| If I asked you this, would you believe me? Try doing | | | | in yet other video games. He says it's pretty |
| so, because it's the truth. And also, in this strange | | | | common. Hackers, he calls it, but in the TSO case, it's |
| and perverse world, young people are busy killing | | | | hitting a little too close to home. |
| each other at an alarming rate. Do we really need | | | | For example, a gay bashing was set up right in front |
| something like a pseudo Mafia causing the same sorts | | | | of me. I rode it out, but I had to comfort the "gay" |
| of problems? Gangsterism, in other words, on our | | | | being bashed. Of course, it was his simulated |
| children's beloved video games? | | | | character, not "he" who was hurt. TSO is real people |
| According to Wikipedia, the Web's foremost online | | | | playing games. I'm not gay, but it was getting a little |
| encyclopedia, ever since 9/11 the FBI hasn't had | | | | peculiar that such stuff is allowable on a "T for |
| much in time or resources to handle organized crime, | | | | Teens" video game. I was more than a little |
| and there has been a sudden resurgence in its | | | | confused. |
| activities. | | | | A "lady" in fun fired a game Civil War cannon at me, |
| Right now, the online game "The Sims Online"-- which | | | | in private, and this Mafia guy named "Riccardo" knew |
| is labeled a "T for Teens" game -- has been overrun | | | | that it had happened. I don't think she told him about |
| by several obviously Mafia named "families." These | | | | it. How did he know? She did it just for laughs, and it |
| people don't seem to have enough imagination to be | | | | was a harmless game event (I peed my pants as the |
| Mexican Mafia, Chinese Mafia or Japanese Mafia (yet), | | | | game character, and it seemed okay), but it's not |
| which also exist in real life. They are very aggressive | | | | very funny that he knew about it. I didn't exactly |
| and very obvious. | | | | care, and it was sort of humorous. He couldn't have |
| Whether or not they are the real Mafia is a question | | | | known about it unless he'd seen it happen, in all |
| which I cannot answer. They may be a bunch of | | | | probability. And he wasn't anywhere on the property |
| "errant" teenage boys and girls - but ones with some | | | | or onscreen at the time. He had a private view of it |
| very eclectic adult tastes and also many violent and | | | | going on. |
| weird high tech tendencies. You should see the | | | | The same Mafia dude, who kept denying he was |
| Playboy style icons they paste on top of their | | | | Mafia -- while dressed in an obvious game-style Mafia |
| houses from certain views of the TSO video game. | | | | suit and with the name "Riccardo" -- also told me you |
| And one thing these kids, if they are kids, really do, | | | | can't trash houses unless you're a roommate or the |
| even though it is to virtual and not real houses: they | | | | home owner. This should indeed be the case; it |
| trash people's paid-for beautiful properties. The kind | | | | involves "building permissions." But one of the house |
| of properties that people would like to build, taking a | | | | trashing victims had no roommates whatsoever. And |
| lifetime to achieve. Beautiful, sprawling mansions you | | | | she wasn't motivated to trash her house...no |
| can't own in real life, the kind that are totally out of | | | | insurance money is involved. |
| reach for the vast majority of people. And no one | | | | Game players on this game can be quite friendly. I |
| could tell if it was part of the game, or something far | | | | made a lot of good friends doing things like making |
| worse. | | | | pizzas, opening up my own skills house business, |
| I am so tired, I don't know. Values are very hard to | | | | doing minor gambling (legal for adults and I'm over |
| gauge in life, anyway. | | | | 40) and in general -- partying. You can play high tech, |
| To "green up" on The Sims Online at all, or to keep | | | | beautiful looking musical instruments and feel like |
| your simulated character going, you must do | | | | you're there. It's a great game. You should see some |
| interactions that are similar to having sex with animals | | | | of the wild and crazy characters on this game! Or |
| (wrestle with your dog, but you should see what it | | | | should you? |
| looks like if you really see it) and that's bad enough, | | | | Except that I can't play it anymore. I quit the game |
| but rather bearable. Sigmund Freud would have told | | | | solely because of theextremely heavy Mafia |
| us that such behavior is relatively normal, that having | | | | presence that was starting to visit my house and |
| an "orgy session" involving "heavy petting" with your | | | | breathe hotly down my neck. That, and the game |
| own puppy where it loves you and licks your face | | | | was cutting into my work routine as a full-time writer |
| and you are all over each other, is fun. Also, there is | | | | quite a little bit, too. |
| sexy dancing, heavy kissing and hugging, and so | | | | First, "Riccardo" showed up. Out of nowhere, after I |
| forth, which works for most people -- including | | | | had used the Maxis device to screen all apparent |
| twelve year old kids. This is done with your fellow | | | | "Mafia" members out of my "house." He showed up |
| "characters," real life people in the game whom you | | | | at my house. The same day my friend's house was |
| can become acquainted with, work with, and even | | | | trashed. It was the second such trashing since I had |
| "marry." The marriages are not legal of course, and | | | | started playing there. Obvious Mafia guy, obviously |
| tend to dissolve fairly quickly. | | | | scouting me. Denied everything completely. This was |
| Meanwhile, your town is crawling with "De Corleoni | | | | after two of my friends' houses had been trashed. |
| Territori," the "Italian Mafia Empire," "The Vito Family | | | | Want to know anything about terrorism? Now I |
| Territory" and so forth. I am not talking Anti-Italian | | | | know what it is. A little too thoroughly for my tastes. |
