Flappy Bird has flown its last race.
The game app that blew up in the last few months is no longer available for download after the founder decided the game became too addictive for players.
Marko Suvajdzic, assistant professor of digital arts and sciences, said the game’s impact on society could come from its simplicity.
To play, users tap the screen to keep a bird from hitting green pipes.
“A lot of games today have that attitude of, ‘keep going and going,’” he said. “It seems endless, but it’s actually self-generating.”
Suvajdzic also said he believes the founder’s decision to pull the game could be a marketing stunt to make users want it more.
Savannah Gribbins, an 18-year-old UF telecommunication freshman, said she found it hard to put the game down after she downloaded it about a week ago.
“It’s really, really frustrating, and it’s really hard,” Gribbins said. “It’s so hard and addictive because it’s over really quickly. Your little flappy bird dies, and you’re immediately like, ‘Oh no, I can do better.’”
UF microbiology junior Kelsey O’Brien said she would put masking tape over the top part of her phone so she couldn’t be intimidated by her score.
But the 21-year-old earned a higher score than most: 135.
“I would play it nonstop,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 2/14/2014 under the headline "Flappy Bird creator, players all tapped out"]
