3 p.m., April 1, 2014: Day 3 of the Infection
Olivia Moreno left the Janssen Engineering Building beneath a periwinkle sky as students milled about in shorts and vibrant sun dresses.
But Moreno’s close friend had been killed by the Original Zombie earlier that morning, so she and others were on their guard.
The cohort reached the stairs just in time to witness three humans ambushed by a horde of 10 zombies — no survivors.
A member of the horde spotted Moreno and her companions, and the zombies snapped into action.
The first skirmish between humanity and the undead occured in 2005 at Baltimore’s Goucher College. The Humans vs. Zombie event has spread like a pandemic since then, with games at more than 650 colleges and universities around the world, and on every continent except Antarctica. The game still grows in worldwide popularity: Melbourne, Australia broke a world record in 2010 for the largest HvZ event ever played, with an army of 10,000 participants.
The University of Idaho hosted its first game in Fall 2011, with an all-time high of 400 players. UI alumnus Jacob Bow organized the first game with the help of friends. He called planning a logistical nightmare. Communicating — and negotiating — detailed rules and game processes to campus organizations, staff, and faculty presented an unprecedented challenge.
“If you’re running around with things that look like firearms, people are going to be initially concerned,” Bow said.
Associate Dean of Students Craig Chatriand said the first games were very trial-and-error for the group. He said participants in military garb or Nerf-gun-concealing trench coats alarmed some people on campus,. He also said some HvZ players battled indoors, and one weapon — now banned — caused many problems on campus.
“Students were using marshmallows,” Chatriand said. “It rained that week, and the messes it created in some places were so big.”
10 p.m., April 2, 2014: Day 4 of the Infection.
Moren wielded her Vortex Revonix 360, a pump-action Nerf blaster with a clip of 30 foam discs and hand-printed flames surrounding the snub-nosed business end of the gun, when six zombies rushed out of the bushes. She sprinted for the safety of the Polya Lab, stunning a zombie as it reached for her comrade. The rest of the horde closed in, but just then three Moderators swooped in, stunned all five zombies, and disappeared into the night — leaving only five darts as evidence they had ever existed.
Staff and faculty members weren’t the only groups to begrudge the twice-annual campus-wide tag game.
“Humans vs. Zombies? I think to myself, ‘Oh no, it’s that time of year again,'” said Nae Hakala, UI graduate student and KUOI station manager. “I think it takes over campus and it’s kind of a drag for people who don’t play.”
Hakala said the game has become less intrusive, but she still doesn’t appreciate its presence at UI. Some of the issues she cited include: the game’s effect on students who aren’t playing, discarded ammunition left across campus, and HvZ’s potential to distract players from their studies.
“I’ve seen people late for class, all out of breath with their Nerf guns… Are they taking their education seriously?” Hakala said.
Former HvZ presidents Jacob Bow, Mark Goddard, and Dan Gray met with Chatriand, Dean of Students Bruce Pitman, and former Student Involvement Coordinator Denise Carl to address some of those issues.
Gray said faculty also felt uncomfortable walking to their cars during peak zombie- and human-hunting hours. That was an easy fix.
“Now we take off 4:30 to 6 p.m. every day, which allows everybody to get off campus, and allows our players to go get dinner, maybe do some homework, stuff like that,” Gray said.
Gray also said complaints about HvZ are now forwarded directly to club leadership so issues can be efficiently addressed.
“The wonderful thing about this group, is that they’ve been so open,” Chatriand said. “They’ve been so willing to communicate.”
Building entrances, which serve as “safe zones” in the game, became another area of contention when players loitering near doorwarys and blocked them for extended periods of time. While these practices have been discouraged, Club Chair Ranger Adams recognizes not every instance of players pushing boundaries can be resolved.
“At most, there are 24 to 25 game moderators and referees, and there is still 100 players.” Adams said. “We can’t be everywhere at once, but we try our best to make sure they are doing what they should, and we are doing what we can.”
Leaders were also alerted that some gameplay activities might trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for afflicted UI faculty or students. Scott Oplinger, assistant veterans adviser at UI, said he has yet to encounter an instance when HvZ affected a veteran’s PTSD. He said he heard about a veteran whose PTSD was triggered when player jumped out of a bush. Oplinger said player behaviors such as hiding in unexpected areas and running in large groups are potentially troublesome.
Advertising became the remedy for this tricky situation. Chatriand said those with PTSD can prepare themselves accordingly if they are aware in advance that the game is occurring. Chatriand said campus-wide posters and announcements were in effect the following Fall in 2013, but lead-up to the Spring 2014 match fell short.
Gray said the club faced a “perfect storm” of advertising adversity in its most recent game. Rain washed away chalk ads on campus sidewalks, reservations to advertise inside the Idaho Commons were overridden, and the registration website had technical issues.
Gray said the club has overcome many obstacles by incorporating these and other changes, but the fight continues for campus-wide acceptance.
“Our goal is not to eliminate the complaints, but to minimize and rapidly address the ones we do get,” Gray said.
8 p.m. April 3, 2014: Day 5 of the Infection
Moreno joined 25 humans just after dark to hold the positions they had won the night before. Despite their vigilance, the zombies assaulted and the checkpoints fell one by one — Brink, Commons, Trident, Amphitheater — all swarmed, while the dwindling ranks of humans fled.
Olivia escaped to within a few hundred yards of her home, when five appeared from the shadows. Surrounded, she swung around — four shots, four kills. She turned to face the last, and didn’t fire quickly enough.
Recent changes in HvZ’s leadership structure seek to increase efficiency and the number of players engaged, Gray said. The group decided to dissolve the presidential position in favor of specific positions that focus more intently on different aspects of the game. Ranger Adams will serve as the club chair, and said he plans to organized game moderators to clean up stray darts the mornings following missions.
8:30 p.m., April 4, 2014: Day 5 of the Infection.
Wave after wave of zombie assault had left the 10 remaining humans exhausted. The humans circled up, checked their clips and readied themselves for the attack. Roughly a score of zombies approached. There was a moment of silence, and the final stand commenced.
The sound of blasters was inaudible over the ferocious roar of the zombies, who were dodging darts and dashing full speed towards the shrinking human circle. Soon, they were back to back, firing a hailstorm of darts into the wall of undead. But humans were falling left and right. Moreno charged into the group with a single intention: tagging her former partner.
While administrators and non-players continue dialogue on how to improve the relationship between HvZ and the UI community, players still enjoy the game and the memories it provides.
“I love the whole experience,” Moreno said. “I get to run around with my friends and act like a little kid, and it’s OK.”
Written by George Wood