Yet Again, Real Police Called Into Virtual World Over (Not Really) Theft Of Virtual Items

from the not-again dept

Back in 2007 we wrote about how police had arrested a kid for "stealing" virtual furniture in the virtual world, Habbo Hotel. At the time, we pointed out how problematic it is when real laws (and real police) cross over into virtual worlds. What if "stealing" is a part of the game? Even if it's not, it seems like these are cases where the folks who run Habbo Hotel should handle it via terms of service issues, rather than getting the real police involved. If virtual items are "stolen," then Habbo should be able to give them back. That's one of the nice things about a virtual world where there is no scarcity and where there's the ability to bring "stolen" things back.

However, it looks like that's not happening any time soon. A bunch of folks have sent in the news that the Habbo Hotel folks have now asked Finnish police to investigate 400 cases of "theft" in their world. Seriously. Of course it is a bit more complicated than that. They're really upset about phishing scams that let scammers get users login information, which they then use to get into their account and transfer the virtual goods away. But that's not really "theft" and it's a misnomer to call it that. And, really, if Habbo Hotel users are getting phished so frequently, perhaps the Habbo developers should focus on building a better login system that is not so susceptible to simple phishing scams...

Filed Under: habbo hotel, phishing, theft

Don't Tell American Idol You Can't Make Money From Free Content

from the see-free,-disengage-brain dept

As Mike recently pointed out, he gets a little annoyed when people say "free is not a business model." As he points out, free is really just part of the business model, and the challenge is in using free as part of the business model, and he's compiled example after example after example of people doing exactly this. Now add American Idol to this list. Building on its free content -- the TV show -- its producers have teamed up with the company that makes the popular teen virtual world Habbo to create an Idol-themed one. Habbo has built a solid business upon its virtual world by selling virtual goods to teenagers. The new American Idol world will be tied to the show and feature new activities and virtual goods as the show progresses, and will also feature tie-ins from Idol's sponsors. The main content is given away for free, and used to successfully generate further advertising revenues and create interest in secondary, paid products -- like this virtual world, but also the popular American Idol concert tours and other offerings. So why doesn't anybody blast American Idol's producers for giving their content away for free?

Filed Under: american idol, business models, free, habbo hotel