Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday July 20 2018, @02:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the never-surf-alone dept.

Roblox[*] blames 'gang rape' on hacker adding code to game

A popular children's video game has blamed a virtual "gang rape" on a hack of its systems. Amber Petersen's seven-year-old daughter was playing Roblox, when [her online avatar] was attacked by two male characters staging violent sexual acts.

The firm said the incident was caused by an attack on one of its computer servers that has been dealt with. But experts have cautioned parents not to let young children play online without supervision. They warn it is unlikely this will be the last time such a hack occurs.

After Ms Petersen witnessed the attack on her family iPad, she posted screenshots and an account of the event on her Facebook page, detailing the experience. Ms Petersen said that when her daughter had asked what was happening on the screen, she had viewed a "horrific" scene of her child's avatar being sexually assaulted by two male characters. Towards the end of the incident, she said, a third, female character interfered by jumping on the victim's body.

The BBC understands that the hacker responsible managed to subvert the California-based company's cyber-protection systems, allowing them to upload code that changed the game's rules and made customised animations appear. Roblox previously confirmed that it had identified the account responsible and blocked it from its platform.

[*] From the company web site, Roblox:

Roblox is the best place to Imagine with Friends. With the largest user-generated online gaming platform, and over 15 million games created by users, Roblox is the #1 gaming site for kids and teens (comScore). Every day, virtual explorers come to Roblox to create adventures, play games, role play, and learn with their friends in a family-friendly, immersive, 3D environment.

A victim of dank memes? Or the powerful scripting system?

Original Facebook post. Also at TechCrunch and The Washington Post.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday July 21 2018, @03:48AM

    by Immerman (3985) on Saturday July 21 2018, @03:48AM (#710241)

    I would say - teach them that there are monsters online that will try to hurt their feelings if they can, and that they should (1) not take it to seriously so long as it's just online, (2) always feel free to talk to you about anything that shocks or confuses them (the corollary being you need to actually TALK with them about such things, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Actually, *especially* if so. If it makes *you* uncomfortable, then a child exposed to it will need your guidance more than ever. And (3) never meet anyone from online in real life, unless you say it's okay and go with them, because some monsters are really good at pretending to be your friend in order to get the chance to hurt you for real. There've always been wolves in the woods, and children have always had to learned basic self defense at a young age. That the woods are electronic, and the wolves walk on two legs.

    As for the occasional nudity, profanity, sexuality, etc. is unlikely to do any damage unless you're keeping them criminally ignorant. For most of human history children weren't shielded from such things, and even today in several cultures it's quite common for children to start playing sexual games with each other at a very young age in mimicry of the adults. They'll be fine. Any sex or violence portrayed on screen may shock and confuse them, and they'll need your guidance, but think of it as a teaching moment for (3). Genuine videos of real graphic violence is probably some of the worst real damage that can be done online, and it may traumatize them for a while, but it's still "just TV" and kids are incredibly resilient. Most have probably seen at least a few horrific movie scenes they wish they could unsee before they reach 10.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2