So I have been away from this little game for a while. I didn't think it would progress that far in the time I was gone. However, I was completely shocked to learn that it has gone as far as to turn it into a pyramid scheme.
Picture:


Now this is truly outrageous.
This small concept of earning cheese for yourself has evolved into building up empires of mice below you to get on board with this scheme to gain tons of cheese while presuring those mice below you to work harder and get their friends envolved.
What do you guys think of this monstrosity?

Well no one uses the sponsering sytems so no problem for me.

I didn't even think people used the referral system.

er well ironicly the person that goes into that link the person sent does not even know that he is 'working' for someone (?)
So is not pressuring really, though i agree that this system can be abit.. fishy.

But really I do not use it myself, so...

*btw it is 'truly'

almost every game has a referral system that doesnt mean it's a bloody pyramid scheme

Haruhitastic a dit :

almost every game has a referral system that doesnt mean it's a bloody pyramid scheme

It's not just the referal system in general, it's the making cheese per cheese the other mice make.
When you have a system where making money (or cheese) is dependent upon new members trying to get their own money (or cheese), which they can do by refering other mice, that's a pyramid scheme.

e.g. I want you to join my investment club. It costs $20.00 to get in, but you get $10.00 for each new member you invite plus 5% of what they earn.

Firestonnne a dit :

It's not just the referal system in general, it's the making cheese per cheese the other mice make.
When you have a system where making money (or cheese) is dependent upon new members trying to get their own money (or cheese), which they can do by refering other mice, that's a pyramid scheme.

e.g. I want you to join my investment club. It costs $20.00 to get in, but you get $10.00 for each new member you invite plus 5% of what they earn.

Now that I think of it. Wow that scares me.

Firestonnne a dit :

It's not just the referal system in general, it's the making cheese per cheese the other mice make.
When you have a system where making money (or cheese) is dependent upon new members trying to get their own money (or cheese), which they can do by refering other mice, that's a pyramid scheme.

e.g. I want you to join my investment club. It costs $20.00 to get in, but you get $10.00 for each new member you invite plus 5% of what they earn.

Well, when you invite your friends to the game and they create an account it makes the admin's day of saying thank you for making them a little more famous (and more chance to get money from fraises to fund the game)

I don't think TFM is a pyramid scheme. Whats the point of this game, other to hang out and get cheese? Now, it doesn't matter how fancy your mouse looks, people can buy fraises. The free cheese wouldn't count to your stats, and the ratio 1:10 is rather low. It would take the mouse 1000 cheese to give a free 100 to the person who referred them. Of course, people would refer multiple mice, but estimate how many:
Actually get cheese
Quit quickly due to real world stuff or boredom
Play minigames instead
Get banned somehow


Also, factor in how fast mice get cheese and how long they play.
It would take too long to set up a pyramid scheme. By the time you have more cheese than anyone else, TFM would've long been closed down, most likely.

Another question- How would you pressure the mice below you to get cheese? Friends could break up, mice could quit, and that would be the end. Sure, you could blackmail them- but would you risk punishment for a mouse game where you could be better off buying fraises?