Humans vs. Zombies

Humans vs. Zombies

A group of Humans vs. Zombies players at Goucher College
Years active	2005–present
Playing time	Variable
Website	Humans vs. Zombies

Humans vs. Zombies (also called HvZ for short) 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 guns. 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 and Brad Sappington, 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.

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.

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; schools can host their games for free at www.HumansVsZombies.org, the official site for the game.