Last week, there were many zombies running around campus (well, more than usual), and humans whose only quest was to survive the week.
Sounds like the back of some B-grade movie’s box, but it is the description of the popular game Humans vs. Zombies. When I first heard about what the game entailed, I cannot lie, I was giddy like a 14-year-old schoolgirl at a Justin Bieber concert. I quickly found myself planning out every little detail — what clothes I was going to wear, my routes to class, what gear to bring, etc.
In the days leading up to the start I found myself scouring Craigslist for Nerf guns (blasters, if you want to get really anal about it, and trust me, those people are out there) and finding which socks I could use that I wouldn’t miss losing.
I even went as far as asking my girlfriend (she’s real, I swear) for any socks of hers she wouldn’t miss. I also spent an unhealthy amount of time browsing the Nerf section at Toys “R” Us and after spending 70 actual, real dollars on guns, darts, extra magazines and even a bandolier, I realized I was ready (and crazy).
Going to orientation I was unsure of what to expect. Being me, I spent some time reading the forums to see what others had to say about the game and about their general strategies and load-outs. The moderators for our game told us everything to expect: the safe zones, the original zombies (OZ), special infected (think the video game “Left 4 Dead”) and the missions.
The missions caught my attention the most; banding together with strangers to complete an objective that was unknown until five minutes before the start? What’s not to like?
The rewards vary per mission and group. Some are pretty standard — like shortened respawn time for zombies after being stunned to body armor for humans that allows them to be tagged once by a zombie and not be turned into a zombie.
And with one touch being all it takes to turn you from a gun-toting badass to a brain-hungry Zed,@@Romero-speak for Zombie according to Google -FB@@ being a human can be pretty stressful without all the special infected or hidden OZs strewn about campus (especially on that first day when you don’t know whom to trust).
With a majority of my classes being in McKenzie and Lillis this term, I felt relatively safe. It was only a quick dash from the EmX station, right? Wrong.
I quickly learned that while listening to Skrillex and The Prodigy make for awesome zombie-hunting music, my close call near the doors of Lillis on the first day showed me that not being able to hear the steps of the undead running closely behind you as they try to increase their ranks is not easy.
Come Day Two, to say I was paranoid would be generous to tin-foil hat enthusiasts everywhere (black helicopters are real!). I took the back way into McKenzie for my morning lecture and immediately got one zombie in my class. After I suited up properly, I made my way to P.E. class.
I took routes to class that I never even knew existed and stayed out in the open as much as possible, never taking a corner too sharply.
After my evening class, I went by Deady just to make it to the EMU for the nightly mission. Once there, we were tasked with tracking down space blanket-clothed individuals and tagging them all while the Zeds were trying to do the same with the added task of tagging humans as well.
After the 40 or so humans split into three squads (Alpha, Bravo and Charlie), we set out. It wasn’t long before we made contact with a couple of the aforementioned targets and plenty of zombies too. After we made one loop around the western area of campus, we started getting unconfirmed reports that Bravo squad was completely wiped out. This only added to the dread we were already feeling.
Eventually the stuff hit the fan, and before I knew it I was cornered by two eager zombies@@hot@@. Luckily, safety in the form of a door was nearby.
The zombies would go on to win the mission. Even after the mission ends, the game doesn’t. Even though I was exhausted, thirsty and sweaty (that vest doesn’t breathe), I still had to make my way off campus and to the bus.
To say it was exhilarating when I successfully made it off campus is an understatement. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side as it was the only mission I was able to make it to. Despite this, I still had a blast, and if reading this made you the least bit interested in HvZ, come spring term you should play. I know I will.
In fact, probably the best part about HvZ is the bonding that takes place when you and a complete stranger are trapped in the library with all exits covered trying to come up with a way that will allow the both of you to make it out of there, people that you otherwise would never talk to or know existed.
You make friends with people with whom you share ammo, supplies and tips, because their survival means yours. Plus seeing people smile as you run by with blaster in tow as you live out a silly fantasy that we all have, even for just a week, is worth it.