Taking a human life is the most horrible act someone can commit, so that makes taking a virtual human's life in an MMORPG like World of Warcraft the second worst thing you can do (“theft” and “rape” get bumped down the list). In Japan, a woman who committed the virtual murder of her in-game husband, by logging into his Maplestory account and doing the unspeakable, is facing five years of jail time and a $5000 fine for “illegally accessing a computer.” She's completely getting off the hook! We're talking about murder here, folks. She should get a life sentence.

People pour their whole lives into MMOs. Money and time is spent grinding a character, leveling up and collecting precious treasure, like Deathmist Bracers or an Imbued Netherweave Robe that binds when equipped. Could you imagine how you'd feel if you lost your Astralaan Gloves of the Eagle? What if your character was killed and looted for them? After all the blood, sweat and tears of sitting at your computer, you'd want justice for your character. That's why there should be virtual courts in all games, to prosecute real life players with actual jail time for the crime of murder.

I'm part of the vastly growing group who believes that game murders of all kinds should be punishable by a lifetime in prison. If I'm playing Halo, and my character is killed, the guy who murdered me should go to jail forever. We're talking about murder here. Read your ten commandments: “you shall not murder.” God doesn't say, “you shall not murder, unless it's in a video game — that's cool.” Furthermore, I'm open to the idea of prosecuting Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto if I die in Mario. That's my time and energy I'm putting into saving the princess. If I die, Miyamoto must go to jail. That's pretty much the law!

Some of you might question the idea that murdering a virtual character should be given that much weight in the real world. Well, let's leap into the future, shall we? If we all end up living in the Matrix, and you “virtually” get murdered there, which leads to your actual physical death in real life, wouldn't you want your murder avenged? Okay, now let's jump back into the present. You're pretty much living in WoW, because that's where you spend all your time. Your character gets killed, which leads to you practically having a heart attack. Guess what you'll want? Revenge. I think I've made my point.

Remember, you can't say “video game murder” without the “murder.” Whether it's forcing a character to commit suicide in Maplestory to getting hit by Baron von Blubba in Bubble Bobble – it should all be punishable by jail time or worse. Someone must pay. These virtual murderers are stealing our precious money, time and energy — the least we can do is ruin their lives. Game over, murders. Game over.