Vietnamese indie developer Dong Nyugen appears to be getting himself in a flap over the sudden attention his smartphone self-flagellation simulator, Flappy Bird, has received over the last few weeks. Far, far too much attention. Nyugen’s very public Twitter breakdown over the weekend ended with his removal of the game from Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) 8 February 2014
Death threats have followed, iPhones with the game installed have been auctioned for ludicrous sums on eBay, and hoax claims varying from disturbing to hilarious have emerged that Nyugen committed suicide while teenagers are apparently murdering each other over high scores. It’s all become a bit too much considering that the game is gone – Elvis has left the building.
It could be that Planet Earth needs to chillax and play some Pac-Man. Yet if you’re suffering from Flappy Bird withdrawal and just can’t go cold turkey then there’s always one of the many, many clones circling the Internet like a kettle of culture vultures. Sesame Workshop’s Flappy Bert seems to be the most entertaining so far, in Overworld Kiwami’s esteemed opinion.
Mind you, we’re particularly fond of an earlier form of Flappy Bird‘s mechanic: The Helicopter Game. Terry Cavanagh’s epic, inspired Super Hexagon for iOS, Android and PC could tax your reflexes and patience too.
Sources: Digital Spy, Metro, International Digital Times, Yahoo! News Malaysia
Featured image: .GEARS Studios
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