According to The Mercury (no, not the Portland Mercury)Maxis' The Sims Online has been taken over by a criminal element. There are rival crime families, extortion, racketeering, and prostititution. Oh, and violence.

Particularly egregious affronts to the Shadow Government could -- at least until game maker Maxis disabled this feature -- be dealt with by ripping out an opponent's heart. Of course, nobody dies in the ``Sims Online.'' It's just to prove a point.

Not everyone thinks it's such a bad thing:

Game experts say organized gangs are the hallmark of successful online multiplayer games, like ``Lineage'' or ``Ultima Online.'' Sometimes, it's a sign that the game lacks enough interesting elements to engage the players -- so they create their own drama. More often, it means players are so attached that they invest the time to exploit its rules.