The story behind Flappy Bird is kind of a sad one. Game developer, Dong Nguyen, pulled the popular game from app stores because he was severely depressed.
He wasn’t depressed because the game didn’t attract users. It was quite the opposite. Nguyen was depressed because fans of the game were sending him threats via Twitter.
Some fans became so hooked on Flappy Bird that they became angry with Nguyen. Those crazed fans then sent him death threats and menacing notes. Unable to cope, Nguyen simply pulled the game from app stores.
That didn’t stop the mean notes, though. Instead, addicted users sent Nguyen even more death threats telling him to make the game available again. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Nguyen stated that he might make the game accessible again. This time, though, he would include a stern warning.
Warnings Are Really Necessary
Some games (like Candy Crush) make users take breaks from gameplay. This is because games can be very addicting. What happens when someone becomes an addict? Addicts are not reasonable folks. Can a person really be addicted to a video game? Absolutely. Nguyen acted quickly to threats sent his way and pulled his game from app stores. Other app developers tend to ignore such threats, or are hidden behind such large company walls that it’s hard to track down one individual to blame for a gaming addiction.
It’s clear, though, that some people need to see a warning before playing any game. Nguyen hopes that the warning he will put on his game will prevent people from threatening him again. There are, after all, plenty of Flappy Bird fans that just want to play the game again and aren’t crazed addicts.
Nguyen hasn’t put the game back in play yet, but that’s what he’s currently pondering. Interestingly, various other games that are attempting to capitalize on Flappy Bird’s success have recently popped up in app stores. You’ll find all kinds of other games that are just like Flappy Bird now exist. Will gamers play Flappy Bird once again now that there are other options?
Some Things Are Best Left
In the case of Flappy Bird addicts, it may be wise for Nguyen to simply leave the game where it lays in the game graveyard. Then again, he can’t make any money (rightly deserved) from the game if it is not in play. The fact that some people can’t control how often a game is played to the point of becoming an addict is the problem that needs to be addressed.
We can’t simply blame gamers for making great games. Those that send out threats to developers should be treated as addicts making real threats. Developers shouldn’t have to remove a game from play just to escape this kind of terror.
In any case, if you want to see whether or not Flappy Bird comes back, stay tuned. As it stands it looks like Nguyen is seriously contemplating bringing the game back.