Introduction
This is a story about the journey of Dong Nguyen.
Flappy Bird is a mobile game developed by Vietnamese video game artist and programmer Dong Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguy?n H? D??ng). The game is a side-scroller where the player controls a bird, attempting to fly between columns of green pipes without hitting them. The developer created and released the game over a period of several days in May 2013, using a bird protagonist which he had designed for a cancelled game in 2012.
Flappy Bird is a mobile game developed by Vietnamese video game artist and programmer Dong Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguy?n H? D??ng). The game is a side-scroller where the player controls a bird, attempting to fly between columns of green pipes without hitting them. The developer created and released the game over a period of several days in May 2013, using a bird protagonist which he had designed for a cancelled game in 2012.
The simple graphics and sound were praised by reviewers, but quickly led to accusations that Flappy Bird plagiarized similar games such as Super Mario Bros., and media attention about its sudden rise to success on Android devices.
Flappy Bird received poor reviews from the gaming press, who criticized it as addictive but also shallow, merely being an asset flip of Super Mario Bros. with several elements removed; ultimately they awarded it 3/10. The game’s popularity grew after its January 2014 release on iOS; it was downloaded more than 50 million times across both platforms and became the most downloaded free game in January 2014.
Flappy Bird was a game that was easy to get addicted to. It was a side-scroller, where you had to fly through different hoops. The goal is to get as far as possible without hitting them, which would result in your death and having to start over again.
The game first launched on iOS in May 2013 and then on Android devices in June 2013. After that time it became one of the most downloaded games at both Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store until its removal by creator Dong Nguyen due to its addictive nature, despite receiving poor reviews from the gaming press who criticized it as addictive but also shallow, merely being an asset flip of Super Mario Bros. with several elements removed; ultimately they awarded it 3/10. The game’s popularity grew after its January 2014 release on iOS; it was downloaded more than 50 million times across both platforms and became the most downloaded free game in January 2014
Nguyen removed the game from both app stores in February 2014, stating that it was affecting users’ lives negatively and that he considered it a failure. Interest in the game continued after its removal, with some users offering phones with Flappy Bird installed for high prices online; others downloaded clones of the game onto their own devices using third-party software. At some point afterward, Nguyen removed all of his games from sale or download on mobile devices.
Flappy Bird was removed from both app stores in February 2014, with Nguyen stating that it was affecting users’ lives negatively and that he considered it a failure. Interest in the game continued after its removal, with some users offering phones with Flappy Bird installed for high prices online; others downloaded clones of the game onto their own devices using third-party software. At some point afterward, Nguyen removed all of his games from sale or download on mobile devices.
It’s clear that Flappy Bird is terribly made but that doesn’t mean to say it isn’t addicting
In case you haven’t noticed, Flappy Bird is not a good game. It’s not fun to play, the graphics are terrible and it’s simply not an example of good design. But the reason it’s so popular (and has been for years now) is because it’s so difficult to play that people keep trying over and over again just in case they can somehow get better at it!
It seems obvious that this was never intended as a game that would be fun for anyone playing it–it was created by someone who didn’t understand how mobile games are supposed to work. There are many ways this could have been done better:
- The bird should fly faster than its current speed when tapping on screen (like Doodle Jump)
- The obstacles could be reduced until only one remains on screen instead of three (like Flappy Bird)
Conclusion
To conclude, Flappy Bird was a great example of how a developer can make something unique and interesting. I hope you have learned something interesting about the game, its history, and why it became such a hit!