Parents who allowed their real baby to starve to death because they were feeding and caring for a virtual one have been convicted on a charge of abandoning their newborn daughter.

The husband, a 41-year-old taxi driver, and his 25-year-old wife were sentenced to two years in prison, but the woman's term was suspended because she is producing another real baby. Prosecutors said the couple played at internet cafes on average 10 hours every day and bottle-fed their baby only once a day She was often fed rotten formula and was beaten when she cried out of hunger.  The virtual reality baby got much better treatment.

They found her dead when they returned to their home in Suwon, just south of Seoul, after an all-night gaming session last September. The Suwon District Court said  this constitutes an inhumane crime where the defendants abandoned even the most basic responsibilities as parents. What is strange is that the mother escaped being sent to jail because she is about to have another baby.

Apparently if she stays out of trouble for three years she will never have to fear jail at all. While her husband, who could not get pregnant, has the book thrown at him. The case was big news in Korea which has been increasingly worried about how gaming appears to be taking over people's lives.