A Chinese couple are awaiting trial after they reportedly sold both their newborn children to child traffickers in order to pay for in-app purchases for games.
Games in Asia reports that A Hui and A Mei had their first child and quickly realised that they had neither the desire, nor the means to support the baby so sold it to support their online gaming addiction.
They then had another unplanned child and again, it was decided to sell the baby; especially as A Mei revealed that, “[A Hui] likes buying items in online games, and he likes staying out all night at internet cafes,”
A Hui's father finally reported the couple to the police and they're now in prison awaiting trial and sentencing.
Child trafficking is harshly looked upon by the Chinese government with Games in Asia reporting that traffickers themselves can face the death sentence.
Unfortunately the details in this case are few, and it is impossible to say what role gaming itself played in the offence or if other factors were also at play.