Do you or someone you know enjoy online gaming? Maybe a cute little game by the name of Maplestory?

Sounds like a goodie-goodie-fun-time sort of game doesn't it? Maybe something out of Canada where you frollick around in a forest of blazing autumn leaves savoring the thrill of nature and going on quests to win items or prizes. The sort of game that would lead to little adventures you could giggle with good pals over later. Maple stories. Right?

Dead wrong, friends. Dead. Wrong.

Okay, in the beginning it started out fun, it really did from all accounts. Another roleplaying game (known also as an RPG - not to be confused with deadly rocket propelled grenades which go by the same acronym) where you build a character and work to polish up your skills. You adventure in the timeless land of Maple World. You can play mini-games, chat or trade and heck, even get married! Ain't that charming, folks? Digitally married!

Players from all across the world could congregate and have a merry old time palsy-wowsying around creating their own aplestory. They could kill big, bad monsters and earn themselves some mesos! Mesos, of course, being "maple pesos" - the form of currency used in the game. If you wanted to be a Rogue, Magician, Swordsman, Archer or even a Pirate, all this was and is possible! But, with a game full of Rogues and Pirates... well, things begin to break down.

A dark cloud came over Maplestory, a dark cloud indeed. The very essence of it's fun, social interaction, also carries with it a sinister side. There are the good guys and there are the bad guys. In any given group of folk, there'll be those just dying to cheat, lie, steal and even worse. Maplestory is no exception.

Just like a neighborhood in real life, the digital stomping grounds of pleasant Maple World played host to the type of guys who you might find in your own neighborhood. The kind of guys who consider themselves "wise" to what's going on in the world - or more specifically, the underworld. You've got a game with an economy and you're inviting that capitalistic thirst for wealth that beats at the very heart of each and every profit-hungry criminal in the world today. From Al Capone right on up to Enron, money motivates men to commit awful acts of senseless greed against their fellow men. And Mesos carry that kind of power.

In a world full of monsters you gotta have protection, especially if you want to advance your character. The wiseguys are always around, like sharks. Some say they banded together in the early days of the game to look out for each other. To watch their backs and bring those mesos into their pockets while staying alive on the meanstreets of Amplestory. Their bonds grew stronger, they got better organized and more cunning at working over the n00bs - new players. The smart ones they could cultivate into future associates. The dummies they'd take for a ride.

Of course, the more they got comfortable in the cutesy anime realm the more they got bold. It started out with a mugging here or there.. a brief little extortion. Then it grew. They got smart, they got tough and they got MEAN about the Mesos. They started running rackets on Rock Paper Scissors and Pachinko. They started taking bets on how long newbies could last against different monsters. They started getting downright dangerous. In a game with billions of players worldwide, the spread like a fungus.

They became the Maplestory Mob a group of chaps who were the original digital gangsters. They cruised Maple World cheating people out of Mesos and whacking anyone who didn't like their style. Just like the Bloods, the Crips or the Mafia, they banded together and showed the outside world no honor and no remorse.

Today, these gamer thugs rule Maplestory with an iron fist. Many gamers are afraid to speak out about the Maplestory Mob. They're afraid of what happens to those who dare report them. I've talked to many of these players cowering in the shadows of fear. They tell me how a fun time got turned into slavery. They are Mob Mollies now. They pay to play every day and must earn a certain amount of Mesos to pay in tribute. They don't dare speak ill publicly. Could they stop playing? Sure! Are they willing to risk the repurcussion? Not on your life.

Those nasty Maplestory Mob wise guys don't hold real jobs, you see. They game all day long and earn so much they're able to sell the extra goodies over Ebay and other routes to make a nice thick profit. Some have bought sports cars and mansions from the money they've scared out of others. Their Godfather isn't known, but he's suspected to be worth several million American dollars in real world money.

Now does all this mean you shouldn't play Naplestory? Not at all! It's a fun game that offers hours of entertainment. But should you make any deals with the shadowy figures who promise wealth and power if you'll only join up - BEWARE! They'll burn you out and use you like a rented mule. A Maplestory Mob mule.

And nobody wants to be that.

Stay safe out there, guys!

This article and others in my Very True Facts series are intended as humor pieces to amuse you. Please do not assume them to be facts (though I have included some), but if you've gotten a chuckle or two out of it, please DO send it to your friends and family! Also, thanks for taking the time to read my silliness. I've also written an urban fantasy novel you can read for free online by clicking here: Swimming the Streets.