Flappy Jam

Fengol

#flappyjam

http://www.palmentieri.it/somepx/flappyjam/

Due Date: 24 February 2014

In support of Dong Nguyen

For anyone interested or following the story and wants to participate.

Tuism

Funny thing is me and @loet just did a similar thing, we took two days with the goal of making something in a week that can be put out in that time - so, super constraints, short game, that's it.

I've been trying to think of assets from old games but haven't specifically thought of any, but will think some more :)

(i wish we are catering for instagram videos, can we get that plugin for our forum or something? :P)

http://instagram.com/p/kMGjQGt1Qi/

edit: found a gif from video maker :D

Tuism

(Though I don't understand why Dong needs "support"? Can someone enlighten me as to any "support" he needs?)

dislekcia

Tuism said:

(Though I don't understand why Dong needs "support"? Can someone enlighten me as to any "support" he needs?)

A number of people made a bunch of accusations about Flappy Bird. The stupidest of these was people who should know better saying that Flappy Bird copies the graphics from Mario games, specifically the green pipes and the bird sprite from Mario fish. Apparently this made a bunch of other stupid people attack Dong Nguyen on Twitter, although most of the attacks seem to have happened as a result of him deciding to take Flappy Bird down off the App Store. His words were something along the lines of "This game has disturbed my quiet life" (don't have the energy to find exact quote).

Personally, I'm pretty conflicted about a couple of things here...

1. Harassment online is stupid. People being shitty about stupid assumptions isn't useful at all. That said,

2. I don't think Flappy Bird is above criticism. It's not like the game is truly astounding, nor is it deserving of huge amounts of praise. It's derivative in many ways and uninspired in all the others. It's astounding to me that the angles of criticism that many people seem to be taking are the least rational ones: Yes, the decision to include pipes is informed by Mario, they're not direct copies though. Even if they were, who cares? The gameplay is so uninspired that it's not even a copy, it's just a trope.

3. I'm not convinced that the harassment is the reason for the game being pulled. At the very least, many people are simply assuming that's the reason, not actually checking the intent behind the words of someone for whom English is not a first language. Plus I kinda feel like the game is being pulled to potentially mask odd activity - the best explanation for its meteoric rise in the charts is the use of bots. I don't have hard evidence, but it's likely.

4. I hate the implication that people have laid at the feet of anyone who dares to question Flappy Bird and it's creator because he's not from the west and is Asian. Yes, some people are using racist terms, those people are stupid and should shut up. But to suggest that someone from a developing country cannot "know better" and not clone a game, or that they don't have access to bot services because of where they live is both patronising as fuck and racist itself. Clearly Dong Nguyen can access the internet, that puts everything at his disposal...

5. Why is this a game jam?

P.S. A large chunk of me thinks that pulling the game is a brilliant move - it removes scrutiny and sidelines detractors, as well as making sure the game has much more chance of being remembered instead of fading out. Plus now there are going to be hordes of Flappy Bird "clones" all over the App Store too. *sigh*

Tuism

Then we are in agreement. I don't think anything about Flappy Birds's rise and removal from the App Store needs any "support". It really isn't like the guy is drowning in hate and death threats. If what's been said is to be believes, he's drowning in revenue.

I don't think it makes any sense that he pulled it for any other reason than that there's something to hide. Preventing a Nintendo lawsuit would be the dumbest reason because it was never gonna happen. Hiding untowards activity would be a reason, though I really don't see the point, it's not like his game making career is about omg reputation, from the works he's produced before up to now. They're adware games.

I think pulling it was a brilliant move, though perhaps a bit premature? The whole thing lasted a month or so? Does pulling it now give him a chance to capitalize on it in some other way, with some other future project? I guess it gives his personal brand some kind of mad mystique that anything he puts out in future would instantly get on every single front page. Could that image have been maintained without pulling Flappy in the haste it had been now?

In terms of 5, I think it's valuable to try and learn from the whole thing, and jam to create games super quick for the sake of attempting monetization in the App Store. The point (for me) wouldn't be to be derivative, but to create something small that has the potential to be played a lot, and is something we were doing before we saw this flappy jam thing. A jam inspired by flappy, not necessarily to clone flappy.

Not that my train of thought stops the outcome of flappy jam (check the submitted games) from being exactly derivitves of flappy lol

Tuism

In the latest news, Dong said he pulled the app for "your own good".

http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/11/flappy-bird-explains-decision-to-pull-app/

Nguyen became the subject of intense media scrutiny, while players became enraged by their tragically low scores. "To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever," he told Forbes, shortly after he'd had an impromptu sit down with Vietnam's deputy prime minister.

Whether I take the statement at face value or not, it's incredible. Forbes. The Prime Minister. Wow :)

dislekcia

I'm pretty sure the deputy prime minister thing went something like the polite version of "How much were you earning on that thing? That's useful inbound foreign currency, you know..."

Tuism

I heard that our own SARS was on Mikey Shorts (not the game) ass for openly admitting to having taken four hundred thousand for the hit on Lolly Jackson... Lol :)

In the end, the taxman will get you :)

dislekcia

So...

Terry Cavanagh made a game.

I. Wow... Jesus Terry.

TheFuntastic

Terry Cavanagh made a Flappy Bird clone??!? ZOMG...WINNER!

rustybroomhandle

Adam Saltsman has an interesting take on it too:

http://adamatomic.com/flappybalt/

Tuism

ZOMG. Super hexagonal bird.

So. Hard. I dunno if I'm not getting past thing one because lag or because I suck.

flappybalt is amazing! :D