In this case, it’s the arrest of a 17-year-old and the questioning of four 15-year-old accomplices.

They’re crime: Stealing virtual furniture and putting it in their own virtual pads at the Habbo Hotel.

Just like in Second Life, Habbo has its own virtual economy, and the furniture was worth nearly $6,000, according to a Reuters report.

It’s not far-fetched to think that the teens, like many others, had a hard time wrapping their minds around facing consequences based on virtual crimes – it’s like your wife accusing you of cheating for having a raunchy dream.

And teenagers being teenagers are especially likely to misunderstand the concept of consequences, real world or virtual. Sulake, the parent company of Habbo Hotel boasts 80 million users, all trading in virtual currency that can be traded for "real" money.

But one thing’s for certain, the Dutch police aren’t wasting time debating lofty concepts like metaphysical jurisdiction. These teenagers are facing real penalties. 

Over at GigaOM they note that at the first Virtual worlds Conference last March in New York there were only nine worlds featured. At the conference in San Jose thirty worlds will be in attendance. They make a good point that many of the virtual worlds are not well known and will most likely remain in obscurity.

There are some virtual worlds aimed at children that have gained traction including Zwinktopia, Gaia Online, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin and Whyville. So even while a handful of virtual worlds succeed what will become of those that are left behind?

Wagner James Au writes, "If the last boom’s trajectory of hubris and greed is followed, most of these are destined for obscurity- or acquisition by their wiser superiors. While kid-oriented MMOs have the most active users and thus seem like the safest bet they’re also fragile ecosystems that can fall apart with too much outside interference and commercialism."

So will established virtual worlds and start-ups be able to make money and have wide appeal at the same time? CEO of iEntry and publisher of WebProNews Rich Ord said," It seems that as they try to monetize they also try to become mainstream, which of course is the kiss of death for all things trendy."

The UK children’s charity NSPCC is to set up a presence for three months in Habbo Hotel, says a BBC News report, with a primary goal of reaching out to a new audience:

[…] The charity will host events and activities on the website aimed at getting young people involved in its various campaigns. […] The NSPCC has previously run an awareness campaign called “Don’t Hide It” which was seen by more than 13,897,991 Habbo residents. For its latest campaign, the charity aims to drive traffic to its website, as well as encourage users to take part in polls and design an anti-bullying themed room. NSPCC celebrity ambassadors will also hang out in the hotel for certain events.

The BBC report says that Habbo Hotel UK now attracts 750,000 unique users each month, aged 11-18.

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