First, let's consider the aspects of Flappy Bird. There aren't many. You tap on a screen, and the bird jumps up. You try to make it between two pipes. If you make it through, you continue "flapping." If you don't, you lose. How did such a simple game gain so much popularity that it rivaled more complex games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush?
Dong Nguyen, creator of this frustrating and popular game, claims that "people prefer imperfect things." Flappy Bird, in all its popularity, has been the subject of criticisms (and much more). I am inclined to agree with Nguyen, for imperfection is a reality we can all relate to. A perfect game is never as exciting as one with a few flaws, because with an imperfect game, the players can feel as though they are contributing to the game.
Another factor that led to Flappy Bird's success is its simplicity. As fun as intricate games like League of Legends are, on a smartphone, simple games tend to be more popular. That way, the average person doesn't have to invest countless hours understanding and honing their skills. Its simplicity, combined with how quick each "round" is, makes it a great game to play on the go when there's nothing to do for a few minutes.
Finally, there is the challenge. It seems to me that the difficulty of the game is the main reason why it is so popular. There's a theory in game developing that goes like this: when a novice (or as gamers have affectionately termed it, noob) plays a game for the first time, they should be rewarded for picking up the game. This can and has been done in many ways. Whether it's Modern Warfare and the "noob tube" (a powerful weapon that requires little skill) or League of Legends and Lux (an overpowered champion that again requires little skill), there are incentives to continue playing.
In Flappy Bird, the "reward" is different. During the first few tries, the game can seem impossible. Gradually, however, the game makes more sense, and a pattern appears. The people who don't give up eventually hit scores of 100 or 200, while those that do not invest the time get lower scores. Doesn't seem like much of a reward? That's because the real reward is the competition. It doesn't matter if you get to level 1000 on Candy Crush if no one else plays it. Because the game is so popular and easy to learn (albeit being insanely hard to master), friends are motivated to continue playing.
We have established the fact that Flappy Bird is a cleverly made game with multiple factors that led to its success. Ironically, those very factors have led to its downfall. Many players have become disillusioned by the simple but difficult game, leading to widespread criticism. "Haters" sent him angry tweets and even death threats. Despite this, Nguyen held steady. He responded to countless of the tweets of his players, making his case that this game was created to make players laugh, not cry in distress.
On February 9, 2013, Nguyen announced that in 22 hours' time, he would be pulling the plug on Flappy Bird. As of now, it is no longer available for download.
With this blog post, I would like to pay my respects to a person I can understand well. As a programmer, I can say with certainty that there is no developer in the world who wishes his or her games to cause players to cry. This is a sad tale of a developer, whose game, by chance, became so popular it attracted the worst kind of crowd. Whether it was out of jealousy (complaining that the pipe sprites were stolen from Mario and the like) or outright anger due to their own inadequacy, players have destroyed the very object meant to make them laugh and enjoy themselves.
You can read more on this story here and find fascinating Flappy Bird statistics here.
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