Fantasy or Reality the Illusion of the On-line Realm Essay

Fantasy or Reality the Illusion of the On-line Realm - Essay Example Whether it is the 75 year old grandmother, who plays online bridge, or the 7 year old child, that plays Scooby Doo, the internet is here and here to stay. I will be explaining why online should have more security and the risk of an online gaming obsession. In the article â€Å"Does Virtual Reality Need a Sheriff† by Alan Sipress.† He starts by explaining how a character in the game Second Life â€Å"allegedly raped another character†. Although this is a game meant for entertainment this incident could have possible long-term effects on the actual person in charge of controlling the character. Actions performed online such as â€Å"rape† can prove to be devastating, particularly to someone as emotionally vulnerable as a child. Unfortunately, there have been lots of sexual assault cases. One of the first known cases that had acutely been reported was back in 1993 by Julian Dibbell whom is a â€Å"prominent commentator on digital culture†(445). The natu re of Second Life as a highly complex virtual environment presents a great number of opportunities, yet it similarly poses a number of problems for Internet gamers. In addition to reported instances of sexual assault, there are also areas of the game where â€Å"avatars act out drug use, child abuse, rape and various forms of sadomasochism† (446). While individuals were outraged at such occurrences, other users indicated that simple role playing is not a serious violation, pointing out that no children were harmed during the game. While Internet gaming has generally not been considered a serious threat it is definitely a growing concern when one considers the ever increasing among of online gamers. For instance, the popular role playing game World of Warcraft has an estimated eight million participants. Within the structure of this game it’s been noted that there are regions of the game that have become highly problematic in that â€Å"Gang of animated characters have repeatedly preyed upon lone travelers, killing them and making off with their virtual belongings† (445). In these regards, gamers face the increasing threat of virtual assault. Japanese authorities even arrested an individual or such acts of virtual mugging. Indeed, the very nature of what constitutes a crime is a debated subject, with virtual depictions of child abuse not being illegal in the United States, yet being prohibited in Europe. With such a variety of legal understandings the problems for law enforcement in halting such violations is made increasingly difficult. Still, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made strides in attempting to combat such abuses on Second Life. The F.B.I. has also launched investigations against gambling that has occurred within the online gaming environment. While the online gaming world largely remains a sort of contemporary Wild West, progress by such investigators as well as individuals desiring to institute a legal code on Sec ond Life, have started to make significant strides in combating such aspects of virtual crime. While crimes through online gaming poses significant risks to users, the nature of Internet gaming addictions poses just as large a challenge. Numerous reports have demonstrated that the effects of online gaming addiction have had similar deleterious effects on individuals as drug use. Indeed, psychological research has conducted tests wherein similar brain functions were shared by both drugs users and individuals addicted to online gaming (‘Virtual Addiction’). One such startling examined occurred in South Korea where online gaming has become so prominent that is has assumed the position similar to a national sport. Recently it was reported that in South