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Author Topic: Mafias in virtual worlds  (Read 1935 times)

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Offline iago

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Mafias in virtual worlds
« on: November 26, 2009, 09:26:04 am »
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/11/virtual_mafia_i.html

This story is a bit old, but Schneier reminded me about it today.

Basically, in one online game (The Sims Online, I think?) they allow players to penalize each other, and players with a low reputation get penalties or something. So a group of people got together and started racketeering -- basically, if you don't pay them protection or give them what they want, a whole bunch of them will penalize you, lowering your rep so far that the game becomes unplayable.

It's actually a really funny situation -- an accident side effect of a feature that probably seemed good at the time.
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Offline rabbit

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Re: Mafias in virtual worlds
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2009, 10:18:54 am »
Awesome.  I join play The Sims Online and start an IRA.  Any Irish user will be welcome, and any British user will have their house pipe-bombed.  Anyone else can pay us money, and when someone tries to extort any of us, we kill their character.
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Offline Blaze

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Re: Mafias in virtual worlds
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2009, 03:29:18 pm »
What's even more fun, is when these sort of things are allowed.  You then get mafias fighting each other over harassing new players.  Very interesting to watch.
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And like a fool I believed myself, and thought I was somebody else...

Offline Camel

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Re: Mafias in virtual worlds
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2009, 04:12:06 am »
www.there.com

My avatar is Camel
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<Camel> i said what what
<Blaze> in the butt
<Camel> you want to do it in my butt?
<Blaze> in my butt
<Camel> let's do it in the butt
<Blaze> Okay!
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