“GamePigeon,” a mobile gaming platform that is available on iMessage, makes popular party games available on the go. On September 13, 2016, GamePigeon was released. In the fall of 2016, small groups of Hackley 7th graders played Crazy 8’s on the way up to the grade retreat to Pok-O-MaCready. Just as quickly as this platform’s popularity rose, it fell. Five years later, the same group of students, now seniors, began to play GamePigeon games again. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when seeing friends in person was not always safe or possible, GamePigeon games became a fun way to interact. While the platform does not allow for in-person interactions, in some ways GamePigeon games are even better than in-person games. They can be played over an extended period of time and an individual can have multiple games going against multiple people at the same time. Since it came out in 2016, the platform has offered a revolutionary way to interact via texts. Especially during the pandemic, GamePigeon has become a great way to interact with friends from afar. While the app is free, users can pay for additional features such as “skins”, new avatars, zero ads, and other cosmetic items.
While most GamePigeon games can only be played between two players, Crazy 8s can be played by 3-6 players, making it popular within group chats. Whether it is on the bus to a sports game or during a free, GamePigeon games are a popular way to pass time. One favorite among the Dial Staff is Word Hunt. A 90 second timer begins when the game is clicked. Then, competitors try to find as many words as possible within the given time frame. The free version contains a 4 by 4 square with randomly generated letters. Players connect letters diagonally, vertically, and horizontally to make words. Longer words result in more points. In the paid version of the game, users can send different configurations of the letters to their friends.
The short game times, competitive nature of teens, and high screen times make GamePigeon a popular and addictive game. Senior Jonathan Brewster loves Darts on GamePigeon. Brewster notes that depending on his workload for the week he plays around ten games of darts against his peers every day. Brewster loves GamePigeon because “it keeps you connected to your friends and it is fun to play a quick game. Also [he is] competitive by nature so it is fun to have competitions with [his] friends.”
Senior Devin Bernstein’s favorite games are Word Hunt and Darts. Devin noted that he enjoys that the GamePigeon platform offers an “interactive and even competitive way” to talk to his friends.
If you enjoy texting your friends and playing one on one games such as pool, darts, checkers, or multiplayer games such as Crazy 8’s or 20 questions, send them a GamePigeon request and start playing!