Angry Birds

A few months ago, I sat next to a woman on a flight from LA to NY and watched her play this game with birds in it for the entire six hour flight.  I couldn't imagine what could keep her attention for that long.  It was in that moment that I actually believed all the stats I read about how women have become such intense gamers.  This woman was certainly a case in point.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that I realized that she was playing Angry Birds, and a few weeks after that when I played the game myself for the first time.  I have to admit that it sucked me in.  I put a post on my Facebook wall about it, and all my friends came out of the woodwork saying how they play it all the time too.

Where have I been?

The fad for me has long gone away, but it does remind me of the Pac-Man craze when I was in college.  There was an arcade (remember those?) right across the street from my apartment back then and I used to pop in every single day with a quarter or two to play a game or two.  For a few short months, I was totally addicted.  Just like for a few short days, I was totally addicted to Angry Birds.

But why?  Quite honestly (and to be quite raw), it's quite stupid ... and a total "time suck" as my friends put it.

A couple things, I believe.  It's a release ... a break from the chaotic world where no one is asking us questions or asking for a response or wondering if there's going to be a retweet.  It's a mental clearing of the head that sadly we probably need more often now than ever before.

It's also a common bond, although it appears to be a secret one.  As soon as you do "come out," everyone joins in to tell you that they were once hooked too.  It's a common denominator that we can all share.

Is it more than that?  I don't think so.  And that's ok.  It doesn't have to become a brand or a cultural phenomenon or a "thing."  It can just be what it is, and that's ok.  It need not be any more, and in fact we like that it's nothing more.  And that's coming from a marketer!  It really can just be a game we play for a little while and then move on.

Now those are some angry birds!

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect


PS - My new book for small business will be coming out soon!  Get a sneak peek here.


PPS - Walmart is selling Angry Birds stuffed animals.  Yikes.