The hunter and the hunted

There is something very special going on at Collins Living-Learning Center. It is a test of endurance, strategy and courage. It is "The Game." \nYou might be asking yourself what "Game" is taking place at Collins.\nThe Game is a multi-player interactive game of tag. The basic ground rules are quite simple. Before The Game begins, every person who intends to play places his or her name and room number on a slip of paper in a basket. Then, each player proceeds to draw a name out of the basket. The person whose name one pulls out of the basket becomes his or her target. When the players are done drawing the names, the espionage begins.\nThe objective is to tag the person whose name is written on the card. The tricky part of the game is that you are not only "hunting" your target, but you are also being hunted by whoever drew the card with your name on it.\nWhen playing The Game, a person is both cat and mouse. He or she is a cat to the target but also a mouse in the eyes of their pursuer. At Collins, certain areas have been set up as safe-zones, free from The Game. Bathrooms, people's rooms and the front desk are all considered safe from Game-play.\nIt is not uncommon to see a target escaping from his or her pursuer into one of these safe-zones. If the target does happen to escape into a safe zone, The Game gets tricky, and it becomes a test of will to see who gives up first, the cat or the mouse.\n Many times the "siege" laid on the mouse will end only when the Game is done for the day. The hours between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. are free from Game-play. The strenuous hunt of the day is over, and everyone is free to roam without the fear of getting caught.\nAs in the normal version of elementary schoolyard tag, if you get tagged in The Game, you are out. But there is a twist: once you are out, catching your target becomes the new mission of your hunter. Keep in mind, the hunter is also being hunted by someone else. This cycle is continued until only one player is left.\nThe Game has become one of the most exciting activities to take place at Collins. It has also become a good way to meet people. The espionage and antics that stem from The Game are known to all who roam the halls or courtyard of Collins.\nNot any activity could make 59 normally sane people run around like paranoid mongooses, both chasing and being chased at the same time. The scene at Collins now seems more appropriate for a bunch of kids at daycare, thanks to one man. The wonderful man responsible for making 59 people more excited than a five-year-old and a barrel of candy is senior resident assistant Marsh Smith. I know I represent without exception the entire Collins community when I say, "Thank you, Marsh, for your Game and its excitement"