Game On

How high schoolers play games through text messaging apps

Texting friends and playing games are two of the most popular things teenagers do on their phones, according to pewresearch.com. Teens can combine these two with the iOS app Game Pigeon. The app is available to iPhone users, allowing them to play popular games on iMessage with friends. It includes 23 different mini-games to play back and forth with anyone who has also downloaded the app. Some of these mini-games are more popular than others. These include games like 8 ball pool, cup pong and archery.

8 Ball:
This mini-game is much like the real-life version of pool. Players are chosen to be either stripes or solids. The first person to get all of their balls into the pockets plus the 8-ball wins.

“I really like playing 8 Ball against my friends,” freshman Jacob Edler said. “I don’t really have any strategies but I have played a lot, so I am really good.”

Cup Pong:
Cup pong is a fun game on GamePigeon that does not take much strategy, but mostly luck. Each person throws two ping pong balls into a triangle of cups and the first person to clear all of their cups wins.

“Playing cup pong is fun because you get to be precise with your shots,” junior Evan Carr said. “I don’t have any strategies but as you continue to play, you get better.”

Archery:
Another very popular iMessage game is archery. This game gives players three arrows each round. The closer the arrow is to the bullseye, the more points players will rack up. Whichever player earns the most points after three rounds wins the crown.

“GamePigeon is really fun but my favorite game is definitely Archery,” junior Jake Fetsch said. “It is fun to play because it is strategic and sometimes it can be hard.”

Crazy 8:
For this minigame, three or more players need to participate. This game is an exact replica of the game UNO. The player who runs out of cards first wins the game.

“I really like playing Crazy 8’s because it is fun to play with your friends or whenever you are bored in class,” freshman Macy Alber said. “The strategy I like to use is to try and give more cards to whoever has the least amount of cards.”