A New Form of Bully

The real world is beginning to meld with the virtual world... hold on to your virtual wallets!

Posted by a B2.0 Blogger, this story comes from The New Scientist and brings to light a form of bullying that our parents could never have fathomed.

A man has been arrested in Japan on suspicion [of] carrying out a virtual mugging spree by using software "bots" to beat up and rob characters in the online computer game Lineage II. The stolen virtual possessions were then exchanged for real cash. . . . Several players had their characters beaten and robbed of valuable virtual objects, which could have included the Earring of Wisdom or the Shield of Nightmare. The items were then fenced through a Japanese auction website . . .. The assailant was a character controlled by a software bot, rather than a human player, making it unbeatable.


Maybe this will turn the tide on who is bullying who. It might be the small scrawny smart kid who rules the virtual playgrounds of the future.