What's The Big Deal With Flappy Bird?

First of all, don't get me wrong about the reason why I'm writing about this recently popular game. I'm not trying to be "in trend" just because Flappy Bird has become highly popular recently, nor I'm making fun of this game. If you're down with that, then let's get down to business.



OK, so what makes this game developed by a Vietnamese indie game maker, Dong Nguyen so popular recently? Well, the answer is you. Yeah, you who actually plays this game. Maybe you don't realize it because all this time you were fed by news about the standard of a good game is "a military shooter", "one with zombies or other ugly creatures", " a vast open world content", "best graphics" and so on. But what gamers really want is actually a game that is simple but still fun to play that it becomes addictive.

Flappy Bird uses a bird as its protagonist (more like a duck to me) which is actually a rip-off of a fish that made a "cameo" in a popular 8-bit game. Hell, the entire game itself is a rip-off. If you've played Super Mario Bros on the NES, then you'll understand by "rip-off". The point of this game is so simple that YOU THINK you can make a high score in no time. All you gotta do is navigate this hungover bird through some pipes (pipes, again, rip-off) and that's it. Really? Nope, it sounds so easy but it actually frustrates you till you reach your boiling point and wanna throw your phone out the window. Believe me, I just saw one of my co-workers do it today.

  

Looks familiar, Super Mario fans?

So why does a game that looks so shabby can become a phenomenon so suddenly?  Some people say that the publisher of this game, GEARS Studios, also based in Vietnam, actually used bots to boost the sales of this game on the AppStore and Play Store. Well, believe it or not, this is something that people in the gaming industry actually do. Although never been confirmed by EA and BioWare, there were rumors that the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic actually used bots to make this game so popular in the beginning. What I mean by "bots" here are not only computer-generated commands, but actual people who are payed to promote this game. The shocking reveal was that almost 60 percent of the population playing what was then called "WoW killer" were actually "mercenaries". Most of them kept playing, but others just left soon after EA and BioWare payed their paychecks. Others who are "actual gamers" are just puzzled to see such a decline in numbers in only a few weeks. Back to Flappy Bird, both GEARS Studios and Dong Nguyen neither denies nor confirm this theory. GEARS just said "enjoy the game that we bring you" and Dong Nguyen said "let me make games in peace".

Second theory is how once again the Android OS proves to be a game changer in the mobile game industry. Did you know that Flappy Bird actually came out in May 2013 in the AppStore? Well, probably you don't. It's true that the iOS is the most desirable smartphone, but people actually goes for "affordable" more than "desirable".  That's where the Android makes a difference. Once Flappy Bird hits the Play Store just recently, finally everyone gives a damn. Remember Angry Birds? Well, that other game that also features birds also finally came to recognition after it hits the Android, well, PC, too. iOS maybe the most popular in North America, but the rest of the world actually chose Android as their weapon of choice. So, thanks to the Android, Flappy Birds becomes very popular.

Believe it or not, iOS is nowhere near as popular as the Android in the rest of the world!

 

Third and probably the most reasonable theory is, well is you as a gamer. Have you ever realized why you actually like Angry Birds and Minecraft in the first place? Well, it's because it's simple. Like I said in the beginning, you as a gamer has been longing for a game that is so simple yet fun to play and becomes very addictive. If you're an old school gamer, do you actually remember why video games were so popular in the late 80's and early 90's? Because they are simple and so fun to play that you can actually play them for hours until your mom tells you to go to bed. As stupid as it sounds, you probably want to deny that fact. But the truth is you actually really want this type of game and the fact that you are playing Flappy Bird actually proves this theory.

Admit it, you like a simple, yet fun to play and very addictive games! 

So, do I play Flappy Bird? Well, I did until just a while ago before actually writing this stuff here. At first, I just want to know why this game is so addictive that it can make my friend wanna throw his phone out of the window. After about an hour playing it, I know why this game is addictive. So, I uninstalled it right away in order to keep my sanity intact.

My message to you, if you become so addicted to this game, you better quit while you can unless you wanna lose your mind like Miss Bella102349 who wrote on the comment section of Flappy Bird in the AppStore : ""My boss fired me. My kids stopped talking to me. When my husband would text me, it would ruin my game. I blocked his number and rented out a hotel room. I am still in this hotel room today". God bless her soul...