If you needed further proof that some people in the world are bat-sh*t crazy (pardon the salty language), then look no further than the recent controversial pulling of the Flappy Birds game, and the ensuing madness that has spawned because of it. In case you haven't heard about it, there is a big "flap" surrounding the game.
The game was created by Vietnamese developer Nguyen Ha Dong, and it suddenly exploded in popularity in just a short time. In fact, the game was apparently so popular it has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times, and the developer was making over $50,000 per day in ad revenue. For a number of different personal reasons, most likely due to the stress and pressure of the fame and having to support this new monster, Ha Dong decided that he had had enough and pulled the game after a brief warning. Here's what he said,
Now, although some/many of us might think this is "unusual" behavior, we want to be clear that none of us here at HQ are passing judgement about Ha Dong's decision. We understand that some folks might not be ready for massive overnight success, and/or might have personal reasons for wanting to stay low-key. Regardless of Ha Dong's reasons for removing Flappy Birds, the ensuing reaction has been absolutely astonishing.
First, it is apparent that a number of folks out there were very addicted to this game. After issuing his warning and also after removing the game from availability, some of the games Twitter followers messaged Nguyen Ha Dong with death threats and suicide threats! Here's a quote with just a few of them,
The madness continues beyond that, however. There are folks out there selling their smartphones on eBay with the game installed on them, and they already have bids for as much $99,000+ dollars (check it out here: eBay Search for Flappy Bird Phones!) Here's a quote with more of the details,
We have to admit, none of us here in at HQ have even tried the game, simply because we are currently too busy with beginning of year stuff to have the time. Regardless, we can't understand the hysteria surrounding this. Please sound off and let us know what you think of this game and the surrounding tomfoolery.