‘Humans vs. Zombies’ reaches UT

Strolling around campus, most students have probably picked up on what the paranoid side effects of being a "human" can do to a person.

The nervousness is evident in those stealthy students adorning a bandana wrapped tightly around an arm or leg, Nerf gun in hand, peering anxiously over one shoulder.

It may seem strange to the non-players of Humans vs. Zombies, but judging by the intensity and gung-ho attitudes of the competitors, it's not only fun -- it's an epidemic of the walking dead.

In 2005, Humans vs. Zombies began at Goucher College and has since gained an international fan base. One student at the University of Toledo was selected to take on the challenge of being the "Original Zombie" while 176 students registered to play and started the game off as "humans."

Despite its popularity on the UT campus, there is still some confusion over the rules and the point of this game.

The battle began at 7 p.m. last Wednesday and continues until the final mission begins Tuesday night. Humans can be identified by a bandana tied around one arm or leg, and may often be seen carrying a Nerf gun and/or socks, which are used as valuable weapons to stun the zombies. Zombies on the other hand, wear their bandanas with pride around their heads, sometimes traveling in hordes, in hopes of "killing" a human.

When a human is tagged by a zombie, they enter a short process called incubation, The player then in that time goes through zombie metamorphosis.

Should zombies conquer all humans, taking them down one by one and feasting on delicious brains at least every 48 hours in order to keep from starving, they will emerge victorious. However, if the humans manage to survive the zombie apocalypse long enough for the non-original zombies to starve, or if they complete the final mission, then the humans will win.

Surprisingly, the rules are plentiful, designed for prime performance, and rely heavily on the honor system.

On Sunday morning, just a few hours after midnight, combat was in full swing as zombies sought to kill the humans in search of clues for their mission. It appeared that the humans were a bit on edge as comments like, "C'mon, I'm not scared" and "I've got a bullet with your name on it" flew unabashedly from their mouths.

While freshman Caitlin Layman was no such human, she said playing Humans vs. Zombies was an opportunity not to be missed, something that may very well resonate positively with others who are passionate about the enticement of the game.

"I could possibly never get to do something like this ever again," Layman said.

Her teammate, senior Braeden Gilchrist, was equally as excited. While he admits that Humans vs. Zombies "is probably for nerds," he and his fellow comrades are having a lot of fun.

On top of this positive attitude toward the social status of the competition, the same was held in reference to whether the humans or zombies would come out victorious. Gilchrist believes that the humans will defeat the zombies.

"I mean, we're the protagonists," he said matter-of-factly. "The protagonists always win."

On the other hand, sophomore Brynn Schultz said being the "bad guy" can be entertaining as well.

"When you're a zombie, it's fun to stalk people," Schultz said.

Other zombies, with a sense of security in the knowledge that they cannot be killed, only stunned, may very well feel the same way. Schultz also mentioned that next semester would hold another round.

A full list of rules, along with a variety of other information can be found at utoledo.hvzsource.com.