Simple Video Games? Not So Simple After All

We often play games in our daily lives to escape reality. But have you ever wondered how much complexity hides behind building even the simplest game?

You might ask, “Why should I believe you if you’ve never made a game?” Well, I’ve actually tried building a few — including a replica of Flappy Bird. And let me tell you honestly: it’s not easy at all.

Sure, AI today can generate a basic game in minutes, something that might take us days or weeks to code. But that only goes so far. AI struggles with the finer touches that make a game fun and addictive. That’s why, unlike web development, I don’t see game development becoming fully automated anytime soon. Games are about experience, and experience still needs a human touch.

👉 If you want to try my version of Flappy Bird, you can download the executable here: 🔗 GitHub: Flappy Bird Clone by Harsha

Let’s Dive into Game Development

The objects we see in a game aren’t just random graphics. They’re a collection of sprites (images or animations). The challenge isn’t only drawing them, but also coding them to move, interact, and respond at the right time.

Take Flappy Bird for example: Released in 2013, it became a global sensation. At first glance, it looks like it only uses a handful of graphics:

• Background sprites (sky, ground, pipes)
• Bird sprite sheet (with a few frames of flapping animation)

That’s it — no 3D models, no fancy shaders. Just a few images. But turning these pieces into a working, fun game is way harder than it looks.

The Hard Tasks Behind a Simple Game

1. Game Loop (The Heartbeat)

   Every game runs on a loop: update → render → repeat.

   • Update: move the pipes, apply gravity, check collisions.
   • Render: draw the bird, pipes, and background at ~60 FPS.

   while (gameRunning) {
       handleInput();      // user taps or clicks
       updatePhysics();    // gravity + velocity
       checkCollisions();  // pipes and ground
       renderFrame();      // draw everything
   }

   

2. Physics (Gravity and Movement)

   The bird falls naturally due to gravity, and a tap applies an upward force. Balancing this is tricky — too much gravity makes the game unfair, too little makes it boring.

   // Gravity effect
   velocity += gravity * deltaTime;  
   birdY += velocity;
   // On tap
   if (input == TAP) {
       velocity = -jumpForce;  // bird goes up
   }



3. Collision Detection

   Every frame, we need to check if the bird has hit a pipe or the ground. A single bug here makes the game unplayable.

   if (bird.intersects(pipe) || bird.y >= groundLevel) {
       gameOver = true;
   }

   

4. Scoring System

   Scoring is moderately easy: +1 point when the bird passes a pipe. But you have to track when the bird has successfully crossed and prevent double-counting.

   for (Pipe pipe : pipes) {
       if (!pipe.passed && bird.x > pipe.x + pipe.width) {
           score++;
           pipe.passed = true;
       }
   }

   

5. Game States

   The game has to handle different modes:

   • Ready → waiting for tap.
   • Playing → running physics, collisions, score.
   • Game Over → freeze physics, show restart option.

   Managing these transitions without bugs is harder than it looks.

   

Why This Matters

My clone of Flappy Bird is just an offline game. It doesn’t need any database or backend — the score is stored only in memory during gameplay. Simple enough, right?

But now think about what it takes to build a AAA game:

• Multiplayer servers handling millions of players.
• Realistic physics engines for cars, bullets, or characters.
• Gigabytes of high-quality textures, animations, and sounds.
• AI-driven enemies, storylines, and player interactions.
• Massive teams of developers, designers, and testers.

What feels like “just another game” is actually the work of years, hundreds of people, and millions of lines of code.

Takeaway

Even a tiny game like Flappy Bird teaches the fundamentals: physics, collisions, scoring, game loops, and polish. If such a simple-looking game is this challenging, you can only imagine the effort behind building a AAA title like GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, or Elden Ring.

So the next time you play a game — simple or complex — remember: behind that fun lies a world of hidden complexity, creativity, and code.