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[a Master Ninja]

Mario has been in so many games over such a long period of time it felt like he became the most recognizable video game character ever. Mario reached a level of mainstream awareness and loving nostalgia that eclipsed Sonic and is only rivaled by Pac-Man. Even though Pac-Man is barely relevant today (as much as I love CE & DX), he still endures thanks to him being in one of the earliest and most popular arcade games with discernible "characters", and his design is so simple and iconic that generations that never played the game know of him. Neither my elderly grandmother nor my very young niece have ever touched Pac-Man, but you take two slices out of a pizza and ask what it reminds them of and they'll say "pacman". He's a cultural touchstone.

In case you've been living under a rock, Angry Birds became the biggest thing ever. Last I heard they topped 1.7 billion downloads. They apparently sell close to 500 million dollars worth of t-shirts, toys, food, and other licensed garbage each year. I went to Disneyland last summer and saw more people with Angry Birds t-shirts than Disney t-shirts. Adults and seniors even wear that stuff. Those birds might be bigger than Mickey Mouse now.

Thanks to the game appearing on every platform and being either free or close to it, a much bigger portion of the planet has been exposed to it than any of the "classic" games we grew up with.

This brings me to my question: What lasting impact do you expect from Angry Birds?

Will we see decades of spin-offs? Will the games be forgotten but the characters remembered thanks to merchandising and tv/movies? Will it be an enormous influence for future game designers the way Nintendo games are cited today? Is Angry Birds the Mario of it's generation?

 

[PK Gaming]

Misleading title

And to answer your question, I doubt it'll surpass either Mario or Pacman.

 

[Call Me Maybe]

It's not. Pac Man and Mario built a legacy. Angry Birds is a fad.

 

[Talladega Knight]

Mario is still "bigger" i would argue

 

[BocoDragon]

I see it like Pac-Man, actually. Culturally - a huge memory for all, and will sell t-shirts at Hot Topic for decades to come.

Gamewise, though, I see it fading greatly after a shift of technology in the mobile space.

You might have said the same thing about Mario at one point, though, so it's really all about how Rovio evolves it.

It's not. Pac Man and Mario built a legacy. Angry Birds is a fad.

Mario built a legacy.

Hmmmm I'd call Pac-Man a 1980s fad too...

 

[zoukka]

I can see the merch being very successful for years to come. The games are not very influential gameplay wise so the legacy is more that of a great business model and the advent of smarphones.

 

[Tunavi]

Angry Birds is a good game, but I can't play it for more than 4 minutes. AB Space has some great unique concepts, but I still can't find that lasting enjoyment that Mario has.

And if main line Mario games were free on the most popular phone in history, then Mario would be on the top.

 

[Thorakai]

Surprising that there is no Angry Birds cartoon to further capitalize on kids beyond the game.

 

[BocoDragon]

Surprising that there is no Angry Birds cartoon to further capitalize on kids beyond the game.

The movie is coming in 2016.

 

[goomba]

Amazing how a game about suicidal extremist terrorist birds flying into buildings caught on so well.

I wonder if bin laden ever played it ?

 

[Avallon]

Surprising that there is no Angry Birds cartoon to further capitalize on kids beyond the game.

Read the article in the OP. There's a show.

 

[BocoDragon]

Amazing how a game about suicidal extremist terrorist birds flying into buildings caught on so well.

I wonder if bin laden ever played it ?

That's how he let down his guard.

 

[DiscoJer]

I think Angry Birds, in terms of licensing, is taking the gap left by Hannah Montana. I mean, you used to go into a store and there was Hannah Montana crap everywhere. Now it's Angry Birds crap.

Something will replace it.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

It's more like a popular Saturday morning cartoon with the branding and licensing, than being known as a great game and a cultural icon. Being free and riding the popularity of tablets and smartphones helped.

I would say the brand is bigger than the game.

 

[dallow_bg]

Angry Birds getting close to (but will never reach) Hello Kitty levels of merchandising.
I see it everywhere.

