February 1, 2017

Alex Pomeroy, Connor Ball, and Sofie Brutsaert

Staff Writers

Since Sept. 13, 2016, students at Jamesville-Dewitt High School have devoted their free time to GamePigeon, a new IOS 10 iMessage feature.

“It’s spectacular,” said freshman Joe Staples.

After it’s release, the app quickly caught on. The majority of students found out about the app from close friends and continuous game requests. Freshman Pranathi Adhikari says all her friends were playing it. Sophomore Shannon Beaudry said she was curious about the icon that appeared and decided to give it a shot. “The update came and I was like ‘what’s this sign on my keyboard,’ and then I started to figure it out and… GamePigeon.” said Beaudry.

Many students play during school during their lunch periods or free time throughout the day. Games begin with a game request through iMessage. Then the players play back and forth in turns, and each player has as long as they want to respond. Depending on the game and the skill of the players, the number of turns can be many or very few. “It can take anywhere from an hour to a week (to play a game) depending on how long the person takes to respond,” said senior Mannish Duggal. Junior Michael Anderson says he usually plays after school when all of his homework is completed.

Most students agree that the best game available on the app is 8 Ball. In total, 33 out of 44 students said it was their favorite. “It really makes me think about how to use trajectory to get the ball in the hole,” said senior Haley White. According to junior Kelsey Braun it can be difficult to play, as many of the app’s games represent real world games, like 8 Ball and pool, giving them a different feeling from their real world counterparts.