Angry Birds knocked from Top Free perch by Bubble Ball, made by an eighth grader

by Christopher Grant on Jan 18th 2011 4:30PM

If ever there was proof that neither we, the wise sages of Joystiq, or you, the savvy consumers of video game-dom, can ever hope to fully understand the delicate balance of the iPhone App Store ecosystem, this is it: The holiday-themed Angry Birds Seasons Free has been knocked from its perch atop the Top Free Games category by ... Bubble Ball. Which was developed by an eighth grader.

Young Robert Nay from Utah developed the game with his mother using the Corona SDK from Ansca Mobile. Making its debut less than three weeks ago, Bubble Ball has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, sending it to the top of the iTunes App Store, and dropping Angry Birds a pitiful three spots to number four. Of course, Angry Birds classic is still the Top Paid game, so it's hard to get too choked up.

Speaking of getting paid, the Corona SDK doesn't yet support in-app purchases, so the Nays will have to be content with the knowledge that their creation is bringing joy to hundreds of thousands of bored public commuters (not to mention adding a meaty bullet point to a certain someone's college application). For comparison, take a moment to reflect on how you spent your eighth grade year and then drown your sorrows in some Bubble Ball.

Source: VentureBeat
More coverage: Bubble Ball [iTunes], Nay Games

Tags: Android, Angry-Birds, Bubble-Ball, iPhone, Kari-Nay, mobile, Robert-Nay, rovio

Reader Comments (51)

This confuses me, as Angry Birds is a PAID app, Angry Birds Seasons Free is just running around in the top ten.

It's far easier to make a high ranking free app than it is to make a high ranking PAID app.

lame

This will make even Angrier Birds... what a great sequel title.

Programming is age indiscriminate.

Please tell me you sent an email to the Angry Bird devs to ask them how the felt being bested by an 8th grader.

@Courtney
I'm sure they will see your email while bathing nude in a pile of money, and promptly delete it.

Nothing is more exciting than an action packed trailer with NO AUDIO.

@mguniverse

the game has no audio. dont get your hopes up for that. the whole game is pretty basic, im also surprised its doing well

man, when i think of iphone games i just think of bland flash looking games, like this game for example. im gonna stick to real portable gaming.

@rahnyc4 platforms with a higher level to entry for creation have higher quality games? absurdity.

@rahnyc4 puts Infinity Blade to shame...

also, he's an eighth grader who's parents have a spare $350 to buy an SDK that claims to cut out 90% of the required programming ability to develop games/software . Wow he's awesome ain't he. Rich kid with too much time on his hands if you ask me. As for the "meaty bullet point" on a college application, all he'll be able to tell them is that he learned pretty much nothing about programming developing this game other than how to be ignorant of how the technologies work.

@xCameleonx

U jelly?

@xCameleonx

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.urlesque.com/media/2010/05/hatergif.gif

@xCameleonx Jealous much?

@xCameleonx

Not familiar with this SDK but SDKs aren't like Little Big Planet where you drag stuff around and then press build. You need to know what you are doing and often just use the SDK classes to do a lot tasks that are common to an application type.

As someone who has done some iPhone programming and has 10+ years programming in the industry, I can tell you iPhone programming is very difficult because of the proprietary tools and languages Steve Jobs forces everyone to use. Seriously iPhone development and Objective C is behind the times of modern programming tools. What he has done is impressive even with use of a SDK. $400 is cheap for developer tools. It's $100 to just register as a Apple developer and compile an application to a iPhone.

@OptimumEDGE No I just know there are a hell of a lot of developers out there that have their hard work ignored cos some kid's parents bought him the quick way to recognition.

@FriedConsole

I looked at this SDK and it claims to reduce code by 90% and apparently has a visual building system, comparing itself to flash, so yeah for a SDK this one is a bit like LBP. It seems to be that there are a lot of Flash 'coders' breaking into the industry that know basically nothing about software engineering and mathmatics and that hard working individuals who actually learn the hard parts are becoming a dying breed. As this story shows literally anyone and their mum can call themselves game developers and I think that these kind of monkey see monkey do tools are diluting the quality of the industry

@xCameleonx

So because I have a $600 iPad I am rich? 400 is not that much

@xCameleonx exactly, they are"breaking in!" Why should someone with a great idea be stymied by lots of code. Just because you know code does not mean your smart and creative.

