Flappy Bird is a simple arcade game. The player’s task was to guide the bird through the gaps between obstacles by tapping the screen of the device with a finger.
In the original version of the game, these obstacles were pipes protruding from both the top and bottom edges of the playing field. Contrary to expectations, overcoming obstacles turned out to be a difficult task. They were arranged in such a way that our agility and reaction time played a key role here.
It often happened that after a series of easy passages, another appeared, constructed in such a way that problems with its passage led us to a nervous breakdown.
Flappy Bird Story
Flappy Bird debuted on the Apple App Store in 2013. The game was written by Vietnamese Nguyen Ha Tong, the founder of the dotGEARS studio. The premiere was not accompanied by any publicity, but, to the surprise of the creator, it quickly began to gain popularity.
It was supposed to be a pleasant distraction for the players from their daily duties.
However, it turned out that the game became so addictive that the developer received a lot of threatening messages from many users who couldn’t handle the obstacles in the game. Perhaps it was these circumstances that contributed to the fact that the creator of the game made a cardinal decision regarding its future.
Why did the developer remove the game?
After observing the often unsettling reactions of players to failure while playing Flappy Bird and addiction to the game, Nguyen Ha Dong decided to remove the products from both the App Store and the Play Store. He did not want to further develop the unhealthy frenzy around the game he created. He also explained that the production success has exceeded his expectations and he just wants to have some peace of mind.
Simply removing a game from popular app stores doesn’t mean it can’t be installed on smartphones and tablets. Fans were well aware that products can be downloaded from unofficial sources. Interest in the game began to fade just a few months after the author withdrew it from sale. Nowadays, young smartphone users may not know what Flappy Bird is. Elders, on the contrary, often remember this game fondly.
To this day, there are numerous clones of the game in the app stores, offering us almost identical gameplay mechanics with slightly different graphics and a changed name. Apps similar to Flappy Bird are also available online, but none of the clones have repeated the success of the original.
Flappy Bird and the Streisand Effect
Do you know what the Streisand effect is? This is clearly seen in the case of Flappy Bird. This is an increase in interest in content withdrawn from the Internet market. As a result of this action, the popularity of the product is growing.
The dotGEARS game has generated interest due to the growing publicity surrounding it. Information about the removal of products from the app stores has increased the interest of players who want to check out the game and understand why there has been so much controversy around it.
The Streisand effect got its name from Barbra Streisand, who sued a photographer several years ago for publishing her photographs. The situation caused such confusion that in the end, more people saw the photo than if the case had not received such wide publicity.
Until some time ago, the Streisand effect was considered a negative phenomenon. However, in recent years, we can observe that it is often and willingly used by marketers who want to interest us in certain events or products.
Is the creator of the game a genius or a lunatic?
Years have passed, and Flappy Bird has acquired the status of a cult game in many circles. The creator himself achieved incredible success with her and earned millions. Nguyen Ha Dong admitted that at the peak of his popularity, thanks to in-game advertising, she brought him about $ 50,000 in profit per day.
There were even conspiracy theories that the scandal surrounding the production was arranged specifically to increase interest in the title and increase the income of the creator. Could this be true? We will never know.
