Knockout Game Pigeon

Have fun with your friends by playing a collection of excellent two-player games! GamePigeon is an iMessage extension which features following games: 8-Ball Poker Sea Battle Anagrams Gomoku More games are coming very soon! Contact twitter presskit.

How much would you pay for a pigeon?

A Chinese racing fan forked out US$1.9 million for a prized pigeon on Sunday, shattering a record and ruffling feathers throughout the once European-centric sport.

The bird, named New Kim, might look like a typical city pest to the untrained eye, but she was named the best young bird in Belgium in 2018 — a high honour in a nation renowned for breeding homing pigeons.

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New Kim sold on Sunday after a heated final-hour bidding war between two Chinese buyers under the names Hitman and Super Duper. Super Duper ultimately landed the knockout blow with a $1.9 million bid, toppling the previous record for a bird.

The previous record-setting pigeon was a Belgian-bred bird named Armando, which sold for US$1.42 million last year.

Male pigeons typically sell for higher prices because they are easier to breed, according to Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, CEO and founder of the Pipa auction house that ran both sales.

“These record prices are unbelievable, because this is a female. Armando was a male,' Gyselbrecht told Reuters.

'We are in total shock,' said Kurt Van de Wouwer, whose family bred the two-year-old bird.

His father, Gaston Van de Wouwer, is a renowned breeder in the pigeon-racing world, and he recently retired. The family is now selling off its 445 birds.

The family netted more than US$11 million for the whole flock, according to Pipa. Chinese buyers bought two-thirds of the flock, including the nine most expensive birds. A few of the priciest pigeons were New Kim's offspring.

The prized pigeon might become a golden goose for its new owner, who is expected to use her for breeding purposes.

The Associated Press reports that New Kim's buyer is likely the owner of Armando. That means he or she could breed the million-dollar birds together.

Pigeons can typically breed until they are 10 years old, so New Kim still has plenty of productive years ahead of her.

Belgium is a hotbed for pigeon-breeding, thanks to a long history with the sport and a robust network of competitors who organize races close together. The formerly working-class sport has become a pricey pursuit, as deep-pocketed Chinese investors have joined the fray over the last decade.

Those investors will pay handsomely for the best birds from Belgium.

“Everybody is interested in our pigeons,” Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian pigeon federation, told The Associated Press.

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Chinese fans have developed a particular interest in one-loft pigeon racing. This sort of race involves housing all competitors in one coop for several months, then releasing them at a great distance and waiting for them to find their way back.

Bodengien says the sale of New Kim is a big deal, but it doesn't mean there will suddenly be room for new breeders.

“Anybody thinking about getting into our sport to get money out of it had better think again and move to another sport,” he said.

Knockout Game Pigeon Auction

'To be the best, it has to be your life's work.'

— With files from Reuters and The Associated Press

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.

Knockout Game Pigeon

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.

Knockout Game Pigeon Run

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.