Sunday, 11 October 2009

• My Life in the "Family Business"

  
  

  For millions of people, one of their most compelling games is on their PC. Or their Mac. Or their iPhone. 
  

  Or however they get to Facebook.

  Mafia Wars.  Perhaps the 'killer app' of Facebook these days.  Do jobs (from mugging to "shake down a city councilman"), get in fights, rob opponents' property, etc. Lots of fun.

  For several months, I was playing it, doing the jobs, picking a few fights, and trying to collect the collections.  (Anyone got a boxing ring?)  I was good.  Wasn't much for 'adding a thousand FB friends to max out my Mafia size', so I wasn't a mega-player...but I had most of the collections.  Some of the achievements. (Never got the 'No Razors Needed' one, though.)

  I reached level 200.  Had Master Skilled Underboss, and several of the Cuba tiers finished.

  In addition, I had several friends who'd joined later who could count on me for an extra gift for their fights.  (I'll send you an Armored State Car and a TNT...that'll help you.) When you go to town, and one of your friends recognizes you as "their mastermind"...it's a good day).

  But...seeing all the status updates ("I need Boxing Ring!" "Join My War!" "This Guy's Robbing Me Blind!") got tiring after a while.   That and figuring out it would take another two months to get enough cameras and transaction records to get to Master Boss in New York

  (Wait, what's that, now there's Moscow?!)

  I know one guy who announced he was dropping MW and had "If you want it, message me" about his inventory.

  Not me.  I just stopped playing, removed the app from my Facebook, and went on with my life.

  One of my friends, a month later, asked, "Why can't I send you a MW gift?"  I replied, "I dropped MW."  She said, "Yeah...sometimes I think about dropping it too."

  Are you part of the Mafia Wars phenomenon? If you used to be, why did you quit?
  

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