11-15-2024 4:19am

Goucher-Inspired "Zombies"

Hunt Valley Life Staff

Humans vs. Zombies" draws visitors to Athens

By Gabriel Scotto, Athens News

A player prepares their Nerf Blaster to take on the zombie horde at Saturday’s “Humans vs. Zombies” event.

Gabriel Scotto APG Media

A vendor sells “Humans vs. Zombies”-themed merchandise and a raffle tickets in Walter Hall.

“Humans vs. Zombies” players receive their mission briefing at Walter Hall. Saturday’s mission was inspired by the video game “Destiny.”

“Humans vs. Zombies” players, armed with Nerf Blasters, prepare to storm College Green.

Ohio University’s campus transformed into a war zone Saturday as players came together to battle the zombie apocalypse in a game of “Humans vs. Zombies.”

First played in 2005 at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, “Humans vs. Zombies” is essentially an elaborate game of tag. Players are split into two teams: humans and zombies. Human players have to complete different missions and objectives while defending themselves with Nerf Blasters, while zombie players try and infect as many humans as they can. The game ends when all the humans have been turned into zombies or the humans have run out the clock.

Students at Ohio University began playing “Humans vs. Zombies” in 2006 and have been holding annual games ever since. Organizer Derrick Porter first began playing “Humans vs. Zombies” in 2015, after representatives from Pittsburgh Technical College visited his high school and advertised a “Humans vs. Zombies” game that was being held on campus. Being an avid gamer, Porter was immediately interested in the concept and decided to participate.

“So I went there, had a blast at the time, made a bunch of great friends from it and I wanted to give back to the community for how many friends it gave me, so I started running (‘Humans vs. Zombie’ events) and providing that opportunity for other people.”

Players from colleges around the country participated alongside Ohio University students. Creativity was on full display as participants swarmed College Green dressed in a variety of elaborate costumes. One player dressed as a character from the zombie survival horror video game “Resident Evil,” while another dressed up as a unicorn. Some used custom Nerf Blasters, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

During the game, the second floor of Walter Hall FINISH READING HERE