Organized Crime Goes Digital With the Blockchain-Based 'Mafia Wars' Game

Over the last couple of years, blockchain-based gaming has become more popular with collectible games like “Spells of Genesis.” One peer-to-peer game, “Mafia Wars,” is a blockchain-themed tournament based on well-known organized crime families from the 1920s.

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The Five Families of New York

A Counterparty-based game called “Mafia Wars” launched this past summer that allows online gamers the ability to become crime bosses from one of five families. The game is similar to other blockchain-based collectible card tournaments using the Counterparty platform, an application that’s secured by the BTC network. To play, users need to purchase one of five “family” tokens on the Counterparty exchange. Players are allowed to choose from infamous organized crime groups such as the Lucchese, Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino and Genovese families.

Each family sets out to be the biggest and best on the block by earning mafiacash tokens. Just like in the mob, all of the family members get a cut of the earnings at the end of the month, with shares distributed according to in-game performance. At the time of writing, there were 391 “Mafia Wars” players in 12 different crews and 51 territories. Players use cards/assets/tokens to improve their game performance and rise up the ranks. Individuals can become associates, ordinary soldiers, caporegimes, underbosses, consiglieres and finally, bosses. The thing is, this game goes on for a very long time if you want to become the boss of all bosses, because the holder of the most mafiacash coins will not be declared the winner until July 1, 2023.

The creators of “Mafia Wars” keep players up to date on Twitter and there’s a Telegram group as well. The game is also compatible with “Spells of Genesis,” “Age of Rust” and the “Rare Pepe” blockchain card series.

There are currently 3,325 different cards and the game has been going for six months so far. The Colombo family has won every single month since the start of the game, although they have lost 2 percent of their stock and 172 people running the family businesses.

Crypto-Collectible Competition

Due to the popularity of blockchain-based games and collectibles like kittens and medieval trading cards, cryptocurrency developers have been attempting to capture the gaming market. Like the Counterparty asset-based card games, the Ethereum network also has a ton of crypto-collectible entertainment. For instance, the “Darkwinds” game is a mix between “Spells of Genesis” and “Magic: The Gathering.” The game allows you to build a playing deck with common and rare cards to battle captains with a customized 10-card pack. There are also many others like “Ether Legends,” “Ethermage,” “Volition,” “Cryptantcrab,” “Ember Sword,” “Dragonerium” and “Superworld.”

Since many blockchain games have been produced, a lot of developers are hoping one of these applications will soon secure some mainstream success. Unlike other types of utility tokens that use separate blockchains, these kinds of cryptocurrency collectibles run on top of large, well-known networks.

The “Mafia Wars” creators also give gamers the ability to participate by designing new cards every month. Winners receive mafiacash as rewards and a “card statistics boost.” The monthly contest winners are chosen by a group called the “Commission” and the cards are featured on the site in a special section for three months. The developers have stated that the game will become more influenced by player submissions over time.

What do you think about the blockchain-based game “Mafia Wars” and other crypto-collectible card games? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Images via Shutterstock, Mafia Wars, Dark Winds, and Pixabay.

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