 

[vareon]

I get your point, but Angry Birds needs to prove itself against time, a challenge it hadn't faced yet. Right now it is being treated and marketed as the world's biggest brand, but it's too early to say if it will leave a legacy like Mario or Pac-man.

I don't know about Rovio, though. They don't look like interested in expanding Angry Birds (the game) beyond its original gameplay. Everytime I met a Rovio guy, they always take pride in treating Angry Birds as a brand rather as a game.

 

[DanteRavenkin]

I actually am alright with Angry Birds, I think it's cute. But Mario surpassed even Mickey Mouse in recognition back in the 90's. And the Birds may not last past the 'fad' the way Pokemon and some other properties have. Only time will tell, but in the mean time, enjoy those crazy Birds.

 

[BocoDragon]

I want to make a snarky comment about how Angry Birds wouldn't be so big if they charged more than 99 cents, but then again, the cost of entry to Pac-Man was a quarter....

It should be mentioned, though, that Angry Birds has been literally given away for free on many occasions.

 

[Fularu]

This brings me to my question: What lasting impact do you expect from Angry Birds?

None, people are playing freemium games now and Angry Birds isn't in most top 20 charts now.

Also it helps that the game comes preinstalled on many devices (since it's free). Give it a year or two and it will be forgotten, Rovio is smart to milk as much as they can

 

[Htown]

Mario is still "bigger" i would argue

Certainly by revenue if nothing else.

 

[SMT]

I hate Angry Birds, but people appreciate them in order to look trendy, relevant, or down with the funk. ''Oh look, I want this because it's popular.''

And when you play the mind-numbing slingshot game, there's practically nothing that separates it from other physics games, except for the damned birds.

ARG.

How can people be fine with playing this, but turn their noses at Mario, or Pac-Man?

But remember, these are the same people who spend hours aimlessly playing these shitty games, and then deny that they are gamers.

It's like gamers are lepers, and nobody wants to be one, outside of cool people, of course.

 

[Calamari41]

I have never understood Angry Birds and probably never will. What caused this throwaway flash game to take off like crazy over every other throwaway flash game? Easily marketed character designs?

 

[DanteRavenkin]

I want to make a snarky comment about how Angry Birds wouldn't be so big if they charged more than 99 cents, but then again, the cost of entry to Pac-Man was a quarter....

Yeah but that was back when a quarter meant something.

 

[kassatsu]

Angry Birds is bigger than Mario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnxGlw3Sq_s

Nintendo video with kids wearing Angry Birds shirts, no one has anything Mario on.

 

[Avallon]

But remember, these are the same people who spend hours aimlessly playing these shitty games, and then deny that they are gamers.

They're not.

 

[Liquid Fire]

I doubt they'll grow bigger than mario. They hype about Angry Birds will most likely die out soon.

 

[Darryl]

doesn't matter how many people played it, the experience you get from playing a 5-30 hour Mario game is not the same as flicking a screen for a few minutes. it's a throwaway experience. it'll leave the same lasting impact that Snake left at its current pace. unless they can find a way to leverage the brand into something else while people still know what it is, it will fade.

Angry Birds is bigger than Mario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnxGlw3Sq_s

Nintendo video with kids wearing Angry Birds shirts, no one has anything Mario on.

kids wear whatever shirts stores stock all of the time. when i was a kid i'd wear what - teenage mutant ninja turtles? power rangers?

 

[Franklinator]

I see Angry Birds everywhere and on the most random products now. It's pretty nuts.

Also, I've never seen the appeal of the birds. They're just birds that you sling at walls. They don't really have a personality or anything unless there's some Angry Birds lore I've missed.

(Full disclosure: I mostly made this post just so I could write "Angry Birds lore")

 

[BocoDragon]

Yeah but that was back when a quarter meant something.

In 2012, the relative value of $0.25 from 1980 ranges from $0.60 to $1.41.

I see Angry Birds everywhere and on the most random products now. It's pretty nuts.

Also, I've never seen the appeal of the birds. They're just birds that you throw at walls. They don't really have a personality or anything unless there's some Angry Birds lore I've missed.

(Full disclosure: I mostly made this post just so I could write "Angry Birds lore")

Is Angry Birds Space canon?

