Enough Flappy Bird. Solve real problems.

Exactly one week ago, the hit mobile game Flappy Bird was removed from the App Store. It had become a viral hit, gaining millions of downloads and hundreds of thousands of reviews. So what is Flappy Bird exactly? It is a remake of the very old helicopter game where you tap to keep the bird afloat, and have to get it through a series of narrow openings in pipes.

Since it was taken down, I have seen numerous clones of the game pop up on GitHub and other sites. The question I have is: WHY? If the game has caused so much aggravation and hate for players, then why are we still trying to keep the meme alive?

There are so many social problems that need solving. Real, hard problems that do not have simple solutions (e.g. homelessness, gang violence, education, poverty). There are also many talented developers, entrepreneurs, and others in the industry - many more than there were ten years ago. Then why are we wasting our time with this game? We need to use our talent to alleviate suffering, not try and build the next killer app.

Sure, being a successful app developer is awesome. But we have a higher calling. With a computer, someone can create just about anything. So let’s figure out how to solve some real problems.

Will you?

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