Update: Flappy Bird-Laden Devices Selling for $80,500 Online

[IamLEAM1983]

It's just appalling how lobbing death threats around has become an accepted part of online communication. Suck at a competitive game? Ten to one you'll hear some idiot ask you to kill yourself on a bored and vaguely insulted tone. You're too proficient for someone else's tastes? Same thing.

I'm scared to think that some people would casually lob this around at their workplace or family gatherings.

 

[Zer0Saber]

Oh internets. Some days the only way to describe my feelings towards you and humanity is just saying to myself, "I hate."

 

[Micalas]

These bids brought to you by trolls and people who don't know that loading non-marketplace apps onto smartphones isn't that hard.

 

[Epicspoon]

It's monday morning and, after reading this news, I've already given up for the rest of the week!

Seriously people, your life won't end if a game goes away, you don't threatern to kill someone because a game went away, and you don't sell a phone for $80,500 cause it's got a bloody game on it!

Correction. You don't BUY a phone for $80,500 because it's got a game on it. If you think you can sell it for that much then go crazy.

 

[loa]

Imagine you make some shitty minigame in 10 minutes, put it online for giggles, it gets super popular for some ungodly reason and then this happens.
Has the world finally gone mad?

 

[EndlessSporadic]

These people all need to die.

By the way, just because the bid is up to $80,000 or whatever you said it was doesn't mean they will actually pay for it. Had to post my PS3 over 6 times because the top bidder didn't pay.

 

[UNHchabo]

Huh. I've never played Flappy Bird, but from what I've read about it when my fb feed suddenly exploded with comments about it, I gathered it's simply "that game". You know, that one flash game where you fly a helicopter or a spaceship through a tunnel. It flies up if you press a key, falls down if you let go.

Correct I just played it, and that's what it is.

I have a Windows Phone, and it's still available in the marketplace there, without having to add the app manually.

Granted, this one seems to be published by "IG Mobile", so I don't think it's made by the original creator.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/flappy-bird/9bf76692-f5ca-4a5f-a533-2ce0d9c0e6e1

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

But...isnt that game quite shit anyway? Why is it so popular? My faecle deposits have programmed more interesting distractions!
Nonetheless, the masses are so effectively brain dead that this does not surprise me. Im just curious as to how they have obtained such disposable income. Perhaps inheritence? From a deceased relative? Whos death may have been the result of various genetic stupidities?

What was wrong with jetpack joyride? Do kids these days feel uncomfortable high-fiving pixelated scientists??

BAH! i shall retreat into the darkness from whence i came.

 

[Weaver]

If someone wants to give me 80k I'll write them a Flappy Bird clone by next weekend.

 

[Paul Bastin]

But...isnt that game quite shit anyway? Why is it so popular? My faecle deposits have programmed more interesting distractions!/quote]

Here is the fatal flaw that has kept mobile gaming from taking over gaming duties from dedicated systems and platforms. There is absolutely no incentive to make a good game, because you're going to be getting the same exposure as everybody else on these app stores.

You would be far better off churning out 30 crappy games like Flappy Bird and filling them with ads and microtransactions than you would be for making a single, relatively decent game. Mobile gaming growth was stunted, ironically by what made it such an attractive proposition to begin with.

 

[Tiamat666]

Internets, they never cease to amaze me.

 

[Neyon]

People will be placing fake bids. There are probably millions of phones with it currently installed and it is very easy to install an app without the play store.

 

[Auron225]

http://www.plonga.com/skill/Reaction/Flappy-Bird-Online/

Hey look at that. You can play this mediocre-at-best game, online, without ever touching an Apple product, for free!

But why not f*cking murder the creator of this supposedly amazing game for doing what he wants with his product. That'll teach him -.-'

 

[KingBlackToof]

I'm actually quite scared for the guy.
Not because I believe any are genuine, but for his mental well-being. Genuinely am.

Everyone on there fills me with a melancholy rage.
Especially the seemingly normal ones. Like Kyle, a 12 year old kid, talks about COD & Minecraft, has a youtube channel.
I work in a school, that's very common for the 12 year olds. He looks like a good kid.

It's really annoying, I want to do something but I can't.
I feel a petition would be useful here.
Something along the lines of better law enforcement of these types of threats on Twitter?
And Twitter Banning accounts?

Or something?
Even a petition to let the Dong guy know he's not alone, for moral support.
(Oh but then again he probably just want less attention and to put this behind him.)

 

[elvor0]

It's monday morning and, after reading this news, I've already given up for the rest of the week!

Seriously people, your life won't end if a game goes away, you don't threatern to kill someone because a game went away, and you don't sell a phone for $80,500 cause it's got a bloody game on it!

Speak for yourself, I'd be selling mine right now if I had it installed, if someone is stupid enough to pay 80k for a game that consists of a grand total of 50 lines of code and stolen assets, I would be doing my working class roots a disservice by not cashing in on that stupidity.

Heck you can whip the thing up in an hour, I might even make my own and submit it to the appstore.

 

[unstabLized]

This almost sounds fake. Faith in humanity absolutely demolished if some dumbass actually pays up. Because you totally can't buy a broken Iphone, or better yet, get an Android and download an .APK? Nope, lets pay 80 grand. Ugh.. this just breaks my heart.

Edit: Have people forgotten Helicopter? Go compete over there if you're so desperate or a game like this, jesus.

 

[Someone Depressing]

My sister is there.

No, seriously. She is.

She's 9.

I'm going to have a chat with her.

Also, both my tablet and my phone have the game... I would like a new house...

Y'know, if he does end up forcing it back on the appstore because he's actually in danger, it's not going to be so good. There might be an economic bubble because some idiot stole Mario sprites and made a shitty game out of them.

 

[Something Amyss]

i used to believe in freedom of speech online but this sort of thing convinced me long ago that the net needs regulation and monitoring and prosecuting people for their actions in exactly the same way you would do in real life

I'm not sure what's contradictory there. We're allowed free speech in real life, but aren't allowed to threaten violence.

People can still have free speech, provided they don't harm others. Let people be dumb online, long as they're not saying they're going to kill people.

 

[Olas]

I'd call it about a week (to give some slack for the unexpected, because you *never* plan for everything) if I already had an artist on hand or could do my own art.

Flappy Bird made in an hour from scratch (okay, a hell of a lot faster than I could do it, but still!)

Wait! That's all the game is? A clone of the [a href="http://www.play-helicopter-game.com/"]helicopter[/a] game that's been available online since as far back as I can remember? That's what people are bidding their life savings for?

The whole "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" meme has gotten a bit old and tired, but if there was ever an instance when it was appropriate to use it this would be it.

 

[Caiphus]

Do you want people to get arrested for saying things online?Do you want this to happen:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/06/29/texas-teen-facing-eight-years-after-violent-league-of-legends-threat/

Because if you do then I worry for the state of society when it becomes a giant pansy where people can face multiple years in prison for saying mean things over the internet.

On the contrary, I worry for the state of society when people regularly threaten others, even on the Internet, while the victims are expected to just man up and take it, because that's just the way it is.

You're annoyed by people merely suggesting that death threats be illegal. Perhaps you should follow your own advice and ignore things you don't like.