KRISTIN PATTERSON | staff writer
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Kaitlin Schluter
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| The zombies contemplate their next move. |
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What is the greatest threat to America today? The economy? Global warming? Not according to Stephen Colbert. Colbert recently said on his popular show The Colbert Report that the greatest threat to America is “Humans vs. Zombies” (HvZ).
HvZ is a popular game sweeping college campuses across the nation. The game is sort of a complicated version of tag. The game pits zombies who are known as “the horde” against humans called “the resistance.”
Humans could only be tagged outside, making a normal Monday difficult.
“It’s been great doing simple, everyday tasks in the most hardcore way possible, being paranoid all day long and suspecting every single person you see,” sophomore communications major and human player Adam Wengronowitz said.
Once a zombie tags a participant, the participant become a zombie. There is one original zombie who tags a human. That human then becomes a zombie, and tags someone else. The zombies must kill and “feed” every 48 hours or they die of starvation.
This continues until either all the players are zombies, or all the zombies are dead.
All zombies wear bandanas on their heads, and all humans wear bandanas on their arms or legs. Humans also tend to sport socks somewhere on their person.
This is because socks can be used to “stun” zombies. A zombie that has been hit with a sock cannot tag anyone for 15 minutes.
“[I was] going to the laundry room with five other dudes who are all strapped down with 17 socks each, looking for zombies,” Wengronowitz said.
Many players get very involved in the game, especially humans.
“You have to be on your guard,” freshman cinematic arts major and human player Joey Banasihan said. “You’re always aware and looking around every corner.”
Freshman theater arts major Miles Grimes brought the game to APU and is one of the moderators. He heard about it from some friends at another school.
“I thought it was brilliant and wanted to bring it to APU,” Grimes said.
Others participating in the game agreed.
“This game is the most exciting thing I have done this semester,” Banasihan said. Wengronowitz agreed.
Not only is this game fun and exciting, it has other benefits.
“It brings a sense of odd community together. You hang out with people you would have never even thought of hanging out with, [so] you make tons of new friends,” Wengronowitz said.
In addition, he believes it helps people prepare for the future.
“[This is] a fantasy that everyone dreams of: The Zombie Apocalypse.” Wengronowitz said. “Seriously, who hasn’t thought of what they would do if zombies began to take over? This game lets people act out their master plans.”
Wengronowitz has played both sides of the game. He played as a human, then became a zombie and then was brought back to the human side in a mission.
Missions occur at night and pit the humans against the zombies in a full-scale battle.
“When you are a human, it is so much more of a challenge,” Wengronowitz said. “I had to leave my room at least 45 minutes early so I could cut through Citrus [Avenue] or take the Alosta [Avenue] sidewalk to my class and then hop a fence to go in through a back door.”
Many people who didn’t play have gotten caught up in the game and wish they had played.
“I wish I played, the games looks like fun [and] the battles are epic!” junior youth ministries major Noah Starksen said.
People who didn’t get to play this time around will be rather excited to hear that this game is being planned for each semester. There are even rumors that faculty will be playing the next time around.
According to Grimes, the current game has died off due to technological glitches but this will be counteracted with more moderators and stricter rules.
For now, you’ve been warned. Keep an eye out for future zombies.
