Sociological Cultural Studies

Sociological Cultural Studies

An ethnographic study of the mafia game with an emphasis on its connection with society and consequences

Document Type : .

Authors
seyed ghasem hasani 1
Nader Razeghi 2
Maryam ghadimi 3
1 Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Mazandaran,Mazandaran,Iran.
2 Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Mazandaran,Mazandaran, Iran.
3 Master degree in youth studies, university of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, Iran.
10.30465/scs.2024.50227.2930
Abstract
Introduction
Mafia game has become very popular among people in recent years. The purpose of this research is to find out the consequences of the mafia game in interactions outside the game world. Also, understanding the connection that people see between the form and content of the game with real life in society (including roles, actions and socio political views).
One of the challenges surrounding the mafia game is the similarity of society and the game as a social field. The imaginary experience of competition between two groups, the informed minority and the uninformed majority, may indicate the meaningfulness of people's actions and interpretations of socio political life. In addition to psychological studies that have pointed out the benefits of mafia game, raising emotional intelligence, strengthening the power of reasoning and cooperation, etc., from the perspective of social sciences, each of the roles can be addressed. Both because of the elements that represent the social fabric of the society and the elements that are affected by the social fabric of the society. Representation of elements such as: violence, lies, secrecy, mistrust, stigma and defamation of others, the magical concept of time (day turns into night and night into day, by snapping fingers) and...
Materials & Methods
The current research is of the qualitative research type and the main method of this research is ethnographic method of interpretive ethnography and critical ethnography method. The process of selecting the peer community in this research has been done in a snowball type. The technique used in this article is observation with emic and etic approach as the main technique of ethnography and in depth interview. The method of analysis in this research is done with an interpretive approach and a critical approach (based on the five steps of Carspecken).
Discussion & Result
Mafia game is one of the popular group games among young people. In this article, we tried to study two goals: the connection between the game and real life in society, emphasizing its consequences. What was obtained from the results of the findings regarding the first objective, shows that the game has become an alternative space where people seek the possibilities of their activism that are removed or ignored by structural weakness in socio political institutions. In the absence of stable social groups and relationships, which lead to feelings of loneliness, inferiority, and inner worthlessness, people find a new identity through the game for their lost possibilities in society. The position of citizens in the game is considered valuable in contrast to the society, so that no matter how much they recognize themselves as active and effective citizens in the game, they do not feel such an experience in the society. However, one of the common features is the diversity of citizenship actions. Various ranges of citizenship action can be seen, whose form is influenced by each other in the game and society; Sometimes in the form of reality and sometimes in the form of expectation that has not yet materialized. Meanwhile, to play a role and be active (both in the game and in society), everyone chooses personas for their social presence to influence others by hiding their true nature.
Conclusion
.20 main categories were extracted from the obtained results. Knowing these categories showed that people have common concepts between game elements and real life in society, and these commonalities include roles and actions to their socio political views; including the weakness of socio political institutions and its alternative game space, the value of the role of citizens in the game as opposed to society, the persona as the basis of social presence in society and the game, the diversity of citizens' actions in the game and society, the representation of social trust in the game and society, the mafia as a representation of self awareness And the individual and collective unconscious of society, cynicism towards politics and all political discourses, the lie of the inevitable structure of social relations in the game and society. Also, the results showed that the mafia game has consequences that knowing those consequences can make the understanding of the link between the game and real life in the society more tangible; including strengthening individual skills, strengthening social skills in doing group work, strengthening critical thinking, strengthening the public sphere, moral relativism, relativism in the concept of gender, relativism in the concept of power, strengthening the mafia discourse, turning entertainment into a symbolic display of social status, superficialization Daily conversations and analyses, superficiality of independent human being, verbal and psychological violence in the game.
Keywords
ethnography"
consequence"
mafia game"
interpretive approach"
"
critical approach"
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Sociological Cultural Studies
Volume 17, Issue 1 - Serial Number 59
Spring 2026
Spring 2026
Pages 381-435

  • Receive Date 14 October 2024
  • Revise Date 10 November 2024
  • Accept Date 11 November 2024
  • Publish Date 22 May 2026