‘Be aware’: Calgary police say popular ‘Senior Assassin’ game comes with risks

Calgary police are warning about a popular game being played by high school students called 'Senior Assassin.'

Calgary police worry it’s only “a matter of time” before a major incident will occur as students throughout the city participate in a popular game known as ‘Senior Assassin.’

The live-action game is typically played by senior high school students and involves players eliminating ‘targets’ during a set time period using water guns, spray bottles or other methods.

In Ontario, police issued warnings after students with replica firearms or spray-painted water guns prompted lockdowns and community alerts.

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In Guelph, Ont., for example, a school was put into lockdown earlier this month and a teen was arrested at gunpoint after police were called about a group spotted with a gun.

The weapon turned out to be a realistic-looking water gun.

“We haven’t, fortunately, had any major incidents in Calgary yet,” said Insp. Colleen Bowers with the Calgary Police Service’s Youth Services section. “I fear that it could be a matter of time.”

“There are youth that are playing this game, and the concern is they’re carrying replica handguns or water pistols that look like a real handgun, and when police or citizens see that, they treat it as a real handgun.”

Both the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District acknowledge students in this city are playing the game and the school boards are working with police and school principals to address concerns.

Weapons, including replica guns and water guns, are not permitted on school property, each school board confirmed.

The game is powered by an app that assigns the ‘targets’ and uses location data of the participants, something parents should also speak to their teenagers about, police say.

“As parents, be aware of the social media. Be aware of what they’re doing on their phones,” said Bowers.

“Make sure they know not to take any of this stuff into the schools and to be really, really careful when you’re playing this game, because sharing your location to anyone – you don’t know who’s getting that, and they could have nefarious reasons for having your location.

“It’s just not safe to do.”