Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) is a live-action game predominantly played at US college campuses. The storyline of the game dictates that players begin as Humans and try to survive a Zombie invasion. The ultimate goal of the game is for either all Humans to be turned into Zombies, or for the humans to survive a set amount of time. Humans can defend themselves using any item that is approved by a moderator and thereby deemed safe and appropriate. The most common equipment includes balled up socks, marshmallows, and foam dart blasters. Humans may throw or launch these items at Zombies, who become stunned once hit. Safe zones are also established so that players can eat and sleep in safety. Zombies, on the other hand, are unarmed and must tag Humans to gain a kill. In some cases, if a kill is not made within a set time period, Zombies "starve" and are removed from the field of play. The game was created in the fall of 2005 at Goucher College by Chris Weed, Brad Sappington, Joe Sklover, Max Temkin, Trevor Moorman, Justin Quick and Ben Beecher, who have since created an official website with general guideline rules and information for other universities to create and customize their own HvZ game. Final rules are determined by each game's moderators and admins. Since the game's creation, Humans vs. Zombies has been played at over 1,000 locations, spanning across six continents, most notably at UC Santa Cruz, the Pennsylvania State University, Utah State University, UMBC, Georgia Tech, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego, Florida State University, and Agnes Scott College. Humans vs. Zombies has grown in popularity across campuses. While most games deal with relatively few people, some games have grown to have hundreds of participants. Some schools and universities have banned the game due to its perceived 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, and several games have been shut down due to concerns about Nerf Blasters being used. While predominantly played on campuses, Humans vs Zombies is also played in residential areas, camps, and even military bases.
Gameplay
Humans vs. Zombies is a survival game of tag, where "human" players fight off increasingly large numbers of "zombies"; if a human is "turned" (i.e. tagged), then that player becomes a zombie in turn. At the game's beginning, there are only one or two zombies; 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, marshmallows, Nerf Blasters or any other toys deemed safe and appropriate; if a zombie is hit by one of these methods of defense, they are stunned (not allowed to interact with the game in any way) for fifteen minutes. The goal of the zombies is to turn all the humans; the humans, meanwhile, must outlast all the zombies. The official rules, produced by Goucher College students, can also be modified to suit a particular campus.
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. To defend themselves, humans are allowed Nerf Blasters, socks, or other approved toys. 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 forbidden; these include use of a car or leaving campus for extended periods. To draw zombies into the open and increase the speed of the game, humans can undertake "missions" with varying objectives.
Zombies All zombies wear headbands to distinguish themselves from humans. There is usually at least one original zombie, who starts out the game as a zombie, must start the spread of zombies, and in some rulesets is allowed to be free from wearing a headband for a fixed amount of time. Zombies must gather and input the identification number of all humans that they "turn" into the database to keep track of which humans have been converted. If a zombie is hit with a human's dart or sock, they are "Stunned" for fifteen minutes and cannot interact with the game until that time is up. If a zombie does not make at least one kill in 48 hours of play, then the zombie starves and leaves the game permanently. The different universities have different rules for the game. For example, depending on the number of players at the university, the game may start with more than one original zombie. Also, the amount of time varies as well as the time each zombie has to get at least one bite before dying. Some administrations bring players back, traditionally as a zombie, in order to make the final mission, objective, or overall finale more interesting. The rules for zombies are also known to change in storylines, traditionally after completed missions. This can include alternate stun times, transformation times, or death times. These possibilities make a zombie generally more directly affected by stories than humans.
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 the incident was intentional. Players who attack non-players 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 looking weaponry, weaponry which could hurt on impact, or dangerous behavior during gameplay.
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