In the last couple of decades, parents and social scientists have worried about the addictive nature of video games. Now, with the emergence of smart phones, people can play games any time, day or night, and some new games have the potential to become completely absorbing.

One of these new games is Angry Birds, where players slingshot various birds at structures hiding green pigs, with the objective of destroying all the green pigs. Angry Birds has become a phenomenon among those with smart phones such as the iPhone or Android-based models.

Richard Pridgen, a senior in paper science and engineering, heard about the game from a friend when it first became available for the Droid platform. Pridgen said the game can become addicting.

“I tend to play whenever I am bored. It’s not really something that I go out of the way to play, but it’s something to fill the time,” Pridgen said. “It’s a challenging game, but not too difficult. It also happens to be one of the few games that really use the touch screen on the new smart phones.”

Vihn Ngo, a sophomore in criminology, said the game is addicting because the concept is simple and there are many levels to beat.

“The multiple ‘weapons’ and tricks each bird possesses make the game fun to play,” Ngo said.

He also said the game has become such a phenomenon because the graphics are decent and “the concept of birds and pigs is charming.”

Brandon Gadwah, a junior in political science, gave his opinion on the game.

“The interface is very user-friendly, and it’s just plain fun,” Gadwah said. “I don’t think there have been any previous games like Angry Birds.”

Pridgen also said the interface and concept are key to the game’s success.

“It’s a fun game with a well-built design, and the story behind it is a little funny as well,” Pridgen said.

Sid Fowler, a senior in philosophy, said all of his friends are hooked on the game, but since he has an older version of the Android system, the game is not compatible on his phone.

“It’s been a source of contention,” Fowler said.

Rebecca Davis, a junior in communications, said she found the Angry Birds application when she first got her iPhone because it was rated one of the most popular applications available.

“Everyone I know likes it, but they tell me to be careful because it’s so addicting,” Davis said.

The application is free for Android users, but iPhone users must pay for the regular version. Davis said she got the “lite” version instead of the regular version because it was free.

Due to the popularity of the original version of Angry Birds, the developer – Rovio Mobile – released special edition versions, where the levels are based off of seasons.

“I have the Angry Birds Seasons game,” Pridgen said. “I actually don’t have the original. My phone wouldn’t download it for some reason. I like to play the game based on the seasonal mood – Christmas, Halloween, etc.”

According to Pridgen, no game before Angry Birds had similar success on phones.

“I do have a lot of friends who play the Scrabble game or the trash can toss,” Pridgen said. “But, those aren’t quite as entertaining for some reason.”

The Angry Birds phenomenon has led to more than 75 million downloads across all platforms, and the newest announcement about the series will undoubtedly lead to even more success.

On Friday, Rovio announced a new Angry Birds game. The game will be titled Angry Birds Rio, and in a brilliant stroke of franchise marketing, it will be released alongside the new film Rio as a movie tie-in game.

The film Rio is an animated animal love story from the creators of Ice Age. It will be distributed by 20th Century Fox and according to Fox, tells the story of “a macaw named Blu, who leaves his native Minnesota for Rio when he meets Jewel, the bird of his dreams.”

Rio will feature the voices of George Lopez, Jamie Foxx and Anne Hathaway and is scheduled to open in theaters on April 15.

The game Angry Birds Rio will hit smart phones in March, a fact that will make millions of Angry Birds addicts across the globe very, very happy.