A popular game known as Paranoia — in which high school students carry toy guns and pretend to kill classmates for a cash prize — has prompted warnings from school and police officials in north suburban Glenview, who contend the off-campus tradition for upperclassmen is no longer appropriate.
"The level of violence across the country, the level of violence in our own urban center, the level of violence in schools, to me takes this on a whole new level," said Lauren Fagel, principal of Glenbrook South High School.
In an email this week to the parents of more than 3,000 students, Fagel wrote that while Paranoia is not school-sponsored and is not played on school grounds, it involves high-speed car chases, guns that appear realistic, and team names that are "derogatory and distasteful."
Fagel said she sent a similar email to parents last year, but this year took on new urgency after some students reported that a classmate was involved in a car accident while playing the game and posted a photo of it on social media.
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"We need to send a consistent message from both the school and families that this type of recreation is unacceptable," Fagel wrote in the email.
The warning has inspired mixed reactions from students and parents familiar with the game, which has been played for several years at Glenbrook South and under different names at other high schools across the Chicago area. While some say they are grateful for school officials’ concerns, others question whether the warnings are overprotective of well-behaved, rule-abiding teens. Still others say the issue raises thoughtful questions about what types of fun are appropriate for teens growing up with today’s dangers.
"I understand their direction, and I think it’s right for (school officials) to say we’re not a part of this," said Melissa Ignelzi, whose son, Collin, is one of 300 students who registered online for the month-long game.
Ignelzi said after the principal’s email arrived, she and her husband sat down with Collin to make sure he understood how to play safely and respectfully. But they were not inclined to prevent the junior from participating.
"It’s a type of situation where we just continue to talk to our kids," Ignelzi said. "We’re kind of the parents that are trying to let the kids have fun, but also explain to them what the guidelines are."
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Collin, who was surprised and "killed" this week while walking to a friend’s house after school, said he and his friends never feel in danger while playing.
"It’s better we’re doing this on the weekend than doing other things that we probably shouldn’t be doing," he said. "It just brings people together and instead of out doing other illegal stuff, they’re having fun and trying to be safe."
A Glenbrook South students’ 2017 Paranoia website describes the game as a Nerf tournament in which students in teams of five each week try to eliminate members of an opposing team. A list of 18 rules includes: No Nerf guns on school campus at any time. No police are to be involved. You must inform your parents you are playing, so they don’t call the police on anyone.
Each team pays $25 to enter the tournament, which must only be played during set hours, seven days a week. Players are not to be shot while at a job, in municipal buildings or while driving faster than 5 mph. Players may not forcibly break into anyone’s home or car; they must either be invited inside or find an unlocked point of entry. Enter an unlocked house, garage, car, etc. at your own risk, the website says.
Alex Balabanos, a senior at Glenbrook South, said he and his best friends love the suspense in wondering if they will be ambushed by an opponent. This week, he and several of his teammates waited in the bushes outside a classmate’s house to shoot him as he walked out the front door for school.
"It could be really fun," Balabanos said. "I think with the rules and everything, it sets a lot of boundaries and sets regulations to really force kids to play the right way or don’t play at all."
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Police officials from Glenview and nearby Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Northfield and Park Ridge said there have been no incidents reported in relation to the game.
Sgt. James Foley, public information officer for the Glenview Police Department, said he understood school administrators’ concerns. A student reported to the police for driving poorly while pointing a gun, or scaring the public with a weapon, albeit a fake one, could be charged with disorderly conduct. High-speed chases and distracted driving are what lead to accidents, he said.
"Anybody pointing a gun, whether it be real or fake, is not really being reasonable in this day and age," Foley said.
Fagel, who is in her second year as Glenbrook South principal, said she felt obligated to send a message to parents, even though the pastime does not involve the school directly.
"We really felt like we owed it to our students and their safety to at least try to reach out to their parents and let them know if they didn’t know what was happening," she said. "I know our kids in Glenview to be very creative, very bright, very entrepreneurial. … they could come up with something just as much fun that didn’t maybe raise such high levels of concern."
Still, Chris Balabanos, a father of four in Glenview, said he has never had concerns about his son playing Paranoia. He equates it to last year’s Pokemon Go craze; while there were reports of some teens getting injured or robbed, for the majority of players, it was a fun pastime played without incident, he said.
"I am kind of strict with my kids at home. I’m not a parent that doesn’t care," Balabanos said. "I still feel that the schools are overextending their authority."
vortiz@chicagotribune.com
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