Zombie apocalypse takes over USU Eastern campus
Students armed with Nerf guns and socks patrolled the campus all week, protecting themselves from an ever-growing horde of zombies. But don’t worry, it’s not really the apocalypse.
Alex Pierson, a surviving human, said, “My favorite moment in the game is the thrill of trying to avoid a herd of zombies on the way to class.” Chuck You Xu remarked, “My favorite part [of the game] was when I got to shoot zombies.”
This archived article was written by: Ashley Stilson
Students armed with Nerf guns and socks patrolled the campus all week, protecting themselves from an ever-growing horde of zombies. But don’t worry, it’s not really the apocalypse.
Alex Pierson, a surviving human, said, “My favorite moment in the game is the thrill of trying to avoid a herd of zombies on the way to class.” Chuck You Xu remarked, “My favorite part [of the game] was when I got to shoot zombies.”
Humans vs. Zombies is a worldwide “antidote for the ailments of a generation” says the International Herald Tribune. The game was invented by Goucher College, Maryland in 2005 and spread to over 650 colleges and universities, summer camps, military bases, high schools and public libraries, according to the official Humans versus Zombies website.
“This is the first game of Humans vs. Zombies for USU Eastern,” said game organizer/moderator Brett Cook. “The turnout was great. [There were] a lot more than I expected to participate.”
Austin Giles said, “I enjoyed being a human because of the suspense and the challenges I had to face with being a survivor.” Ben Bjarnson commented, “I’m just in it for the fun of it. It’s fun to be a zombie because it’s fun to hunt humans. They’re slightly pathetic.”
Over 47 students and faculty participated in the Humans vs. Zombies competition. The game began with everyone creating an account on the official website for the Humans vs. Zombies game. The accounts make it possible to keep track of who is a zombie and who is a human.
Angelica Gomez commented, “I had a fun adrenaline experience! Every time I stepped outside my apartment or was in one of my classes, I had to always check my back and peek around the corners. It was super fun. I loved acting like a kid!”
Brighton Ketts stated, “I’d rather be a human. It’s more fun to sneak around campus and feel like a champ because you haven’t been caught yet.”
Everyone begins as a human and only one player is the original zombie. The original zombie tags as many people as possible to start creating the zombie horde. Jordan Moynier was the original zombie for the USU Eastern game. He said his favorite part was “being the original zombie and hanging around humans while they had no clue.”
The zombies must tag at least one person every two days to keep from starving. The game can be won if all the humans are turned into zombies or all the zombies starve. Humans can stun zombies for 15 minutes by hitting them with socks or Nerf darts.
Cameron West said he’d rather be a human because “you need to be constantly aware of what’s going on. You’re always anticipating and on an intense mode.”
Players are forbidden to shoot or tag non-players and there are certain “safe zones”throughtout campus, mainly buildings on campus such as the residential halls or the educational buildings.
One of the inventors of the game, Chris Weed, stated on the official website, “Humans vs. Zombies represents a way of holding onto our need to have fun for no other reason than to have fun.”
It is free to register for the game on the official website hvzsource.com provided by Gnarwal Studios, a company made by the creators of Humans vs. Zombies. The game can be adjusted to each campus and can last up to a few hours or all semester.
“We will be having smaller weekly games starting in November,” said Cook. “And we will be having another campus-wide game after Christmas break.”
