Humans vs. Zombies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Humans vs. Zombies (also called Zombies vs. Humans, or HvZ for short) is a modified game of tag predominately played at college campuses where players begin as Humans and try to survive in a story where Zombies have begun to rise from the dead. The game was created in the fall of 2005 at Goucher College by students Brad Sappington and Chris Weed. Weed and fellow players have since created an official website with rules and information for other universities to create and customize their own HvZ game. Since the game's creation, Humans vs. Zombies has been played at various colleges across the United States.

The ultimate goal of the game is for either all Humans to be turned into Zombies, or for any number of Humans to outlast the Zombies as they starve.^[1] Humans defend themselves using socks or dart guns, stunning the Zombie players; Zombies are unarmed and must tag the Humans to gain a kill and avoid starvation.

Despite the increasing popularity of the game, some schools and universities have banned the game due to its supposed violent nature. An increase in sensitivity to gun violence following the 2007 school shooting at Virginia Tech also led to worries about the game's continuation at Goucher and elsewhere.

1 Gameplay
2 Safe zones
3 Controversy
4 Participating schools
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Humans vs. Zombies is a survival game, where "human" players fight off increasingly large numbers of "zombies"; if a human is "killed", then that player becomes a zombie in turn. At the game's beginning, there is only one zombie; the zombies multiply by tagging humans, turning them into zombies after a period of one hour. Humans can defend themselves from zombies by using socks or NERF guns; if a zombie is hit by one of these weapons, they are frozen in place for fifteen minutes. The goal of the zombies is to kill all the humans; the humans, meanwhile, must outlast all the zombies, who "die" and leave the game if they have not tagged at least one human during a 48-hour period. The official rules produced by Goucher College students can also be modified to suit a particular campus.

Humans vs. Zombies requires several types of equipment. Bandanas are used to distinguish zombies from humans; humans wear the bandana on a leg, while zombies have headbands. To keep track of who is a zombie or when a human has been "killed", player have ID cards with a unique number attached. A list of all players, and Information about their current state is kept on a website. Every time a kill is made it is entered into the website using the ID number. Many schools host their games for free at www.hvzsource.com, the official site for the game.. The site is built using the Django (web framework) and was written by Justin Quick and Ben Beecher and is the third generation of Goucher-student authored HvZ software. The second generation was written in PHP by Karl Tata in a single night. The first generation was written in PHP by Jim Segedy.

[edit] Humans

Almost all players begin the game as humans, and must keep their ID cards with them at all times in case a zombie attacks them. If they are tagged, they must surrender their card, and become a zombie after one hour has elapsed.^[2] To defend themselves, humans are allowed weaponry consisting of NERF guns, socks, or other approved weaponry. For protection, humans often band together and either stay hidden or attack the zombies directly. Certain areas are declared "safe" and humans can enter these areas without fear of attack. According to the Goucher rules, certain methods of eluding zombies are strictly verboten; these include use of a car or leaving campus for extended periods. To draw humans into the open and increase the speed of the game, humans can undertake "missions" with varying objectives.^[3]

[edit] Zombies

All zombies wear headbands to distinguish themselves from humans, with the exception of the original zombie player. Zombies must gather and input the identification number of all humans that they "bite" into the database to keep track of which humans have been converted. If a zombie is hit with a human's weapon, they are frozen in place for fifteen minutes and cannot interact with the game. If a zombie does not make at least one kill in 48 hours of play, then the zombie starves and leaves the game permanently.

[edit] Non-Players

People who are not registered players are not allowed to interfere with gameplay. Under the original rules, this includes spying on the other team, or helping players stay in a safe area by bringing them food or doing something for a player which would otherwise require them to leave a safe-zone. If a non-player is shot with a NERF dart or attacked by a player in any way, they should report the player(s) involved, if intentional, and they will be banned under most rules. The original rules, and most University custom rules, stress the importance of safety in the game. The rules stress the safety of the players and non-players by not allowing realistic weaponry, weaponry which could hurt on impact, or dangerous behavior during gameplay. Many colleges consider dangerous activity in the game an offense worth banning.

[edit] Safe zones

Since Humans vs. Zombies can last for days, rules establish "safe zones" where gameplay does not take place, and where players can stop participation in the game for a certain period. Safe zones are designated by the administrators in conjunction with University rules and/or other applicable rules. Under the original rules, safe zones include dorm rooms, bathrooms, dining halls, Academic buildings, Health centers and other such places. Players are also considered safe attending a mandatory academic or athletic event or practice. They are not safe, however, going to or coming from these events. Some colleges also consider a "wheel rule" where players are in a safe zone if they are on a skateboard, bicycle, or wearing rollerblades. Generally, HvZ is played on-campus, so off-campus is considered a safe zone as well. Under original rules, however, all Humans must sleep on-campus and being away for longer than 24 hours warrants automatic death or removal. Every area not designated a safe zone by administrators is considered a free-play area where players may tag or be tagged. Under the original rules, the game is played at all times and never stops until the game has reached the conclusion.

[edit] Controversy

Humans vs. Zombies has come under fire on more than one occasion by concerned members of communities in and around colleges. Goucher College and other universities playing the game came under particular scrutiny after Virginia Tech shootings in 2007; reporter Laura Wexler stated that since the games are occurring in the midst of several shootings, "[there has been] a heightened sensitivity and fear, and desire to prevent such occurrences. The reaction may not be completely rational, but it is understandable".^[4] Goucher college president Sanford J. Ungar released a statement saying:

It is unfortunate that the latest round of "Humans vs. Zombies" was playing itself out on the day of the events at Virginia Tech, and it is true that the student organizers of the game must be more vigilant about keeping it from interfering with classes and disrupting the daily lives of those who would prefer not to be involved in it. We are working with them to assess the game and its future at Goucher.^[5]

Other concerned individuals sent letters to the Associate Dean of Students at Goucher. One concern was about the game being disrespectful to the troops fighting a war overseas. This concern did not bother the game moderators as those in the military participated as well. In fact, another complaint was that players in the military were in uniform during gameplay and some people were intimidated by them. A similar complaint was filed wherein the fact toy guns were intimidating to some. In response to these complaints, game moderator Max Temkin said, "It's unfortunate that people feel threatened at Goucher. . . If people are concerned about their well-being, they should probably go to Public Safety and report the nature of their concern. No one's ever been hurt by a Nerf gun in our game." In response to players wearing military garb, Temkin said, "The players I know of that were wearing these fatigues were players who are in the military, and as far as I'm concerned, they've earned the right to wear that uniform however and wherever they please, and it's not up to me or anyone else to tell them not to wear it."^[6]

A Humans vs. Zombies game resulted in a lockdown at Alfred University in April 2008.^[7]^[8]

Following the Virginia Tech shootings, the game was banned outright at some colleges;^[9] other colleges simply banned nerf guns to discourage the game.^[9]