Flappy Bird is a mobile game in which you tap the screen to make a pixelated bird fly and avoid obstacles. It was popular for several months before its creator removed it from app stores. So understand, why was Flappy Bird banned?
Before being banned by Apple and Google, this game had been downloaded over 50 million times and generated $50,000 per day in advertising revenue. Phones with the game installed could be sold on eBay at high prices.
The game was too addictive
Flappy Bird had been downloaded over 50 million times before its creator, Dong Nguyen, pulled it from both iOS App Store and Google Play in February 2014. He announced that the game had become too addictive for him to handle and promised never to make another version again.
This game requires you to tap furiously on your phone screen in order to keep a tiny bird afloat as it navigates green tube-like structures without hitting them. Although challenging, players find enjoyment playing this challenging title and often spend hours trying to beat their high score.
While playing, your brain releases dopamine – a chemical that promotes happiness and contentment. Achieving new highs can also give you an incredible rush of sense of achievement which adds to the fun factor of the game.
But the question still remains, how much addiction really exists? While the answer to this complex question may vary, it can often feel very real to those experiencing it.
One reason video games can be so addictive is that they often provide players with challenges that feel like rewards for their efforts. This makes the experience more captivating, potentially leading to increased spending time on the game itself.
Another factor that may lead to addiction is the sense of accomplishment players get from improving their scores in games such as Flappy Bird. This feeling of accomplishment can be especially addictive in more difficult single-player versions of this popular title.
Many gamers have reported that Flappy Bird’s challenge level was too great for most people to handle. This led them to keep coming back, even though it was causing them problems at work, in their relationships or with other aspects of their lives.
Flappy Bird can cause a lot of frustration, which is understandable. But this reaction can have detrimental consequences in the long run for gaming enthusiasts. That’s why taking breaks when you feel like you’re losing control over your life and focusing on other things instead of gaming is so important – take a break when you feel like giving up and focus on something other than gaming!
The game was a copyright infringement
Flappy Bird became an instant success on the App Store, garnering ad revenue of up to $50,000 per day. It quickly shot to number one for free games on both Google Play and iOS, making it hard to ignore. But in February 2017, developer Dong Nguyen mysteriously pulled the game down – for reasons still unknown.
Dong denied any legal issues were at play when his game was taken down, but it appears the flappy bird was taken down for a reason – it infringed upon Nintendo’s copyright. The game features “Cheep Cheep” and green pipes reminiscent of Mario games; although such similarities may not be enough to warrant legal action in court, Nintendo may still have some ground to stand on in litigation.
The striking similarity of the green pipes and “Cheep Cheep” character may have inspired other developers to create a similar game, taking advantage of Nintendo’s trademarks in the process. While it would be difficult for Nintendo to secure trade dress protection for these elements, if the design of the game is inherently distinctive and unlikely to cause confusion with Nintendo’s Mario games, Nintendo could potentially have an advantage in court.
Though Flappy Bird draws inspiration from Nintendo’s Mario games, it is not an exact copy. It doesn’t use the same gameplay nor offer players the same level of difficulty or fun; indeed, the only similarity between Flappy Bird and Nintendo’s titles lies solely in its name.
In an interview, Dong Nguyen revealed his decision to discontinue the game due to various reasons. He felt the attention was getting overwhelming and wanted to focus on other projects. Furthermore, he felt like it had become too addictive and it was time for him to put it behind him for good.
It appears Nguyen may have been right; Apple’N’Apps reports that a company familiar with the App Store review process says Nguyen was required to remove Flappy Bird due to a copyright infringement claim.
The game was a scam
Flappy Bird was initially released in May 2013, but its popularity skyrocketed at the beginning of 2014. Millions of people downloaded it, quickly making it one of the top games on Apple’s app store.
It was also one of the most addictive games ever, with players tapping their phones to keep a flying bird afloat and guide it through pipes. Each successful pass earned players one point; failing would cause them to hit the ground and fall to their death.
At its height, Nguyen’s game earned him a fortune through in-app advertisements – estimated at $50,000 daily. But as its addictive qualities and demands on his time increased, he was ultimately forced to remove it from both Apple’s App Store and Google Play stores.
Recently, Nguyen shared with Forbes his frustration with the game and desire to pursue other projects. He felt guilty about making so much money from it, and it had a negative effect on his personal life.
He also revealed that he had become anxious due to all the attention his game was garnering. According to Forbes, local paparazzi began harassing him and he felt suffocated by both the spotlight and fame that came from it.
Nguyen reported that his sleep had begun to suffer and guilt had begun to take over his life. To get back on track, Nguyen decided to put away the game for good so he could lead a normal life once more.
Security firm Trend Micro recently posted a blog about fake Flappy Bird apps appearing on both iOS and Google Play stores with the aim of taking advantage of its success. These applications appear very similar to the original version, designed to trick users into sending premium rate text messages which may result in unexpected charges to your phone bill.
Fake versions of the app are an increasingly common scam in Russia and Vietnam, known as Premium Service Abusers. These individuals take advantage of unsuspecting users by sending messages to premium numbers on their phones – leading to unexpected charges.
The game was a marketing gimmick
In 2013, Dong Nguyen, a Vietnamese man, created the mobile game Flappy Bird. His goal was to create something both accessible and challenging – similar to the games he had enjoyed as a kid. Even though he worked full time as a programmer during the week, he took time out on weekends to craft this masterpiece.
Once he had finished, the game became an instant sensation with users from more than 100 countries. Its app had been downloaded tens of millions of times and earned its developer a substantial income through advertisements.
Nguyen enjoyed the success of his game, but it also brought its own challenges. He began getting requests to do interviews and paparazzi followed him around in Hanoi, Vietnam – which became too much for Nguyen to handle. At some point, Nguyen felt like a public nuisance rather than someone to be respected.
Due to this, he decided to remove the game from all platforms and delete it from both App Store and Google Play. Many fans were confused as to why this had been done.
He claims he was overwhelmed by the sudden popularity of his game and began receiving death threats from people. Additionally, parents worried about their children becoming addicted to it began filing complaints against him.
Eventually, he stopped creating the game because he didn’t want to continue being an internet sensation and felt like it had taken over his life.
Flappy Bird’s success has inspired other developers to copy its design and create their own versions of the game. Some clones of Flappy Bird have even broken into free app charts, earning thousands of dollars per month in revenue.
Though Flappy Bird itself was a disaster, its success spurred other developers to join in. Indeed, Flappy Bird’s success spawned numerous knock-offs of the original game, such as Splashy Fish and Tiny Flying Drizzy.
