"They say he raped them that night. They say he did it with a cunning little doll, fashioned in their image and imbued with the power to make them do whatever he desired. They say that by manipulating the doll he forced them to have sex with him, and with each other, and to do horrible, brutal things to their own bodies. And though I wasn't there that night, I think I can assure you that what they say is true, because it all happened right in the living room - right there amid the well-stocked bookcases and the sofas and the fireplace - of a house I've come to think of as my second home."

- Julian Dibbell, A Rape in Cyberspace

The article "A Rape in Cyberspace" by Julian Dibbell discusses an alleged 'virtual rape' in a multi-user dungeon (MUD) and poses many questions about whether or not this incident may actually be considered a crime and if so, how should such an offence be punished? There is much debate over whether or not the offender is guilty of doing anything wrong and what the users of this particular MUD can do about it. In the real world it is much simpler, there would be a trial, a jury to decide on the accused mans fate and then a jail term if he was subsequently found guilty. However, in this virtual world it is much more difficult as there is no evidence, no courtroom and no jail. In this instance all they have is the other users to act as the jury, the wizard or creator of the MUD to act as the judge and a virtual death penalty (being 'toaded' or banished from the MUD) as a sentence. Eventually after much argument it is decided that toading is the appropriate punishment for this particular crime, which is all very well until Mr Bungle (the accused) returns under a different alias, one setback to the justice system of this virtual world. This article is very significant as it highlights the way digital culture is playing an ever-increasing part in our world and that we must learn to adapt and change as the technology constantly evolves. It shows just how a crime in cyberspace can occur and that we may not be prepared to deal with this sort of behaviour and its consequences. As this technology is rather new there are no set guidelines or rules that go along with it, and some people may argue that they are not needed as these actions are not really real. However, this article just proves the effect peoples actions in a MUD can actually have on others lives. People who use these MUD's tend to take what goes on very personally, as is shown in the article by the response to this so-called crime. Many people may not agree with the fact that an actual crime took place here, but only by understanding the true nature of the culture and how real it is to them will people understand.