You peek out of your door. Your target has been spotted. You prowl down the hallway, your heart racing in anticipation. Your pace quickens as you run up and catch your prey.
Don’t worry, it’s just a game!
Junior RA and computer science major Brian Murray wanted to find a way to start conversations between the boys and girls on the seventh floor in Elkton Hall. As an RA, it’s part of his job to encourage the people on his floor to get to know each other. Brian remembered playing “Assassin” when he was a freshman on his floor, and he figured it would be a fun activity to spur conversation, or at least help people to learn some new names.
Twenty-eight people signed up to participate in the game. Each person gets a target, and to “assassinate” your target you must hit them with a clean pair of socks without any witnesses. Once you have killed your target, you receive their target to kill next. The game continues until one person is left standing: the last assassin.
Freshman mechanical engineer major Erik Grant believes “more than likely” he is going to be the winner. His main tactic is waiting in rooms until the coast is clear and then running back to his room as quickly as possible.
In contrast, Murray believes a girl will be the winner.
“Looking at who has died so far, my guess is that a girl is going to win since more boys have died,” he says. In one week of competition, 12 people have died: seven boys and five girls.
Freshman accounting major Jess Cronin says that her favorite part has been seeing people sprint from the elevator to their rooms out of fear of being caught by their assassin. The game has brought fun and friendships on the seventh floor of the dorm.
So, if you see people walking around campus with socks in their clothing pockets or backpack sides, don’t be alarmed; it’s probably just someone from Elkton Hall, Floor 7 prepared for a run-in with their target…
Either that, or someone who just so happened to be doing laundry and homework at the same time.