On Mafia Wars Addiction, or: How Blogging Saved Me
Confession: I used to be a Mafia Wars addict. Like... a REALLY bad Mafia Wars addict.
For those who are blissfully unaware, Mafia Wars is a game through the Zynga platform on Facebook which involves clicking buttons over and over (and over) again to "Do Jobs" and perform "Hits" against other players in order to gain loot and status. It's brainless. It's utterly enjoyable. It's magnetically addictive.
In 2009, before I left America to travel around the world for nine months, here's how my addiction would go each day: I would come home from teaching, exhausted, sidle up to my laptop... then rabidly play Mafia Wars for a really long time. Did I want to procrastinate grading or planning during the weekend? I'd play Mafia Wars instead.
We all need our escapes. We all have our obsessions. BUT, all I can say is praise the power of an Around the World journey to re-boot and re-shape my addiction! Can you guess what has 110% replaced Mafia Wars in my heart and time? That's right: my websites!
Once I started AroundTheWorldL.com and realized how much fun it was to WRITE and to interact with an ever-growing audience, there became no more need (and no more time) to clickity-click old Mafia Wars! Now that I've launched an additional website, TeachingTraveling.com, I am officially safe from being tempted back to the clutches of online game addiction.
Here are some reasons it's AWESOME to create and run websites instead of play games:
1. Social Circle Expansion. Running websites gives you an excuse to reach out to, meet, and interact with amazing people from around the world. Because of my website networking (you HAVE to network to get readers, contributors, and clout), I have the coolest circle of new friends and "coworkers." I also now have a legitimate excuse to approach fancy hot-shot folks, rather than just saying: "Um, hi, I'm Lillie and I like Mafia Wars."
2. Brain Development. When you design and administer websites, you are forced to learn new things each day. Since starting this blog last July, I feel like I've completed the equivalent of three years of college Computer Science courses, simply through trial and error and reaching out for advice to the new friends explained in reason one!
3. Creativity Flexing. Got writing skills? Art skills? Photography? You will flex the heck out of them when you run a website... and what makes this even cooler is that others around the world will start to see your creative work and encourage you in its development! What a dream come true.
4. Power. Part of the allure of Mafia Wars is that you work and work (and by "work" I mean "click") in order to get a higher and higher status rank. Growing a website is the same feeling... but a million times better!
Ooo the joy of seeing that the Facebook Fan Page for this site is nearing 1,000 fans (have YOU joined yet?), and that in merely one week, the Fan Page for TeachingTraveling.com is near 300 fans!
The moral of this story is as follows:
There is some addiction in your life right now that is wasting your time. Maybe you're constantly saying, "I should quit doing this stupid thing," but the truth is that it's very difficult to abruptly quit and leave an empty void. What you need is a REPLACEMENT addiction.
Replace your brainless obsession with an obsession which will use your intellect and creativity, while expanding your social network, while adding to your power and clout in this world... and perhaps also contributing to society!
What will your new addiction be? Exercise? Cooking? Volunteering? Singing? Or... Website Design?
If you have an experience with addiction replacement or are struggling to shift addictions yourself, please leave a comment telling your tale!
Like these Portugal photos? Click here for the stories and pictures from my journey through Portugal!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
People get addicted to video games really easily. This reminds me of last year when I wouldn't get off of my computer, because I was too busy playing this game.
When I read the sign I thought you meant the real Mafia wars in the 40's.
I realized that after my brother started playing this game called Minecraft, he got VERY addicted to it. I have to yell at him for more than ten minutes to get him off the computer.
Video game addiction is no joke!!!
hi, lillie.
i found your entry very entertaining and especially inspiring, being able to get over an addiction problem and replace it for something so challenging. now, i may not be interested in reading about your travels (and to be honest what brought me here to read your piece was your technology learning link and your efl-related experiences), but you can be sure your reasons for bloogging etc are an example for others to follow. i'm one. by the way, consider including a 1+ in your entries. i wanted to 1+ed, but you only have facebook and twitter. google+ is growing, which is where i found you. cheers!
Ed,
Thanks so much for your kind and useful message! Yes, please keep reading and commenting and sharing, and once I get home from Greece (where Internet access is rather sparse), I will follow your +1 suggestion!
Teacher girl,
What you needed to help with your addiction were some auto scripts ... lol
I have made it known to everyone I am using them in the hopes they would ban my account...
No such luck... lol
Mafia Wars? That's interesting Ms. Marshall you don't seem like type. I guess I'm SORT OF addicted to Fanfiction.
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Fine! I'm a LITTLE more than sort of addicted.
