A variety of newswires carried this story that sounds like it was written by a modern day Agatha Christie Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby

The full story can be read below, or it can be read at the original Associated Press source by following the link above.

There have been other real life crimes connected to virtual activity, some of which are mentioned at the bottom of this article.  The ones that stick out, however, are those that are motivated, or driven, by a response to an emotional experience in a virtual environment – like this woman’s ‘killing spree’.

Effective change management requires that the change process be dealt with on both an emotional and cognitive level.  Most change management methodologies and processes are very cognitive and process orientated, tending to miss [or ignore] the critical emotional component. 

At Wisdom Games we believe that change management is one of the business strategies that can be enabled and improved with the addition of game-based business simulations into the process.  The various stories staring to do the rounds that are similar to the one we have referenced here, highlight that computer gaming will enable the not only the process, but also the emotional elements of effective change management.

Police jail woman accused of killing digital husband in role playing game after online divorce

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press Writer

TOKYO (AP) — A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband’s digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game “Maple Story” to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

“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.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Players in “Maple Story” raise and manipulate digital images called “avatars” that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and was taken across the country, traveling 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sappporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

In recent years, virtual lives have had consequences in the real world. In August, a woman was charged in Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through “Second Life,” another virtual interactive world.

In Tokyo, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of swindling virtual currency worth $360,000 in an interactive role playing game by manipulating another player’s portfolio using a stolen ID and password.

Virtual games are popular in Japan, and “Second Life” has drawn a fair number of Japanese participants. They rank third by nationality among users, after Americans and Brazilians.