A 24-year-old man from Sør-Rogaland, Norway, faces up to three years in prison after being charged with possessing a 2015 Japanese video game that authorities say qualifies as “abuse material.”
The game, Dorei to no Seikatsu (“Life with a Slave”), is a visual novel about caring for a young girl who has been abused by her former owner. The player can choose between seven modes, six of which contain sexual content involving minors.
According to Norwegian police, the suspect claimed he only played the version without sexual content. While the court accepted his statement, the game itself was still judged to be illegal under Norwegian law.
Police investigator Fredrik Martin Sørnes said the game’s content meets the legal definition of abuse material.
“It depicts sexual acts involving individuals under 18 years old,” Sørnes told Aftenbladet.
24-year-old charged for downloading illegal video game
The investigation began when Norwegian police received a tip from the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which traced an IP address to the man in Rogaland. When officers raided his home, they seized his computer and discovered the game alongside other illegal files.
Police investigator Erik Henna Hagen described Dorei to no Seikatsu as “a vulgar Tamagotchi,” noting that it’s easily accessible online.
“Legislation in Asia is liberal when it comes to animations. This game is completely legal in several countries. In Norway, however, it is considered a crime. For some people, it can be difficult to understand that this is regarded as illegal material here,” he explained.
Although the man could face a maximum sentence of three years in prison, prosecutors say it’s unlikely to reach that length due to the slow handling of the case.
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