Whether it be seeing a video of people “megaknighting” their friends on social media, or someone in the hallways screaming,“Sneaky golem in the pocket,” all students have recently been exposed to the world of Clash Royale, a free-to-play mobile game that came out in early 2016.      

    Clash, as users call it, immediately rose in popularity. But, due to poor updates, it has suffered a significant decrease in players over several years — until now.      

     Students want to have a quick and fun game to play when they are bored, and Clash is just that. A match typically lasts three minutes, the perfect duration of time to play in between classes. 

     “Even I understand the appeal of a quick game to play between classes,” freshman Thomas Scully, a longtime critic of the game, said.

     Increased relevance on social media has also boosted the game’s popularity. Many memes and short-form videos use clips or references to Clash. 

     In early July, a new game mode by the name of “Merge Tactics” was released. The mode allowed people in groups of four to play together, as compared to the previous limit of only two players. Now, over six million players engage with this game mode every week.

     Not only is it quick to play, but Clash’s memes forge a sense of community amongst players.

     Last year, Brawl Stars — a similar mobile game — similarly resurged in popularity before falling off again. Some students believe the same thing will happen with Clash Royale.

     “I think Clash is just another trend, it’ll probably go away soon,” Scully said.

     But, for now, Clash remains a game loved by many. People play and yell on their phones in the hallways, or even in class presentations. Junior Andrei Imensek, alongside a group of his friends, chose Clash to be the subject of their AP English Language and Composition commercial project. 

     “I was in a group with other people who played Clash who thought it would be something fun to do,” Imensek said. “We could put a lot of effort into it because it’s something we loved.”