Not all games we play as teens are created equal. Some can be incredibly dangerous or deadly. Because of a senior game gone wrong, a 17-year-old is now on life support in a hospital in Texas. He was just weeks away from graduating high school. Now, his family is speaking out about it. The game in question, known as ‘Senior Assassin’ or ‘Senior Water Wars’ has been rising in popularity over the past year and nobody ever expected that it would lead to this.
The game’s objective involves using water guns as a way to eliminate another student in a certain period of time. Many seniors will choose to play this game on their own outside of high school hours, of course.
In one unfortunate case, 17-year-old Isaac Leal, was playing the game with a bunch of students when he fell off the back of a Jeep. Worse, he ended up whacking his head off the ground. At the time, he was running through his Arlington neighborhood in Texas and searching for targets.
Isaac’s mother recalled incident that upended her whole world, “He jumped on a young girl’s Jeep as it was parked. The girl reversed and took off and drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off. She hit a dip and that’s where I was told, allegedly, he flew off the Jeep and hit his head.”
Isaac’s condition has become quite grave since then, leaving his family in tatters as they wait for hopeful news. His mom said that he isn’t able to be moved to a different hospital for care because of his instability. She stated, “We can’t even roll him in the bed without his vitals reacting.” However, as she keeps the faith, she said, “We’re going to keep fighting for my son. I don’t know how to make it more clear.”
Senior Assassin has been banned from some schools or fallen under general scrutiny due to its dangers. Texas South Grand Prairie High’s principal, where Isaac goes to school and played baseball over the years, warned others, “Students who engage in this activity on or around school grounds may face disciplinary action, including loss of senior privileges.”
A GoFundMe was recently set up to assist the family with medical bills and other needs related to Isaac’s hospital stay. No amount of money, however, can change the fact that Isaac’s life will forever be changed because of this event.
With dangerous traditions taking place at high schools throughout the decades as graduating classes prepare for entrance into a different life, it is important that more people speak out against them and how they can leave a lasting impact even when you think you’re engaging in innocent fun.
