Forty people are huddled around 10 standing kids in a circle during lunch – Is it a fight? Perhaps a rap battle? No. It’s an epic Ninja showdown.

Ninja is a game involving speed, strategy and reflexes that many kids now play during lunch.
“Any game that involves posing like a Ninja is amazing,” senior Sammi Greendwald said. “It’s such a fun way to kill time.”

The objective is simple: touch the enemy’s hand to win, a feat which is easier said than done considering the very specific rules of the game.

The game is initiated by simultaneous fist bumps, followed by each player drawing his hands back and setting up in his personalized battle stance. There is no set number as to how many people may play during one game.

“It’s a fun game that keeps you active with extreme suspense,” senior Nick Kovacs said.

After the game begins, one player calls first move, granting him the right to start the game. The person with the first move can make one action, which can consist of one footstep and one hand motion in which he or she moves his or her arm to either a new position or to attack an opponent. After that, the opponent is granted one reaction move to dodge the attack and then one action to move or attack the opponent.

“I play Ninja daily because I love the intensity of the game,” sophomore Jared Shapiro said. “It should definitely be considered a sport because so many people play it, and it takes a lot of skill and perseverance to become good at the game.”

Although Ninja is technically a contact sport, security usually does not break up games.

“We don’t stop it because it is not violent,” security team leader Terry Bell said. “If it draws a huge crowd and is disruptive, we stop it.”

In the end most students seem to enjoy and play this fun new trend as a way to pass the time.
“It’s now probably one of the best games ever created,” freshman Shannon Sweeny said.