Some of GamePigeon’s most popular games: Gomoku, Checkers, Sea Battle, Anagrams, 8-Ball, and Knock-out

Thanks to iOS 10, it’s now easier than ever to discreetly be off task during class. The software update, among other things, has incorporated a variety of apps directly into iMessage. One free app that has become especially popular among students is GamePigeon. GamePigeon allows players to challenge friends in 11 different games via iMessage.

Of course, not every game is created equal. To help fellow time-wasters, the Crier decided to rank the best and worst of what GamePigeon has to offer.

1. 8-Ball: The simplicity of 8-ball makes it outrageously addictive. Its instant popularity at Conant is a testament to that, which is why it earned its place at the top of this list. Like with other 8-Ball apps, the goal is aim and shoot the balls on the virtual pool table into the pockets while avoiding the black 8-ball, but playing the game against your iMessage contacts fuels the competition. Don’t bother with the difficult mode, as the gams immediately goes from fun to impossible and frustrating.
2. Anagrams: If you like word games, this is one of the best out there. You are given five letters and one minute to make more words than your friend. The game’s short length is convenient, and the face-off is highly competitive and fun.
3. Sea Battle: Again, the concept here is nothing new: attack your opponent’s grid to find all the ships they’ve placed. What takes this version to the next level are the graphics, particularly the “explosions” when you hit a player’s ship.
4. Gomoku: This severely underrated game has origins in ancient Japan.The object of the game is to get five pieces in a row before your opponent. It’s an easy enough premise, but there is a surprising amount of strategy required.
5. Knock-out: In Knock-out, you command your four penguins to try to knock your friend’s penguins off the block of ice you share while they try to do the same. It’s fun to watch the penguins slide around after being released. The game is usually finished after only a couple rounds.
6. Checkers: There isn’t much to say about this–it’s just a classic game of checkers. It’s pretty mindless, but a good way to kill time. Unfortunately, just like real checkers, it can drag on a bit towards the end.
7. 4 in a Row: Yes, you can now use a device intended for school work to play a game you probably mastered when you were in kindergarten. 4 in a Row is just as boring as you remember it being. Gomoku is a similar but more interesting option.
8. 9-Ball: This recently added game isn’t bad; it just feels unnecessary. It’s a lot like 8-ball, except it’s less fun and has more rules.
9. Dots and Boxes: I have never been a fan of this game, but the classic setting for it–in a restaurant with crayons on a paper tablecloth–is a lot better than the iPad.
10. 20 Questions: 20 Questions is a fine game, but there’s absolutely no reason to use GamePigeon to play it. The interface is cumbersome and takes away from the rapid-fire style of the game.
11. Poker: This virtual poker offers no tutorials, a major flaw that made it worthless for beginners like myself. For seasoned players, though, it may still provide decent entertainment value.

A racing pigeon from Belgium has set a new world record after being sold for more than £1.4million.

New Kim, a three-year-old female, was initially put up for auction for just €200, but after a two-week bidding war she fetched a staggering €1.6 million.

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During a frantic last half-hour, two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms of Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by £251,000 (€280,000). Super Duper submitted the winning bid.

The bird’s breeder and owner Kurt Van de Wouwer said he and his family were 'in shock' at the news.

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Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, founder of Pipa auction house for racing pigeons, shows off the prized bird

REUTERS

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The final total left the previous record set by fellow Belgian-bred bird, Armando, trailing behind by around £314,000 (€350,000).

Armando, who was nicknamed the 'Lewis Hamilton of pigeons' for his racing prowess, was retired when he was put up for sale in 2019.

Video: Meet Belgian racing pigeon worth over £1.4m (Sky News)

New Kim won a number of competitions in 2018 but has also now retired.

Belgians have long stood out as the best breeders, both because of their generations-long experience.

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“Everybody is interested in our pigeons,” Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian pigeon federation, explained.

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“To be the best, it has to be your life’s work. For some, it may seem boring. Day in, day out. Winter and summer, always those pigeons.”

China often features one-loft racing, where pigeons are housed in a single coop for months and then released hundreds of miles away.

They must then use their unique sense of orientation and special speed training to make their way back.

Top prizes can reach into the tens of millions of euros.