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There are some games you forget five minutes after playing. And then there are games like Flappy Bird—a pixelated, side-scrolling nightmare that has probably made more people throw their phones across the room than any other mobile title in history. The first time I tapped that little bird, I thought, How hard could this be? Two hours later, I was muttering curse words I didn’t even know I knew.

What Makes Flappy Bird Stand Out?

On paper, it doesn’t make sense. The graphics are retro, almost crude—bright green pipes that look suspiciously like they were lifted from Super Mario Bros. The bird itself is just a blob with wings. The mechanics? Tap to flap. That’s it.

And yet, Flappy Bird tapped into something primal. It’s not the kind of game you play to relax; it’s the kind you play because you refuse to be beaten by a cartoon bird. Every tap feels like a gamble, every pipe like a looming judgment of your hand-eye coordination.