140 Mafia is a text-based role playing game (RPG) that encourages Twitterers to become crime bosses by recruiting friends and battling enemies via the microblogging site.
Players sign into the game using the their Twitter account, they then chose what type of mobster they want to be before setting about building their crime empire using social media.
Twitter users advance in the game by racking up ‘respect points', a virtual currency earned by turning their followers in Mafia hitmen.
Aspiring mobsters can also boost their income by 'fighting' other players. They simply tweet each other to earn extra respect points, which allow them to move on to the game's next level. Players can purchase virtual clothes, property and weapons.
According to Jason Bailey, founder of Super Rewards, the company that provides the virtual currency, some players have spent thousands of dollars playing the game.
Lolplaying generates revenue from advertising and the currency its players buy. It is believed to be one of the first profitable ventures to have launched on the back of Twitter's increasing popularity.
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