Prefect Council announced Jan. 17 that Tap Out, formerly known as Assassin, will return to the Upper School this year.
According to Junior Prefect Michael Lehrhoff, Tap Out differs from Assassin in that players now must tap others on the back to eliminate them from the game. In Assassin, players had to make a gesture with their hands as if they were shooting their competitors.
“The guns were removed in light of recent violence at other schools,” Lehrhoff said. “We didn’t find it appropriate to include that subject matter in our game.”
Dahlia Low ’20 said that she welcomes the change to the gameplay.
“It changes up the vibe but makes it harder, which I like,” Low said. “I’ve never played before, but I’m super excited to be involved.”
Lehrhoff also said that he was very optimistic about the future of the school-wide competition.
“Tap Out has the potential to become an annual Harvard-Westlake tradition,” Lehrhoff said. “I think that because it is a school-wide game, students get the opportunity to interact with others in different grades and social groups.”
First-time competitors said they are happy to play it for the first time.
“I’m super excited to play Tap Out this year,” Diego Ahmad ’20 said. “I remember hearing about it when I was a freshman and wanting to try it, so I’m glad they’ve brought it back this year.”
Many students said that they had known about the game and were excited to play it themselves.
“I have heard legendary stories of games in the past from my siblings and from friends,” Haley Levin ’20 said. “I can’t wait to put myself in the arena and see how I stand in the game. I’m absolutely stoked.”
Tap Out pits students against one another and requires those of all grade levels to compete against their schoolmates.
Students said that they particularly look forward to bonding with their fellow students in the competition.
“I’m so excited to play,” Amelia Koblentz ’20 said. “I think it’ll be a great opportunity to bring [the school] together through competition and I’m looking forward to hopefully making it to the end.”
