Parents' Guide to

Mafia Wars

By Michael Lafferty, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Facebook strategy game embraces illegal, violent behavior.

Game Facebook 2008
Mafia Wars Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Mafia Wars Game: Screenshot #1
  • Mafia Wars Game: Screenshot #2
  • Mafia Wars Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 4 parent reviews

DDDTomcat
DDDTomcat Adult
August 14, 2011
age 18+

Mafia Wars is a cheaters wasteland!

Mafia Wars by Zynga is the biggest waste of time & money that I have ever spent! After 3 years of being completely shut down by cheaters & autos, Zynga still lies & promises to stop cheating but never goes any further than that. They also destroyed over $10k worth of my computers with 100% cpu. Zynga only cares about (profits.)With over 500,000 known cheaters using the greasemonkey add on, it is obvious that Zynga loves it's cheaters & has no plans of creating fair play, regardless of what their ToS says. Real death threats forced me to abandon my massive investment.....
Cooldee
Cooldee Parent
June 11, 2011
age 18+

Illegal all the way!

Mafia Wars teaches people to do illegal activites like murder, bullying, drinking, smoking, and using weapons.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Mafia Wars is a browser-based Facebook game in which players take control of gangs and run businesses, do jobs centered around illegal activities, and battle police or fight other players to level up.There is no direct contact between players, but friends can put out contracts on other players, compete against each other in a 'war,' or send each other gifts pertinent to the game's activities. The idea is to have the largest mafia, build hourly income, and buy armaments to fight other players.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (3):

Mafia Wars is a mild diversion that has some depth of play but is not that compelling. The underlying message displaces reality and focuses on illicit activities, sending out a message that is inappropriate for younger players. This is a game that targets an adult audience, or at least one that can easily tell right from wrong and understands the concept of consequences for illegal behavior. There are better, more constructive Facebook games that are more engaging and enjoyable.

Online interaction: Other Facebook friends can be invited to join the Mafia to bolster ranks, but there is no direct communication with other players within the game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the impact that violence in media has within the lives of real people.

  • They can also discuss how some games offer quick paths to success through spending money and how this is a form of marketing that is used to draw people in and then get them to spend money.

  • Why do many games allow players to be bad and encourage illegal behavior? Families might want to discuss why it is important to understand the difference between pretend and real-world actions.

Game Details

  • Platform: Facebook
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Zynga
  • Release date: June 1, 2008
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: NR
  • Last updated: August 30, 2016

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