You cannot steal virtual goods, and it is not morally wrong to do so.

I am a World of Warcraft player, hereafter WoW, and I am familiar with the game play and much of the terminology used in reference to the game so I will use it as an example also. Virtual goods can be stolen and do so is morally wrong. Definitions: World of Warcraft – A Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORG); the game is a virtual community comprised of millions of players. The players interact on the game via avatars of their choosing and solo or team their way through the virtual world by fighting each other or virtual creatures. The game is in a fantasy setting with dragons, orcs, elves, and mages to name a few. Ninja – The term is used in conjunction for the most part i. e. ninja looters, ninja raiders, etc. To ninja someone is usually assigned to acts, while permissible in game play, that involve rolling virtual dice for an offered item when said item cannot be used by the person rolling. In game items have certain statistics on them and these statistics generally benefit a few types of characters (mages, paladins, etc). When a player rolls on an item so as to sell it in game to a vendor and deny other players its use or takes the item and offers it for sell to the players in a group then the term "ninja looter" is applied. The community usually shuns such players and the result is to kick the ninja from the group and let the community know what she did via the on line chat channel. Stipulation: Although ninja looting is an annoying aspect of the game and one WoW has been working to prevent, such players are usually dealt with by the community and as such I do not intend to argue the moral implications for such players. Looting an item simply to sell it for gold is beneficial to the ninja. Just like a real world community, no one is obligated to be nice when dealing with others, nor does one have to give up something because others can use it more proficiently. Argument: Pro, in his opening round, took the term "ninja" to a much fuller prospect by applying the term to stealing virtual materials from players. I don't use the term this broadly, but I see no need to battle semantics and several friends use the term in this capacity also. The point I will address is the people and actions given by pro, "[P]eople who steal items from others in game. " I readily agree such actions as I listed under the heading "Ninja" are annoying, but Pro is speaking of a much more egregious act – stealing from another avatar using illegal acts in real life as there is no other way to do it. If WoW designed a component allowing rogues to pickpocket avatars in town, then I would not only make a rogue, but would have no problem with such a feature. At present, the ability to steal items from an avatar, once the avatar has placed the item in her bag or bank, requires access to the player's account. Accessing another player's account is a violation of the terms of service one signs when starting the game. Accessing another person's private, paid for, account is a violation of agreed upon rules and such actions require a real person to make an overt act to steal password information by gaining unauthorized access to another player's computer, or private information secured by Blizzard Entertainment. *Using subversive means to access a person's private information is a violation of the law, regardless of what the criminal does with such information. Stealing from an avatar usually involves key logging or phishing . http://en.wikipedia.org... Once the person accesses another's WoW account, the thief has the relevant information needed to steal, such actions are criminal as WoW passwords are information. . http://legal.practitioner.com... Pro contends that items in the game do not exist so they cannot be "stolen". I disagree. The [shield of female repulsion] with +50 strength and +80 parry rating may not be a real shield, but it does have value. If such items had no value, we would not have a massive market illegally selling such pixel candy. The value comes from its use in game. Players value the item because such items help the player see harder content. I would love to fight the Lich King, but my lowly +20 agility [boots of lonely Saturday nights] will not help me very much. As a player, I will value the much more proficient +100 agility [boots of social inadequacy]. Pro cannot say such items are not real as they are real in the sense of how they are used. In game items have a use in game even if they are useless in the real world for similar acts i. e. I can't wear my [chest plate of wasted hours] for protection but my avatar can. Due to the nature of use for these items, the in game avatar is simply a tool helping one steal and is, in this sense, an extension of the person. When an item, an idea, a code, a string of numbers put together for some meaningful purpose is taken or used without the owner's permission (in this case Blizzard Entertainment) and such item is no longer usable by the person who obtained it then I conclude it is stolen. The fact the item can be retrieved is irrelevant to the act. In addition to violating terms of service and needing to commit computer crimes in order access an avatar to steal from it, thieves take the one thing a player does own – access to the account. When a person steals my private information, I cannot play the game as he is stealing my stuff so I cannot log on to my virtual world. Once the thief is finished selling all my good loots and purple gear, I am left with a semi naked, broke avatar. I will not be able to access the content I worked so hard to see. The fact that blizzard will, sometimes, return the items to a compromised account in no way alleviates the moral wrong for the thief as weeks will pass before all is settled and I lose the ability to play a game I pay 15 dollars a month to play. By accessing and robbing my account, the offending player does not just play their game, they are taking mine away. I paid real money to play the game, and stealing the service I paid for out of pocket is no different than stealing 15 dollars from me without the use of an avatar. Combined with the above points, I must add that selling any item in WoW for real money is a violation of the terms of service for the game. Every player must agree to the ToS or they cannot play. One cannot sell items for real money without violating this agreement. Utilitarianism If we weigh the monetary gain a thief receives against violations of laws that must be committed and the very legal promise a thief must break in order to gain access to such materials then the greatest good is not served by the thief's actions as the loss of security in one's papers, electronic or otherwise, and the degrading meaningfulness of keeping legal promises will far outweigh the thief's personal gain. Using act utilitarianism as a guide, the actions of a moral agent (the player) in denying the paid for use of virtual items solely for illegal monetary purposes is immoral as such acts must be preceded by illegal activates causing harm to a great number of people. . http://en.wikipedia.org... Deontology If I am reading correctly, then the moral agent (the player) in performing such actions as selling goods for real money in knowing violation of the agreed rules of the ToS then the action cannot be deemed moral. . http://en.wikipedia.org... The moral agent is the player violating the law and the ToS. The avatar is simply a tool. The player did not have good will in mind when taking the ToS and is operating under a bad maxim, "I will cheat". Using this theory the act is still immoral.