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In 1930 Bella Lugosi starred in the movie Dracula. It is one of the first films to feature the iconic character, and Lugosi helped fan the fires of the world's long love affair with fanged beings that stalk the night. Vampires have popped up in movies and television for decades, and have run the gamut of interpretation from the gruesome (Blood: The Last Vampire) to the comic (Love at First Bite). Marvel Comic's character, Blade, first appeared in 1973, as a supporting character in The Tomb of Dracula #10, and spawned a series of comics and a movie franchise. Ever since The Lost Boys in 1987, and the film adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire, in 1994, vampires have steadily gained popularity.
In recent years, vampire novels have surged with the introduction of Stephenie Meyer's brooding Edward Cullen in the Twilight Series. The entire vampire genre has boomed, and television has played on our voracious appetite, for all things vampire, by feeding us shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, and the Vampire Diaries -- just to name a few.
Vampires have been painted as sexy and mysterious, and with actors like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, Stephen Moyer, David Boreanaz, Susan Sarandon, Salma Hayek, Hillary Swank, and Kate Beckinsale donning fangs, the public quickly latched on to the visual portrayals of literature's most celebrated bloodsuckers.
In light of all of the literary, and celluloid, success of this pop culture phenomena it is not unexpected to find vampires lurking the hallowed halls of the social gaming community. Zynga, of course, jumped on the wagon and introduced Vampire Wars, or simply Vampires, to its Facebook crowd, and the game has steadily attracted players.
Vampires is a typical browser based application (BBA)that allows its players to role play (RPG) a vampire of their design. Players get to pick the type of vampire they want to play (Royal, Modern, or Primeval) , their characters name, and their mode of dress. The game is a massively multi-player online game (MMO), and the social aspect is limited to wall posts, gift giving, and building a clan as there is no internal chat applet available in the game's construct.
As with any social game the number of players you accrue as neighbors, or in this case "clan", directly coincides with your ability to progress through the game's levels. Players with small clans are limited as they are unable to buy particular abilities, and are hampered by the "strength in numbers" factor. If you are squeamish about adding strangers then a gaming ID is suggested for the sake of protecting your privacy. Joining a fan club is a great way to find friends to add to your clan, and it is also a great way to find helpful hints and strategies for game play.
The game is not difficult to play as it follows the same formula of most RPGs, and centers around energy, stamina, health, and experience (XP). As you gain XP your character progresses through a series of levels, and gains different abilities and achievements along the way. The game can be made as easy or as difficult as the player wants it to be. It all depends on the amount of time, and thought, you want to put into your game. It can be a simple matter of clicking through jobs and fights without much thought, or it can be carefully planned with deep consideration placed on where your energy and stamina points are going. For serious players, forums are a good place to find players with first hand experience, and helpful advice. A quick search engine inquiry will yield a list of blogs, and reviews of the game, and Youtube has many video walkthrus designed to help novice players.
Given the subject matter, Vampires is geared toward older teens, and adults, with an interest in the vampire or "Goth" subculture . The game's currency comes in the form of blood, and while there is no graphic violence, the inferred content may be a bit too much for a younger player. As with any BBA, there are some inherent glitches, as well as a few drawbacks. Zynga has become the master of the formularized social game, and simply plugs in theme appropriate aspects into their base platform. However, if you enjoy the idea of bloodlettings, banking blood, collecting dark artifacts, and doing battle with rival vampire clans then you might enjoy Zynga's Vampires.
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