Dong Nguyen of Vietnam, otherwise known as the creator of “Flappy Bird,” has officially removed his infamous game from the App Store. He explained his reasoning in a tweet: “[He] just could not keep it anymore.”  However, once people saw that the game was deleted off of the store, they began downloading the copycat games: “Flappy Wings,” “Flappy Fall,” “Splashy Fish,” “Crappy Bird,” or even celebrity themed games like “Flying Cyrus.”  While these games are annoyingly addictive and provide no incentive to continue playing, they are an excellent waste of time.  But, take caution: since the creator of one of the most successful apps removes his game because he “could not keep it anymore,” users should recognize that they may become victims of a fun but incredibly stupid obsession.

These games contain Nintendo graphics that pale in comparison to the lush landscapes of other addictive applications such as “Temple Run” and “Candy Crush.”  Unlike the more modern eye-candy games, their backgrounds literally plagiarize the blue skies and green pipes of the original “Super Mario Brothers” environment.  The only object of the game is to tap the screen at the right times to make the bird (or fish or even Miley Cyrus!) go in between the vertical pipes, but it takes precise timing to get through each obstacle.  Typically, rookies fly beyond 3-4 pipes to score 3-4 points, while experts may go through 30 pipes to score 30 points.  Unlike other games though where players pass levels and thresholds to ultimately win the game, there are no levels in this game, and it cannot be won.

The incredible difficulty of original game — and sheer pointlessness — is what caused some users to delete it all together after only making through 4 pipes.  Those people are now regretting that move though because since Nguyen removed the game, phones with the original “Flappy Bird” have skyrocketed on eBay.  So, if any users who deleted the app are upset that they can no longer download it, buy an iPhone on eBay with the game already downloaded with an amazing deal of $95,000!

However, for the sane people out there who may download “Flying Bieber” or some other copycat, make sure to have some disposable time to waste.  This game is great for long car rides, waiting in the doctor’s office, keeping students awake during study halls, or simply trying to pass time in the back of any academic class. Downloading this game will honestly ruin anything productive someone plans on achieving, so take caution.

Side effects may include: low grades,  potential loss of visibility, detention, smashed or confiscated iPhones, migraines, arthritis, lower self esteem, parental disapproval, and possible loss of social skills.

The benefit: gloating to friends after making it through 10 pipes (which could take 6 hours)!

Essentially, whoever plans on purchasing these phones are wasting their time. No matter what level a player is on, nothing changes at all: there are no challenges, no advancements, and overall, there is no point.  If however, the goal is to waste time and not embarrassingly fall asleep in a full last-block study hall, then tap-tap-tap away.