John Brown University’s Student Events and Activities (SEA) hosted their annual Spy vs Spy event, which took place from April 10-14. The game consists of students “shooting” their assigned target—another student signed up for Spy vs Spy—with a small water gun. If the shooter successfully hits their target, they assume that student’s target as their own, and can keep playing until they are taken out. There are a few ground rules, such as that the target must be in a public space on campus (no dorm rooms, cafeteria, or sports practices) and if your target hits you first, they get a chance to run away. Other than that, the game is a free-for-all, and JBU students could be seen running around campus all week in hot pursuit of their targets.
The scoreboard leader was Kye-Breann Abbott, a senior graphic design major, who secured the win with a total of 12 kills. This is especially impressive considering Abbott says this was her first time playing the game in her years at JBU, and she signed up because it was her last chance to play before graduating. When asked if she had any strategies, or tips to pass on to future players, Abbott said, “I did a lot of networking and communicating in order to win, and I had people report to me if they saw my targets. I would find my target’s friends on Instagram and would contact people based on that to find out more information. My tip is to have a solid group of allies that you can trust and pick the best moments to sneak up on targets.”
Abbott shared that she had surgery scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, and thought this would jeopardize her chances of staying in the game. However, she tells the story of asking about her target immediately after waking up from anesthesia and managing to track them down. Abbott says her favorite experience was with her last two targets—Abril Martinez and Chloe Cloud—who were unaware she was after them and invited her over to their picnic table, just to get sprayed multiple times with a water gun.
According to Laniese Penner, SEA Coordinating Director, there are two ways to be declared a winner of the game. The first winner goes to the player who eliminated the most targets by Friday afternoon, even if they themselves get eliminated. The second title is for the person with the most kills that has managed to stay in the game until the end. “This year, there was only one person because they had the most targets AND stayed alive,” Penner said, referring to Abbott. This was a Spy vs Spy first, and JBU students will have to wait until next year to challenge Abbott’s record of holding both titles.