# How did Angry Birds get so popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 10, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399 "2011-05-10T15:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/1 "2011-05-10T15:08:28Z")
Was there a deal with the devil? [There’ve](http://www.digyourowngrave.com/blosics-2-level-pack/) [been](http://www.digyourowngrave.com/destroy-the-village/) [countless](http://gamingtags.com/index.php/680/castle-clout-flash-trebuchet-game/) [flash](http://www.gamegecko.com/game/752/castle-smasher) [games](http://armorgames.com/play/3614/crush-the-castle) just like it before it came out. What happened? If you love Angry Birds, do you also play similar ones? If not, why? ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/2 "2011-05-10T15:14:16Z")
No flash on the iphone. They knew a good thing, and were the best produced on the iPhone first. There are other iPhone games almost just like it, too, but they aren’t as well made. A shiny GUI, and those weird little bird screams, and I was hooked- and I don’t usually like games like that. ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/3 "2011-05-10T15:15:29Z")
And why are the birds so angry? Its not like the birds themselves are taking action. Its more like ‘Victim Birds’. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/4 "2011-05-10T15:18:13Z")
The use of the touchscreen is a big issue. In some ways Angry Birds primes people for the touchscreen the way Wii Play etc. primed players for the Wii. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/5 "2011-05-10T15:19:02Z")
Because the pigs stole their eggs, duh! I think it got so popular because it’s really, really fun and one of the first widely spread iPhone apps. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/6 "2011-05-10T15:20:30Z")
I don’t get it myself. I played it once on my Droid X, just to see what all the hype was about, and promptly deleted it. I don’t think I’m the right demographic for computer games anyway, but every so often I do play Drop 7. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/7 "2011-05-10T15:46:54Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > [There’ve](http://www.digyourowngrave.com/blosics-2-level-pack/) [been](http://www.digyourowngrave.com/destroy-the-village/) [countless](http://gamingtags.com/index.php/680/castle-clout-flash-trebuchet-game/) [flash](http://www.gamegecko.com/game/752/castle-smasher) [games](http://armorgames.com/play/3614/crush-the-castle) just like it before it came out. I’ve missed a step in your logic. There were countless games like it - ie, it’s a popular genre. The iPhone is a popular platform. Someone made a game like it FOR the iPhone. Voila - success! Especially since flash apparently doesn’t work on the iPhone, meaning it’s the only option. If it’s that it’s paid… Compare the match 3 genre. Dozens, if not hundreds of free versions…yet, multiple paid versions. Mostly for PC, where the free flash versions do work. Including multiple incarnations of Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest. And Angry Birds is a dollar - Bejewled and Puzzle Quest? $10-20, depending on platform and where you buy them. So the leading paid ‘thingapult’ game is 10-20 times the bargain the leading paid match 3 games are. Also, it has entertaining graphics and sounds, which the free versions mostly lack. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/8 "2011-05-10T15:49:03Z")
Plants vs. Zombies is a similar type of game–dozens of TD games before it, but that was the first commercially successful Tower Defense. Actually, this could make for an interesting list–games that first brought a genre to commercial success: Angry Birds Bejeweled Plants vs. Zombies Any others? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/9 "2011-05-10T15:51:52Z")
I liked Crush the Castle first, had played it as Flash and on the iPhone. I think it satisfies a primal urge to throw something and see a result from it. I remember when I was young my friend or sister and I would build cowboy and indian forts out of wooden blocks and then take turns throwing blocks at each others forts. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/10 "2011-05-10T15:55:55Z")
I guess I didn’t realize there weren’t other games like it for the iphone. Having a monopoly answers my question, I suppose. I was really just surprised. I play both casual and serious games, and I couldn’t see a game like that being interesting for more than 10 seconds, but I’m clearly in the minority. If Plants v Zombies is really the first commercially successful TD game, maybe for wide success you need cute. Because that’s one of the poorer examples of that genre, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/11 "2011-05-10T16:20:51Z")
I don’t have a cell phone :eek: so I looked up “Angry Birds” on YouTube. Hey, it’s “Crush the Castle” sort of, which I play on Armor Games. but is also on Iphone. So, which came first? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/12 "2011-05-10T16:32:38Z")
Pretty sure Crush the Castle came first. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/13 "2011-05-10T16:33:44Z")
Game room? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/14 "2011-05-10T16:37:00Z")
I saw it first on iTunes in the Top Ten. I think it was the Top Ten Free apps and it was the free version. Since I like birds and it was free I tried it, loved it and then paid for the full app. I had it for a while before I started hearing about it and seeing it everywhere. The best thing about it is they keep updating with new levels and I don’t have to pay more unless I choose to buy the Seasons verson (which I did) or buy the Mighty Eagle to help me through the tougher levels. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/15 "2011-05-10T16:45:09Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I don’t get it myself. I played it once on my Droid X, just to see what all the hype was about, and promptly deleted it. It’s also not a game for me (I find it boring), but it’s pretty clear to my why it’s so successful. It’s got fun, memorable characters that capture the imagination and an intuitive interface that is tailored for the iPhones strengths. The flash games you linked to simply were not as memorable or intuitive. The first game was a little uninteresting. I had no characters to sympathize with. It was just knocking down blocks in an abstract manner. The rocket game was difficult to control and, once again, no interesting characters. The trubuchet game? Boring graphics, no characters. The fourth castle game was okay, but didn’t really feel like the same gameplay as Angry Birds. And so on. So, I guess what it boils down to is mostly the character design of Angry Birds, along with game controls well-suited for the casual gamer with an iPhone. I mean, even though I find the game boring after a few go-arounds, those pigs piss me off with their mocking grunts when they just won’t die. The game does well to give you enough feedback and enough of a “storyline” for you to really identify with the protagonist and make you just want to kill ever last goddamned one of those pigs. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/16 "2011-05-10T16:54:14Z")
I hit replay when I know I failed the level before those damn pigs can smirk at me. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/17 "2011-05-10T17:26:49Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> the Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/18 "2011-05-10T17:35:40Z")
It doesn’t hurt that for 99 cents, each version has updated multiple times and added new birds and levels. Rio hasn’t as yet, but it supposed to at any time. But if you bought Seasons or the original when they first came out, you’ve had a lot of updated to go along with it. So, value for your money. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/19 "2011-05-10T17:37:26Z")
I haven’t liked Rio as much, you’re not killing pigs you’re freeing birds. And the graphics, while richer, are less appealing than the simple shading of Angry Birds. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399/20 "2011-05-10T18:03:49Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Moved Cafe Society –\> the Game Room. Oh right, forgot about that one. Newfangled fora! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-angry-birds-get-so-popular/581399.md?page=2)