It’s just after third period and junior Rebecca Choi is walking down the hallway, trapped inside of a hoard of students migrating to their next classes, when suddenly she feels something cold on the nape of her neck. She screams and runs away as fast as possible, bumping into crowds of curious people. For the rest of the day, she nervously walks around with a feeling of paranoia that she can’t quite get out of her head.
Choi is currently involved in a game called “Assassin,” the latest trend at CHS. The game is simple—players must attempt to “kill” their targets and safely escape from their predators.
“Every person participating is assigned a ‘target,’” Choi said. “Their goal is to ‘kill’ their target by making a two-inch mark on their neck.”
CHS welcomed this new game at the beginning of the school year. It was introduced by junior Ben Fox, a writer on the Observer. Students began to witness these “assassinations” daily. As curiosity grew, participation began to expand beyond Fox’s group of friends. Now, about two additional groups are involved in the game.
“The game definitely adds some excitement to the cumbersome task of walking through the hallways to class every day because you have to constantly be on the lookout for your target and your potential killers,” junior Will Gallagher said.
There are currently several different groups playing Assassin. Although rules may vary among groups, everyone must follow a few basic rules. These rules include no covering of the neck, a requirement that each marker slash must be at least two inches long and the provision that “kills” only count during lunch or between classes, so as not to interfere with learning.
After each kill, the person who was “killed” passes over his or her target to the “killer” and this continues until two people are left to “kill” each other. Depending on the group playing, the prize, or punishment, could be anything from money to baked goods.
“When you get tagged it’s aggravating because you feel as if you weren’t being aware enough and you let your guard down,” Gallagher said.
According to Gallagher, he uses several different strategies which include using his “peripheral vision” to “keep track” of everyone surrounding him. This helps him stay “awake and focused” in the morning.
Although it is an entertaining game to play and watch, it can be dangerous if rules and regulations are not set in stone. Fights can break out due to the competitive nature of certain players. Participants may end up staying away from their friends at lunch, thus weakening their relationships.
According to Fox, he participated in “Assassin” at a summer camp and decided to make it work in a school environment by making it fit into a “school schedule” and adding “sharpies and target cards” to reduce chances of cheating.
Due to the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings, the original “Assassin” game involving Nerf or dart guns was banned by multiple colleges, including Nebraska University.
According to a March 2007 Fox News article, Juan Franco, the vice chancellor for student affairs at Nebraska University, called the game “disruptive” and “dangerous” and banned it from the school.
Despite the dangers of this game, students have tweaked the rules to make it school appropriate and fun, which would mean switching from the original Nerf or dart guns to simple Sharpies.
“It’s supposed to be a fun thing to do with my friends,” Fox said. “It’s something to make the school day more interesting.”
