Spanish developers strike gold with ‘Mr Mayor’ dodgy dealings gaming app

100,000 start lampooning poor, criticised politicians

A bunch of young Spanish app developers have stumbled onto an unlikely hit after taking a pop at shady political shenanigans.

With more than 100,000 downloads, the "Corrupt Mayor" game from MeigaLabs (with the aim to collect as much money as possible through illegal activities) has become a minor sensation.

Founded last year in Ourense, the company is a small independent game and apps development studio.

The new game is available in English and Spanish for Android and iPhone, and has been inspired by real-life headlines of corruption in Spain.

The 'Mr Mayor' of the game represents the Money Party, whose political philosophy is to “trick and steal all that is possible to amass a really obscene quantity of money”.

Players are encouraged to bribe, do deals with drugs lords, set up shady contacts with weapons traders, flash money around and make a killing, all without getting caught.

The game also features dozens of real political quotes, gems including “It’s time for the human race to enter the solar system”, “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully” and “when the president does it, that means it's not illegal.”

Although the website jokes that “any resemblance to existing persons is purely coincidental” the developers see their game as part of the culture of satire and promise that they have more ideas in the pipeline inspired by real life. ®