Below are just some of the crimes that have been related to online games, MMORPGs in particular, according to Catherine Donaldson-Evans in her feature in foxnews.com

• A 2-year-old girl nicknamed “Baby Grace” by detectives was found dead in October in a locked box in Texas — allegedly the victim of a beating murder at the hands of her stepfather and teenaged mother, who met playing the online fantasy game “World of Warcraft.”
• A 31-year-old Australian woman named Tamara Broome was nabbed in June when she traveled to North Carolina to lure a 16-year-old boy she encountered playing the same popular Internet game.
• Twenty-six-year-old Florida resident Daniel Lenz is also under investigation for allegedly coaxing a 15-year-old girl he played “World of Warcraft” with to run away with him.
• In China, a “Legend of Mir III” player is spending the rest of his life behind bars for fatally stabbing another for the “theft” of a virtual sword.

What is about Online Games and Crime? Are people really going out of their way to exploit innocent newbies? Has the potential for wealth and fame – essentially the elements of greed – convoluted others to turn to the dark side to commit these vile acts? Find out more when you hit jump. (more…)