The Flappy Bird saga continues
A Rolling Stone reporter went to Vietnam to track down and talk with Flappy Bird creator, Dong Nguyen. It’s an insightful interview on Nguyen’s history, going over how he learned to program, and his overall inspirations to create Flappy Bird. Interestingly, it’s revealed that Nguyen modeled his game after the paddleball, that simple little wooden paddle with a string attached to a rubber ball toy.
The talk also really reveals what drove Nguyen from pulling the game from the app stores. From the local press harassing his family, to all the messages he received of kids becoming addicted to people losing their jobs over the game. “At first I thought they were just joking,” Nguyen told Rolling Stone, “but I realize they really hurt themselves.”
When Nguyen announced that he was pulling the game, 10 million people downloaded Flappy Bird within 22 hours. And while the game is not available anymore, it’s still generating tens of thousands of dollars for him. This has led him to quit his job, and he’s currently developing new games including one called Kitty Jetpack.
As for the future of Flappy Bird, Nguyen is apparently turning down offers from companies that want to purchase the game as he wants to remain independent. That said, Nguyen stated he’s “considering” putting Flappy Bird back on the store, and if he does it will include a warning for users to “please take a break.”
