Get your water guns ready, Senior Assassin is back on. 

Senior Assassin, the game that the senior class partakes in each year, was put on pause after it initially started Monday, April 11th. Although the game was underway with multiple people having been eliminated, the senior student senate decided to reevaluate and restart the game due to confusion over the rules and leaked information on Tuesday afternoon. Despite mixed reviews among the senior class over the decision, the game officially starts back up today, April 18th.

The game of Senior Assassin is played by having teams of two work together to try to eliminate other teams by squirting them with water guns. Once a team eliminates their targets within the given time frame, they are given a new target. The last team standing wins the game. 

This year’s game of Senior Assassin seemed to be running smoothly for the first few days, but due to an unclear set of rules, multiple players were confused, and it became difficult to determine the validity of several eliminations.

Initially, the game had a master rulebook consisting of 29 rules detailing where, when, and how players can eliminate their targets. However, Nathan Mendoza (‘22), a member of the student senate, explained that, “there were so many rules in there so people were asking questions in the middle of it. Rules were being made as the game was going and I think it got confusing.” 

What ultimately led to a pause of the game however, was when the list of each team’s assigned target was released. This list, created by the referee and coordinator of the game, was intended to remain confidential so each team could choose whether or not to share any information with other players. With this information leaked, all players knew who had who, thereby ruining the secrecy component of Senior Assassin. 

After this, student senate decided to appoint two new referees, create a new and straightforward set of rules, and reassign targets to each team, to essentially “restart” the game. Players who had been eliminated were also allowed back into the game. 

While some players, such as those who didn’t like their original targets or those who have already been eliminated, are happy about the fresh start, other players are a lot more frustrated. Elise Riddell (‘22) was one player who got her target early on in the game and was shocked when she learned that the game was restarting. She said, “I was beyond excited that my plan had worked. I woke up super early and sat in the rain for a long time to get [my target]. I didn’t think I would actually get someone out before someone got me out.” Riddell continued, “when I heard that all of mine and my partner’s work have been reversed, it made me feel defeated.”

Morgan Veno (‘22), who had already done a lot of preparation and strategizing, shared a similar sentiment: “We’ve already had so much taken away from us that the list getting leaked and spread around by a junior was utterly disrespectful. I know it’s just a game but it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I was a freshman, so it’s a big deal.”

Keegan Horne (‘22) was the original referee and coordinator of the game who stepped down from the position at Tuesday’s meeting after facing criticism from the senior class over his performance. He fully admits that he made mistakes and recognizes the frustration of some students, but he also points out that the responsibilities of the job are a lot harder than they may seem. “It was really, really stressful being the only one trying to do it, especially with 132 people signed up and managing all that while each person asked me questions,” he explained. Horne is glad that the student government stepped in to reevaluate the situation and hopes that the two newly appointed referees will help the game run more smoothly. 

Despite the hiccup, the student senate hopes that all confusion has been cleared up and that the game will be just as exciting as it was before. “There was some harm done, but it wasn’t super bad. It’s only two days into the game and I think the restart is gonna be good and it’s gonna bring back a lot of the fun,” says Mendoza.  

The new referees/coordinators of the game are Avel Durant (‘22) and Addie Berglund (‘22). For any questions about the game, reach out to the Instagram account @orhs_22_assassin.