Societal Issue

Virtual World Spat







Virtual world spat? Settle it yourself. (The Straits Times Home Section Thursday 23 August 2007)


What exactly is a virtual world spat? I believe that it is not only just getting cheated in a world of fantasy, but getting cheated in real life as well. A common example of a virtual world spat would be that one participant defaults on the sale of a magic sword. In this case, the defaulter is actually in the real world and committing a cheating act in the virtual world. Thus, this makes this issue very interesting as the significance is, after all, that people can steal others’ property and get away scot-free.

Now with this interpretation in place, we would assume that like any other theft cases in Singapore, the police would pursue the matter till the end. Yet it is ironical here that the AGC’s principal senior state counsel says “the police and the AGC have better things to do with their time.”

Isn’t it the police’s obligation to catch a thief? Why it that the police have decided that it is no longer their job to catch a thief? I believe this issue lies in the matter of the ‘virtual’ concept. ‘Virtual’, by definition, means existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form or name. Hence, I believe the rationale behind the local police’s decision not to settle virtual spats is because it would hinder the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness if time is wasted sorting out such ‘make-believe’ crimes. Obviously, only when the people’s real lives are completely taken care of, can the police even attempt to care of their fictitious lives.

In South Korea, statutes have been passed to deal with ‘virtual world’ crimes which are treated as physical theft. While the South Korean police are commendable for their efforts to encompass ‘virtual world’ crimes into their scope of work, this move might not be beneficial to the South Korean community because their citizens’ well-being in the actual world have not even been secured. South Korea had a rate of 8,006 reported crime cases out of a 100,000 population as compared to Singapore’s figure of 1,934. Thus the South Korean perspective mentioned in this article might not be that practical after all.

I am deeply aware that since I do not own any trace of life in the virtual world, and neither do I own a huge say in the legislative world, I might not understand the full philosophical concept behind this topic. However, I do accept that others might share different views from me. After all, these people’s virtual life characters, possessions, money and capabilities might mean a lot to them, and losing all of these all of a sudden is just too unfair for them. Yet, I still believe that the local police are right in their decision to allow for individuals to settle their own virtual world spat in a bid to keep the real Singaporean world safe and secure.

On a personal note, my advice to citizens of the virtual world would be to keep away from unnecessary trouble, because after all, prevention is better than cure.