Humans versus zombies is a popular and sometime controversial tag game that happens each semester. It is, in fact, the biggest non-alcoholic event in the 5C’s. Many students see all these people running around with Nerf blasters and bandanas and think, “What nerds” or, “How are people not upset about all these guns everywhere” or even,“Wow, they take this super seriously.” Well, I can tell you that HvZ is not just for nerds and that there are degrees of seriousness with which people play the game. For personal and political reasons I will not address the gun issue, which, while I would love to get on my NRA soapbox, I will abstain from.

HvZ Highlights Reel (used with permission from HvZ player Graham)

As some of our readers may know, I am a moderator of HvZ. Most people don’t know what goes into moderating for the game, however. We mods put hours and hours of time into designing the plot, game mechanics, and missions for our players. We are unpaid, despite the fact that in non-game weeks it’s a part-time job at best and during game week we rarely sleep a full night. I’m not complaining, I’m just attempting to communicate the severity and importance of the role to us. We do it because we love the game, love our players, and believe strongly in the tradition of the game.

Last year, I was a zombie player. I enjoyed the hunt, the missions, the game in general. I may or may not have set a record for the most meals for any female player- but the fact that I had the most meals of a first year at Scripps in the history of the game is undisputed. Somehow, despite the fact that initially I had signed up to enjoy the game as a casual experience, that record led me to learn more about community than anything I ever did before. People started to follow me for none other than what seemed to be my athletic ability. Suddenly, as a first year, people seemed to look up to me. And I had no idea what I was doing, or why, or how. It felt strange but natural. I hadn’t really led anything or anybody before… And it was stressful but I enjoyed it.

I don’t write that to brag, though among serious players, HvZ war stories are a staple for post-game conversation. Instead I write it as a personal anecdote of the meaningful experiences people draw from the game. Though I wasn’t the primary zombie leader, just leading a group catalyzed something in me that I had never seen before. It made me more comfortable with leadership, networking and putting myself out there. And I think that goes for other players too.

See, among human players the game forces communication and grouping-up. Most people could not survive the zombie apocalypse if they did not find friends and experienced players to walk with to class. They defend each other against an increasingly powerful enemy, fostering strong friendships that last well outside game week.

Zombies also have their own social mechanics. In order to catch as many humans as possible, they also group up, hunting in packs for the elusive and ever-diminishing human population.

And during missions each side gets even closer. It is both a dire and fun situation. People work together to achieve objectives, communicating constantly to attain a common goal.

It’s that tight-knit, enthusiastic community that drew me to playing again and to becoming a mod. I learned more about working in a team from modding than from playing, and more from playing than any group project in high school. I made friends that lasted well past first semester. Modding has been stressful so far but the friends I’ve made within the team are some of the best I have. And, finally, HvZ has allowed me to express my inner geek. Running around with Nerf blasters has been fantastic and I intend to continue for years to come.