Qiu Chengwei

With so many of us spending time in alternate cyber universes, a blurring often occurs between the real and virtual. Read an article today about people going to court over disputes that happen in cyber reality.

One of the most interesting stories is about Qiu Chengwai, 41, a man from Shanghai. He was an active participant in the online Legend of Mir 3 game. He obtained a magical sword, the mythical dragon saber. It was valued at over 7200 yuan ($1000.00). A friend, Zhu Caoyuan borrowed the sword and then betrayed Qiu by selling it to a third person on ebay.

Qiu went to the police, who said that no theft occurred because the item didn't exist in physical space. So Qiu visited Zhu at his home and killed him with a real knife. A space age operetta. Qiu will spend the rest of his physical life behind bars. But his avatar is destined to roam the ghostly passages of cyberspace for eternity.