Woman in Jail Over Virtual Murder

The headlines read "Women in Jail over Virtual Murder." Of course everyone scratches their head and wonders what's going on. Yes, it's true, there is a woman in jail over virtual murder, and we need to take a look at what led to a crime of this fashion. As concerned citizens, we must recognize that violence in all of its form is serious, thankfully Japan is not dealing with this in a lighthearted manner. If you're wondering how it can be true that there is in fact a woman in jail over virtual murder, here's what happened.

A Japanese woman became upset while playing the game Maplestory, an online game played in a variety of languages, such as: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Brazilian, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, and English. With that many languages, you can see the game holds global appeal. Anyway, the woman was an avid player of Maplestory, only to find that her virtual husband had been divorced from her, apparently against her will and without her knowledge. So, like any other woman on the rebound and recently dumped, she lost all sense of reason and subsequently broke the law.

No, she didn't threaten the virtual non-committing husband with bodily harm, but she did hack into Maplestory's computer to kill his character. Maplestory is an online, multiplayer game. There was a real man behind the woman's virtual husband, and she accessed the computer, logged in under his name and id, and killed off his character. She is quoted as saying to the investigators, "I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," she is currently in jail awaiting charges, and if found guilty, is facing a $5,000 fine as well as a 5 year prison sentence.

It may seem surprising that a woman would go through all of this trouble to seek revenge on a virtual husband, but in reality, or virtual reality the lines between truth and fiction can easily blend. Virtual reality games are popular, they are fun, and are a great way to escape from the pressures of every day life. However, for some, with growing economic problems, mounting personal problems, or possibly, a non existent romantic life the security found in virtual reality might lead to a form of escapism, one in which the player begins to lose touch with reality and focuses more on the events happening in the virtual environment. In fact, Dr. Maressa Hect Orzack, Ph. D a Harvard Medical School Faculty member specializes in the treatment of computer addiction. There is even a "computer addiction" checklist on her website, "Computer Addiction Services."

It's easy to see how many become addicted to both the computer and computer games. It's also understandable how playing multiplayer games can become a source for social activities as you are dividing your time between both computer virtual reality and interaction with other real life players. Fortunately, the Maplestory woman stopped at the act of killing her virtual husband, but I suspect that as more people turn to virtual gaming to cope with the stresses of everyday real life, those lines might become blurred.

William Congreve wrote in The Mourning Bride, " Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," and if there is any lesson to be learned from this case, it might be that a woman's fury can be just as strong in the virtual world as it is in the real world.