Additional Thoughts - So long as the game owners can strip you of your virtual money at whim, then you have no real claim to any of it. You are playing with their toys, and so you couldn't really claim to have lost anything.
One of the definitions of fraud is "Obtaining money or property by false pretenses."
Problem 1 - So long as the game companies continue to own the rights to everything in the online game, it would be pretty difficult to prove that you had lost any money or property.
Problem 2 - It would be very difficult to determine exactly what constitutes 'false pretenses' in an online game.
Slashdot Mirror
I would go too, and while I was waiting I would carve a tombstone that says "FIRST"
Additional Thoughts - So long as the game owners can strip you of your virtual money at whim, then you have no real claim to any of it. You are playing with their toys, and so you couldn't really claim to have lost anything.
One of the definitions of fraud is "Obtaining money or property by false pretenses." Problem 1 - So long as the game companies continue to own the rights to everything in the online game, it would be pretty difficult to prove that you had lost any money or property. Problem 2 - It would be very difficult to determine exactly what constitutes 'false pretenses' in an online game.