The Prodigal

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Well, it has been a year since I have played Mafia Wars. Not MafiaVille, The real Mafia Wars, you know that game that caused us all to self examine our obsessive compulsive and hoarding disorders? Since then Zynga and Facebook have gone PUBIC..sorry…Public and the world is just not buying it. Why did I return to a game, of which the company that provides it, is on a collision course with Chapter 7? It was two factors, one, life is a lot better when you realize that your social gaming experience is not the be all end all of life and acceptance, two, I like to finish what I started and if the lights go out in San Francisco I want to be here for the wrap party. 

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Upon logging into my account for the first time in a year I was pleased to see that I had several hundred friend request. Some people were returning to Mafia Wars and others were fresh meat for the shark tank.  I was genuinely pleased to see the folks over at Spockholms were still in business (THANK THE DIGITAL GODS TO WHICH I NOW PAY HOMAGE, Live Long And Prosper!), Loot Lady still had her blog and both teams were still doing the Informant Podcast, of which, is the only podcast I ever listened to in my whole life.  Mike Nestor took over for Chainsaw over at MIG and the world seemed to be in order. Now, Two weeks into my return Mystified reached out to me and said HEY Mutton-head  get your ass back in here and do some writing and make yourself useful to the new guys and make all the rest of us PONDER shit we wouldn't have had you not GONE THERE. So here I am, ready to ponder?

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On August 2^nd (forgive me if this is old news to you) The Guardian a UK paper sat down to speak with our friendly neighborhood billionaire Mark Pincus (the article in its entirety is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/aug/01/zynga-mark-pincus-interview), I know this off the subject but as billionaires go I am disappointed with him, all that money and technology at his fingertips and you would think he could be a crime fighting super hero? Anyway, the article is very revealing. It explains how exploitative these social games are, in particular, Zyngas. Now I am not on a bashing tirade here and I do not hate men who can capitalize on opportunity at the expense of others, but it truly does exploit some very serious psychological and relationship dynamics. It does it so well that people return to be bombarded with ads, requests ETC. Case in point; behind a computer we can be anything we want to be.  Mafia Wars touched that wannabe Mafioso in me that grew up in the heart of Brooklyn during the reign of one John Gotti.  There I was a technically savvy person who could use this social platform to virtually inflict my will on others, sign me up! From there I examined the game and all its minutia, downloaded several guides, learned about ratios, scripts, glitches, exploits all in the quest to dominate and be “respected” by my gaming piers. Then I would log off and go back to the exciting life of a father of two who follows the law. 

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See what I mean? What I think has happened and why these Social games are in decline is that people have woken up from the Facebook Matrix. Realized they have spent a “shitload” of money on something that they do not own or invested a lot of time and now cannot validate the experience in the real world and have suffered in relationships because of it. Now I am not saying that dedication to a favorite hobby falls under this category but this is what a lot of people have realized.  I know I have. Take a look at the article if you haven’t already. Do you really think giving this company your hard earned money is worth the few hours of digital power you experience? If so more power to you. If you’re thinking, hey Billy has a point, then maybe it is time for a reset, maybe it is time for you to cut away for a bit and experience real world relationships?

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Anyway, in the near future I will be writing some posts that will cover the many legit ways you can get stuff for free and still be competitive and  a valuable resource to others within your Mafia Wars social circle, conversely I will also examine the best way to stretch your gaming dollar if this is your style of play. To those out there that do put money into this game I thank you, it keeps my lights on and allows me to enjoy a favorite hobby to which I have returned.

Stay Tuned…

Billy Bonney (m)

Thank You Mystified For Having Me Back!