Ari Collins
eSomethin staff
Some civilians walking through Perrysburg may have noticed a new trend in the senior class: goggles and floaties.
Though some students have purchased stylish goggles and armbands, these items are not fashion choices. Seniors are wearing swim gear out-of-water to protect themselves in the Perrysburg senior assassin game, an elimination-style game played over weeks using water guns. Students monitor the game through the app Splashin.
Aaron Cookson, the principal of Perrysburg High School, wrote to eSomethin that, “the game is not endorsed in any way, shape, or form by the high school.”
Although the game has been discouraged by school administrators, more than 150 seniors have signed up to play.
The first round of the game began in late April after senior Mason Thomas, administrator of the game, laid out the final rules and requirements.
Swim goggles, which must be worn over the eyes, and two arm floaties serve as protection for students. If they are worn correctly at the time of attempted elimination, the victim is protected and stay in the game.
In addition to these forms of protection, there are location restrictions. For example, individuals cannot be targeted at work during their shift, at school events like prom or at religious places of worship.
Thomas also decided that graduation party hosts will be protected at their own parties, should the game continue past graduation.
The game started with a total of 168 players, distributed into chosen teams of four. The teams would then be assigned another team to stand as their “target” for the round.
At the beginning of the round, the team would gain access to their target’s location and the ability to chat. The team then has the entire round to eliminate at least one member of the target team.
To eliminate a contestant, one must find their target, wait for the right time and squirt them with a water gun.
On top of that, proof of elimination is required. Students must submit videos of eliminations into the app where it can be viewed by all players.
Each round lasts five days and has one “purge day”—a 24-hour-period where goggles and floaties do not work as protection—at the end. If the team does not eliminate one of the targets by the end of the round, that team will be eliminated.
After “purge day,” the round ends and a new round begins. Targets are re-assigned and teams are auto-eliminated if they did not achieve their task.
Thomas just announced the game’s first “bounty” over Seth Merriman, stating in an alert: “If he survives he will be safe for the entirety of next round. If you eliminate the bounty, you will be safe for the entirety of next round.”
The pressure is on as more players are eliminated from the game, a shocking 43 students still remain. The next purge day is set for the day before prom.
The game has also provided entertainment for underclassmen, teachers and parents who get to hear new developments daily. The all-in-good-fun game is surely a thrilling way to end the school year.
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