Video games are properly subject to legal controls, not when they enable people to do things that, if real, would be crimes, but when there is evidence on the basis of which we can reasonably conclude that they are likely to increase serious crime in the real world. At present, the evidence for that is stronger for games involving violence than it is for virtual realities that permit pedophilia.
针对“第二生命”中的虚拟恋童癖盛行的舆论可能搞错了目标。电子游戏成为法律管制的对象，其理由不在于人们可以通过它们做一些现实生活中属于犯罪的事情，而在于是否有证据证明它们有可能增加现实生活中的严重犯罪行为。目前，涉及暴力的游戏在这方面的证据比允许恋童癖的虚拟现实要更充分。