High school seniors are ready to begin the game Senior Assassin on Jan. 26, 2025, throughout Orange County for the chance to win money.
The game is a fun way for seniors to stay interested in their last semester in high school. It also gives seniors the chance to participate in a fun competition that can allow them to win some money.
The game is played in pairs and consists of hunters who will attempt to eliminate their targets before their biweekly deadline. The game is not affiliated with ASB or the school; instead, it is played by many of the seniors on their own time. Senior Assassin will continue for the next couple of months until the last team is standing.
At 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 26, the list of all the teams playing will be paired against one another as targets are assigned. Each team only knows their target and who they must eliminate to stay in the game. The teams do not know who is trying to shoot them and are not allowed to shoot random people.
The seniors playing can eliminate their targets by shooting them with a small water gun and filming it. They must send the video in for review so it can count toward their target. The video must include proof of the target being hit by water.
Christine Lam (12) says, “I think it’s a great bonding experience for the seniors to have before we all graduate. It will be a fun game for us to look back on and a great opportunity to get to know other people from our class.”
If one person from the team is hit by water from their assassin, the entire team will be eliminated from the game. Occasionally, there may be a way for teams to get back into the game, but most often, if they are out, they have lost the game entirely.
To play Senior Assassin, students must pay a $15 fee and sign up for the game. The winners are the last team standing and will receive a large sum of money as their prize.
Some may see the game as a negative influence because it puts teams against one another. This can cause competition between teams and tension between seniors.
Ellie Bowles (12) says, “The game is a distraction from schoolwork and can cause unnecessary stress for students.”
The game allows people to shoot their targets in a variety of places; however, there are some restrictions. People cannot be hit on campus, at religious institutions, inside private places, into or from moving cars, inside homes, during practices, or at other high school games. This is to ensure that people are not creating disruptions and are being safe.
The bounty list consists of names of players who failed to get their target in the previous week. The list is posted to all the players, which allows them to be eliminated by anyone playing the game. To make it off the list, the teams must hit their target or another person on the bounty list before the time runs out.
Since the game consists of hundreds of seniors, it can stretch out over the course of a couple of months. Sometimes immunity and safe zone items can take effect to give teams an upper hand. Typically, the game continues for the entirety of the second semester and is a memorable event that seniors look forward to.
