Chances are, at this very moment, every student in every class at HHS either plays or knows someone who plays the video game Halo.

Set in the distant future, Halo is the saga of a human warrior, Master Chief, and his battles to destroy the infamous Halo rings.

An alien race called the “Covenant” believes these rings are spiritual objects that will carry them on to the next life, when in reality they are powerful weapons capable of mass destruction. In the games, the player must accomplish certain objectives while killing these aliens before they kill him or her.

Halo parties are beginning to dominate weekends and holiday breaks.

The game allows up to 16 players on one level, so up to four TV’s can be hooked up at the same time. Sophomores Neal Sunderman and Trenton Hinze both host Halo parties.

“We get a ton of food and pop and play for sometimes nine hours straight,” Hinze said.

Sunderman conducts his parties in the same way, sometimes ordering pizzas.

“There’s usually a lot of bickering going on,” Sunderman said, “and occasionally some foul language.”

Senior Dustin Runcie, also an avid Halo fan, plays the game whenever school is out, sometimes late into the night.

“The foul language usually comes from whoever’s getting killed the most,” Runcie said. “They usually get really mad and yell at everyone to stop.”

Not everyone likes the idea of hours and hours of gaming, however.

Senior Ashley Wigert believes Halo is an unhealthy waste of time.

“I’ve played it, but I didn’t enjoy it. It’s too violent,” Wigert said.

Runcie and other players agree “it may be too violent for younger children, but [we] are mature enough to handle it.”