I was planning on writing something really great this week, but then I got addicted to Flappy Bird.
If you haven’t yet played the game that has been taking over the lives of procrastinators everywhere, I don’t know if I should feel sorry or happy for you.
I first heard about this game through Twitter and was a little confused on what it was. It has a pretty silly name and I wasn’t even sure what to think. I got curious and downloaded it on my phone. From what I’ve heard, it’s available on Apple, Android and a variety of other mobile devices.
The game is pretty simple. You must continually tap your screen to make your bird go up and down. There are poles on the top and bottom of your screen, and you must fly your bird between them.
It sounds like it would be easy to play, but something about it is extremely difficult. My current top score in Flappy Bird is 42 — and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad score.
I’m not totally sure why this game is so darn addicting. It’s nothing special to look at. The bird and the background are pixelated, so it seems as though designers are mirroring classic games. The poles you must fly through are extremely modern in design and remind me of what are in Mario games.
The sound effects drive me nuts in this game. Each tap makes an obnoxious flapping noise, each pole flown through is a classic “ding” and each death makes a large “thump.”
This game reminds me a lot of Helicopter, the game you play on your computer where you propel your helicopter by holding down the mouse.
The only objective is to get as high of a score as possible. There are no rewards when you do hit a score besides personal gratification.
I constantly find myself saying “just one more round,” when trying to stop, but it turns into many more than that (big surprise there).
Just when I think I’m about to surpass my high score, I die. Maybe it’s just me, but I get so anxious to beat my score that it makes me overcompensate with my tapping and run right into a pole.
Losing in the game makes me turn into an elementary school child who has just become hooked on games. There’s shouting, stomping, maybe some crying and a lot of foul language. I wouldn’t be surprised if Flappy Bird is the next leading cause of broken phones.
If you need a little distraction from the start of your semester, get to flapping. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Sophie Kruse is a sophomore studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Have you played Flappy Bird? Email her at sk139011@ohiou.edu.
