The mystery of Flappy Bird

By: Brad Tripp

Number 82. You have one more to beat your personal best. However, the pole kills Flappy and you throw your phone in anger. The screen lightly cracks and you delete the game in a rage of first world problems. The next day, you try to re-download the game, but I’ts no longer in your history or on the app market. What happened to Flappy?

 

Well, if you didn’t know, “Flappy Bird” is/was a game where a flightless bird is guided through Mario style tubes. The player’s goal was to tap the screen and maneuver through the gaps in between the tubes without touching them or the ground. (It’s like flying a brick and you’re the brain for it to flap its wings).

 

According to CNN.com, in May of 2013 Flappy Bird was released, but didn’t become a top rated app until January of 2014. The creator (Dong Nyugen) told Chocolate Lab Apps that he created Flappy Bird in two or three days and didn’t promote the game. According to Forbes Magazine, Flappy Bird produced about fifty thousand dollars a day ( in February of 2014) from advertising, so money was no issue.

 

So, why did this popular game get pulled from app stores? Well, sometime in February, Nyguen had an interview with Forbes.com in which he stated, “The game was conceived as a fun way to kill a few minutes, but became an addictive product. I think it has become a problem." The game, he added, is "gone forever." Bad reviews from outraged people created a giant amount of stress on its creator Dong Nyugen. Eventually, he had enough and pulled the app from app stores.

 

Is stress why he took down the game? Many believe this is not why he took down the game. According to Forbes.com, Nyguen may be using the “Disney vault method.” This is where the product is out for a short amount of time to get a rush to get the product. After a certain amount of time the product is removed and not sold until later on. The product is then later released for a short time to receive that rush to get it before it’s gone.

Nyugen later told Forbes, however, he would not be bringing back Flappy Bird.

 

Will we ever see the flying brick again? Only time will tell.



Do violent video games make you more violent?

By: Autumn Hill

Some studies have shown that people who commit violent crimes have been influenced by video games. Other studies disagree and say that violence is always a choice. The debate is endless, but, either way, there are definitely some pros and cons to playing video games. Here are the “Pros” and “Cons” in regards to violent video games, according to the group ProCon.org:

Cons:

1.            Video games often reward players for simulating violence, and thus enhance the learning of violent behaviors. Studies suggest that when violence is rewarded in video games, players exhibit increased aggressive behavior compared to players of video games where violence is punished.

2.            Increasing reports of bullying can be partially attributed to the popularity of violent video games. The 2008 study Grand Theft Childhood reported that 60% of middle school boys who played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Mature-rated games.

3.            When youth view violence in video games, they are more likely to fear becoming a victim of acts of violence. According to a 2000 joint statement by six leading national medical associations including the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association, this escalated fear results in youth not trusting others and taking violent self-protective measures.

4.            Violent video games require active participation, repetition, and identification with the violent character. With new game controllers allowing more physical interaction, the immersive and interactive characteristics of video games can increase the likelihood of youth violence.

5.            Several studies in both the United States and Japan have shown that, controlling for prior aggression, children who played more violent video games during the beginning of the school year showed more aggression than their peers later in the school year.

Pros:

1.            Violent video games provide healthy and safe opportunities for children to virtually explore rules and consequences of violent actions. Violent games also allow youth to experiment with issues such as war, violence and death without real-world consequences.

2.            Exposure to violent video games has not been shown to be predictive of violent behavior or crime. Any link found between video games and violence is best explained by other variables such as exposure to family violence and aggressive personality.

3.            Violent juvenile crime in the United States has been declining as violent video game popularity has increased. The arrest rate for juvenile murders has fallen 71.9% between 1995 and 2008. The arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes has declined 49.3%. In this same period, video game sales have more than quadrupled.

4.            A 2004 US Secret Service review of previous school-based attacks found that one-eighth of attackers exhibited an interest in violent video games, less than the rate of interest attackers showed in violent movies, books, and violence in their own writings. The report did not find a relationship between playing violent video games and school shootings.

5.            Video game players understand they are playing a game. Their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality prevents them from emulating video game violence in real life.

Ninety-seven percent of 12-17 year olds in the United States played video games in 2008, thus fueling an $11.7 billion domestic video game industry. In 2008, 10 of the top 20 best-selling video games in the US contained violence. Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying, crime, and violence towards women. Critics argue that these games desensitize players to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. Supporters argue that violence is a choice, not something that’s created by a simple game. “The problem is that people are looking for a yes-or-no answer about the role of video games in violence, when there is none,” says Brad Buschman from www.cnn.com.



Summer movie preview



By: Peter Lewis

Is it any surprise that the institution that edits history in its own vision, commits crimes against physics and logic, and is completely void of originality, would start the summer movie in May?  The answer: nope!  Hollywood gets more money and audiences have something to look forward to for summer.  Yet, as Hollywood has learned, there are risks.  Studios can risk a major flop, but too many releases will leave audiences having to choose carefully, which is bad for the major studios competing all at once.  With Hollywood’s image declining in recent years, summer has become a game for the studios and filmmakers to give the best product to satisfy filmgoers. 

 

Where 2012 was a monumental success in the summer, 2013 was not as impressive to many. That means 2014 could be a crucial year for Hollywood, as going to the cinema is becoming less of a major entertainment source, due to the rise of TV and internet.  For 2014, the usual summer releases from Hollywood: sequels, action flicks, and family entertainment.  From May to August, Hollywood will either rake in billions or fail (in their minds).  So, with this, Hollywood is giving these major releases in summer 2014 to the public.

 

MAY:

2- Amazing Spider Man 2

9- Neighbors

16- Godzilla & Million Dollar Arm

23- X-Men: Days of Futures Past

30- A Million Ways to Die in the West & Maleficent

 

 

JUNE:

6- Edge of Tomorrow & The Fault in Our Stars 

13- 22 Jump Street & How to Train Your Dragon 2

20- Jersey Boys

27- Transformers: Age of Extinction

 

 

JULY:

11- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

18- Jupiter Ascending & The Purge: Anarchy

25- Hercules

 

 

AUGUST:

1- Guardians of the Galaxy

8- Lucy & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

15- Expendables 3

22- Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame for a Kill

 

 

Granted, there will be smaller releases and other major releases that could surprise, but this is basically what Hollywood is counting on to rake in the money that keeps them going.  Summer is when Hollywood returns to its roots of escapism. The films here aren’t likely to win any awards, but give some entertainment.  Yet, there will be that one film that defines the summer and will be remembered the most. It’s now the audiences job to find it.