Most people with smart phones have probably heard of Flappy Bird by now. Flappy Bird is the new gaming app that has taken the world by storm. However it is strange that such a simple app could have such a huge impact on our society. Almost everywhere you look on social media you will see references to the game, whether you are on Twitter, Facebook, Vine, or Instagram everyone has something to say about the game. The game is also very addicting because it is impossible to win and the goal is just to get the highest score you can possibly get without dying. This game is also very frustrating, as can be seen by recent memes or social media posts. Flappy Bird appears to be the Candy Crush of 2014 so far and who knows how far it will go, one honestly would think that this game will blow over in a matter of weeks as people realize the foolishness of it and ultimately move on to the latest trend. However there are also people such as Forbes contributor Paul Tassi that think Flappy Bird is "dangerous" Tassi explains that the simplicity of the game can consume your life. He states "You’ll be dead in seconds with each attempt, and therefore the game can kill any span of time from half a minute to hours.". Tassi goes on to state that "The time spent there is lost forever". Tassi has very strong feelings about Flappy Bird and believes that it is the enemy. I personally feel that his view of the game is a little extreme and people are not as consumed by the game as he believes, because the shear frustration of the game generally causes the player to give up within minutes anyway. However his article is an interesting read and the topic of the Flappy Bird is interesting as well. I guess for now like it or hate it we will have to deal with Flappy Bird, at least until the next thing comes along.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/02/03/flappy-bird-review-winged-fury/
I completely agree with you on this topic, I've had the game for a week and absolutely despise the fact that I can only get 28 as my high score (while watching others, such as my grandmother, getting close to the 100s). I have personally deleted the app and I think it will blow over in time (like anything), but I love the simplicity of the app and I think it is wonderful how all ages can play, allowing a "medium" between the ages.
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that today it is the simplicity in apps that draws people in. If you ask me I think it makes our society look a little lazy. I personally haven't played the game, but I do agree with the article that people can be overcome with games such as these and for that matter even some social media. I think that people need to be aware and monitor themselves with its use.
ReplyDeleteThis app, just like all of the popular ones before it will soon meet its end. I feel as though the games difficulty will bring it's demise. Most people play it just to beat their high score. But most play to beat others high scores. Once a few lose interest due to frustration, then others will lose their competition and also eventually lose interest.
ReplyDeleteI felt good when I scored a 37 but many have topped out at 9,999 on the leaderboards...what? But I definitely agree with you Ferg. It's a simple, pointless game designed to attract users and consume time. People who spend too much of their time trying to beat themselves or their friends should look in the mirror if they want to complain. Like any game, play it in your free time. If they hate it so much, just delete it!
ReplyDeleteI never even got into Angry Birds or Candy Crush, so I doubt I'll be doing this one, either. But it is interesting to think about and explore the characteristics of what makes something popular as those of you commenting here have done. Why this game and not one of the thousands of others available as free apps? I'm not sure we could ever have a definitive answer to that.
ReplyDeleteI like how the article called it the "bare minimum" of a video game because that's exactly what it seems like. I think they also said this in the article, but it reminds me of this game that I used to play in high school: http://onemorelevel.com/game/helicopter
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, I noticed that Flappy Bird just got added to this site as well, so now people can play it on the computer. It seems that for now, its popularity isn't waning in the slightest.