Come and sit around the fire because I’m going to tell you a story. A story that happened almost a decade ago and was one of the biggest “booms” (pardon me the anglicism) that we remember in the ecosystem of mobile games. He was the earthquake that caused ‘Flappy Bird’a game as simple as it is addictive) which turned out to be a real problem for its creator.
Recently, we have become more aware of the reality of the mental problems that anxiety and stress cause, even though the signs have been there for years. I include myself among those of us who opened our eyes relatively recently. But for ‘Flappy Bird’ creator Dong Nguyen, those problems came much earlier. Nguyen couldn’t sleep due to the success of his gameso he had to finish it.
‘Flappy Bird’ was hopelessly complicated
‘Flappy Bird’ was born in 2013 but it wasn’t until the start of the following year that it really hit its stride. the game had mechanics as simple as high was its difficulty. It consisted of making a bird cross a stage filled with pipes pierced with openings at different heights. Each touch on the screen meant a flutter (flapper) which lifted our bird and then fell back.
Things got complicated when you had to combine several consecutive quick shots to increase the flight height, or when you had to drop the bird to pass through the lower openings. Explained like this, cold and unplayed, you’d think ‘Flappy Bird’ was really easy to play, but nothing could be further from the truth. And he was this combination of simplicity and difficulty the one who made him go up on the altars.
By early 2014, ‘Flappy Bird’ had already managed to top the download spot in the iOS App Store, and did the same with Android. The game, which was free but contained advertising, then became a reel. A money-making machine that eventually got out of control for its creator, Dong Nguyen, who finally opted for euthanasia. Before falling into oblivion once his fashion has passed, Nguyen finishes him off and makes him a complete martyr.
“Thank you so much for playing my game”
IronPants, one of the clones that appeared after the success of Flappy Bird
Rivers and rivers of digital ink poured over a “Flappy Bird” that quickly spawned clones from all corners. TheVerge felt the app was winning over its creator approximately $50,000 per day between the two stores. A considerably high figure considering that it is an “indie” game from a creator until then quite anonymous. And that there were other games in the mobile app stores that were infinitely lesser known.
This success brought Dong Nguyen, as we mentioned earlier, lose sleep. The game was designedto play in minutes when relaxed […] but it has become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve this problem, it is better to kill Flappy Bird. He’s gone forever“. These are the words Nguyen dedicated to Forbes after the app disappeared.”Thank you so much for playing my game“.
Since then, in 2014, copies of “Flappy Bird” clones and other originals circulating through APK liars have survived. But the original is gone forever. “My life hasn’t been as comfortable as before. I couldn’t sleep.” And so, with the stroke of a pen, “Flappy Bird” went down in gaming history as one of the greatest memory blasts, and also one of the most notorious escapes. Forever in our hearts.
