Humans v. Zombies begins spring campaign, receive missions

The “Humans Vs. Zombies” organization at Troy University kicked off its spring campaign this week.

“Humans Vs. Zombies,” or HvZ, was created in 2005 at Goucher College and has since spread to universities nationwide. The Troy HvZ is led by Matthew Engelman, a senior English major from Foley and president, and has a campaign every semester.

The game allows players to divide into “humans” and “zombies.” The zombie players attempt to tag the human players while the humans fulfill certain missions that are assigned to them each night at 8.

Missions are planned and assigned by a committee of leadership members and vary from collecting materials to finding a base for the week, and are often accompanied by a story to explain why the task must be completed.

Players wearing a sash hold a leadership position, while regular players wear bandannas. Humans wear bandannas on their arms, with zombies wearing bandannas on their foreheads.

The humans defend themselves with Nerf guns and sock grenades, causing a zombie player to be temporarily “stunned,” or unable to move or interfere with the game in any way, when they are hit.

The goal of the game is survival or extinction. Humans will attempt to survive the full week, while zombies will attempt to tag all the humans.

There are safety rules set for the game about safe zones and concerning what materials players are allowed to use.

Participants are not allowed to play inside buildings, only outside.

If a student is required to carry a fragile or expensive item for class, such as a laptop or musical instrument, and does not wish for the item to get damaged, the student can claim the “precious cargo” clause and avoid playing by not wearing a bandanna.

The club has a collection of donated materials that it rents out to players, and the only thing a person needs to buy is a bandanna.

Students interested in participating in HvZ can check out the club’s Facebook group, “Troy HvZ Spring Campaign.”