Flappy Bird demise will lead to more game apps


Fifty million downloads and months of frustration later, Vietnamese game designer Dong Nguyen pulled the plug on his popular Flappy Bird application, according to Slate. Though many attribute the mania behind the game as enough reason for it to go, the fact of the matter is that this isn’t about Flappy Bird — it’s about the fanatic culture surrounding society’s relationship to these smartphone games.

Christina Ellis and Matthew Torres | Daily Trojan

Christina Ellis and Matthew Torres | Daily Trojan

 

Dubbed the world’s most downloaded game, the once-available Flappy Bird garnered $50,000 per day in profits. It didn’t start off that way. Launched in May, the game didn’t reach peak popularity until January, when it secured its spot as the most downloaded application in the App Store. In fact, the game itself wasn’t considered to be particularly good, receiving a measly 52/100 from critics on the game review site Metacritic. This is not to say, however, that the game somehow improved dramatically to earn its spot on the App Store hall of fame. Rather, the game’s popularity stemmed from a much simpler reality that had nothing to do with the quality of the game — the societal hype that surrounds the maddening frustration of simple game fads.

Though the game has been portrayed by many as a genius creation, this isn’t the first time that society has become obsessed with a frustratingly competitive app. The appeal that drew 50 million users to use Flappy Bird is the same that compelled millions to download other addictive games such as Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Temple Run — they’re all games that are simple to learn, yet impossible to win. If anything, it’s not the success one achieves while playing such games, but the shared struggle one enjoys while playing that makes them so addictive. Not only do these games allow for individuals to compete against each other for hard-fought best scores, but they also allow everyone to share in a communal struggle against an ultimately impossible task.

The shared culture and hysteria wasn’t just limited to the game — it also found its way to social media. Twitter accounts dedicated to “Flappy Bird Problems” gained 144,000 followers. Someone even took to BuzzFeed to create “The 21 Stages of Having Your Life Completely Ruined By Flappy Bird” page.

When news of Flappy Bird’s removal went viral, smartphones with the application downloaded on them began appearing all over the web, selling on sites such as eBay and Amazon for hundreds and, in some cases, even thousands of dollars. With so many knock-off Flappy Bird applications, such as Flappy Crush Saga and others, such an intense reaction to the game’s removal only reinforces the fact that this fixation on the game isn’t about the game at all, but rather the experience users get from the game.

One thing remains unequivocally true — there’s nothing particularly exciting about flying a pixelated bird through a series of pipes. It doesn’t matter that the app was deleted; the fact is that it is easily replaceable. What draws individuals to obsess over such games is the sense of shared struggle and common goals they ultimately carry. It’s what has made past overly hyped games successful, and it’s what will make the next most popular game succeed once the Flappy Bird hysteria subsides.

 

Yasmeen Serhan is a sophomore majoring in international relations. She is also the Editorial Director of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” runs Fridays.