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- Insufficient (FunJds: Manhunt

Hunting season in Vancouver has begun

 

   
     
  
 
   
  
  
   
  
   
 

       

By Jacey Gibb

downtown and witness a person

wearing an armband hiding behind
bushes momentarily before taking off in
a hurry down the street, there’s no need
for concern. You’re not witnessing some
form of shotty bank robbery getaway or
a Fight Club-esque organization hard
at work; you’ve simply unknowingly
entered into the boundaries of a game
of Manhunt. No, not the term used to
describe your quest for Mr. Right, but

|: in the near future you’re walking

and hide-and-go-seek.

How Manhunt works is a general
area is decided upon ahead of time, with
boundaries being determined by the
number of players that show up, ranging
from a single city block to a couple. A
way to identify players from the general

14

rather a modernized urban mixture of tag

public is by looking for a clearly visible
marker wrapped around the individual’s
upper arm. When all the players have
been assembled, one person is randomly
selected to be the ‘manhunter’ while
everyone else is labelled as ‘prey’. The
prey are then given a short amount of
time to flee the starting area before the
game begins.

The main objective of the game
is obviously to avoid being tagged by
the manhunter. Once a person has been
tagged, they too become a manhunter.
The game goes either until a previously
arranged time has passed or until
everyone has been caught. Players then
reconvene at the starting place and a new
game begins. ;

While hiding and running away are
important parts to the game, strategy
also comes into play. Since there is no
way to identify the manhunter from

 

another else, there is the element of
constant suspicion for anyone with an
armband. Additionally, this can work in
your favour if you’re not the manhunter,
but would like to pretend that you are

in order to trick others into leaving

you alone. How the game is played is
entirely up to the person.

There are Manhunt groups in
several different cities (including
Edmonton, where I first got introduced
to the game) and Manhunt Vancouver
just had their first event of the season a
couple of weeks ago. The group is also
known to organize other games such
as capture the flag but the main focus
is usually on Manhunt. At the moment,
the group is meeting only biweekly on
Thursday nights (though the day of the
week might change soon) but as soon
as the weather begins to warm up, the

events will begin to happen-once a week.

 

organizer of Manhunt out there for
providing this opportunity to revisit one
of my favourite childhood games, and
I'd also like to encourage you to check
it out sometime if you get the chance. If
you’re looking for something fun (and
more importantly, free!) to do during
the week, join the Facebook group
“Manhunt Vancouver’ and watch for
the next event. Also, make sure you’re
clicking on the correct Facebook group
and not the adult-orientated variation.
Just a heads up on that one.

The next game of Manhunt is
happening on Thursday, March 10 on
Granville Island. New players to the
game should arrive a bit earlier in case
they have any questions, but the game
doesn’t actually start until six fifteen.
Damage: Free