MANILA, Philippines – Social media and websites were abuzz on Wednesday of rumors that the creator of the Flappy Bird application had committed suicide.
Dong Nguyen, who took down the addictive game off online stores, was allegedly found dead with a gunshot wound to his head.
But news websites immediately clarified that it was a hoax, most likely caused by a satirical news article posted online.
After the rumor was quashed, Nguyen received death threats on Twitter, reports said. One said he’ll kill the game developer while others egged Nguyen to push through with the suicide. Some, however, said they’ll kill themselves if the game was removed from app stores.FEATURED STORIES TECHNOLOGY
Nguyen, on Feb. 9, announced that it was game over for the simple game that had left many people addicted or frustrated.
“I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore,” he said over Twitter.
He said it had nothing to do with legal issues and that he was still making games.
In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Nguyen said he took the game down because it had become an “addictive product.
“Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed,” he explained.
“But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.”
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)
Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.
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Nguyen, on Feb. 9, declared that the straightforward game that had left a lot of people frustrated or addicted was over.
Please get in touch with the National Center for Mental Health if you or someone you know needs help (NCMH) Their crisis hotlines are 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, 0908-639-2672, and 1553 (a Luzon landline that is toll-free). For more information, visit their website: (https://doh. gov. ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline) .
In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Nguyen said he took the game down because it had become an “addictive product.
The game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, was purportedly shot in the head and found dead after taking it down from online retailers.
As an alternative, you can reach Hopeline PH at 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, and 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong. org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.
In the video below, David Kushner discusses how he got his Flappy Bird exclusive. To view this video, please enable Javascript.
Nguyen found a way to make his new game even simpler: Allow the player to tap anywhere. All he needed was an idea to build it around. The previous year, he had created Cheep Cheeps, a pixelated bird that was modeled after a Nintendo fish, on his computer. He paid homage to Super Mario Bros. by drawing green pipes. – that the bird would have to navigate. He based the game on paddleball, one of the most masocore analog inventions ever. The toy was made of a wooden paddle and a rubber ball that was connected by a string. But for players to bounce the ball more than a few times in a row would be a rare occasion.
However, Flappy Bird got lost in the shuffle and looked like a failure with roughly 25,000 new apps being released online each month. That is, until something incredible happened eight months later. The game went viral. It was number one on the charts in over 100 countries by February and had been downloaded over 50 million times. Nguyen was earning an estimated $50,000 a day. Not even Mark Zuckerberg became rich so fast.
On February 9th, at 2:02 a. m. Hanoi time, a message appeared on Nguyen’s Twitter account. “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users,” it read. “22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore. The nonbelieving masses retweeted the message over 145,000 times. But the story ended when the clock struck midnight the following evening—how could someone who won the internet lottery suddenly cut it off? Nguyen, as promised, took Flappy Bird offline. Millions of betrayed gamers and a burning question—who was this guy and what on earth had he done—were left in his wake.
Players flocked to social media by the end of December to commiserate, compete, and vent about breaking their phones out of frustration. Testimonials for Flappy Bird flooded Twitter, eventually reaching over 16 million messages. One said it was “slowly consuming my life,” while another described it as “the most annoying game yet I can’t stop.” Playgrounds and office parks alike shared the news about Flappy Bird, which shot to the Top 10 of the U S. charts by early January. Finally, on January 17th, Flappy Bird reached number one without any planning, strategy, or reasoning. It also reached the top of the Google Play store a week or two later.
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