Mike Maney

If you haven’t been stuck under a rock for the past week, you know that the world has gone crazy for an app called Flappy Bird (which the developer suddenly pulled off the market for being too addictive). Heck, I was even quoted in USA Today on it.

It’s rare that an app has the rocket-fueled, meteoric trajectory that Flappy Bird had. Which is why I think it’s important to look at the five reasons it was so successful:

1. It required logging in with your Facebook account to give you a more social experience.
2. It awarded prizes in Bitcoins for each level you passed.
3. It encouraged continued play to unlock special in-app purchases.
4. It focused on slick graphics instead of the game play.

Sarcasm intended.