The Angry Birds Marketing Case Study: What They Did Right

It is rare that a mobile game reaches such status as to be included on a list of overall video games. But Angry Birds managed to break the mold and launch into the mainstream. People all over the world adore this game, and it went from being a clever app to a global phenomenon. The other day I was at my child's school and I saw a kid wearing an Angry Birds t-shirt. That alone shows how the game has managed to capture a spot in a market that it seems it would have been impossible to break into.

When looking at the game, it is tempting to say it was luck. After all, some terrible things become successful and some wonderful ones don't. It may be possible that Angry Birds was just a beneficiary of the elements aligning, and nothing more is behind it. But this kind of thinking is wrong, and completely misses the genius of both the game and the marketing campaign, a case study that shows exactly how content should be marketed in today's age of technological furvor.

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Chrome Apps: Angry Birds Review

Today we are going to take a look at one of my favorite chrome application games called “Angry Birds” This is a fun to play crush the castle type of game that can have you sitting in your chair for hours enjoying every moment the game has to offer. Angry Birds did originate on the mobile market only at one point and time, however when Google chrome was released I noticed that Angry Birds made an exclusive game for the chrome browser. So when noticing this I got excited and downloaded it immediately. It was at this point I was able to start and enjoy Angry Birds for the first time. Let’s dive into the game and see if you might like it as well.

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The Ultimate Geek's Wishlist for 2011

Today, I'm sharing with you the 5 things I think are the ultimate things to give a geek for the holidays in 2011.

If you are a geek or you know one, this list points to some of the best gifts for geeks that I know of.  Most of the things on this list are products that I would personally reccomend to friends, family and all of the geeks I know.  Enjoy :)

5. Minecraft

Minecraft is a first-person game that you can build in and the goal is to build as much as possible without getting killed by the creepers during the night.  The 3D gameplay is superb, and is definitely a game I would reccomend to most any geek out there.

Minecraft works on Windows, Mac, and Linux and needs a minimum of 1 GB of ram to work properly.

If you know another geek who doesn't have this (or if you've been wanting to it), now is the time to get it.  If you already have an account, you can buy "giftcodes" on the website to give to others for them to redeem with their Minecraft accounts, or if you're buying it for yourself, you can make a Minecraft account and order it straight on the website.

$26.95 [Minecraft.net]

4. Angry Birds Plush

 The Angry Birds Plush is something that for any geek who is an Angry Birds fan will love.  The material that it is made out of is very high-quality, and it hasn't fallen apart on me yet.  Very good to use for a variety of purposes and is good to have around.  It even has a good smell to it!  This is a wonderful thing to give as a side-gift to a geek for Christmas this year or even someone who just likes Angry Birds.

You can pick these up at your local Walmart if you are in a hurry, or on Amazon.com.

$15.99 [Amazon.com]

3. Blue Snowball

The Blue Snowball is a USB microphone that is perfect for many things from making YouTube videos, to recording vocals for a song.  It has 3 modes, although the one I'd best reccomend if you are making YouTube videos or podcasting with it is the #2 mode (these modes can be switched between with a switch on the back of the microphone).  The sound it records is crisp and very rich.  Also with the included stand, it should sit perfectly on most desks and should work with most computers.  I'd definitely reccomend this if you or another geek you know are in the market for a USB Microphone.  With the included stand, it should sit perfectly on most desks and should work with most computers. 

This is a lovely gift for any geek who is making YouTube videos or is into podcasting.  As a geek myself, I would reccomend this microphone as for the price and its functionality, it is one of the best USB microphones you can get.

If you want a full review of the Blue Snowball, you can read my review of the Blue Snowball on Fancy Show Tech.

$60.00 [Amazon.com]

2. Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is a small, and powerful Mac.  This is good for a home theather computer or if you're switching from PC to Mac and want a inexpensive, small, and powerful Mac to start your journey into the Mac ecosystem.  It should work for a good amount of internet browsing and basic movie and photo editing flawlessly. The Mac Mini also works well for a home media server/storage server. Be aware that this computer doesn't come with a display or mouse and keyboard and you will have to provide your own. 

This is a great gift for a geek who is switching/planning on switching from PC to Mac or who wants a side computer.  I'd definitely reccomend the Mac Mini this Christmas.

$599-999 [Apple.com]

1. MacBook Air

The grand finale of this list is the MacBook Air.  This powerful laptop is great for anything from checking email, to editing HD Video and PhotoShop.  I use one everyday and would reccomend this to any geek in the market for a ultra-portable laptop that also has sufficent enough specs to do most everyday tasks with ease.  It also is surprisingly somewhat-durable due to the unit's lack of moving parts.  I have (by accident before) dropped the MacBook Air while it was on and I was able to use it right after picking it up without any damage to the system. 

This is the laptop I would reccomend to anyone in the market for a portable and powerful laptop that could go with them anywhere.

$999-1,599 [Apple.com]

These are my top 5 geeky gifts for 2011.  The products featured on this list are ones that are of top build quality and I would reccomend to anyone who asked me personally.  If you are buying gifts for another geek (or maybe for yourself), these are the things I would most reccomend getting for a geek this Christmas.  If you have anything I didn't cover, or any thoughts on my picks, leave them in the comments below.

-Carmen

Angry Birds for Google Chrome

Angry Birds is now available for Google Chrome in the Chrome app store. This game is just like the regular Angry Birds for mobile devices. The game is still in the beta stage and only has two level packs so far, but it says that more are coming soon.

EDIT: You can play Angry Birds on any web browser that supports HTML5 (Safari 5, Firefox 4, Chrome 11, IE9). Click here to play it now!

Do you think it's a good idea to have Angry Birds available on the computer?

Is iOS Saving Video Games?

Remember those days when you just couldn't beat your video games? Struggling for hours and hours to get past that one level, or boss? Games like Pac-man or Space Invaders that became impossibly difficult for ''casual'' gamers?

Well, if you have played games more recently you may have noticed that there is next to no challenge and somebody with very little experience will glide through the entire game in a day or two only to feel you have wasted your money and haven't got as much enjoyment from game you first expected!

However, Have a quick browse through the app store and you will be treated to a vast amount of games that will not only challenge your gaming ability, but will hold your interest for long enough to complete them (as we all hate having that game hanging around we just cannot beat!). For example: Angry Birds, a favourite to everyone and their grandmother! It has a strategic (and luck) style of game-play with a ''castle smasher'' genre.

Or maybe Plants vs Zombies (a personal favourite of mine) which is almost like the old playground game "british bulldog" but offers hours of fun and strategic game-play.

All in all I believe that iOS and the app store is pretty much saving and making up the much needed gaps for the game industry as a whole, offering a lot more bang for your buck than many full priced console games (lacking some aspects obviously).

Feel free to comment your opinion on the subject or put forward some of your favourite downloadable games, for iOS or other service.

Feel free to check out my Youtube channel for more game and tech info! youtube