TL;DR "13 kids at my school broke their phones because of your game, and they still play it cause it's addicting like crack."
Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
181–190 of 236 posts
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#182Earlier quoted context omitted.
He said he was overwhelmed with guilt from all the people who's lives were going down the drain because of his game. Simply taking all that money and giving it away doesn't change that. The end does not justify the means.
Those people's lives will go down with the next game then whether is FarmCrush, or Angryville, or CandyBirds. It does not matter. So... well... better give the money to a good cause imho.
Cool, I'm happy that is your opinion and thoughts.
The OPs actions are governed by his opinion and thoughts, and he chose what he wanted to do. You saying he should do what you want is absurd.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes but let's be clear, he was making $50k/day with no effort of his own besides the work he did last year. There was no chase or action to give up, so his motives lied elsewhere.
People still have the game, his money was being made of in game ads, which are still running for the people that are playing. I'd say he's probably doing fine.
The article mentions that he IS still making a ton of money. In fact, the announcement that it is being closed down, actually millions of more download in the next 22 hours
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
So what if it's stupid? We know how much damage greed does to the world. The world would be a better place if more people stood up for principles over money.
The problem there is that there's no universal set of principles that are right or good. For example "don't leave money on the table" or "make as much money as possible" could easily be a principle someone adopts. In such a case, she would be standing up for her principles by maximizing her acquisition of money at the expense of other things.
I don't need a universal set of principles that are good because such a thing is impossible. The entire world of human thought is a subjective abstraction. This need for objectivity is a common failing of the scientific mind, and it is a struggle in vain as our brains are far too puny to truly comprehend the nature of things—we must deal in abstractions, and abstractions as, any programmer knows, are leaky.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#185I'm reminded of a time in elementary school when I opened a Pokémon booster pack to discover a Charizard. I thought it was the best day of my life, but all my friends wanted to trade me for it, and I began to hate my Charizard card. I even had a nightmare in which Charizard blew fire at me. Alas, fame and fortune are quite the deception.
That is possibly one of the geekiest analogies I have ever heard. Fly that flag!
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#186> the young programmer stood out for his speed, skills and fierce independent streak. "Dong didn't need a supervisor," Truong says. "He wasn't comfortable with it. So we said he did not have to report to anyone. Years ago, when I heard of someone being spectacularly successful at something I "could have done" should I have chosen to I chalked it up to luck & circumstance. Two prominent examples come to mind: Facebook…
> I don't know what makes him tick, or tap or flap.
Great way of saying it.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
I created a fairly successful app that aimed to give users the best drink specials in my college town. I honestly can't bring myself to work on it anymore because I feel morally reprehensible and somewhat socially responsible for binge drinking when alcohol is such a dangerous substance. Who's not going to over-drink when well drinks are $0.25 a pop, nobody makes a ton of expendable income in college, and my app prom…
For what it's worth, Australia's been a pretty good case study on how significantly increased (+70%) taxes - and therefore, prices - for alcohol did not deter binge drinking [1]. All it did was shift the consumption from one form to another, as well as decrease drinking between binges. In that sense, you could arguably say that you're not materially increasing the prevalence of binge drinking but really just saving t…
>It may still be seen as more dangerous and therefore less socially acceptable in the States.
Binge drinking is completely socially acceptable in the States.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
So what if it's stupid? We know how much damage greed does to the world. The world would be a better place if more people stood up for principles over money.
The problem there is that there's no universal set of principles that are right or good. For example "don't leave money on the table" or "make as much money as possible" could easily be a principle someone adopts. In such a case, she would be standing up for her principles by maximizing her acquisition of money at the expense of other things.
And people who put wealth and money before everything else are generally seen as assholes or even evil.
Example: The asbestos industry officials knew of asbestos dangers of asbestos since the 1930s and had purposefully concealed them from the public. To make money.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#189Did anyone else find it odd that he's working on new games, that will (if successful) potentially have the same negative impact on the lives of the people who play and Nguyen himself?
I don't think Nguyen needs a reason to pull the app, and I respect his right to change his mind but I find it funny that we all seek some sort of wisdom when in fact there might not be any. Shit got crazy and he pulled the game, the end. Doesn't make for a compelling story, and creates no "guiding mantra" for other game developers, but for me it's just as meaningful.
Re: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out
#190As a long term developer of entertainment software, I totally agree with his point of view about the impact one's software has upon the lives of the user. The general acceptance goes that the crazies and depressed will be triggered by something and its not your fault if something provocative you worked on triggers an incident. That's what the group think tells us, but in ones personal reality it's not that easy to sh…
I totally disagree with his point of view. He could simply sell the game to an established company that is already set up to handle the responsibilities that come with running a business. Throwing away $50k/day is just a stupid thing to do.
The average wage in Vietnam is $2,200 a year.[1] He made over 22 times the average yearly wage in a day. The average wage in the US is $50,233.[2] 22 times that is $1,105,126.
If you did that for a month, that would be the Vietnam purchasing equivalent of maybe about $33,000,000. He still has income coming in from the game, it hasn't stopped. He has enough money to retire and live a nice life in Vietnam.
For many people (myself included) enough is enough! He made enough and now he wants to get back to his quiet simple life. That is what he values, not an endless quest for more money. He felt the game was destroying his life. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want that kind of attention either.
Some people can just be happy with what they have.
[1]http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/vietnam-average-monthl...
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_...