Regulating Malicious Destruction of Online Game Accounts: Legal Difficulties and Countermeasures

Zihan Liu

2025

Abstract

With the vigorous development of the online gaming industry, frequent incidents of Malicious Destruction of Game Accounts (MDGA) have emerged as a severe issue, infringing upon players' legitimate rights, disrupting gaming ecosystems, and compromising cybersecurity. These acts, including unauthorized account hacking, virtual asset theft, and deliberate in-game sabotage, not only cause significant financial and emotional harm to players but also undermine the fairness and stability of online gaming environments. Despite the growing prevalence of MDGA, current legal frameworks face substantial regulatory challenges in defining, prosecuting, and penalizing such conduct due to the ambiguous legal status of virtual property and jurisdictional complexities in cross-border cases. This paper employs theoretical analysis and case study methodologies to examine the conceptual boundaries, jurisprudential controversies, and governance challenges associated with MDGA. By clarifying the legal attributes of virtual property in online games, improving the legal characterization of MDGA, and establishing a mechanism for assessing the value of virtual property and evidence collection, this study aims to bridge existing regulatory gaps. Furthermore, it explores collaborative governance models involving game developers, law enforcement, and policymakers.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Liu Z. (2025). Regulating Malicious Destruction of Online Game Accounts: Legal Difficulties and Countermeasures. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS; ISBN 978-989-758-785-6, SciTePress, pages 174-178. DOI: 10.5220/0014299000004859

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icplss25,
author={Zihan Liu},
title={Regulating Malicious Destruction of Online Game Accounts: Legal Difficulties and Countermeasures},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS},
year={2025},
pages={174-178},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0014299000004859},
isbn={978-989-758-785-6},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS
TI - Regulating Malicious Destruction of Online Game Accounts: Legal Difficulties and Countermeasures
SN - 978-989-758-785-6
AU - Liu Z.
PY - 2025
SP - 174
EP - 178
DO - 10.5220/0014299000004859
PB - SciTePress