A bit write up on Flappy bird fiasco

Perspective from an outsider

As I watched the news and read about this recent new, it pains me a bit to see the story from the wrong perspective : the game industry and journalist from Europe / America seems to understand too little about Vietnamese culture, and Vietnamese people understand nothing about game making — it’s painful to see. It’s like a Venn diagram of 2 collections of people, almost doesn’t touch each other.

So, consider myself a belong to both collection as I’m a Vietnamese game design student, I’ll try explain to you what really happened, watching from my point of view : Why does Nguyen Ha Dong taken down the successful game, the chance of once in his lifetime, during its prime.

Chance are : you are probably guessing it’s fear of design infringement from Nintendo ( if you are a game journalist — hint : it isn’t ) or because he try to avoiding taxes ( if you are a typical Vietnamese ). No, it’s neither. It’s because multiple elements, mostly caused the current state of Vietnam.

Let’s touch on the success of flappy bird a bit : personally, I think it’s pure luck. It’s a combination from the well known youtuber pewdiepie and people are quite happily sharing their achievement with their friends on facebook. Beside that, the game design of the game isn't any marvelous : people claimed they are uninstall the game within 30 minutes or so, probably averaging a few days. So the success of the game, quote the creator of the game: is totally overrated.

The important thing is : the success of Flappy bird come too quick and too big. The creator himself seems to went from zero to hero within a few days, making 50,000$ a day. This create many trouble for himself, especially because of the too loud and fast media in Vietnam : flappybird is being featured in the 1900 news report with the national television broadcast — this is just as big as it can get with a mobile game in Vietnam, as this is probably the program with the most people watching everyday. The next day is the day he decided to take the game down.

This then create troubles for him — I have heard people from Tax Department knocking on his door, looking for him in order to get their taxes. Not just only that — knowing Vietnamese people, probably his extended family will soon coming for him, asking for their share ( just for the sake that they knowing him — this always happens, especially with villagers, people who don’t have much education and live primarily by agriculture ).

I have looked a bit through dotgears — the company by Dong. He has made quite a bit of game, nothing does ring a bell — most of the game is not that popular, and going all with same scheme, free and making a bit of money by ads. He probably just a guy who makes game for fun — doesn’t care much whether he made much money with it, just enough for living for a quiet life. That’s why he doesn't like that much the loud noises from the outside world : either people trying to grab his money or praise his game too much.

Some people now saying this guy is smart : he still getting ads money by taking the game down, yet the legal can’t trace it — some say he is stupid : why he doesn’t want the money ? Personally, I’d just do what he just did if I can’t handle the attention — peace of mind probably worth just as much as those money.

So now when you have all your answer, here’s the rambling part from me : what I thought after this whole thing :

• It proves what I hate about the current state of App store : rather than the actual quality of the game, marketing and money making scheme matter than most. Whatever being put on the front page is the one likely to make money, and Apple control the front page.
• The Vietnamese state is just too slow for the technology. If you read the technology law, it’s just purely horrible what they did, and their attempt to control facebook is just pure humor. This further prove they did not know how to response, or actually, didn’t even response to the whole thing at all.
• Any startup in Vietnam is just by yourself — you doesn’t get any help from the state, at all. Without any “oiling money” or knowing someone within the government, your effort is futile.