The relationship between 9 Cities and CWOW has been tumultuous, plagued with negative news and countless attacks. Now, finally, Burning Crusade is coming to China, but once again, the media is attacking World of Warcraft (WoW). This time, it's not an online platform but a newspaper - the Zhengzhou Evening News. However, this report differs from previous ones in a rather embarrassing way! For more details, please see the original article below:
"My equipment could be sold for at least 5000 yuan," Guan Qiang said angrily. He is 15 years old, dropped out of school after middle school, and spends almost every day in internet cafes playing games. All those pieces of equipment were hard-earned through his efforts.
Four newcomers conspired to rob a high-level player, stealing all his virtual property. This isn't a far-fetched tale. In "Warcraft," the top-tier players wield immense power within the game world, yet four novices coveted the advanced equipment carried by the high-level player and thus robbed him of his "weapons" in real life. A lawyer stated that virtual property on the internet is also protected by law. Although this act meets the elements of a crime as defined by the Criminal Law, whether it constitutes robbery still requires further discussion.
Since becoming addicted to the popular online game "Warcraft," 16-year-old Li Ming (a pseudonym) frequently went with three other equally obsessed friends to a cyber café near the intersection of Zhengqi Street and Hongqi Road. Especially during summer vacation, they spent their days immersed in the game, leveling up and acquiring equipment. "If we had better equipment, we wouldn't be bullied anymore." Due to their low levels and simple gear, these four friends often fell victim to attacks from high-level players, making it impossible to obtain good equipment. Thus, obtaining better and higher-level equipment became their top priority and a frequent topic of discussion.
High-end equipment made them envious. As they spent more time in the cyber café, Li Ming and others began to observe the levels and equipment of other players. One regular player, Guan Qiang (a pseudonym), caught their attention. Around the same age as Li Ming, Guan Qiang had a much higher level and possessed top-tier equipment, making him a true expert. "If only we could get equipment like his," they thought. Watching Guan Qiang closely several times, his cloak, helmet, chest armor, and weapons made them envious.
After observing for a few days, the four realized that Guan Qiang always came alone to the cyber café and stayed there all day, giving them the idea to demand his equipment.
One day, after deliberating for several days, they finally approached Guan Qiang. "Hey, your level is so high already, why don't you share some of your equipment with us?"
"This equipment cost me over 3000 yuan, and I don't even know you. Why should I give it to you?" Immersed in the game, Guan Qiang ignored their unreasonable request and continued playing intently.
"Give us a little, you won't use all of it anyway." Despite Li Ming's persistence, Guan Qiang refused. Disappointed, Li Ming and his group left.
A few days later, Li Ming and his friends still couldn't forget about Guan Qiang's equipment. Since Guan Qiang was unwilling to part with it, how to acquire the equipment became a problem for the four. "Let's just take it by force," they decided after a few more days of waiting. They planned to use violence to seize Guan Qiang's equipment.
When Guan Qiang returned to the cyber café to play, the four rushed him. "Give us the equipment!" While Guan Qiang was engrossed in the game, three of them pinned him down while the fourth opened his inventory and looted all his weapons and equipment right in front of him. Overwhelmed by their numbers and sudden attack, Guan Qiang had no chance to resist or call for help, watching helplessly as his hard-earned equipment was divided among the four.
Guan Qiang later encountered one of the suspects at the cyber café. "Why does this guy look so familiar?" On the evening of August 26th, when Guan Qiang entered his usual cyber café, he noticed someone who looked familiar. "Isn't that one of the guys who stole my equipment?" Unbelievably, one of the culprits was still there. After confirming it was indeed one of them, Guan Qiang immediately left to report the incident to the police.
Upon receiving the report, patrol officer Wu Xuedong quickly arrived at the scene, coordinating support from patrol teams 4 and 5 of Jinshui district. "Hurry, he's still upstairs," Guan Qiang anxiously informed the officers upon their arrival. "That's him, he's the one who stole my equipment," Guan Qiang pointed at a boy dressed in a T-shirt and wearing a gold necklace, who was engrossed in the game. Startled by the sudden appearance of the police, Li Ming froze in confusion.
"My equipment is worth at least 5000 yuan," Guan Qiang complained angrily. He was 15 years old, having dropped out of school after junior high, spending almost every day in internet cafes playing games. All the equipment was the result of his hard work.
It is understood that 16-year-old Li Ming has been handed over to the Fengchan Road police station for handling.
Does robbing virtual property constitute robbery?
"The case of robbing online game equipment is the first we've seen," the officer stated. Such cases involving the theft of virtual property are unprecedented.
Lawyer Gao Jian from Golden Sunshine Law Firm expressed that virtual property on the internet is also legally owned property and therefore protected by law. Secondly, the actions of the four teenagers meet the elements of a crime as stipulated in the Criminal Law, but differ behaviorally from the defined act of robbery. Therefore, whether their act of robbing virtual property constitutes robbery is still under discussion. Additionally, even if it does constitute robbery, since all four are minors but over 16 years old, they have reached the age of criminal responsibility but should receive lighter or mitigated punishment.
This truly leaves one speechless! If the Zhengzhou Evening News wants to criticize World of Warcraft, can they find someone with basic knowledge about the game? Everyone knows that equipment in World of Warcraft becomes bound once worn, so how exactly did they "rob" it? And saying the equipment is worth 5000 yuan, well, if they actually sold it, then hats off to them! Is the Zhengzhou Evening News fresh off the boat from Mars? What is the purpose of this news report? It reads vividly, as if it were true, complete with references to police officers and lawyers. Very powerful, very harmonious...
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