@xCameleonx

You should try building a Flash application. There is some dragging and dropping as in all modern visual development environments, but to get it to do anything requires a lot of coding. Seriously those guys developing Flash games are very talented guys.

@Tachyonic Cargo It not a case of jealously. It's Cheap development kits like Corona, which require pretty much no knowledge of physics, graphical techniques, software optimization etc, are chopping the balls off of game development. My point was that it's damn easy to develop games when you can just pay for someone else to do all the hard work instead of doing it yourself. If I was the parent of this kid and he told my he wanted to develop games the only thing I'd have bought him would have been two books Big C++ and the first Graphics Gems book.

@jwb3913

yes

@FriedConsole
I've tried using Flash and I hate Actionscript as a language, anything I would need to do I could write a million times faster in C++ and I don't have time to learn the intricacies of the language, so I passed on it.

@jwb3913 because it's thing we use to call learning. Are you seriously trying to say that simply because someone has an idea they should be given an easy way into any industry? I remember when you learned to code then done games, not it seems that no real talent or creativity is required. Hmm what will I play next, shooter 50 million or pseudo 'retro' revival cash in...

@xCameleonx

I didn't know you were a programming language snob. You do know there are Assembler programmers out there that would call you a &ussy for using C++?

As somebody who programs boring business applications and someone who has failed (mostly due to lack of time) to write a game, I have a deep respect for someone who completed a game. Even an 8th grader who spent a good amount of time coming up with a concept, programming it, and put it out there for free.

I only wish I had the resources kids have now to write games when I was a kid. Maybe I wouldn't be writing boring business applications.

@jwb3913

Yes, you are rich by owning an iPad. Even by Western standards such a device would be considered an "upper middle class" product. From a global standard, you would be considered very rich. In fact, if you earn $10,000 USD a year or more, you're in the top 8% of the richest people in the world.

The more you know.

@FriedConsole
Wow so I'm a language snob because I didn't learn ActionScript. Just because I can code faster in C++ that makes me a snob? I've learned several languages over the past 10 years I looked at ActionScript and thought "Do I really want to learn another language? " and I decided on the side of no.

If you guys could spread that jelly on this piece of toast, I'd be appreciative. I'm getting pretty hungry.

For the record, I'm not jelly. If the game was .99 cents and the kid had paid for college and then some, I'd be jelly. Right now though? Meh. Too busy being jelly/afraid for humanity that the Jersey Shore cast makes as much as they do.

@xCameleonx You're making it seem like he beat the world because he used stolen orphanage funds to make a game about Nazis raping Jews. All he did was break into a harmless chart into a market that's practically brimming with crap games and stolen apps using a 350 dollar coding aid. He wasn't trying to steal anyone's thunder, he was just doing what many of us as kids would have done(and many more would have given up on) if we had ease of access to game development tools. That is, make a game.

I know I would have snapped up that chance in a second.

@xCameleonx
It's as though this kid is the only developer to ever use an SDK & that is somehow the reason his game is in the top slot (above all other games made with the same or other SDks)...
It's really not shocking to see someone downing the kid and it was expected really - but I expected more arguments against the simplicity of the game in the comments & less "This rich kid paid his way into developing". It seems haters can find quite a variety of reasons to hate.

@xCameleonx Get over yourself. If you were a seasoned programmer like you say you are you'd understand the beauty of code that makes writing something so complex so very simple.

By your insane logic anyone who uses .NET rather than writing their own socket programming and file IO logic themselves is a "thief" who just isn't talented enough to spend 5 years writing their own framework to do mundane things. I remember running into dorks like you in college who naively thought they would get out into the world and write everything in assembly language because it's the fastest.

