Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
Humans vs. Zombies, an event hosted nationally at high schools and universities, will arrive at Oklahoma Christian University this month. It will be a weeklong event filled with top-secret missions, NERF guns and hungry zombies – what more could college students ask for?
Humans vs. Zombies is essentially a giant game of tag between people who play the part of zombies and people who play the part of humans.
The two directors of Humans vs. Zombies, sophomores Preston Foreman and Jesse Erickson, have participated in games in the past and saw an opportunity to bring a little life, or death, to the Oklahoma Christian campus.
“We approached Summer Lashley at the end of April this year about bringing Humans vs. Zombies to Oklahoma Christian, and she loved the idea,” Foreman said.
The biggest issue that stood in the way was a ban on NERF weapons. Though it took a couple of months to lift this ban, the directors, along with Lashley, were able to get the NERF gun ban lifted for a designated period of time so the event could take place.
Having played at the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, Foreman and Erikson saw an opportunity to bring the game a little closer to home.
“This will be my third game; last year I played two games at Stillwater,” Erikson said. “We are hoping to get it here so everyone is playing and having fun.”
Each day will present new missions and new challenges, from debating on whether or not to stay in your dorm to watching your back on the way to class. The game is simple: survive. Students will either act as humans or zombies. If a person is a zombie their goal is to infect as many humans as possible and prevent them from achieving their daily mission, if they are human, the goal is to stay alive and complete their assigned missions.
Sophomore Janey Weast will be experiencing her first Humans vs. Zombies game this October.
“I am very excited for my first game and a little scared of getting tagged,” Weast said. “I look forward to killing zombies and shooting NERF guns.”
Though no one will actually die when shot with the NERF guns, the Zombies will remain stunned for 10 minutes while the game continues without them.
Neither Erickson nor Foreman have experienced any negativity towards the event. They said emails have been pouring in filled with positive comments and excitement for Humans vs. Zombies.
According to Erickson, students are not the only ones excited for Humans vs. Zombies. Faculty, professors and even Campus Police are all invited to join, but they have to be off the clock and registered on the site in order to play.
“Even some of the professors and faculty have approached us with positive comments and excitement about bringing this to Oklahoma Christian,” Erickson said.
Sophomore Bryan Buxton has never been a zombie in the games that he has played, but takes being a human very seriously.
“As far as the humans go, we dress up in camo, full-tact gear – I mean, it’s a big deal,” Buxton said.
Being prepared is essential. This means knowing the landscape, finding good hiding spots and knowing your enemy. According to Erickson the missions are both good openings for survival as well as perfect timing for attacks.
“Some of the missions we have planned are going to be pretty crazy between the two sides, but one of the biggest ways to convert humans to zombies is to get them out in between their classes,” Erickson said. “If they aren’t prepared, then they will get infected.”
Like any video game, there is a pause button. Humans vs. Zombies is no different. In order to ensure safety, Erikson and Foreman have created a pause from 10:50 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. to avoid potential injuries when people are leaving chapel and heading to lunch.
Humans vs. Zombies is set to infect the Oklahoma Christian campus Oct. 28 and will run until Nov. 1. The results of the event will be revealed in chapel the following. Registration is open and the zombies are hungry; think you can survive?
Be First to Comment