What a stranger and stranger world we live in.

The Associated Press brings us the story of a 43-year-old Japanese woman who, angry and upset by a sudden virtual “divorce” by her online husband, “killed” his online character in an online game.

She, of course, was not jailed for killing the online persona, but for accessing the other person’s account without their authorization. The story says she was arrested on suspicion of hacking, but then notes that the woman “used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married.” Hardly hacking there, just unauthorized use.

The woman was understandably upset by the unexpected online divorce of her fictional character:

“I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry,” the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

But why get the police involved?

The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

Really? This rises to a police matter because you made the poor judgment call of giving someone else your login information (probably against the game’s terms of use), and then are surprised when they use that information against you after you “divorced” them??!

Of course using someone else’s account in this manner is wrong. But is it a police matter or is it simply an in-game matter, where whoever is running the game should be responsible for simple customer service issues like reviving a “dead” avatar because of a social situation gone awry.

This also serves as a reminder that virtual world behavior can have real-life consequences. If you’re going to “divorce” or end a relationship with someone in one of these virtual worlds, it might be best to ensure your account is secured before doing so.

And if you’re the recipient of being virtually “dumped,” take your anger out (if you even choose to be angry about such a thing) in more productive ways, either in-game or in the real world (e.g., through exercise or confiding in a close friend). There’s no point in “getting back” at another person, because more often than not it will backfire and come back to haunt you.

Read the full article: Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 24 Oct 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.