My heart pounded away in my chest cavity and sweat trickled down my forehead as the walking dead started to surround me: I am the only survivor left.
The full moon sent goose bumps up my arms as students at Florida State University (FSU) ran up to each other, blasting nerf guns and sock grenades towards their former peers who had transformed into “zombies.”
Humans Versus Zombies (HvZ), is a modern game of tag played on college campuses around the country. I recently had the opportunity to participate in such a game at Florida State’s campus . There are two opposing teams on the playing field: humans and zombies. The humans’ main focus is surviving until the next day, or at least until the next mission begins. The zombies’ main goal is to convert as many humans into the walking dead.
The start of HvZ began in Baltimore, Maryland at Goucher College in 2005 and since then the game has spread to multiple colleges from Australia to Zimbabwe, according to Gnarwhal Studios.
HvZ at FSU began in the spring of 2009 and was founded by student Angel San Martin. Martin got the idea from a friend in his Honor fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi. He spoke to administration and to FSU Police Department to let them know zombies would be roaming campus. Martin also contacted Goucher College and received a box of bandannas from them so he could start the first game.
By the fall game of 2010, HvZ expanded to more than 200 members. At the time H1N1 (Swine Flu) was all over the news, so he used a Human1Zombie1 advertisement for the game which got a lot of attention, according to current president Danielle Shough.
“Some problems arose, such as being near busy streets, so the playing area was limited to avoid such issues like that. And of course, class shouldn’t be disrupted,” said Martin.
Shough handed me a yellow bandana and a nerf gun with four darts inside saying, “don’t worry all new players get nervous.”
Nervous was an understatement, as I hesitated to put the yellow bandana on my arm signifying I was a “human”. The “zombies” had their bandanas wrapped securely around their heads and only had their hands as weapons to try and transform others into brain eating zombies (with a single tap of their palm).
My hands fumbled with the foreign toy that I haven’t handled since I was a child. Shough and vice president, Will Bente, instructed me how to properly load and unload my gun. Beware: these toys can get jammed, and if the nerf gun does jam, you’ll be an easy target for your zombie peers.
With mild assurance, I found myself on a field on campus known as Landis Green. The once pleasant field that many would lay out on, however, transformed into something intimidating and eerie. I felt silly as I held my nerf gun against my chest. I could feel eyes of both interest and mild mockery stare at our group.
“Zombies UP,” screamed Shough as one zombie began to rush towards the group of nine humans.
A mild scream escaped my lips as I managed to dodge the zombie’s grasp. Slowly, however, many bandanas appeared on my peers’ heads. That one zombie managed to convert humans in minutes. I shot my gun and “stunned” one zombie. Shough acted as the moderator, as I watched the intimidating fellow with curly black hair get on his knees indicating he could no longer try to convert me into a zombie.
Some players who have been turned into zombies.
Zombies are stunned for 10 minutes during day missions, which are missions that last the whole day or a couple of hours. On the other hand, zombies can only be stunned for 2-3 minutes on night missions, like the one I participated in, which only last an hour or so. Moderators also have the opportunity to say, “Zombies up” to un-stun these walkers whenever they see fit. In other words, I could stun a zombie with my sock, but hear my moderator revive the dead and send me running for my life within seconds.
Moderators in HvZ are experienced game players, and make sure other players are following the rules of the game. The rules are simple according to president Shough and vice-president Bente: always have your bandana visible, do not attempt to attack others on safe zones, play fair, and “don’t be a douchebag.” Classrooms, bathrooms, and libraries are safe zones for humans to escape the flesh eating swarm of zombies that await them outside.
“At the end of the day, we need to be able to connect with the players and be a part of them, but we also have to realize they all count on us to lead this organization. There is a big difference between playing and moderating,” said Shough.
There are currently 6 moderators in the club. Besides crowd control, moderators are also in charge of designing missions for events that take place both at night and day.
Matt Fisher, former HvZ president and moderator for the last four years, mentioned how these missions are player based. Most missions, especially the week long missions that are 24 hours long each day whenever on campus grounds, are based on story lines. Recent story lines include Game of Thrones, Assassin’s Creed, and Nightmare before Christmas.
“It’s almost like playing a video game, and playing a first person shooter game. Most of our missions involve escorting one person from point A on campus to point B,” Fisher said.
HvZ organizes two full week games every school semester, and one game over summer if there are enough moderators in town. These week long games have more than 50 humans and zombies invade campus grounds.
Besides these events, the moderators of HvZ tweak each mission to make it more interesting for those involved. There could be a traitor among your team that could turn you into a zombie, or there could be a non-player character (NPC) that could tag you and make you give up all your ammo, making you vulnerable to the massive swarm of brain eating zombies coming your way.
Geoffrey Asch, FSU junior, remembers the week long game in spring being his first game playing as a human.
“You are paranoid, nervous, and excited all at the same time. When I started off, I had a little hand gun that only shot five darts. Some of these other people had big guns that would shoot 30 plus darts,” said Asch.
The expenses of the game varies, according to current present Shough. On the playing field, you can find anything from players that only carry balled up old socks, to players that carry big guns with extra rounds strapped to their backs.
Some equipment HvZ players carry.
