Popular live-action event game Humans vs. Zombies comes to the Escapist Expo this September.

What is it about large, public places that always seems to attract the undead? Think about it: Dead Rising's mall, Lollypop Chainsaw's high school, Dead Island's resort; there must be some sort of internal zombie calculus comparing brains to acreage that triggers just before lunch time. Well, it turns out that the Durham Convention Center is no different, as this year's Escapist Expo has drawn the hordes. Namely, you. The Escapist is pleased to announce the addition of Humans vs. Zombies to the 2012 Expo's line up, a real-life, three-day-long game of socks, survival, and Nerf gun warfare.

If you did the college thing, you may be somewhat familiar with Humans vs. Zombies, or a variation thereof. If not, it basically works like this: Everyone is assigned a bandana to wear on their arm as a sign that they're "human." One person is then chosen at random to become Patient Zero, the first in what may or may not become a massive lineage of brain-munchers by the convention's end. Mr. or Ms. New Zombie will then wear his or her bandana up top on their head before gleefully proceeding to hunt for brain. Because we greatly prefer you being alive (and don't feel quite comfortable asking anyone to take an actual spoonful of grey matter to the gut), this will be accomplished by tagging. Once the zombie tags a human, the human must move his or her bandana to the appropriate position, and can immediately begin stalking cranium chow for themselves. The humans aren't utterly defenseless, though, as zombies can be stunned by a sock or foam dart launcher. Throw a (provided, non-foot-funky) sock, or Nerf blast your attacker to freeze it in its tracks for ten minutes while you gloriously make a quick escape.

As the event continues, it won't be long before the undead population begins to rise exponentially. At the end of the Expo, one of two things will happen: either the zombies will win by converting everyone, or a handful of scrappy survivors will have proven that they're the ones to call in the advent of an actual outbreak.

Human vs. Zombies is just one of the many events we've got in store for Expo attendees designed to make things fun, and keep you on your toes. So, if you want to prove to your buddy who's the better zombie survivor (instead of just arguing about the hypotheticals into the wee hours of the night) come register to join us at the first annual Escapist Expo, to be held in Durham, NC this September.

Image: Humans vs Zombies