’1001 Video Games You Must Play’ is a spin-off series based on Tony Mott’s book ’1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die’. Where Mott’s book ends in early 2010, this series hopes to chronicle the next 1001 video games from then on. I look forward to my partnership with ‘Halfway Between Here and There’ and look forward to building our relationship in the future. For more information visit ‘1001 Video Games You Must Play‘.

I bought an iTouch back in early 2009 and while it was possible to download apps to the device a fluke error in the iTunes programming prevented me from doing so. It was only a month ago that I decided to finally update my iTunes for good this time and through some miracle I was allowed to finally download apps. Angry Birds is a game that means many things to many people. For most it represents a new frontier in casual gaming, followed by hours upon hours of addicted gameplay. For others it represents the possibility of rags-to-riches notoriety with a little more than an idea, a dream, and a few lines of programming.

In early 2009, Finnish computer game developer Rovio began work on what would later become Angry Birds. With only a screenshot of a crossed-looking bird with no visible wings or legs, their team decided to build an entire game around this sole image. At the time the “swine-flu epidemic” was making its rounds in the news and it was quickly decided that pigs would be the sole enemy within the game. The initial release of the game were comprised of three chapters of 21 levels each (which over the next two years would be expanded to an additional 45 levels, new features as well as new platforms to play the game including Android devices and Facebook) and quickly became a runaway success. Today,Angry Birds generates over 1 million dollars in advertising revenue alone and was announced as the number 1 app of 2010.

Angry Birds‘ success lies in its simplicity above all else. Players launch birds via a slingslot with the purpose of destroying groups of green pigs sheltered in wood, ice, or stone structures. On the surface the game sounds pretty ridiculous but once you bring your finger to the screen for the first time and launch your very first bird you’d better get ready to clear your schedule for the next couple of hours. The game has not only been featured in several prominent newscasts totting its success but has also appeared on various TV shows as in-joke references (e.g.Modern Family, 30 Rock, The Daily Show, etc.).

When you get right down to it, it’s the fun addictive gameplay that ultimately brings people back to this title. The iOS SDK allows anyone to create games and become superstars overnight, Angry Birds is living proof that the next big thing can come from anywhere or anyone.

First – #1 Angry Birds | Next – #2 Fallout: New Vegas

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