Humans vs. Zombies Returns to SLU

Now that April is upon us and there are only 15 days of class left (12 if you are like me and don't have any on Friday), it's time to start considering some of the big questions.... like what you would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse!

This is a serious concern. Well, until  21st that is. From now until next Saturday, SLU students will take part in a game known worldwide as Humans vs. Zombies. Humans vs. Zombies started out as a modified game of tag at a college in Maryland and has since become a global craze. The game involves two parties of people: the normal humans and the infected zombies. The object of the game is to survive the entire week without being infected (tagged) by one of the zombies. Humans are allowed to defend themselves with Nerf guns which will stun the zombies for 15 minutes. What's great about the game is that it doesn't end when you've been tagged by a zombie. Instead you're role changes. As a zombie, your new objective is to eat all the humans on campus and make sure that none of them make it to the extraction point on Saturday afternoon. The catch is that every zombie must eat every two days or else they starve to death. 

Members of St. Lawrence's Hub Theme House have moderated this event since it was first introduced to SLU in the spring of 2010.The moderators will email missions out daily to the players. If completed, the players can receive special power ups to assist them during game play. For one mission from my past experiences, a group of zombies and I recorded a short Youtube clip of us performing Michael Jackson's Thriller dance. Last year, the humans were told to build a cardboard box fort and defend it for an entire day (they gave up around 11pm and lost the mission). 

To spread the word about the event, the Hub has been releasing a number of promo videos. With titles like "3:10 to Bewkes"  and "The Green", the videos include clever parodies of Hollywood movies with more fake blood and more ravenous zombies. Here's a sneak peek at one of them....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT4jJLsM6Xg

The Hub will be holding a Kick Off Party tonight at their theme house where HvZ related prizes can be won. As for me, I need to go dust off the old Nerf gun. Wish me luck!