Sixty-eight AU students participated in a cloak-and-dagger battle of ingenuity as part of a mock "Assassins" game on and off campus.
The students, operating through the group "AU Assassins for Life," hope to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society. Scott Brizzolara, a senior in the School of Public Affairs who organized the game, said the goal was not only to have a good time but also to raise some money for cancer research.
"Each student donated five dollars to get in the game," Brizzolara said. "I thought it would be a great idea to send that money to one of the most important charities in this country for cancer research, the American Cancer Society. I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected by cancer in some way, whether it be through a friend or a family member, and this was a great opportunity to help others out."
The rules of the game are fairly simple. Once the game began on Sept. 10, each participant received a target to "kill" via e-mail. Taking Facebook stalking to a whole new level, participants were then expected to use any sleuthing means necessary to learn about their target, find out his or her whereabouts and "assassinate" them to gain one or more points. Throwing a spoon at a target, or hitting the target with a ping-pong ball or water balloons, or "poisoning" the target's food with vinegar, are the accepted methods of assassination. Participants then report their kills online and receive new targets for each round.
The game is set up with several safe zones around campus. Kills during classes, during religious services and in the Kay Spiritual Life Center are prohibited. Participants are also not able to take out their targets if they live on the same floor, are off-campus roommates, or if their target is taking a standardized examination like the GRE.
To date, Brizzolara said several hundreds of dollars have been raised through the game.
Brizzolara's passion for "Assassins" began as a floor activity during his sophomore year and was rekindled last semester during a study-abroad experience at Oxford University. There, he encountered a large game of "Assassins" and had the idea to bring the game to AU. Starting with a simple Facebook group over the summer, the idea caught on quickly.
"I've always wanted to get a game like this going on a large scale," Brizzolara said.
Competitors have battled stealthily for weeks to try and assassinate each other to climb the ranks. As people dropped, however, it was clear who had skill and who didn't.
Matt Kent, a junior in SPA who holds the game's record of five kills via spoon, was long considered the frontrunner in the competition until he fell to the sinister spoon of Rachel Wood, a senior in School of International Service, on Friday.
"We just kind of bumped into each other in TDR," Kent said, proving it was impossible to let one's guard down for even a minute.
"My head was still in the clouds after my last kill, and it was my own dumb fault," he said.
"As much as I loved it, I'm relieved to get a break. Life can go back to not being neurotic all the time," Kent added.
When asked if he would consider playing again should the opportunity arise, Kent was quick to respond affirmatively.
"I highly encourage as many people as possible to come out and play. It's a hoot and a half, and it's for a great cause," he said.
Participants used many outrageous methods during the game to take out targets. One student cleverly packaged himself in a box and had himself delivered to his target's location, successfully obtaining a kill once the box was opened. Other students disguised themselves as representatives of a door-to-door evangelical organization. Fortunately, their target was tipped-off to the plan ahead of time and was able to successfully dodge the assassination attempt.
At press time, the "Assassins" game was in its third round, with eight players remaining from the original 15 vying for the top assassin spot. But for those students who weren't able to make it out for the first few rounds of the action, Brizzolara may have something in the works.
"I hope to be able to get something going in the spring," he said. "If it seems that there will be interest in another game, then absolutely"
