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 addictive 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 game developer Rovio Entertainment began work on what would later become Angry Birds. With only a screenshot of a crossed-looking bird to guide them through production, in hindsight it’s hard to believe the team at Rovio was able to build an entire game around this sole image. At the time the “swine-flu epidemic” was making its rounds in the media and it was soon decided that pigs would be the sole enemy in the game.

The game became a runaway hit. 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 and launch your first bird you’d better get ready to clear your schedule for the next couple hours.

The initial release of the game was comprised of three chapters of 21 levels each (which over the course of two years would be expanded to include an additional 45 levels, new features, as well as ported version of the game to platforms like Android and Facebook).  In addition to popular media outlets touting its success, the game has also been culturally referenced on various TV shows (including Modern Family, 30 Rock, and The Daily Show). Angry Birds was announced as the best-selling app of 2010 and today generates over one million dollars every month in advertising revenue alone.

When you get right down to it, it’s the fun gameplay that brings people back to this title. Apple has made it possible for anyone to create games and become superstars overnight, Angry Birds is living proof that the next big hit can come from anywhere, at anytime.

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