Is stealing imaginary money theft?

This is a fascinating story. If you steal imaginary money from an online gaming system, is it theft? Did this guy steal something from Zynga? How much, really? After all, they can simply make more, right, so how is Zynga damaged? Since Zynga can just make more money, did this guy essentially create money from thin air?

Here's the story, from Business Insider:
"ZYNGA HACKED, $12 Million Stolen" by Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
http://www.businessinsider.com/zynga-hacked-12-million-stolen-2011-2

"Interestingly, there was a debate in the British court where he was tried as to whether the hacking actually constituted theft, since virtual poker chips are, well, virtual, and Zynga can just create as many as it wants. The court answered by saying that, yes, virtual goods can be treated like property and adding chips to your account amounts to theft."

Let's go one step further. I think most of us would agree that it is crazy for people to pay real money for imaginary money. Or is it? Think about it for a moment. How is that any different than what we do in the so-called real world? Tell me how Zynga's imaginary money is any different than the pieces of paper we carry in our pockets? After all, dollars nowadays are just paper, backed by ... nothing. There is no claim to gold or property or anything. When we sell something we are giving real property/goods/services in return for a piece of paper.

So before you laugh too hard at people who would pay "real" money for imaginary money in a gaming system realize that you are doing your laughing inside a flimsy glass house paid for by fiat money.