Police across the country are urging high schoolers to exercise caution in playing a popular so-called “assassin” water gun game, after the activity caused a scare in several communities.
The Portage Police Department in Indiana issued a message to the public on Facebook saying there was an incident in which a teenager was arrested and charged after playing the game, in which high schoolers “hunt” each other using water guns or some other sort of mock weapon.
The “senior assassin” game, which has found extreme popularity among American teens, is a live-action group game played by high school seniors, generally in celebration of their impending graduation.
The game typically pairs up anonymous “targets” and “assassins,” and requires the “assassins” to stalk their “targets” and “catch” them, usually by shooting them with a water gun, at which point the “target” is eliminated from the game.
Surviving competitors move on to the advanced rounds until winners are declared.
As the game has grown in popularity, so too have the tools teens use to master it, including an app that offers in-game maps and real-time chats to enhance the game’s experience.
The app’s description says its features “makes it easy, thrilling, and safe to organize and play.”
“Each player must agree to the guidelines before they can play,” the description states, noting that the guidelines “cover topics such as respecting private property, using clearly recognizable toys, and being respectful of their communities.”
Police around the country have issued warnings about the game, citing instances in which residents have been disturbed to see what they believed to be armed individuals hiding out in public or on private property.
Authorities have urged participants to exercise caution while playing, including using clearly identified fake weapons to reduce concerned calls to law enforcement.