According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a serial killer is defined as someone who performs a series of similar murders over a period of time, while an assassin is defined as “a person who commits murder; especially: one who murders a politically important person either for hire or from fanatical motives.” It is safe to say that both serial killers and assassins would be considered deviant in nature as society frowns upon murderers no matter what the reason for their acts.
They must therefore keep their work separate and away from the normal world, and most will tend to be loners to avoid revealing their true nature to anyone. Serial killers must be particularly careful as they often times take some sort of keepsake away from their victims as a trophy memorializing their murder, whether this be a body part or some other object that would put their true identity in question if discovered. Serial killers normally follow a strict ritual when murdering their victims that may take a long time to complete and leave the corpse mutilated, whereas an assassin typically kills their target in the most efficient way possible. A hired assassin must be careful with whom he works, because there is always risk when entrusting such important information with strangers. The reasons for murders for both groups can be varied, but typically a serial killer is psychologically imbalanced and has a great urge to murder someone that fits specific criteria, while an assassin will usually kill anyone if the price is right or if they believe the person’s death will bring about some great change in the world.
An example of a real life serial killer would be Jack “The Ripper,” who murdered female prostitutes by slitting their throats during the late 1800’s in London. Not only did Jack “The Ripper” kill these prostitutes, but he would then perform a process during which he surgically remove organs from each of his victims. One of the most notorious assassins in American history, John Wilkes Booth, was trained as a Confederate secret agent before his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Like most notorious assassins, Booth was hunted down and killed shortly after the assassination. In the videogame series Assassin’s Creed, you control assassins from the past who murder prominent but corrupted individuals of their time in order to bring about a great change to their society. The Hitman series lets gamers experience the life of a modern day assassin-for-hire named Agent 47. Pop culture seems to be full of assassins that are portrayed as good guys, but very few serial killer protagonists. Dexter Morgan from the show Dexter would be one such exception. Dexter is a forensics expert, husband and father, but this show is great, because Dexter is also a serial killer. Dexter only kills people who “deserve it,” the killers, rapists and other baddies that the law enforcement has failed to punish properly. Another example, to a lesser degree, would be Jigsaw from the Saw movie franchise. Although Jigsaw is clearly a twisted individual, he does take people that do not value their own lives and gives them a new appreciation for what it means to be alive. Jigsaw, like Dexter, takes some of the worst people in the world and puts them through his “games.” These games are a method of torture designed to see what people are capable of when faced with the choice of life or death.
BGG Reviewer: Kenny King
