On Jan. 29, 691 Gunn students flocked to a website created by Web/Tech Commissioner senior Dylan Lu to learn the identity of their targets, marking the beginning of the seventh annual Elimination game.

Hosted by the Student Executive Council from Jan. 29 to Feb. 20, Elimination has players tag their assigned “targets” with stuffed animals or rubber ducks to eliminate them. Students who choose to play follow rules that vary by day, such as “players must be under a roof or overhang,” to stay safe from elimination. At the end of the event, the contestant who has the most eliminations without being eliminated wins. Players can find their assigned targets, numbers of eliminations, the leaderboard and the rules document at elimination.gunn.one, run by Lu.

This year’s game also saw the addition of a few new rules. For instance, eliminating targets on Valentine’s Day requires giving them a flower, and players with zero eliminations on the first weekend and fewer than two eliminations on the second weekend are automatically eliminated, ensuring that players actively participate in the game.

Lu competed in last year’s Elimination, which inspired him to help run it this year.

“I enjoyed how competitive it was —everyone was really trying to win,” he said. “That’s kind of why I ran for tech commissioner.”

Many participants, including two-time victor alumna Kyra Xue, enjoy playing the role of detective, using available resources to sleuth out targets’ identities.

“I remember looking forward to brunch and lunch so that my friends and I could carry out our plans and keep our eyes open for any new leads,” she said. “Over time, each elimination gave me more momentum, and I had lots of fun finding my targets. I couldn’t just stop being invested in the game.”

This year is no different, according to sophomore Aman Solanki, who topped the leaderboard at nine eliminations for a few days.

“I like asking my friends and peers about my elimination target and collecting pieces of their schedule,” he said. “I spent 30 minutes tagging Asian kids and asking if their name was Eddie Guo or if they knew him.”

Indeed, the competition this year is fierce, with about more 300 players than last year. Unfortunately, there have also been a few complications: For example, some contestants have hidden their plushies from view or entered in all possibilities of their targets’ elimination codes through brute force to eliminate them. When it comes to these cases, Lu encourages participants to remember the spirit of the game.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a game,” he said. “Don’t take it too seriously, and try to have fun.”

Tips from two-time Elimination champion Kyra Xue

1. “Never let your guard down. Always be on the watch for someone who may be targeting you, or your target.”
2. “Prioritize defense. No matter how silly the safety measure for the day seems, just keep doing it.”
3. “Use your resources to find people. I consulted the yearbook many times. Try expanding your search, especially if your target is someone who you don’t know.”