HVZ, short for Humans VS Zombies, is a game that was started at Goucher College back in 2005. Essentially, It’s a very big and very complicated version of tag. In the game, there are two kinds of players: zombies and humans. At the beginning of the game, everyone is human except for one randomly chosen person, dubbed the original zombie, or OZ. The role of the OZ is to secretly tag the humans, turning them into zombies as well. Then those zombies openly chase the other humans to tag them as well. In addition to the tagging, there are missions for both human and zombie teams to complete. The game can be won in two ways: either all humans turn into zombies, or at least one human survives the last mission.
Humans are not completely defenseless. The game is played with Nerf guns, and when a human hits a zombie, that zombie is stunned for a period of time. If the player has no Nerf equipment, socks can be used as a replacement.
HVZ is a fun game, but definitely not for the faint of heart. The game runs at all times of day, which can be especially difficult for a college student. Going to class at 7 in the morning? Look out behind you. Going to get a late night snack at midnight? You still aren’t safe. Even on my tiny campus, when the game is on human players go to ridiculous lengths to stay in the game, and zombie players go to equally ridiculous lengths to catch them. It takes a lot of effort, but results in a lot of fun.
My own HVZ experience was strangely rewarding. Sure, there was 24-hour anxiety, the incredibly long detours, and consistently staying up until 2 am every morning, but even then I had a lot of fun. If you can, try to play HVZ with a group of friends, or even better, with a group of people you would like to know better. Nothing brings people together like paranoia, (non-lethally) shooting stuff, and running around in the middle of the night. Some HVZ games allow you to create squads, which are basically teams that try to survive together, and can participate in special squad missions.
Another great thing about HVZ? It teaches you new things about how to navigate your school. When you and several other people are hunkered down in one of the academic buildings because two zombies decided to sit in front of the main entrance, you learn to find alternative routes. Even though it may take you off the beaten path, you can find a lot of cool areas that you otherwise would never see while playing HVZ.
So, try HVZ if you get the chance. And if your school doesn't already have a club? Don't worry! There is loads of support online for connecting with other school's games, or even starting your own!
