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Silvia Lindtner

A tense moment during a game of "Mafia" in Kiev, Ukraine.

Entrepreneurs around the world love this Soviet-era storytelling game

Culture

The psychological game “Mafia” pits a well-connected minority against a civilian majority. It was invented in the Soviet Union as sort of spoof of KGB thinking, but it has gone global. The Russian government uses it to train spies, and would-be entrepreneurs around the world play it to practice their negotiating skills.

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