One game. 271 students. $2795 on the line. Senior Assassins has returned for another year. 

Senior Assassins is typically played every year around February, exclusively by seniors. Players work towards eliminating their targets with water guns, and aim to be the last one standing. As of Mar. 2, 174 players have been eliminated. 

The main rule is to shoot your target with a water gun before the deadline. However, even after killing their target, players must stay on the look-out, and protect themselves from their assassin. .. After a student kills their target, they receive their victim’s target, and the game progresses. 

If a player fails to kill their target by the Sunday deadline, they are placed on the bounty list. To get off the list and back into the game, a bounty player must kill another player on bounty. If they fail to do so by deadline, or are killed before they kill, the player is permanently eliminated from the game. 

Unaffiliated with ASB, this year Senior Assassins, is ran by senior Siyona Shah. 

“I think being a part of ASB, a group that is already focusing on the students, made me want to take charge of it,” said Shah. 

Keeping up with the game can be difficult for both players who have a busy schedule, as well as the coordinator, who dedicates extra hours to put the game together. 

“It definitely takes me a couple hours a day working on it. Every Sunday I work from morning to evening. The texts I send are manual, so I have to go through and send a text to each person,” said Shah. 

Students participating in the game must pay an entry fee of 10 dollars. Once the game has finished, 60% of the money goes to the first place winner, 20% goes to the second place winner, 10% goes to the assassin with the most kills, and 10% goes to the game coordinator. 

“I think that the game is a cool idea and concept and brings all of us together. I want to see how far I get and it adds some excitement to life,” said senior Shaili Desai. 

The game began on February 13, with many already eliminated in the first 24 hours. Senior Elle Billington was one of these players, who was killed in her garage while walking to her car before school. And, it was her birthday.

“The game is so fun and exciting but stressful, you don’t know when they are coming and that’s what happened to me on my birthday. I only lasted one day,” said Billington. 

Students have been hiding for up to several hours in numerous locations to try and kill their target. 

“I knew where Lindsey Destefani was going to be on Valentine’s Day so I waited outside for 2-3 hours. I got so hungry I postmated myself food and ate on the side of the road while waiting for her,” said Desai. 

Some have found creative ways to progress in the game, including dressing up in  disguise to kill their opponents. Senior Cruz Magee disguised himself as an elderly man struggling on the street, in hopes of getting his target’s attention.

“I had no idea who my target was. I tried to shoot him at his house but I got caught by his dad. I had my friend Austin tell me when his car was coming so I could walk down the street and fall. He walked towards me and that’s when I pulled out my gun and shot him,” said Magee. 

Although Senior Assassins has been a huge success, there has been some recent criticism regarding the rules of the game. 

“The rules that I generated were just based on rules last year and the year before. What I’ve noticed is the criticism that I have gotten is always from the people who get out, to try and find their way back in,” said Shah. 

Despite the criticism, Senior Assassins will continue on until one senior is left.

“I love senior assassins, it’s such a fun game that has brought us all together,” said Magee.