Mobs Move Into Sims Online Power Vacuum

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a San Jose Mercury News report discussing the rise of racketeering in The Sims Online. According to one of the afflicted, "[other players] ..show up at your house and they request protection money. `You have to pay me 100,000 simolians if you don't want your house torn down.' It's technically harassment." The reasons for this and other extreme in-game behaviors are also discussed: "Sometimes, [organized gangs] are a sign that the game lacks enough interesting elements to engage the players - so they create their own drama. More often, it means players are so attached that they invest the time to exploit its rules."

Comments

The Sopranos Spoiler

[codexus]

That's so annoying. I read an article on the Sims online and I get a huge spoiler on what's going to happen next in The Sopranos. Not everyone has seen all the latest episodes and in europe, they are airing episodes a few months late at least.
If I was reading a Sopranos forum and got spoiled, I'd deserve it, but how am I supposed to know there is a spoiler in that article?

Re:I'm surprised that this didn't happen earlier

[JolieBlanc]

Not when I was playing, though that was in the beta and it may have changed. The worst they might be able to do is invade en masse and break stuff through overuse, but the lot owner always has the right to boot them off the property and ban them. So really, it's a threat without any teeth.

Re:How to dissilusion a libetarian

[Kwil]

Anarchist means no government. It may or may not mean "the individual uber alles"