Author: Ryan Strong
After a one year hiatus, Programming Board revitalized the game of Mafia this year with two times the participation of the 2009 competition. The game is ultimately a giant game of water war. Teams of eight attempt to eliminate other “mafiosos” by shooting them with water guns.
“Mafia was put together through a collective effort of people who want to be a part of it,” one of the Godfather’s of Mafia Lizzy Furth (senior) said. “I think a lot of people had a good time.”
In order to win, participants must conceal both their water guns and the fact that they are participants while trying to eliminate the competition. Players must also gather information in an attempt to determine who else is playing. The teams or families who accrue the most “eliminations” receive prizes.
Team Barry, led by Fay Walker (sophomore), won Mafia. Second place went to Bond, Alice Bond, led by Aliza Goldsmith (junior), and third place went to The Purple Gang headed by Clarissa Boyajian (sophomore). Prizes for first, second, and third place were 50, 25 and 15 dollar American Express giftcards for each member of the respective teams.
The complexity of the game and the sheer number of participants this year presented challenges to organizers.
“It was definitely a different animal to deal with,” Furth said.
Occidental baseball players pulled out of Mafia early after their starting catcher, Brenton Wunner (senior), broke his leg while playing, according to Furth.
“It was a freak accident that could have happened walking to class or going to the Marketplace. It is very unfortunate for Brenton,” Head Baseball Coach Jason Hawkins said.
Wunner is extremely disappointed by the injury. “When it happened, the only thing I could think about was baseball. It just sucks that it happened when I ran about five feet and not out on the field where I have been running and playing baseball all of my life,” he said.
While Wunner is disappointed, he is focused on rebounding. “My plan is to get back up and be physically and mentally stronger than ever…right now I need to get healthy, focus on school, and support my team.”
A message was posted on the game’s blog, which hosts announcements and information on eliminations, reminding participants to be careful.
Games similar to Mafia are played on college campuses throughout the country and can be a point of contention between the student body and the administration. At the University of Washington, a game called Humans vs. Zombies, featuring Nerf guns, has boomed since its inception in 2009 causing faculty members and some students to request the university consider banning it.
At Occidental, details and ground rules were ironed out in meetings with administrators, including Director of Student Life Tamara Rice. Concerns were voiced and proposals, including at least one to eliminate the water guns, were considered. Ultimately, Mafia, which dates back to the 1970s at Occidental, was given the go ahead with the understanding that words such as “eliminate” would be used instead of “kill” whenever possible.
“Mafia was held because when I sent out a programming survey at the beginning of the year; the campus said that they would like to see it brought back. When I brought it up to my staff to see what they thought, there was unanimous support to revive the event,” Programming Board Manager Daniel Perez (junior) said. “I think it went really well.”
Da Getaway has traditionally been the culminating event of a week of Mafia. This past Saturday, Feb. 26 Da Getaway took place in the Cooler. Students played casino games, including craps, roulette, blackjack and poker. The winners of Mafia are usually announced at Da Getaway but a miscommunication on the hours of the Student Activities Center delayed the announcement this year until Monday, February 28.
The Godfathers of Mafia this year kept a blog online that all players could check to garner the progression of the game. The Godfathers also posted many inspiring quotes for the players.
“Some Oxy students are still unaware a war is being waged on their campus, let them all know tomorrow that MAFIA reigns supreme!” the blog read.
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