There is no drag-n-drop SDK that handles everything with the twitch of a wrist. An SDK isn't a pre-made game, it's helpful tools for creating one. If you think this kid pulled off a whole game without knowing how to code you're completely delusional, which of course you are since your ego is obviously a bit dinged up since you're intimidated by a twelve year old.

I guess it's decent for his age, but it won't kill more than 20 minutes. Angry birds is a paid app btw.

@Mandarusuke Angry Birds Seasons Free isn't a paid app, as mentioned in the post.

@chrisgrant
Angry birds was free for me--as was this.

This must have been written by an eighth grader as well. Then again, in this day and age, perhaps even an eighth grader can use spell check.

End of last paragraph... "eighth"

This article must have been written by an eighth grader as well. I'm fairly sure even in this day and age, even an eighth grader knows how to use spell check.

End of last paragraph... "eighth"

And even though I am 27, I still fail at making posts.

/facepalm

@FerrisCJ24 I think even eighth graders are old enough to not nitpick like this.

How convenient. Call me a dumbass, but the level shown in the picture is the one I was stuck on.

Its a terrible game but the guy is 14. He'll be making the games we dream about in the future.

i actually don't think it matters if its fun, playable, or worth a crap. the big news to me is that this lil kid can add a line on his all too small resume that says he has an app with +1mil downloads, that's kinda cool.

I actually know this kids older brother, and he pointed me to this app a couple weeks ago. I had no idea that it would do this well; I thought it was just an average flash-like game. Good for him though!

Most of these games become popular by word of mouth. Also, people love free stuff. I have seen dozens of other games just like this one on various flash game websites. It just astounds me that they can become so popular, well unless news sites make posts about them.

Kids are capable of doing a lot of things. Just the other day I saw a 3 year old name all the presidents. It is cool and interesting but the back of mind tells me I don't care.

*reflects upon what he did in 8th grade...* hmmm made levels in thps2 and 4. Played some GTA 3 and FFX, and tekken tag tournament... oh and had a farm in harvest moon: save the homeland. Good times. =) thanks for reminding me joystiq!

When I was in middle school, the Nintendo 64, Playststion, and Saturn was just coming out, and the SNES was pretty strong. By the time the Nintendo 64 came out, I was just about to start high school.

Amazes me when I see a comment on some game like a Playstation 2 game, and someone says "This was the first video game I ever played!"

@Drakkenfyre

Well my first console was probably an atari at 3-4 years old and then a snes at around 5 which I highly enjoyed until I got a playstation in 1997. Sorry don't mean to be rude or anything but ps2 was not my first console I just have fond memories of it. :)

wow...... eight grade so like last year........ umm...... i chilled........ played some games..... wow wasted life huh?

Listen, I think it's cool an 8 year old is getting into development at such a young age. But me thinks this is only number 1 because it was made by an 8 year old, and not because it's deserving of the status.

But then again, I never have trusted the average iphone buyer to know what makes a great game. Angry Birds is good, but should it still be in the number 1 spot? Nope, too many other games have come out that deserve that spot. It's just too hard to break in without an absurd amount of downloads in one day. It would be nice for developers if people bought from more than the top 10 section.

@shard765

He's 14, and it isn't a big deal, when I was 12 I was a part of 3 different mod teams making mods for the Unreal engine, and HL1/HL2's engine. I don't know jack about making an iphone game as I've never in my life tried, but I can't see it as being that difficult when using an SDK toolset like he did. It's great that this kid is exploring things like this, but only if he isn't spending ALL of his time on it.

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Angry Birds

Angry Birds knocked from Top Free perch by Bubble Ball, made by an eighth grader

Reader Comments (51)

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 4:35PM dagamer34 said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 4:35PM lessthankris said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 4:37PM spacesuit501ishmypshn said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 4:40PM Leon Trotsky TDA said

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Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:02PM FriedConsole said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:06PM xCameleonx said

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Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:26PM jwb3913 said

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Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:30PM FriedConsole said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:30PM xCameleonx said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:36PM lessthankris said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:41PM xCameleonx said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 5:50PM xCameleonx said

Posted: Jan 18th 2011 6:05PM FriedConsole said

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