Ottawa high schoolers are wrapping up their final year with a splash — literally. The viral 'Senior Assassin' game has taken hold across Grade 12 classes in the city, turning water guns into props for an elaborate, app-powered elimination tournament that students say is all part of the fun of finishing high school.
What Is Senior Assassin?
The game is simple in concept: each graduating student is assigned a target, and the goal is to eliminate them with a squirt of water — usually a water gun or bottle — before their own assassin gets to them. The last player standing wins. What makes this year's version different is the technology behind it. Students are using a dedicated app that collects video evidence of each elimination and maintains a live leaderboard, making the competition more organized — and more intense — than ever.
Groups of students coordinate on social media, stake out each other's homes, workplaces, and after-school hangouts, and film the dramatic moments when a target finally gets got. Clips of soaked, screaming seniors have been flooding local Instagram stories and TikTok feeds all spring.
"It sounds ridiculous but it's genuinely the most fun I've had all year," said one Grade 12 student at an Ottawa-area high school. "Everyone's in on it. It's like a real-life video game."
Why Police Are Issuing Warnings
Despite the harmless nature of the game itself, police services across Canada have started issuing public advisories. The concern isn't the water guns — it's the behaviour around them. Officers have flagged incidents where participants were seen lurking near schools or residences in a way that alarmed neighbours who didn't know about the game. In some cases, people have called 911 after spotting groups of teens appearing to surveil a home.
There's also concern about road safety. Some students have reportedly chased targets on foot or by car, creating potentially dangerous situations in residential neighbourhoods.
Ottawa Police Service has echoed the national warnings, reminding students to be mindful of how their activities appear to bystanders, to never trespass on private property, and to keep the game out of traffic. "We understand students are just having fun," one OPS spokesperson noted, "but we want everyone to get to graduation safely."
Schools Respond
Several Ottawa-area schools have sent home reminders that the game must not take place on school property or during school hours, and that students remain responsible for their behaviour off-campus. Some principals have been more supportive, acknowledging it as a long-standing graduation tradition as long as it stays safe and respectful.
A Tradition With Staying Power
Senior Assassin isn't new — versions of the game have been played by graduating classes for decades — but the smartphone era has given it new life. The app-based format adds competitive structure, video proof, and a public leaderboard that keeps everyone invested deep into the tournament.
For Ottawa students facing the end of high school, the game has become as much a rite of passage as prom or graduation. As long as players keep it lighthearted and stay aware of their surroundings, most participants — and even some parents — say it's exactly the kind of chaotic, memorable sendoff that graduation season deserves.
Source: Global News
