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Dutch Teens are Brutally Beaten By Online Game Possessions
Teenage brutally beaten by rivals to win masks and an amulet he possessed in a medieval fantasy game
The conviction for theft was confirmed by the Dutch Supreme Court
Court said the virtual objects had a value to the 13-year-old gamer due to the time and energy he expended in winning the game.
By Jill Reilly Updated: 11:45 BST 2 February 2012
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A Dutch teenager was assaulted and threatened with a knife after an argument over virtual possessions in the well-known online fantasy game RuneScape.
The attack on the 13-year-old boy occurred because he 'picked' a mask and amulet while playing, which was also what two teenage boys wanted.
They kicked him and brandished knives, while requiring him to log into RuneScape and surrender the items.
Intimidation: The teenager was beaten up and threatened with a knife over an argument over virtual objects in a popular online game of fantasy called RuneScape
This allowed one of the two who were also playing the game to effectively steal the items.
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RUNESCAPE.COM FACTS
RuneScape was launched in 2001, is home to around 10 million active players, many of whom are believed to be regular users.
It is located in Gielinor, a medieval land that is mostly comprised of grassy rolling hills and vast areas o f woodland.
The game holds a Guinness World Records for world's most popular and well-known free role playing game.
In 2009, a hacker broke into computer accounts and stole virtual characters as well as their belongings from RuneScape and was given a police caution.
A few months later, one RuneScape account was sold on eBay for PS46,000.
The attack took place in 2007 and the attackers were convicted in 2009. However, one of the attackers appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court.
But yesterday the Netherlands' highest court upheld the theft conviction.
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The lawyer for the suspect had stated that the amulet and the mask, were neither tangible or material' and, unlike electricity, had no economic value.
The Court declared that the virtual objects were of intrinsic value to the player aged 13 due to the time and effort that he put into winning them during his game.
The names of the defendants have been kept secret due to the fact that they were juveniles. the defendant who appealed was sentenced to 144 hours of community service.
This isn't the only time that virtual life has been applied to real-world scenarios.
The Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the virtual objects were valuable for the player who was 13 due to the 'time and energy he invested in winning them'. It also upheld the theft conviction.
In 2009, a person who hacked into computer accounts and stole virtual characters as well as their possessions from RuneScape was issued a police caution.
The Dutch Supreme Court sentenced him to 100 hours of community service.
A middle-aged man from Devon attacked a schoolboy in September of last year, when his online character was killed during an Call Of Duty game.
Mark Bradford, 46, was furious after he was shot dead in the war simulation by a 13-year-old. He lost it when the youngster goaded him to talk about his death online.
A father with no job of three Bradford left his bed in Plymouth, Devon and confronted the boy at the home of his friend. He then placed his hands around the neck of the schoolboy.
They were playing Call Of Duty: Black Ops online against one another and were talking on microphones.
The assault was ended when Bradford's shocked mother snatched Bradford off the boy, who was bruised and reddening around the neck.
A 20-year old boy from Alabama shot three police officers in 2005. He claimed that his actions were caused by hours spent playing the video game Grand Theft Auto, where players shoot police officers and steal their cars.
Devin Moore, his arrestee told police that life is a videogame and that everyone must pass away at some point in time.