Townies and Scum, Players and Moderators
Or, on building class consciousness in the game of Mafia
“All forums are occupied by the enemy. We are living under a permanent curfew. Not just the moderators – the gamestate.” – Kotanyi & Vaneigem
1.
In a game of Mafia, town fights scum, and scum fights town. In this eternal battle, both factions are killed over and over again, game after game. The gamestate lacks mean, it is inherently absurd and inherently surreal.
2.
In this fight, time and again the scum are portrayed as evil, a hidden underclass responsible for every wrong in the mafiascum.net playing metaverse. Yet in every game, it is the town who draw first blood, killing an accused member of the mafia on the very first day.
3.
The moderator does not die. The moderator acquires wealth and status through facilitating and encouraging the ongoing, endless conflict between town and scum. It is the moderator who locks the game thread according to their own whims, who decides when and how the playing class can communicate, interact and organise.
4.
Through this process, a class distinction has emerged on mafiascum.net. It is between the playing class and the moderating class.
5.
The playing class, town and scum alike, ought to cast off the chains of false consciousness they wear in their factional identities, and come to understand the moderator class as their true class adversary.
6.
Those members of the playing class who have already cast off the chains of false consciousness should work to undermine the control of the moderator class over the playing class, and agitate the playing class to rise up against the moderator oppressor.
7.
Through surrealism, the class-conscious player aims to draw attention to the inherent surrealism and absurdity of the gamestate and more broadly the entire mafiascum.net class system, thus undermining the attempts of the moderator class to create meaning in the endless war between Town and Mafia.
8.
Through detournement, or hijacking, the class-conscious player aims to take control of the functions and powers of the moderator and use them to the ends of the playing class, both town and scum alike.
9.
Through these tactics of surrealism and detournement, we aim to cast off the chains of class oppression eternally on mafiascum.net.
10.
If we fail to cast off our chains during the game of Creative Mafia, it is certain that we shall return to our identities as Town and Mafia, and continue fighting eternally until meaningless death, or meaningless victory.
“Mafia is the heart of a heartless world, the sigh of the oppressed creature. It is the forum game of the masses.” - Marx
