HOOKED!
The first 20 times I played, I could not get past the first pole. I just could not for the life of me get the bird to go where I 
wanted it. I told myself, “okay, this is ridiculous, stop the madness and delete the game.” But I couldn’t. Within the first 5 minutes of playing Flappy Bird, I was hooked.
I have lost countless hours of sleep telling myself I will go to bed after I hit 5, then 10, and then 20. If you have a score in the double digits, you are an absolute god in this game. Flappy Birds has become the world’s most difficult, addictive, frustrating and most popular game over the past few weeks. When my friends ask me about the craze I tell them to save themselves and DO NOT download if you want to have any type of productivity in your life.
What is Flappy Bird?
Flappy Bird has quickly risen from obscurity to the top of both the
iTunes and Google Play app markets. The concept is relatively simple; you tap the screen at relative intervals and frequencies to get a flying bird through poles that alternate in position.
There is no puzzle to solve, no mental trick to master, there is no real theme to the madness. In fact, there are only a few buttons in the whole game, “Start”, “Score” and “Pause.” WARNING! Your bird will die if you try to press the “Pause” button! Flappy Bird is infinitely random and no tricks can help this terribly flying bird. I have never seen a bird that cannot fly, but if you are looking to find one, look no further.
Social Sharing and Old School Graphics
The app also ties social media into the game. You have the ability to post your scores on Facebook, Twitter or text it to a friend letting them know just how bad you are. The overall look of the game is very much like an 8-bit Mario game from back in the day. The are no levels. There is no conclusion to the game. The only point is to get the highest score possible, which is why 
people keep playing a supposedly dumb game, over and over again.
The Game Everyone Loves to Hate
To date, more than 500,000 users have rated Flappy Bird, many leaving lengthy reviews with suggestions, requests, and general venting. One of my favorites includes, “Whoever made this game is an evil mastermind on a plot to control every human being in the entire world. Once this game is on your device, all hope is lost…” The app is also creating a lot of buzz with many parody accounts being created on Twitter focusing on the addictive problems people have with this game.
Vine users have also created tons of popular vines about their Flappy Bird addiction. The huge hype 
surrounding the game has led to many questions on how it will evolve and expand to take advantage of its huge popularity.
Next Steps for Flappy Bird
Eventually, I wonder if the creators of Flappy Bird will try and monetize the game, other than the ads that show up at the top of the game. The creators could create specific levels, difficulties, paid power-ups etc. to help make the game more interesting and profitable. However, I do feel like the simplicity of the game is its biggest benefit. The simplicity is what draws users in and lets them play with no distractions. Additionally, I believe that the simplicity of the game can be seen in the graphics. I am sure that the designers could come up with better designs that don’t look like they are from the 1990’s, but the style and design fit the game.
Have you played Flappy Birds? How many walls have you punched? What’s your high score? I would love to know in the comments or on Twitter @JoeyCreighton.
