Pac-man became an American icon amid the sound of clinking quarters in arcades. The Super Mario Brothers brought video games to American living rooms, and their exploits helped to turn the Nintendo Entertainment System into a hit. While video game consoles offerings might provide complex story lines and feature eye-popping graphics the successor to the iconic characters of Mario and Pac-Man is probably addicting games on a smartphone or tablet.
Angry Birds reached more than 50 million downloads by the end of 2010. The game is now featured on formats ranging from Android smartphones to the Sony Playstation 3. The game features a simplistic, if not absurd, story, but like its arcade predecessors focuses on game play. The birds seek vengeance on pigs for stealing their eggs. Birds use different skills to break barriers and smash green pigs. While the explanation of the game might not sound like much, using the slingshot to fire the birds at the barriers provides a fun and addicting puzzle for gamers to solve.
The downloadable game is produced by Rovio, an independent developer in Finland. The game is offered for 99 cents in the Apple app store. A free ad supported game was offered for the Android operating system. Further levels have also been made available for purchase after the initial game, including the popular Angry Birds Seasons, which features holiday-themed levels. Angry Birds is the top-selling paid application at the Apple store in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
The success of the app displays both the power of new technology and the enduring nature of simple puzzle games. In home video game consoles virtually eliminated the arcade market. On these systems Angry Birds would face a difficult market. By reaching an audience of less serious games the app has blazed a trail and earned an iconic status.