Flappy Bird Becomes Overnight Sensation, Despite Being Infuriating

Sometimes it is the simplest games that are the most fun, and they don’t get much more simple that Flappy Bird, a game that nods back to the era of 8-bit gaming, features a simple control scheme and it’s one of the hardest games that has ever been created.

There is a small bird that requires you to keep tapping the screen to flap its wings, it will then fly forward and you have to change the frequency of the tapping/flapping to make it through the gaps in some pipes. I set a score of 9 after about an hours practice, one day I hope to break into double figures and when I do, I’ll do a victory lap around the office. The highest score I know of is 25, which is inhuman or lucky to say the least.

What’s so interesting about all this then? Well the developer has come out of nowhere, has created three games that are free, simple and frustrating, in many ways they’re not even that great, but he’s managed to score three top then hits simultaneously in the Google Play and the Apple App Store! And it’s done it almost entirely from word of mouth promotion.

With the only options for the game being play or rate, the game has become an internet sensation with people trying to score something before they throw their phone at the wall in frustration, and trust me that after a few minutes, you’ll be tempted to do just that.

 “The only reason why I have not yet deleted this horrid game is the overwhelming sense of relief and accomplishment I feel when I finally beat a high score.” reads one of the games reviews.

29 year old Nguyen Ha Dong and his Vietnam based indie game studio .GEARS which he operates by himself has been making games for four years, but despite his sudden success and popularity he remains in obscurity, avoiding interviews and publicity that is surrounding his titles, simply replying to requests with “I’m not comfortable with being exposed.” However if his game continues to go as Viral, he’s going to have to accept a lot of attention and will no doubt be offered a few jobs despite the level of flappy-torture he has imparted on the gaming community.

Thank you Tech Crunch for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of Tech Crunch.