Mafia Wars Addiction

Hi. My name is Beth and I'm a Mafia Wars addict. I freely admit it. I haven't actually counted the number of times a day that I check on my "family", rush my Cuban pesos to the bank before someone fights me and takes them or try to rob someone's casino...but I can safely say that several is erring on the conservative side.

What is it about this game that has me so enraptured? My mafia is made up of me and 42 friends. It's my mafia...my family. We pillage other mafias everyday, trying to make enough money to upgrade my Cuban Cocoa Plantation. We "do jobs" like shake down a hotel owner or bring the local teamsters under my control. Muh-ha ha...the power is mine!!! ALL MINE!

My NY mob makes a cool $5 million every hour. My Cubanos make 25K every 3 hours, but it's growing every day. There are properties to buy, weapons, armor and vehicles to purchase...all to make your mafia more deadly than the person who will attack you. You have to think about offensive and defensive values for each weapon, armor and vehicle. You have to make sure that you have enough so that every member of your mafia will be equipped to fight or defend.

Then there's your health, energy and stamina. Energy is the bane of my existence...along with untraceable cellular phones. Energy is required for every "job" you do. Once you're up in the higher "job" levels, higher level of energy are required to do each job. I receive 1 energy point every 5 minutes. ONE. Taking over the docks in Cuba requires 54 energy points. You have to do this particular job many times before you master it. Then you have to master it 2 more times to move on to the next level. One time per day, you are alotted an energy pack...usually sent to you by friends. This will increase your energy by 25% and fill up your energy tank. I blow through that in like 1 minute by repeatedly clicking on the "DO JOB AGAIN" button.

For every job you do or fight you win or property you rob, you earn experience points. These experience points allow you to advance to a new level. When you reach a new level...all of your health, energy and stamina is restored. I like reaching new levels...energy for jobs...jobs make money...money upgrades businesses or buys property or weapons...if I knew how to spell the sound that Tim Allen would make when he talked about cars or tools, I would insert it here.

Health is taken away everytime you fight. One stamina point is taken away each time you fight too. (Stamina is replaced 1 point every four and half minutes). You can visit the hospital and pay to be "healed" by the doctor...health is basically just a pain in the ass. Fight in Cuba...fight, fight, fight, fight, fight...fly to NY to see the doctor...fly back to Cuba to fight some more. I could see the doctor in Cuba, but I don't want to waste my precious pesos on something as trivial as restoring my health!! The only time health is an issue is when I am not on facebook playing Mafia Wars. Then some SOB or skanky ho attacks me and attacks me and eventually, I am snuffed out and lose 6 experience points. BITCHES! How dare they kill me when I'm not even playing? I have been killed 68 times. I have whacked 131 other people. HEE HEE HEE!

Believe it or not, I have not even scratched the surface of Mafia Wars. There are collections and loot and gifts and achievements and the lottery and godfather points and the hitlist....I'm working myself into a frenzy just thinking about all of the aspects of this game. Oh yeah...it's a game. There's no bloody action. No shootings or stabbings shown on the screen. Here's a fight that took place in Cuba:

Your mafia of 43 fought against Don Draffin in Cuba with 7 Aguila HV .50 Sniper Rifles, 6 ASC45 "Conquistador"s, 18 Para 322s, 12 BA-12 Assault Rifles, a Guerrilla Commando, a Davy Crockett Hat, 41 Street Gang Members, an El Rey Roadster, 18 Montaine 320s, 7 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 17 Chucho FAVs.

Don Draffin's mafia of 31 fought with 2 Gaff hooks, 11 Cane Knives, 9 Ru-38 Pistols, 6 Gadyuka-5 Pistols, 3 Bayonets, 4 Red Coats, 6 Falsified Documents, 15 Camouflage Body Armors, 3 Federal Agents, 3 Bodyguards, 2 Private Jets, an El Rey Roadster, 5 Ocelot Armored Trucks, a Cigarette Boat, a SWAT Van, a Vintage Cruiser, 3 Barges, 3 Montaine 320s, 3 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 10 Chucho FAVs, a Prop plane.
You WON the fight, taking 1 damage and dealing 18 damage to your enemy. You gained C$0 and 1 experience points.

That's it. Why do I love this so much? It's a guilty pleasure for certain. For some people, it's reality tv. For me and "my little friend"...it is Mafia Wars.