamer calls cops after virtual theft, cops shrug
What do you do when you find out your MMO account has been looted and pillaged of all its other-worldly goods? Many of us would make a quick phone call to a friendly CSR to see what they could do about things, but not one Minnesota gamer named Geoff Luurs, who woke up one morning to find his Final Fantasy XI character had been stripped of four years' worth of gear and gil. Suspecting a friend (man, they really use that term loosely in Minnesota) of having committed the theft, Luurs turned to the local police for help. Unfortunately, given the way virtual property is treated in the U.S., there wasn't much they could do besides shrug and give him in their number in case anything tangible turned up missing.Of course, the point left unemphasized in the original story is that Luurs willingly forked over his account details to this "friend," basically bringing the hurt on himself. He cites "loss of trust" as the largest personal fallout of this episode, which isn't surprising considering he was tossing around his password all mamby-pamby on the 'net. We don't agree with the lack of legal consideration for virtual property either, but we also know our responsibility as gamers in this crazy mixed up online world of ours.[Via Eurogamer]
Why virtual thefts matter
Real thefts occur in the real world all the time - we know that, and our respective justice systems have long since evolved to deal with them. When it comes down to virtual theft (characters, gold, or items) whether actually taken from an account or replicated by use of an exploit - most people don't really think it matters. It's not happening in the physical world, right? So it shouldn't, right? Well, it does, and here's why.