| Defamation. I had several Italian friends on the game, | | | | The Mob was making it obvious that I could be next. |
| whom I am now stuck missing in my daily life. I am | | | | Why is that exactly? And what sort of "next" would |
| talking about a bunch of people either acting like the | | | | it be-real, or simulated game activity? These people |
| Mafia, or worse yet, actually being connected with | | | | looked capable of tracking down my actual |
| them somehow and taking over a children's video | | | | computer's IP address, my ISP -- and finally, my real |
| game. Possibly, several children's video games. Or | | | | life house. |
| were they involved in the first place, and is Maxis a | | | | And all I could do was flee. I quit playing the game |
| Mafia held game company? Look at the names. | | | | for good. I don't feel much like a serious game player |
| Maxis, Mafia. Why doesn't Entertainment Arts do | | | | after that. I feel rather like an inebriated cipher. |
| something about the house trashing problem, for | | | | "Yeah, they're just a bunch of teenagers who like to |
| example, even though people have repeatedly | | | | trash houses..." "They're not the real Mafia, they're |
| complained about it? What is it exactly that they are | | | | just kids." I heard a lot of that from people both on |
| trying to hide? Apparently not much; you can easily | | | | and off the game, even my fellow writers. Harmless |
| find "the Mob" everywhere on that game. And their | | | | kids. |
| version of "the cops" does absolutely nothing at all. | | | | Like the ones at Columbine? That bunch even called |
| Meanwhile, I have talked to Maxis, and they have | | | | themselves "The Trench Coat Mafia." What's with |
| repeatedly claimed "we are taking care of the | | | | this strange fascination of teenage kids with the |
| problem." | | | | Mob? Does gangsta rap, or something even worse, |
| The game is labeled "T for Teens" and is connected | | | | have anything to do with it? |
| with what looks like some harmless fake gambling. | | | | The Sims Online is conceivably the haven for a |
| The money being exchanged seems to be Simoleans | | | | slinking beast with no better name than the Neo |
| at first. Fake money, which you get by working at | | | | Mafia: "My New Family." And for the last time, if |
| odd jobs on the game, and you may also acquire | | | | you're Italian, I am not picking on you. I'm worried |
| skills so you can make more of the fake money. But | | | | about you instead. And do you need to be affiliated |
| there are "payoffs," and you can also buy blocks of | | | | with these mysterious strangers, who maybe think all |
| the money on EBay, roughly $15-25 for 1 million | | | | organized crime is still from Italy? Are you, like me, a |
| Simoleans. I heard of one lady who blew thousands | | | | parent? Ma fia? Neo ma fia... |
| of real life dollars on this. It's possible that the | | | | Yes, parents, that is what it means in |
| teenagers who are playing it are making money from | | | | Italian-American. My new family. Still feel comfortable |
| performing vaguely illicit "sexual acts" on this game - | | | | with the concept? |
| for real money. | | | | "Trust me. I'm only Italian. I'm not a Mafia member. |
| Is this what you want your teenager to be doing? | | | | You must be a bigot. It's because my skin is brown. |
| For 6-10 hours a day, five-seven days a week? | | | | Yadayadayaday." You can be whatever skin color |
| Eventually, obviously, after I spent about a month on | | | | you want to be on TSO, and either sex for that |
| the game, it was so that the money was swiftly | | | | matter. Everybody kept going, "It's only kids, calm |
| turning real. | | | | down, and it's only kids." Yeah, pretty old kids. |
| Okay, video addiction is bad enough, but we're talking | | | | Maybe I was a fool for ever playing that game. I |
| about Organized Crime here as well. Remember a | | | | assumed it was just a game, and someone was |
| little place called Columbine High School? What if | | | | being silly about the Mafia on it. Later, I found a very |
| there's some sort of eerie connection to that sort of | | | | professional looking website dedicated to The Sims |
| business? I had to join this game to find out, kind of | | | | Mafia. "Don't enter here if you're under thirteen" is a |
| as a lark, but I did some real exploring too. | | | | quote from it. Maxis is doing nothing whatsoever to |
| And the Mafia is in and roughly controlling every town | | | | stop these people, which is getting to be sickeningly |
| that I've visited on The Sims Online, and I've | | | | obvious. |
| reasonably checked them all over. Dan's Grove, Jolly | | | | I'm sure that if this story is ever widely promoted, |
| Pines, Blazing Falls, Alphaville. The Mafia | | | | people will join The Sims Online (TSO) after having |
| is...everywhere. | | | | read it. It's an extremely download, a free two week |
| I have talked to these "Mafia" gentlemen and ladies, | | | | trial, $10 per month and bam, you're in it. News items |
| and visited their houses. They don't have very much | | | | like the War belittle this pretty much. But that's |
| to do at them but the usual Sims stuff. I'm afraid | | | | somebody else's problem. The Federal Bureau of |
| they have discovered game "cheats" and, being | | | | Investigation should be looking into at least our |
| bored, are using them to destroy other game | | | | nation's video games. You can buy money on EBay |
| players' properties. And yes, I have evidence, not | | | | to sell on that TSO game, kids are on that game, |
| hard unfortunately, that they have watched people | | | | and they are being threatened into being recruited |
| play the game from a distance. One of them knew | | | | into the, I would assume, mostly "swarthy white |
| about something he shouldn't have known. And | | | | people Mafia"...right now...since they keep mentioning |
| another friend of mine who regularly plays video | | | | the Italian one so much... |
| games has noticed these tendencies toward having | | | | ...the real one or the virtual one? |
| strange "game powers" that other players don't have | | | | Who knows? |