From severe addictions to online role-playing games to political riots in Second Life we’ve seen quite a few weird activities in virtual worlds, with some of them bordering on being distinctly disturbing (I don’t know about you but the thought of a rabid mob attacking my virtual offices with a volley of gunfire and an exploding pig isn’t going to make me sleep any better).

Now comes this story courtesy of The Times (with the full story at The Times Online): ‘Shoot ‘em ups’ just got real.

Well, in a financial sense anyway.

Fill somebody with enough lead in Kwari and you get money - their money to be precise. Similar to poker, players enter the game with a pot of money and if they get killed a portion of that money transfers to their killers.

Frikkin’ fantastic. Not enough that we have 10 year old kids burying people in cement in Grand Theft Auto and listening to 50 Cent rap about how people should ‘get rich or die tryin’ but now we’re providing them with financial incentives to kill their peers.

Social commentary aside, picture the branding opportunities for companies here. Imagine that thanks to your trusty Nike 720 Assault Rifle’s improved accuracy over the cheaper, more common Reebok XAS you end up making a small fortune.

Virtual equipment development on an open platform? Well we’ve already seen it in some instances, but with Kwari taking the seriousness of virtual worlds to a new level this may become a truly competitive industry.

Think of the branding of a Rolex sniper rifle, only wielded by the elite who have made enough money to purchase it. I can see the positioning copy, “Provides a clinical, elegant kill for the distinguished assassin.” Or the Volvo Kevlar Vest – “safety first.”

Ok, maybe not - but some kind of in-game competitive product development from sponsors in a less extreme scenario (think of customized Bridgestone tyres for your Need for Speed ride) is surely not that bizarre a concept. After all this would just be an interactive evolution of product placement.

Users are taking these games ever more seriously, and any backing provided by a brand is going to be well received. As tennis players have their favourite racquets and football players their favourite boots is it really that far a stretch to imagine that a virtual sports-star will also want the best virtual equipment?