Why Flappy Bird was important and how we drove it away

The vast minority of independently produced, much less self-published, games seek the attention enjoyed by Flappy Bird in the last few weeks. The game, published by Vietnamese designer Dong Nguyen, has players keep a little yellow bird airborne as it flies through pipe-shaped obstacles.

Chris Totten looks at why this seemingly innocuous, but quickly notorious game was important for the industry before we drove its creator to take the game back.

[afterMoth]

Blaming consumers on driving it away? No, the creator is mentally unstable. I'd glad take his success/money he earned. I only wish I created a crappy game that caught on to make me rich, better yet a good game that catches on.

[thereapersson]

Tired of hearing about this game and the creator's supposed "woes".

"OOHHH, WOE IS MEEE!!! I MADE $50,000 A DAY ON ADVERTISING REVENUE ALONE, THROUGH A PLAGIARIZED IDEA!!! I CAN'T TAKE ALL THE FAME!"

Tired of hearing about this stupid game and all the developer's emotional nonsense. He could be doing it as a publicity stunt for all I care.

[LennyLovespuds]

I came here to basically say this. I have no idea how having a success in sales can become a pity party for the creator. Most people would be jumping with joy over a run away success game, instead we get consumer blaming articles like this.

[dcj0524]

There has been death threats in real life. That would freak me out a little.

[Shadonic]

As someone whose learning all of the things required to make a decent game it honestly frightens me how flappy bird is viewed as the best ios game even with all of its blatent issues. We do class projects that are about as good as this if not better. Really makes me rethink my whole striving for a well made game thing i've got going on if this is whats being placed on a pedestal. It's honestly sad I hope PC and Console gamers never become like this.

[jukins]

It's easy to say why is he complaining with all that money. You're not thinking about the other part dealing with entitled consumers. The pressure is more than most can handle. It's just that most people don't and will never have to deal with that amount of pressure/fame/success and think it's easy.

[NeoTribe]

Nothing in life is gonna change because a gimmicky garbage phone game got taken off because the producer is a nutjob.

[Kurisu]

I'm never deleting this from my phone especially if I can sell my phone for $100,000 just because it's installed lmao

[Shadonic]

I deleted mines, game was absolutely horrible.

[MRMagoo123]

who would pay money for a free game i have on 7 devices in my home ?

[Joey_Leone]

Lol what a joke.

[Relientk77]

There is no reason for the obsession over this game

[KwietStorm_BLM]

lol Dong

[porkChop]

It wasn't important. It was a blatant rip off of multiple games. I still don't understand why some prominent indie devs are actually DEFENDING Nguyen and his trash rip off game.

[Ol_G]

It was important it showed how fickle gamers are who would've thought a game like this would become so popular it is an eyeopener for all the developers who think big budget triple A is the way to go with the masses

[AceBlazer13]

The game is gone, can the articles stop now? Geez crappy game getting too much attention even after being taken down

[Relientk77]

I have a dream...

that one day I will be able to go onto N4G and not see a Flappy Bird article

[InTheLab]

A clone of a clone of a clone is not important. All I see is one less clone in a clusterf*** of a market place filled with clones or microtrans titles disguised as games.

There is no app in the world that deserves this much attention, let alone a knockoff.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Say that to Solid Snake's face.

[McScroggz]

The author says Flappy Bird is an honest game because it's free; but how is a game that blatantly steals assets honest? It's a clone, but that's rampant these days so it's almost acceptable.

I think the emerging mobile market is really, really bad for the industry. Sadly, it's only getting more popular.

[spicelicka]

but then technically speaking all those clone makers should be just as guilty. This is just a guy in Vietnam, probably made the game as an experiment, i find it hard to believe his intention was to make millions from a rip off game.

He just made a game, threw it on the app store and it just happened to get insanely popular overnight. It's not really his fault it got so big, of course he's gonna take the money he's getting, who wouldn't.

I don't know the details of this situation but we should cut him some slack and blame the industry instead. If i made a picture of goku with an afro and uploaded it, and next day it was the most talked about thing on the other side of the world, and i was getting $50,000 everyday from it along with death threats and verbal abuse, I would be pretty overwhelmed too.

[McScroggz]

I agree with what you are saying. However, there is a difference between creating a game, movie, book, etc. and plagiarizing content from other sources and putting an afro on Goku and it being a popular public domain picture. But that's beside the point.

The issue I have is that Flappy Bird in ANY way was a good thing for the industry. What does it say about the mobile market that a boring, creatively bankrupt game with no real interesting gameplay save a skinner-box mentality of improving one's score becomes a breakout hit? That's the problem I have.

There are some really good games on iOS/Google Play and other mobile platforms. I don't ignore that. But there are so, so many blatant copies of other games and mindless timewasters that it's creatively insulting and, more importantly, said games are by in large the ones that become big successes.

I don't hate Flappy Bird or the creator. I hate what it says about the mobile market, and I hate the possibility that terrible gameplay limitations and schemes found in the majority of mobile games will latch onto the console/PC market and begin eroding that industry. It may sound crazy, but look at microtransactions in games like Ryse, Forza 5 and others.

[spicelicka]

well everything you're saying is right. The industry just gets more and more saturated specially with social media controlling mobile games. I barely use facebook anymore because it's cluttered with people high scores and invitations to play games. It's so damn annoying, and it's not gonna get any better.

I have worse fears for console gaming now.

[Bathyj]

I dont understand all the hate this is getting. People act like this is the only clone game. Big deal, it didnt stop Mario from being successful for ripping of its art style. If the other game its based on is so good why arent they making money? The app store is full of clone games.

For whatever reason, it was a success, which means many people wanted it. Things arent successful just cos theyre good. Sometimes its just the right time, it gets the right buzz and it takes off.

And thinking money makes everything ok is ridiculous. The guy probably cant walk the street now. A lot about gamers behavior embarrasses me, but death threats over a game allegedly no one cares about is pathetic.

Either play the game, enjoy it for what it is and leave it at that, or ignore it and move on. Its only a big deal because were making it one.