The Class of 2026 has started Senior Assassin, and we have had our first few eliminations. We are very excited to see who will be eliminated next. But while you are playing, have you ever thought to yourself, “How did Senior Assassin begin and what is the history behind it?”

Senior Assassin has been around for decades, but the earliest publishing we know about came from 1982. The book was called “Killer: The Game of Assassin” and it was by Steve Jackson. The book provided the first official rules. It also gives fun ways of eliminating players and suggests water guns. It seems what helped influence and popularize the game at the time was the 1982 horror movie, “The Assassination Games.”

The game rose to popularity in 2010. Many things spread it, from social media influence to shows like “iCarly” and “Gossip Girls” portraying it. Ever since then, schools have created their own version and rules to help make senior year memorable.

Over the years, the game has brought massive controversy. Some cases involve people getting into car accidents when trying to chase or block off the target’s car. Many students have been arrested for wearing ski masks and sneaking into places. There have been many arrests and incident reports because of how realistic some of the water guns have looked.

There are many more incidents that could be brought up, but luckily these incidents have gone down as schools make more rules like no trespassing, having to have bright-colored water guns, and not being able to eliminate people in certain areas. However, people have been asking to remove or change Senior Assassin, because of recent school shootings, calling the game tone deaf.

While Senior Assassin has had its controversy, it is still a fun and amazing senior experience that all seniors should get to try — even if they’re eliminated first.