FSU sophomore, Rachelle Gajdarik, recalls her experience during a week event when Assassin’s Creed was the theme.
“Every single day I managed to get injured in some form or fashion. I got scrapes, bruises, I fell down stairs, and I fell on my face. I didn’t care though because it was so much fun,” said Gajdarik.
A skirmish, named after a military term meaning small conflict or engagement of troops that fight for a brief amount of time, happens almost every Wednesday of a school semester.
“Skirmish’s definition is a pretty accurate description for what we do… just one of our sides doesn’t have weapons like real troops…they have a thirst for brains instead,” said Shough.
Reactions towards the game varies. HvZ, despite all the positive feedback, has also received negative feedback according to president Shough and former president Fisher. Some of the negative feedback have been from the Greek life community, and from individuals who label the club as “nerdy.”
Martin, founder, always knew that HvZ was something “nerdy” and embraced the uniqueness the club offered to those students who wanted to do something different on campus. “From the start, some fraternities were banning their pledges from playing. Those who played though, had plenty of fun. Even those who eventually had to stop because of social pressures had fun,” he said.
“Our university should build up to all of the activities available. In that first game I played where I fell all the time, everyone was nice and concerned about me. The amount of dedication and passion you find at HvZ is amazing,” said Gajdarik.
Dr. Mark Kearley, Chemistry professor at FSU, has played four games and has even brought his children to participate in the events. According to Kearley, the games are nothing but pure fun and memories.
“The first two times I played, I had three students of mine be my body guards. They would take me everywhere. They would give me their cell phone numbers and say, ‘when you leave the building, call us,’” said Kearley.
Kearley recalls when his body guards abandoned him because they had to attend class. He carried 10 pairs of socks in the front pocket of his briefcase to protect him, but got turned into a zombie on Wednesday of the week long game. “They knew my whole schedule and would just wait outside for me,” he laughed.
His involvement came from his students’ encouragement, but Kearley mentioned how HvZ’s popularity has plummeted over the last two years because of lack of promotion.
On average 10 students usually gather up and participate in Skirmishes and about 50 students gather for day and week missions. HvZ FSU, however, is making it a priority to increase awareness for future semesters.
Martin, founder, encourages current members to put ads everywhere and make HvZ’s presence prominent among the student population. “Just show people that running around with a nerf gun can be really fun,” he said.
“HvZ is filled with ‘nerdy’ kids who you would typically find playing video games,” said Kearly, “Every night I went to the missions, however, there were always new people who came and who had never played before. The students who regularly played were always very nice and welcoming.”
HvZ is an organization that strives to provide an interactive way for students to socialize and meet longtime friends. Apart from being fun and getting re-connected with your inner child as you throw old socks and shoot darts at one another, HvZ also allows students to stay physically active. If played seriously, it’s easy to run seven miles. It’s also a great way to learn every inch of campus, according to Shough.
Sophomore Gajadarik, who kept getting hurt in the week mission, expressed disappointment that HvZ’s community has dwindled. She spoke to me with a notepad in her hand saying she was creating a presentation for her speech class to promote HvZ.
“There is really nothing like the experience you get in HvZ anywhere on campus. Without HvZ, I would have probably never met the friends that I have today. College can be rather lonely at times, especially for freshmen. This game lets them get out there and meet people,” said Shough.
HvZ is also about learning to work together effectively. If you are one of the five humans left with a hoard of 30 zombies planning to attack you, some planning comes in handy.
Dr. Ben Miller, professor at FSU with a Ph.D. in philosophy, expressed how video games such as Call of Duty and outdoor games like HvZ, allow students to become better thinkers and more prepared for catastrophes. Miller has taught PHI2016, Philosophy of Zombies Through Film, for the past 3 semesters.
Miller began the class because zombies are “awesome,” and because of the recent popularity that zombies have received in the past years. His class focuses on human nature, consciousness, and death.
HvZ is a game that, without knowing, taps into the predator versus prey instincts that humans have had since the caveman era. The game easily utilizes coordination and warfare, according to Miller.
One of the assignments Miller assigns to his students that he discussed with me is creating a contingency plan if a zombie apocalypse were to happen.
“Many of my students say they’ll go to Wal-Mart,” said Miller, “The first person to show up at Wal-Mart without a gun, is going to get killed by the guy who is already on the roof with a sniper-rifle and his three buddies. A person who thinks outside of the box is going to survive situations like this, and I definitely think games like HvZ helps people make better decisions.”
Miller smiled as I first mentioned HvZ and said he remembers that time of year when all he sees is socks and darts on campus grounds. Although he does find it silly for him to be running around campus with a nerf gun, he does believe that staying young at heart is important.
“There is nothing like having to hide in a bush with a fellow human waiting out the zombies for half an hour, watching each other’s back,” said current president Shough as she helped me un-jam my gun before sending me back to the game.
As I ran across the green field with only the dim lights of the moon and street lamps on campus, a pack of zombies corner me in. I manage to shoot three of the eight surrounding me, but my socks and ammo don’t last me long until I get tapped by one of the biters.
I am now one of the walking dead.
If interested in participating in HvZ FSU go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hvzatfsu/