Independent developer Jason Rohrer will convert The Castle Doctrine's in-game money to real money on Jan. 27 5pm PST, encouraging players to steal from each other for bigger rewards.

　　"I'm taking a fraction of The Castle Doctrine's alpha-period earnings and putting up a game-wide bounty of $3000 USD," Rohrer wrote on the game's official site. "This amount will be divided among all living players at the 5pm deadline based on the fraction of total game money that each player possesses. The exchange rate will fluctuate throughout the contest period, according to how much total money accumulates in the game."

　　At the current exchange rate, $2000 in the game will convert to a real $3, though this can change dramatically depending on player activity, and might even change the game economy to the point where Rohrer will not have to give out the $3000 in its entirety.

　　In addition to cash, Rohrer will give the top eight players at the time the contest ends other rewards, like paintings, security gear, or a $50 gift certificate to a small Las Cruces, New Mexico guns and ammo shop, "the only place where I ever touched a handgun," Rohrer said.

　　You can read more about the contest and rules on the game's official website.

　　Rohrer describes The Castle Doctrine as a massively-multiplayer game of burglary and home defense. You set deadly traps in your home to foil (and kill) intruders. To earn the money you need to improve your home's defenses, you must invade the homes of other players and successfully navigate the deadly traps they've set up.

　　We talked Rohrer about the ethical implications of The Castle Doctrine back in August. Recently, he made some headlines when he wrote about why he's against Steam sales, and why the price for The Castle Doctrine will only increase after launch.