As of recently students of FC and people everywhere have adopted a new hobby. The game Flappy Bird, which went viral after its creation by Don Nguyen in May 2013, has captured the attention of both the public and media. But just how addicting is Flappy Bird?
A recent Survey by The Feather staff suggests that Flappy Bird is far more habit-forming then its simple nature implies. The survey revealed that 63% of students have the game on their mobile devices, 10% of students admit to playing the game over an hour a day and 20% confess that they probably play this particular game over three hours a week.
Junior Ashley Garcia is not entirely sure of the reason for her addiction to Flappy Bird, but does explain some of the possible reasoning behind it.
“My high score is 71,” Garcia said. “I honestly don?t know why I like it so much, it?s actually a really dumb game. But, it makes you want to beat your high score every single time you die and makes it a challenge.”
Of course not everyone is a Flappy Bird enthusiast. Some people deny any association to the game whatsoever for various reasons. One of these individuals is Sophomore Joshua Carter. Carter has not downloaded Flappy Bird because he neither possesses a smart phone or the time for such a game.
“I don?t have a smart phone for one,” Carter said. “Also it?s (the game) major goal is to annoy you which is not something I want at the moment. I don?t play it because I?m not going to use up my time with a game which will waste it.”
Flappy Bird?s utter simplicity compared to other western games may be the key to its success. Currently it is the number one free game on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Many players are irritated and compelled to keep pursuing a higher score by the simplicity factor. Sophomore Emily Gonzales who plays an average of one hour a week feels that the utter frustration of the game compels her to keep on trying.
“Yes its addicting, my high score is ninety-three,” Gonzales said. “I just like the frustration and keep trying to beat my old score. It seems like such a simple game, get your bird through the pipes, but it’s not.”
Flappy Bird is not just available on one’s smart phone but on other devices such as computers and ipads. For many, these alternative devices provided more opportunities for Flappy Bird fun and frustration.
Junior Madison Sieb uses her ipad to play the game. She now strongly resents Flappy Bird for wasting her time and breaking her ipad.
“Flappy Bird gets really frustrating because it kills you even when you don?t touch the pipes,” Sieb said. “I kept missing the pipes and got frustrated and threw my ipad at the wall; it broke. That game is so evil.”
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.
For more features, read the Feb. 6 article, FC alumnus reminisces high school years.