Mafia Wars...I had no idea what I was doing?! I never got that game. My cousin only told me to play it so that he could get more stuff!
Ms.Marshall I can't believe you were addicted to Mafia Wars! But I have a confession to make, I am ADDICTED to Millionaire City. I've tried to quit playing but its really hard.
This is so surprising Ms.Marshall!! Mafia Wars.......... man. I never really understood mafia wars to be honest, I'd get plenty of invitations on facebook to join someone's "mafia" and I'd just get really annoyed but I still totally understand where you're coming from 100%. I was just addicted to facebook overall, just like about 99% of my friends at school. Even if I know there's nothing else to do on it, I'd still leave it open on either my ipod or computer just in case I get a notification (I know, no life whatsoever). Unfortunately, I got in some big trouble with my mom and she changed my password to facebook!! I was totally devastated until I started using my shelfari account again (a website all about books) and next thing I knew, I was going to bed at 2 am because I was so engrossed in a book. I have been facebook "sober" for a couple months now :)
I can't believe that you were addicted to Mafia Wars! Everyone talks about it, but I'm still confused on what it is. I have tried to start a website myself about my one love, Justin Bieber! But, I forgot my password and never published it.... Anyway, I have an obsession with Facebook and need something to get me off of it. Thanks for the suggestions! :)
Josalyn,
You crack me up with the Justin Bieber obsession :) Here's my advice for you, given your grade: Instead of starting a blog, beat your Facebook addiction by joining an extracurricular activity like a sport of a school club. Joining school activities HUGELY helps your skills, friendships, connections, and resume. Do it! Or else! You'll be an addicted jellyfish :)
It must have been hard for you to grade all those papers at the last minute.
Mafia Wars is wack. Its Mobsters out here!!!! Mobsters kills Mafia Wars over and over again.
I love Mafia Wars too. I couldn't stop playing it. but as we all know, everyone has to move on. So i found another game to play which is really fun.
Love it! I know what you mean. I feel very productive when I work on my blog, and it keeps me from doing some mindless stuff like that! Though the problem is that I always think about what I should be doing for my blog and sometimes can't relax and just chill. I'm trying to post a little less frequently these days so I can still juggle everything else in my life. But then I feel guilty for not spending more time on the blog. Finding a balance can be difficult!
Hi Ms.Marshall ! I've heard about the game "Mafis Wars" on Facebook, but never thought of playing it. The only thing I've problably ever been addicted to is tapping . I love music and can't seem to ever get it out of my head.For some reason, I'm always thinking in terms of Do Re Me! Anyways, it was a really good idea of yours to start a website like this. People can relate to your stories and morals(:
That's so shocking! I would never believe you would play Mafia Wars...I'm glad you overcome that addictive obsession and have now done something more educational and have lots of fans to support each of your thoughts. You're blog posts are amazing and filled with great detail that point out cool aspects you'd 99% of the time not realize or know.
Your a G Ms. Lillian Marshall!
Thank you Lillie for this great post. I sometimes feel like my work is becoming an addiction but when you look at it like you did, it's not a bad addiction to have :-)
Ms. Marshall,
I am shocked! You would never suspect your ELA teacher of doing something like that! That's why my mom hates when kids (and adults) are on their computer 24/7. She once wouldn't let me use mine for a whole week. I got better test grades! Now she only lets me use it for 2 hours every day (after I do my homework!).
I used to have those addictions before I started blogging. First it was general chat forums where people would just type abuse at each other. Then it was online scrabble. It passed the time but I didn't achieve anything. Now even when I get one comment on a post, I feel good!
.......................and I am EXTREMELY PROUD to have helped, though I didn't know it at the time.
Yes! For those of you who don't know, Drew was the STA Travel agent who helped me buy my Around the World plane tickets! Indeed, travel agents have the power to DRASTICALLY change people's lives. Thanks, Drew! Full ticket story here: https://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2009/07/26/how-the-rtw-ticket-was-born-or-how-you-too-can-finagle-an-sta-deal/
Wow...
you must had been behide on the school work, and then jamed evreything in, in tghe last minute...
I haven never played Mafia Wars. It sounds fun. Its kind of like smoking you can't quit unless you try very hard. Your lucky your one of the safe people.
I'm glad you made this website. It's fun to read about all your adventures and the stories of other people around the world!
Woo hoo! Thanks, Victoria!
I get this totally. I wasn't intending to, but I have essentially stopped playing World of Warcraft. While I miss the people I interacted with there, I have a new group.
Um and Twitter is just as addictive and time consuming as WoW.
Solidarity! And, yes, your point is well taken...