The Savannah College of Art and Design already has a reputation for attracting the weird and the wacky, the wild and the whimsical. As a student here, I can honestly say, it’s the art school to top all art schools. From the kids to the classes to the clubs, SCAD is one of the most eclectic and interesting universities out there. So, what can make our school even stranger? Even nerdier? Even better? Zombies. Always zombies.
SCAD Humans versus Zombies is basically a gigantic, campus wide game of tag complete with Nerf guns, sock grenades, battle gear, and best of all – zombies. The goal of the game? Simple. Try and survive. HvZ takes place in SCAD’s Spring Quarter and runs, this year, for four days and four nights. The game begins consisting of humans and a single Original Zombie, or OZ. The OZ blends in with the crowd at first before they slowly begin to ‘kill’ humans. After a designated number of kills, the OZ is revealed, along with their new, undead friends and suddenly, the campus is crawling with zombies. Their main goal? Kill as many humans as possible by two-hand tagging them, collecting their kill card, and logging their kill online to ‘feed’.
Humans, on the other hand, have a few different tasks at hand. They must keep themselves and their friends alive and safe while running missions designed by the moderators of the game. And, of course, stun as many zombies as possible via Nerf darts and ‘grenades’ consisting of a pair of balled up socks. The twist? The zombies have to go on those missions, too. The missions help to keep the game going and even construct a thorough plotline that all of the players get to journey through as the game progresses. Missions earn players rewards and perks, special abilities that they can gain, and things to aid them in their fight against the undead hoard.
Will Randall, an experienced SCAD HvZ player, sums up the game in one simple sentence: “It’s 5 days of paranoia, the living dead, and nerfy goodness all rolled up into one”. If it sounds childish or dorky, that’s because it is and that’s exactly how it’s meant to be. Here at SCAD, we’re really just giant kids. Give us your sleep deprived, your student loan weary, your huddled masses yearning to catch the Red Route to their first class and we will transform them into knights and explorers, pirates and poets. And most importantly? Zombie slayers.
It’s normal to be afraid to grow up. But don’t be afraid to act a little childish every now and then, either. All SCAD students are eligible to play and the rules, as well as further descriptions and even informational videos about the game and background story, are all available on the Sav Zombies website. So, grab a Nerf gun, ball up some socks, and sign up online at game.sav.zombies.com. I’ll be playing this Spring, and I hope to see a bunch of you out there with me!