How about Angry Birds Star Wars? Angry Birds Rio?

 

[malfcn]

They have napkins, pumpkin cutting kits and a movie. Most leveraged IP in gaming?

 

[dark10x]

How does one define "bigger than" in this case?

 

[Ferrio]

I have never understood Angry Birds and probably never will. What caused this throwaway flash game to take off like crazy over every other throwaway flash game? Easily marketed character designs?

Cute characters, released when the IOS store was even shittier than it is now.

 

[Grayman]

I am not sure if it will remain as sticky in pop culture as pac man and classic mario have. guess we need to wait 20 years and see if kids today make simpsons jokes about angry birds in season 40.

 

[Fusebox]

I hate Angry Birds, but people appreciate them in order to look trendy, relevant, or down with the funk. ''Oh look, I want this because it's popular.''

Lol, I highly doubt all those middle aged women playing AB on the train are doing it because they want you to think they're funky. It's a fun, extremely popular pick-up-and-play title perfect for casual gamers and non-gamers alike and it's available on nearly every platform in existence. Trying to read anything further into its success is just trying too hard.

 

[Calamari41]

Also, I've never seen the appeal of the birds. They're just birds that you throw at walls. They don't really have a personality or anything unless there's some Angry Birds lore I've missed.

You're so full of shit, that one bird totally has angry eyebrows! Badditude!

 

[BocoDragon]

I am not sure if it will remain as sticky in pop culture as pac man and classic mario have. guess we need to wait 20 years and see if kids today make simpsons jokes about angry birds in season 40.

Of course they will. It will be intrinsic to 2010s nostalgia.

 

[Avallon]

You're so full of shit, that one bird totally has angry eyebrows! Birditude!

FTFY

 

[bunbun777]

Don't forget about Tetris.

 

[Freezie KO]

Despite hearing about and seeing these birds everywhere, I know nothing about the actual games.

Are they free downloads? How's the gameplay?

 

[BocoDragon]

You're so full of shit, that one bird totally has angry eyebrows! Badditude!

Birditude.

(don't ban me)

 

[SMT]

Lol, I highly doubt all those middle aged women playing AB on the train are doing it because they want you to think they're funky. It's a fun, extremely popular pick-up-and-play title perfect for casual gamers and non-gamers alike and it's available on nearly every platform in existence. Trying to read anything further into its success is just trying too hard.

To each his own, I would have to disagree, you don't know what the middle-aged women are thinking, and I don't think it's fun.

 

[Rocwell]

What lasting impact do you expect from Angry Birds?

You remember beanie babies?

I expect it to be something like that.

 

[Brokun]

You remember beanie babies?

I expect it to be something like that.

Don't worry, they will come back. In Pog form.

 

[kassatsu]

kids wear whatever shirts stores stock all of the time. when i was a kid i'd wear what - teenage mutant ninja turtles? power rangers?

Exactly my point. Angry Birds is the hot ticket for kids right now, not Mario.

 

[Avallon]

Don't worry, they will come back. In Pog form.

 

[DanteRavenkin]

Don't worry, they will come back. In Pog form.

Man I fuckin' miss Pogs.

 

[BocoDragon]

Exactly my point. Angry Birds is the hot ticket for kids right now, not Mario.

Meh. I still see Mario shirts on kids and for sale at Wal-Mart and stuff. That's better than I would have expected 30 years on.

 

[Htown]

Despite hearing about and seeing these birds everywhere, I know nothing about the actual games.

Are they free downloads?

they tend to be free, at least on android

i think they were 99 cents or something on ios?

How's the gameplay?

http://armorgames.com/play/3614

 

[Instro]

I still find it appalling that journalists were trying to give the original Angry Birds GOTY.

 

[Calamari41]

I want to make a snarky comment about how Angry Birds wouldn't be so big if they charged more than 99 cents, but then again, the cost of entry to Pac-Man was a quarter....

Yes, but for Pac-Man it cost a quarter every time you wanted to play. If you had to add $.25 to your phone bill every time you started up Angry Birds/got a game over and wanted to play again, the game would never have amounted to anything.