Every year at Colorado Mesa University, in the spring before finals week a gigantic three-day war breaks out. Every year many people are slain in the process and other could potentially be caught in the cross fire. On the plus side though, it is only water.
The Water Gun Mafia started in 2014 when a theatre student suggested it. Since then, around 50 to 60 people have a massive water gun fight starting Wednesday and ending on Friday, the week before finals. The only people allowed to participate in this fun and exciting event are those of the theatre arts department.
“I would say the best part is the comradely, where every major whether its design tech, musical theatre, acting directing or dance can come together for three days and just have fun,” Kyra Young student in the theater department said. “Just a chance to get outside as a department and forget the stresses we feel due to the busy-ness of this department.”
The student heads of the different departments, select the team captains to head up the four teams: red, yellow, blue and green. The four team captains sit down at a restaurant across the street from Colorado Mesa University and randomly select the team by drawing names from a hat of the willing participants.
Once the teams are selected, the team captains will then create group chats and set up team meetings. Each member of a team is then given a bandana that they must always visibly wear over the next few days to let everyone involved know what team they are on.
A Facebook page is created to capture team photos as well to keep players updated on who has been eliminated and who remains. Each year there’s a theme that players will dress up for and come up with creative nicknames that fit that year’s theme.
The Wednesday before finals, the massive water gun battle begins. The rules are simple, if one is inside, they are safe. Once they step outside, they can be soaked head to toe.
Once Person A has been shot, the one who shot them, Person B needs to call Person A’s team captain. At the same time, Person A also calls their captain. Whoever’s call comes through first, decides the fate of Person A. If the team captain answers Person A’s phone call first, they are still alive in the game. If the team captain answers Person B’s phone call first, they are “dead” and out of the game.
In the event of a tie, two phone calls getting to a team captain at the same time, the winner is decided by a Wikipedia search. A neutral party monitors the two players as they try to find a certain word on Wikipedia from a different word using only hyperlinks. The first person to find the word wins.
Although out of the game, they are still able to help their team members. They can’t shoot other players and they can’t be shot again.
“It’s a way for our big department to come together at the end of the year to relieve some stress right before finals,” Colorado Mesa University student, Anna Dworkin, said.
On Friday night, the final day of the water gun war, each of the four teams pick a separate corner of the campus for one last final battle. The final battle lasts until midnight, when day three is officially over.
