Flappy Bird Analysis

Game Description
Flappy Bird is a side-scrolling mobile game with 2D retro style graphics. The objective of the
game is to direct a flying bird. The bird is flying towards right direction constantly while it has to
avoid the pipes that blocks its way.
Own Experience
Lens of Elemental Tetrad
Aesthetic
I find the game graphics to be very cute. This is because that it uses retro style graphics to
illustrate the game world. On one hand, it is a simplistic game hence complicated graphic effects
become unnecessary. On the other hand, pixelated graphic style suggests that the game is very
light-weighted and it is easy to get hands on.
Technology
Although the game does not have realistic graphics, it has relatively realistic physical engine.
The motion of the bird is accurate and it corresponds to how I imagine it to be.
Mechanics
The rules and procedures of the game is very clear. A straight-forward instruction is given at the
beginning of every game (See Figure 2). Before the game starts, user will see a bird floating up
and down, locating at the center of the screen. The ground is moving towards left, indicating that
the bird is flying towards right. The pre-game animation hints the goal of the game is to keep the
bird flying forward. Another instruction is given to show user how to control the bird. A Tap
sticker, a grey replica of the same bird and an upward arrow suggest that each tap will make the
bird fly higher.
Story
The game has only one character – the bird. Throughout the game, there is only one event that is
happening – the bird is flying towards right and it has to avoid the pipes that block its way. There
is no clear storyline or branching of events. However, the different height and orientation of
pipes makes the gameplay more dynamic.
Lens of Curiosity
The game triggers my curiosity. In the first few rounds, I was not able to get more than 10 passes
(a.k.a score more than 10 points). However, when I finally got more than 10 passes, I was
awarded with a bronze medal. I wondered what I would get if I reached more than 20 passes, or
even more. Additionally, I was curious whether the game has an end.
Lens of Skill vs Chance
The game is well balanced with skill and chance. It requires skills to get good results. During the
game, I have to be concentrated and alert at all time to avoid the incoming pipes. However,
sometimes chance does matter. As the height and orientation of the incoming pipes are randomly
generated, a skilled player like me might also fall in front of the first pipe. The balance between
skill and chance made me think that I am well equipped with the skill, and I was just unlucky
sometimes. That thought motivated me to have another attempt.
Lens of Head and Hands
The game has a good balance of mental and physical elements. When I was playing the game, I
was always mentally focused. I had to assess the risk of making the bird flying higher when a
pipe was near – either too high or too low would make the bird crush onto the pipe. While being
mentally focused, I had to make sure my hands execute the right command. The game
challenged my brain-hand coordination. I could feel my hands shaking when my score was
increasing.
Other’s Experience
Lens of Challenge
My friend watched me playing the game and he proposed to challenge me. The challenge in the
game mostly happens between players. By listing the highest score at the end of the game,
Players are motivated to play again to beat the highest score (See Figure 3). My friend said he
kept on playing because he wanted to beat my record.
Lens of The Interest Curve
My friend was a first-time player. At the first few trials, he could not even pass the first pipe. The
experience was very demotivating for him. However, the interest curve raised rapidly once he
picked up the skill. After a while, my friend got bored of the game as he could not make any
further progress. The more he plays, the more impatient he got and the worse result he obtained.
The interest curve dropped constantly as time progress.
Lens of Accessibility
My friend is a first time player. However, he knew how to play the game and understood the
game objective naturally. One reason is that he had seen me playing before. The other reason is
that the game is equipped with high accessibility. The starting screen provides instruction of how
to interact with the system. The game graphic is pretty similar to Mario Brothers (See Figure 4).
Both Flappy Bird and Mario Brothers are side-scrolling game. They share similar objectives – to
direct the main character to move towards right. However, there is one confusion in this
familiarity. In Mario Brothers, Mario can jump into the pipe to access other part of the world. In
Flappy Bird, the bird has to avoid all the pipes.
Comparison and Learning Points
First of all, I learnt that players with different skill levels will have different playing experience.
My friend is a first-time player, hence he focused more on exploration. He paid more attention
on the number of successful passing. He wondered what was going to happen if he broke my
record. As for me, a relatively experienced player, I did not waste my focus on small details. I
paid more attention on directing the bird.
Secondly, I discovered that player’s profile affects game experience. Though getting frustrated
by the obstacles he encountered in the game, my friend requested to play again and again. As I
recalled my gaming experience, in most of the cases, I played this game because I wanted to kill
some time (e.g., waiting for bus). Some players can get addicted to a game very easily, and some
cannot.
Thirdly, intuitive instruction in the game widens its audience base. A game with steep learning
curve always loses new players at the beginning. For example, EVE Online is a great sandbox
game. However, it does not have much player base due to its steep learning curve. Observing my
friend playing Flappy Bird for the first time, I noticed that Flappy Bird has a very shallow
learning curve. It is very easy to get hands on but mastering it requires many practices.
Lastly, I learnt the importance of testing the game with different players. By observing my
friends playing the game, I got to access a different perspective. I am an experienced player
hence my verdict on the game’s learning curve may not be accurate. My friend is a first time
player, therefore his playing experience provided me more insights on how people get their
hands on the game. By observing more than one people playing the same game, I was able to
understand how gaming experience varies as player profile differs. It helped me to assess the
audience base of the game.