In 2011, smartphone owners were obsessed with Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds. In 2012, they constantly played Temple Run. When 2013 came, Candy Crush was the obsession. Now that it’s 2014, it’s time to welcome, or should I say, ignore, Flappy Bird.

Although the reason for its recent exponensial popularity is unknown, the addictive game was first launched in May of 2013 by a Vietnamese game creator Dong Nguyen. The object of the complicated game is actually very simple. Fly through the gap between the pipes by tapping on the screen. There aren’t any special features, extra coins to catch, or lives to earn. The monotous graphics keep it simple, but the fact that you have to constantly tap the screen is what gets all the gamers.

Senior Chad Thompson who’s highest score is 122 and plays about 20 times a day, said his average score is 35.

“It’s very frustraiting,” Thompson said. “You don’t even know how mad I get.”

Senior Samantha Lariosa has similar feelings about the game.

“I get frustrated because of the three seconds it takes to load a new game,” Lariosa said.

Although the only thing a player needs to do is tap the screen, Thompson and Lariosa believe there are keys to success.

“You just have to get in the rhythm,” Thompson said.

“Talk to someone while you’re playing. When I concentrate too hard, it usually screws me over,” Lariosa said.

With my average score of 5 and high score of 20, I decided to delete from my phone. There aren’t special features, and nobody will ever win, go to the next level or change bird colors. The bottom line is, Flappy Bird is a waste of time, a leading cause of anger issues, and a horrible reason for carpal tunnel. Wait for the next fad cause this basic game is not worth your time.

2.5/5 Stars