Fly on, little buddy.
1. It was an cubist artistic masterpiece
Those pixels... THOSE GLORIOUS PIXELS. Flappy Bird mastered cubism in a way that would make Pablo Picasso weep.
Cubism was one of the most influential visual art styles of the early twentieth century... The Cubist painters rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening. They wanted instead to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. So they reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, and then realigned these within a shallow, relieflike space.
Flappy Bird is really a resurgence of 20th century artistic masterpieces. Creator Dong Ngyuen is pretty much an artistic genius.
2. It made us reflect on the futility our existence, capturing the essence of modern nihilism
As Walter Sobchak taught us, nihilism is the belief in nothing. Nothing has any greater meaning or purpose, so the only point in life is to live in the now. It's basically the original YOLO.
Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.
You can keep trying, little bird. But you ain't getting more than 8 points
3. It is an example of latent universal symbolism of Freudian imagery
Those long tubes. Flappy Bird's full feminine lips. The need for jerking movement to prevent an untimely death.
Let's not beat around the bush - Flappy Bird is full of psycho-sexual imagery.
A dream symbol is an image, usually a visual image, of an object, activity, or scene; the referent for the symbol is a conception. The function of the symbol is to express as clearly as possible the particular conception that the dreamer has in mind... A young man conceiving of his phallus as a dangerous weapon might picture it as a gun or sword in his dreams. A woman who thought that her marriage was going on the rocks dreamed that she was looking for her wedding dress and when she found it, it was dirty and torn. In these examples, the visualization is an expression of, not a disguise for, an idea.
In Freudian terms, Flappy Bird represents a woman desperately trying to navigate a world dominated by men, and uses her sexuality to survive.
Hear that? That's the sound of your mind exploding. Flappy Bird is DEEP, ya'll.
4. It contains universal archetypes from our collective unconscious
Flappy bird simultaneously represents the Innocent, the Explorer, and the Jester in Jungian archetypes. The word "archetype" comes from the Greek "archein", meaning original and "typos" meaning model or type. An archetype is an "original pattern" from which similar concepts or ideas evolve from. For example, the archetype of The Hero is the model for every action journey, from Superman to Katniss.
"Every era has myths of a golden age or of a promised land where life has been or will be perfect. The promise of the Innocent is that life need not be hard. Within each of us, the Innocent is the spontaneous, trusting child that, while a bit dependent, has the optimism to take the journey."
The innocent is a character with the wide-eyed optimism of youth. He trusts in his Greater Power (the player) to guide him along this journey and never surrenders hope. It helps that Flappy Bird is also literally wide-eyed.
The Explorer/Seeker/Wanderer leaves the known to discover and explore the unknown. This inner rugged individual braves loneliness and isolation to seek out new paths. Often oppositional, this iconoclastic archetype helps us discover our uniqueness, our perspectives, and our callings.
Flappy Bird is on a journey of discovery, desperate to flap past the next of life's hurdles to see what is on the other side. Everything beyond the first tube is unknown to this hopeful bird, and he is game for whatever adventure awaits (even if 99% of the time it results in his splattering death).
The Jester archetype urges us to enjoy the process of our lives. Although the Jester can be prone to laziness and dissipation, the positive Jester invites us all out to play--showing us how to turn our work, our interactions with others, and even the most mundane tasks into FUN.
The Jester's role in life is to provide enjoyment and play. Flappy Bird, with his lippy smile and bright eyes, is here to make us smile while we rip our hair out in frustration.
In Conclusion...
Flappy Bird is way more than a simple 8-bit game...
By Laura Millar (laura.millar@zco.com)
www.zco.com
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