The phone lights up. You see it vibrate on your desk. While you should be paying attention in class, all you can do is think about beating your opponent in a game of pool.
The Pigeon game is becoming the newest addiction based off the strong following that Apple has. Pigeon, a game only accessible on Apple devices, has taken over people’s lives by allowing them to play the game within text messages, becoming the first of its kind. With the options of playing Pool, Poker, Sea Battle, Anagrams, Checkers, Knockout, Four in a Row, Dots & Boxes, 20 Questions and Gomoku, it allows people to interact with each other in a new way.
Not only can people play games with each other, but the multitude of games also bring back the nostalgic feel of the classic games that were played when they were younger.
I made it my personal job to do an in-depth review of this current trend, because I find myself constantly checking my phone to see if someone has texted me back so I can continue the game of pool. The Pigeon app itself is a brilliant creation by appealing to most since the games are oriented to people of all ages. I enjoy the fact that it does not take up a lot of space on my phone and that it is easy to access instead of opening and closing a whole other app.
The game is also easy to understand and operate. In no time at all, with a little practice and patience, most people can become a poker expert. However, what I’ve found is that some of the newer additions to the game such as Knockout are kind of boring. It’s so simple that it’s hard to understand what the actual point is, since it seems like there is none.
A smart feature of the app as a whole is that, once the player plays their turn, they cannot go back and change it. Trust me, I have tried. This allows people to follow the “honor code” in a way because they cannot cheat against their opponent.
One thing I did notice about the app is when you open it, watch your opponent take their turn and then exit out of the app, it will sometimes freeze, which can get annoying. Also, in order to play, you have to make sure the app is at its most up-to-date version. You have to be upgraded to iOS10 to play, excluding the earlier versions of the Apple product.
I know that many of my friends are addicted to the game, but it can pull away from one’s focus when paying attention to something else. In all honesty, is it even worth playing this game? For all the time that someone can be playing with this technology, they could be interacting with another person. In this day and age, more and more people are avoiding actual interactions with others. They hide behind a screen and consider that to be their “face-to-face” communication.
While technology does have its advancements and benefits, it can also be one of the leading causes to pulling people away from the real world and more into the virtual world.
Sure, people have fun when playing this game (myself included), but playing the actual real-life versions may be much more fun with company that is thoroughly interactive instead of waiting for a text.
Pigeon is a great app that is well-designed. It expands on a whole new concept for its players by playing through text messages. Sadly, I would have to say it is much better to play them in real life so you can talk to people in person and express your true personality.
