Jul

So Mafia games are really popular?

I guess Mafia games are a big hit these days. Zynga’s Mafia Wars, a multiplayer game that’s playable on social networks like Facebook, as well as the iPhone, has attracted some 4 million gamers to its clutches. (This, despite the fact that it’s more or less a rip-off of the earlier Mafia Life game.) Part of the game’s success, I think, can be attributed to the fact that, unlike in games like World of Warcraft, there’s not as much of a social stigma attached to “whacking” rival mobsters—slaying dragons and whatnot is still sorta “nerdy,” something that good ol’ Cnet says, too. So we’re in good company here.

In any event, so long as we’re on the subject of Mafia games, you can actually win real life money by playing Mafia Payday. I don’t remember how it works, but the guy was on Ron and Fez last week talking about it. So, again, if you’re into that whole mob “thing,” it could be worth your while.

So, uh… Michael Owen to Manchester United. Who saw that coming?