From campus assassinations to a game of Scrabble
A look into online games gaining in popularity among students
Liz Klimas
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Focus
Senior Nick Treat recalls the time Susannah Warner, a senior, went to hug her boyfriend junior Stephen Petrie, and instead assassinated him.
"He was her target," Treat, a witness, said. "She pulled out her gun and shot him."
Fortunately for Petrie, the gun was bright in color and only shot water. Treat, Warner and Petrie all participated in a game called Hillsdale Assassins, which is organized on Facebook, where members are assigned a target to hunt and "kill."
They are few of many who use simple games - online or organized online - to entertain themselves for short periods of time.
"It gives people a distraction from everyday things," Treat said. "If you take breaks [from studying] you are more productive than you were before."
Treat said students find Assassins attractive because it fits into everyday life.
"You don't know who has you as a target," Treat said. "You're in a state of panic until you know you won. It's exhilarating, that's the draw."
Though Assassins is organized online and played in person, many students on campus, such as senior Christ Stewart, engage in strictly online games as a diversion throughout their day also.
Every time Stewart logs onto his computer he adds a new word to his favorite online game: Scrabulous.
"Scrabulous is nice because of the logistics involved with getting people together and playing a game start to finish," Stewart said. "You can break Scrabulous up [time wise]."
Stewart also said Scrabulous helps him stay connected.
"The cool thing about Scrabulous is you can challenge different people," he said, adding he plays with students and professors at Hillsdale. "I am also playing with my high school journalism advisor and other people from high school."
Junior Tim Routzahn goes to three Web sites to get his fix when he has time to kill.
"They are all simple, yet challenging, and keep you entertained for a while," he said.
"He was her target," Treat, a witness, said. "She pulled out her gun and shot him."
Fortunately for Petrie, the gun was bright in color and only shot water. Treat, Warner and Petrie all participated in a game called Hillsdale Assassins, which is organized on Facebook, where members are assigned a target to hunt and "kill."
They are few of many who use simple games - online or organized online - to entertain themselves for short periods of time.
"It gives people a distraction from everyday things," Treat said. "If you take breaks [from studying] you are more productive than you were before."
Treat said students find Assassins attractive because it fits into everyday life.
"You don't know who has you as a target," Treat said. "You're in a state of panic until you know you won. It's exhilarating, that's the draw."
Though Assassins is organized online and played in person, many students on campus, such as senior Christ Stewart, engage in strictly online games as a diversion throughout their day also.
Every time Stewart logs onto his computer he adds a new word to his favorite online game: Scrabulous.
"Scrabulous is nice because of the logistics involved with getting people together and playing a game start to finish," Stewart said. "You can break Scrabulous up [time wise]."
Stewart also said Scrabulous helps him stay connected.
"The cool thing about Scrabulous is you can challenge different people," he said, adding he plays with students and professors at Hillsdale. "I am also playing with my high school journalism advisor and other people from high school."
Junior Tim Routzahn goes to three Web sites to get his fix when he has time to kill.
"They are all simple, yet challenging, and keep you entertained for a while," he said.
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