Senior assassins is the months-long competition where you try to eliminate your target with water while also evading your assassin. Although the chances of being the last player standing are slim, careful planning and strategy can bring almost anyone to victory.

Despite concerns about how far participants should go in order to try to win, playing seriously and going all out is the best way to enjoy the event and have the most fun, especially if all the hard work pays off.

People should buy water guns and goggles if they do not already have them, strategize with their friends to coordinate “kills” and stay in safe areas whenever possible.

On March 1, seniors traveled to Pavilion Park, In-N-Out and Top of the World for a senior assassins scavenger hunt. Those who were eliminated had a chance to get back into the game, and those still in the game won an advantage. Either way, it was a chance for seniors to bond with classmates.

“Me and three of my friends met up at Panera to do the hunt,” senior Kameran Mody said. “[The most memorable part was] racing to the [Top of the World] and rejoicing that we got back into the game, even though it was raining at the top.”

Trying your heart out by plotting your next kill and staying safe from assassins instead of going out to dinner with your friends may be the difference between getting eliminated and staying alive for another round. An easy way to get a kill is by camping outside someone’s house out of sight.

Although there may be some concerns about stalking people and violating privacy, these situations are rare. It is not necessary to have eyes on your target 24/7, but knowing what time they leave for school is useful.

Even if you do not end up winning, the best experiences come when you have truly dedicated your life toward getting your target out, staying alive or even getting trying to get back into the game. Spending more time on events like the scavenger hunt can elevate your playing experience.

“[The scavenger hunt] was really fun because of the adrenaline and how much was on the line for us to get back into the game,” Mody said. “At the end we had to run up the mountain where we had senior sunrise to be one of the first people there and get back in the game.”

By going all out and attending every event, you set yourself up for victory and the great experiences that come with it.

No matter the result, senior assassins is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Who knows – you may even end up winning it all.

Senior assassins has become a unifying event in the high school experience, in which second semester seniors spend invaluable time with their classmates one last time, embarking on what should simply be a harmless yet, competitive game.

Senior assassins serves as a way to unite the senior class. However, when players take the game too seriously by violating others’ privacy or nitpicking at the small details it can diminish the positives of the experience.

The main purpose of senior assassins is to “kill” your assigned target out of the other players by pouring water on them through a variety of means.

There are a set of rules, decided entirely by the gamemasters, seniors Gabi Taylor and Sol Ibanez, including locations that you can and cannot “kill” your target, ways of protecting yourself with floaties or goggles and when you can get said target.

The specifics of these rules are instrumental in the strategy of the game as there are certain windows of opportunity in which players can get their target.

Despite the friendly nature of the game, players who invest time arguing in the comments or disputing “kills” have made Portola High’s first game less enjoyable.

“I think the fact that people are trying to argue with every little thing is concerning,” senior assassins co-game master and senior Sol Ibanez said. “People take this game too seriously and end up causing those who are still in to stop playing because it is not enjoyable anymore.”

While taking the game too seriously can be a mild annoyance to players trying to casually play, a more severe issue arises when players employ the mentality of attempting to win by any means.

Following players around for hours is an extreme violation of privacy, especially for the students’ family members not involved in the game.

“I don’t think anything is fair game,” Ibanez said. “I think following someone out for lunch or going where they know someone is is okay. But it is not okay to violate someone’s privacy or break the law.”

With some players getting into petty arguments regarding how they ended up getting “killed” or the ambiguity of how the rules are determined, it is important to be cognizant of why the game is being played.

Ultimately, regardless of matters of pride or money, senior assassins is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy one final senior experience with people they may never see again, and engaging in the game light-heartedly rather than going all out gives all players the opportunity to have fun.