Police are investigating the first case of rape in the metaverse after a child was ‘attacked’ in a virtual reality video game.
The girl under the age of 16 is said to have been left distraught after her avatar – her digital character – was gang raped by the online strangers.
The headset-wearing victim did not suffer any injuries as there was no physical attack.
But officers said she suffered the same psychological and emotional trauma as someone who has been raped in the real world as the ‘VR’ experience is designed to be completely immersive.
(via Off the Press)
[I’m less familiar with UK law than American, but in our system, this sounds more like a civil rather than criminal matter. We do have laws making online stalking a crime, but that usually applies to longer-term harassment rather than a single incident. The victim in this case could file suit against the provider and the virtual assailants for intentional infliction of emotional distress, but that has a rather significant threshold too. — Ed]
Join the conversation as a VIP Member