Zombies Invading Campus Next Month

Have you ever wanted to test your survival skills against a horde of blood-thirsty zombies? Well, here's your chance.

The live-action game Humans vs. Zombies is coming to our campus this semester. The game has been a national sensation on college campuses since its creation at Goucher University in 2005. It has been featured in The Washington Post, USA Today, and on The Colbert Report.

Basically, it is a game of tag played on campus with Nerf guns and sock grenades. Zombies roam the campus trying to infect the human players who defend themselves with the guns and sock grenades. The game continues until all the zombies die or all the humans are infected.

The game has rules designed to ensure the safety of the players and other students on campus and to minimize disruption on the campus. They are enforced by a moderator. Still, the game has been banned on some campuses, usually because of the fear that the Nerf guns could be mistaken for real guns or the chase will disrupt classes.

The three students organizing the game on our campus - Greg Wright, Kaleb Jewell, and Taylor Vance - faced those issues when they organized the first game last semester. University police wouldn't allow them to use the Nerf guns. This year, the police will allow the guns if they are one of the trademark bright colors of other Nerf products.

"Anything that looks realistic and we're done," said Wright, the moderator of the game. "If the higher-ups on campus have an issue with that, we'll likely drop guns again. We still have Nerf swords, maces and more socks than you can shake a stick at.”

The game had 15 players last semester but organizers hope for many more this semester. They have created a Facebook page that has about 100 members. They plan to start  playing March 15, on the Ides of March.

Here's how the game works:

A moderator chooses a host zombie. He or she feeds on and infects other players by tagging them, claiming their identification card, and registering it with the moderator. Each zombie has to do this within 48 hours or he starves. Zombies have to wear a bandana around their heads to identify themselves.

Human players, who identify themselves with armbands, defend themselves from the zombies by hiding from them, shooting them with a Nerf dart or throwing a sock grenade. The Nerf darts and sock grenades stun the zombies for 15 minutes, allowing the human to escape. If a zombie "tags" a human, the human player becomes a zombie and must feed every 48 hours by infecting other human players or die.

The group still has a lot of work to do to make the game a legitimate campus activity. They have to register as a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) and they have to prove to the administration that they can play the game without causing any problems on campus. They have to ensure that Nerf darts and sock grenades don't become a litter problem. They have to designate "safe zones" on campus where the game isn't played.

Brian Cooper, a junior digital filmmaking student, is making a short film about the game on our campus this semester. He also is going to play the game.

“I've known about it for a couple years and I've got my arsenal ready," Cooper said. "I have a rocket-launcher, rapid-fire pistols and Nerf ax."

If you are interested in playing or learning more about HvZ at UCA, join the Facebook group.

Here are some YouTube videos of students on other campuses playing the game.

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