Not since the days of Sega Master System II, with unforgettable characters such as Sonic and Shinobi, have I truly enjoyed playing a video game; similarly, nor do I advocate the games of today, as perpetuated by women towards their male suitors so that they may, what, render the aspiring man so befuddled with exasperation that at the height of his confusion he reveals himself to have a less than stoic grasp on his emotions leading him to say or to do something regrettable thus now revealing himself to be something less than the disinterested paragon of manhood that she was ever so hopeful he would turn out to be?
That is correct, in line with Facebook’s philosophy of telling everyone everything about everybody ‘Tim Walker is/has been playing Mafia City on Facebook’ which, I suppose, as pointed out above, is technically correct.
Thing is about that, confront most women with this truth, put it to them that their adopted habit of, for example, although the phone is in their hand when it beeped, the reply isn’t sent until several hours later; alternatively the response is not sent at all which leads us back to the opening paragraph along with a ghastly follow-on sentence that just seemed to keep going and going.
Thing is about Mafia City on Facebook, and the reason the above statement is ‘technically’ rather than ‘wholeheartedly’ correct, you don’t play it so much as you click or, I guess, tap your way through it; you build a city, you attack other cities, you win, you lose, you become stronger, you become weaker, and although the ‘game’ tells you what you’re doing and keeps you updated on your overall ‘game’ progress, although it gives you the outcome of whatever war/fight/challenge/heist you inflict upon (whoever is) the opposition, you don’t actually do anything, I mean other than click or tap myriad pictures and pop-ups.
I understand the modern-day Western-woman’s compulsion to feel as though she is in control of the courting process; I understand the modern-day Western-woman’s desire to seek the empowerment that is best sourced through the emasculation of otherwise strong men – or the ruination of already weak ones – but in fairness, while I do understand it, I don’t care for and have no time for it.
The advertisement on Facebook for Mafia City is compelling, with engaging graphics and scenes that, although these sights will never actually appear within the game, are designed, I guess specifically, to bring the tech-naïve, the easily compelled, like me, to the game.
The bringing down of others for one’s own gain, as most will accept, is a childish game to play which smacks of undeniable personal weakness; nobody comfortable with their own inner strength would ever make another question their own validity.
Ultimately, Mafia City on Facebook is just barely engaging enough to keep me just barely engaged. The developers of the game, psychotically clever dirt-bags they must be, have done a fine job of pandering towards our main two 21st century desires – having our minds perpetually occupied and mindlessly clicking/tapping away at nothing of significance.
The question, therefore, why do they/we do it? Why do they/we insist on making everything a power-struggle? Why can they/we not just act upon our genuine emotions rather than making a special effort to develop, then putting forward, a fabricated demeanour?
Whether it’s a building, an area, an item, or just an informative pop-up, needing to be clicked/tapped, in Mafia City on Facebook, it’s all designed to keep your mind busy because, as our time-thief tech-genius game-creators have clearly established, as long as your mind’s busy, you’re not going anywhere. Pandering to our brains’ latent propensities, furthermore, fuelling our inherent yearning for progression, is the way that everything in the game is on as timer, creating an environment of busyness, of necessity, of pressure, of haste and of course, finally, of accomplishment.
Why do they/we feel we need to be constantly in control and why are they/we so unwilling to relinquish that element of pseudo power?
So, Mafia City on Facebook, is it a good game? Hell no, it’s downright tedious, but does it keep the ‘gamer’ engaged? Most certainly, it does; once you start, the ‘game’ ensures there is always something else that needs to be done – something more to keep a gamer’s brain occupied.
Personal insecurity. Need for validation. Inferiority complex. Inner weakness. Mental instability. Basic immaturity.
The answer to the aforementioned query, unequivocally, can be found among the aforementioned traits.
Say no more.
Article by Tim Walker
Edited by Kerri Yuss
Photography by Si Collie-Gee