After Mild Game, 8 Split CU Assassins Prize

In a departure from the tradition of rewarding a single victor, the first-place prize of this year’s Columbia University Assassins went to eight different people.

CU Assassins is a game organized annually by the Engineering Student Council, in which participants sign up in teams of four and are issued plastic water guns and a target team. As teams eliminate their targets over the course of a few weeks, the circle of players closes in slowly until one player—or “agent,” as they are called in the game—remains. The $400 that was meant for the team with the last man standing will now be split among what looks like the last eight people standing, the final number of people determined at 11:59 p.m. last night when the game ended.

The pace of this year’s game, as players have observed, has been slow. “People are hiding a lot more, which slows down the game a lot if you don’t play,” said Kim Manis, SEAS ’09 and ESC vice president of student life. Manis was this year’s Assassins commissioner and ensured that the game ran smoothly. Because of the tendency of the remaining players to hide out in their rooms and wait for the game to end, the game administrators decided to issue an ultimatum of when to end the game.

“I must confess that the overall turnout was quite disappointing this year—mostly due to the lack of motivation from the police force,” Daniel Medrano, SEAS ’08, said, alluding to those who enforce the game’s rules. This was Medrano’s first and last time participating in the game. “I had heard rumors of legendary kills taking place as far away as Baltimore and New Orleans,” he said, referring to past years. Medrano met his death recently while mingling during the intermission of Spring Awakening on Broadway.

Despite what seems to have been a relatively less exciting season of Assassins, Medrano and other players still experienced the paranoia expected from such a dangerous situation. “During the first week of the game, it was easy to spot other assassins because they acted strangely and had their backs plastered against walls,” said Emi Ling, CC ’10, who was still alive when interviewed. “I like to think that my acting normally helped me look less suspicious.”

Ling said her strategy was to avoid high-traffic areas and places frequently mentioned in the kill reports, which are posted by players on the Assassins Web site. “I’ve only made one kill so far, and it wasn’t very interesting. I shot him multiple times in the back but he didn’t turn around,” she said. “I actually had to tap his shoulder and say ‘Excuse me, I just shot you,’ before he noticed I was even there.”

Medrano, who secured the position of making the most kills—nine, in fact—will win $100.

While slight, the boost is helpful in Medrano’s eyes. “As a graduating senior, still searching for an apartment, a car, etc., any means of income is invaluable,” he said.

ivy.chen@columbiaspectator.com