StreetWars is a three-week-long water gun "assassination" tournament that travels to cities around the world. Created by Franz Aliquo and Liao Yutai, the tournament is based on the college and high school game Assassin. The June 2007 issue of Maxim magazine has an article written by one of the participants of the 2006 London Streetwar.
History and background of the tournament
The tournament is loosely based on the game Assassin, popular among some high school and college students. Aliquo and Liao took the game citywide and opened it to anyone above the age of 18, and changed it to a 3 week long, 24/7 format. Featured in the book "Spray," by Harry Edge, as a tournament known as Water Wars, with different directors than the actual game. The first StreetWars took place in the summer of 2004 in New York City; subsequent tournaments took place in Vancouver, Vienna, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, and Paris.
Controversy
Mayor Bloomberg blasts StreetWars
In July 2005, when asked of his opinion on StreetWars, Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York City said that the creators of StreetWars could probably 'use some psychiatric help'.
Police concerns in London
Before the start of the game in London in July 2006, police voiced concerns that the associated suspicious activities might lead to deployment of officers and waste of resources.
While StreetWars was created by Aliquo and Liao, the tournament itself is operated by an organization that calls itself "The Shadow Government", led by two mysterious figures known only as "Supreme Commander" and "Mustache Commander". His signature is a fedora, mandarin gown, pipe, bottle of Jack Daniels, and mustache. The "Mustache Commander" is the fictional alter ego of Yutai Liao, and the "Supreme Commander" – of Franz Aliquo. Alter ego of StreetWars co-creator, Yutai Liao, Mustache Commander made his first appearance in StreetWars during the San Francisco 2005 game. Previous to the SF 2005 game, there has only been the Supreme Commander and the mysterious "Assigner". The now famous giant bottle of Jack Daniel's that greets each and every player at the beginning of every tournament, started with the second appearance of the Mustache Commander, in a tunnel in Golden Gate Park in the SF 2005 tournament. The Mustache Commander is now often portrayed with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in hand.
Past winners
Champions
The 'Champion' is the last assassin standing at the end of the three-week regulation period, or the winner of the sudden death tournament. All games have ended in Sudden Death unless noted.
NYC 2011 – Handsome Brandon – killed Supreme while hiding under a thimble
A golden framed mustache from the Mustache Commander's own personal collection of mustaches, The Golden Mustache Award was first created in the London 2006 game as a reward for the assassin who successfully completes a contract placed on the heads of a wayward team by the Mustache Commander. The award has since been repurposed to live on in future games to acknowledge general excellence in the field of battle.
