I created one of the most popular games of all time – it ruined my life

A video game programmer made waves in 2014 when his humble smartphone app made headlines and even became the most downloaded free game on the App Store later that month.

Dong Nguyen was not yet 30 when he created the Flappy Birds app, which at one point earned him about $50,000 a day.

MailOnline charts Mr Nguyen’s story, from his massive success to the guilt that so affected his mental health that he removed the game from the App Store, as well as its Android equivalent, now known as Google Play.

To this day, its success is so iconic that Twitter users are still begging the mysterious tech millionaire, who is only active on Twitter, to bring the game back to the App Store, with the #bringbackflappybird hashtag not seeing momentum until 2022.

Flappy Birds was making Dong Nguyen about $50,000 a day at one point

Who is the mysterious creator of the super popular app?

Mr. Nguyen grew up in a small village not far from Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, where his interest in video games was sparked by the time he spent playing Super Mario Bros. in his childhood.

He started coding at the age of 16 and further developed his interest while training in programming.

Frustrated with the complexity of modern smartphone games, Nguyen created the hugely popular app with a remarkably simple user interface – so simple that even users as young as elementary school kids became addicted.

The Flappy Bird app, which allowed users to guide a flying bird around a series of green pipes, was first released on May 24, 2013, but proved to be a sleeper hit when it was downloaded more than 50 million times just under a year later.

Although a tech millionaire, Mr. Always keen to stay out of the limelight – enjoying the air of mystery he exudes by minimizing media appearances – Nguyen even revealed to university students in his native Vietnam that the game was ruining his life.

“I’ve only worked with computer screens for the past 17 years, so I have nothing to talk about. I thought I had to trade some things for my success. What I have exchanged is maturity,” he warned them.

Why did Mr. Nguyen remove Flappy Bird from the App Store?

Despite the fun bird game making Mr. Nguyen millions, the millionaire, who is now almost 40, harbors regrets – he feels responsible for many people’s misery after receiving numerous DMs that the addictive game suppressed people’s productivity.

So when the low-profile programmer decided to remove the simple game from everyone’s devices, it was the move that shocked millions — constant criticism from both fans who struggled to maintain composure while using the addictive app, and their frustrated parents who were getting too much for him.

The reserved programmer has had to fend off even stubborn paparazzi – and the fame was far too great for a man who just wanted to keep his peace.

Eventually, Mr. Nguyen began to feel guilty – was his successful game really the reason some kids didn’t focus on their homework, or why some lost their jobs? These constant Twitter messages became so pervasive that he decided to delete the app, with some even telling him that the bird game had ruined their lives.

Soon after, #bringbackflappybird was trending — even trending again during the Coronavirus lockdown.

Mr. Nguyen still makes games to this day and now calls himself a “passionate creator of indie games,” trying to move away from his former fame.