Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ), an undead themed, week-long game of tag popular with USF students, is slated to make its return to our campus Nov. 1 to 5, this time with promotional and organizational backing of the newly-formed HVZ@USF club.

Humans vs. Zombies takes place over 5 to 7 days filled with missions, obstacles, daring escapes and high-intensity action every semester.

Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ), an undead themed, week-long game of tag popular with USF students, is slated to make its return to our campus Nov. 1 to 5, this time with promotional and organizational backing of the newly-formed HVZ@USF club.

Humans vs. Zombies takes place over 5 to 7 days filled with missions, obstacles, daring escapes and high-intensity action every semester.

Over the course of the game, the “humans” try to complete a wide range of objectives while evading and battling the “zombies,” who hunt, though stealth or massive numbers, and try to eliminate the humans through tagging, which turns the humans into zombies.

Humans can defend themselves with foam blasters, such as Nerf products, socks and other products of foam bullet ingenuity, such as the heralded “Blowgun,” a custom-made PVC pipe dart shooter.

An official HvZ Training Mission, one of many throughout the semester, is scheduled for today, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. in The Meadows field . The event’s Facebook page suggests all interested students bring “a Nerf blaster and/or socks for defending yourself against the zombies.”

The new HVZ@USF will give club coordinators, or “Moderators,” free reign over the game’s organization, providing more focused support for the biannual game and its huge student following. In previous years, the game was hosted by USF’s Christians In Action Campus Ministries, the Association of Nerf Appreciation and the USF Quidditch Team.

Senior philosophy major Geoffrey “Admiral” West is a seasoned Humans vs. Zombies veteran, and recently shifted his attention to moderating as vice president of HVZ@USF.

“Now that there is an official USF organization, the group is able to use funds from student government for various material needs,” West said. “We’re also able to use Tech-Smart and HYPE for all of our advertising needs. This will help the week long games, and the club in general, grow in size.”

Now recognized as an official campus entity, organizers in the HvZ family plan to greatly improve organization involvement, and zombie spirit, beyond the seasonal games.

“We also plan on having training missions throughout the semester to keep the players interested and encourage a higher quality of game play for the week long game,” West said. “HVZ@USF is also using its status as an official organization to help advertise for the interests of other groups, in exchange for those groups helping us with ours.”

HvZ has been an unofficial campus tradition since it was first brought to USF in fall 2009. The game, traditionally played in both fall and spring semesters, has been very well-received, boasting a huge student following (over 1,400 members) on the game’s Facebook page.

Junior Lauren Koos has played in three HvZ games and finds enjoyment and thrills in both side of the game.

“I really enjoy both sides of the games, but for completely different reasons. The companionship amongst the humans is incredible, and I've made some pretty good friendships with people through HvZ,” Koos said. “Being a zombie is also fun. You're not paranoid, because you're the one that's making others paranoid!”

Numerous students have said they would also like to see HVZ@USF organize a statewide “HvZ All-Stars” competition with Florida’s other HvZ communities.

“I think it would be really cool if the HvZ club could communicate with other HvZ clubs at Florida colleges and have a tournament amongst them at a neutral location,” Koos said, in addition to other students’ support of the idea.

Kayla Prater, a student with lengthy experience as both “human” and “zombie,” said her favorite HvZ moment occurred last spring, during a mission where the “humans” had to collect water from Castor Lake, and use it to fill a container at the John & Grace Allen (ALN) Building.

“I was a zombie at the time. The humans guarding the container had gotten lazy, and I knocked it over screwing them up of any chance to win that mission,” Prater said. “It was a lot of fun seeing them all just standing there looking shocked. And I got a tag right after that. Not a soul knew what was going on. It was pretty funny.”

HvZ has proven to be an invaluable social tool for USF, linking students from all years, departments and lifestyles with common causes: To save the world, or eat some brains.

“HvZ is a huge escape from the stress of school work and also an amazing social outlet to meet some great people and create glorious memories,” Kelly said. “This special kind of experience is something that you cannot do ever again when you are done with college.”

Sophomore Bobby Blackledge has played in each of the two games since he arrived at USF, and plans to keep playing this fall.

“I heard about it in high school and from the occasional person in my hallway freshmen year,” Blackledge said. “I keep coming back due to the friends I've made and the intense feeling I have while playing. There is nothing else quite like it.”

Registration for this fall's Human vs. Zombies game is currently open, and all interested students are encouraged to check out the organization's website and register to play at http://www.usfhvz.org/.

Hordes of the hungry undead stalked around USF’s Tampa campus from March 28 to April 2, hunting for human flesh in USF’s highly-anticipated fifth installment of the popular live-action game, Humans Vs. Zombies.

Played by hundreds of students every semester since spring 2010, the weeklong event is essentially a campus-wide game of tag between teams of “humans,” or the Resistance, recognized by a bandanna on the arm, and “zombies,” the Horde, adorned with bandannas on the head.

Humans can arm themselves with socks, Nerf or other branded foam-projectile blasters and their wits to overcome the expanding undead population, while zombie participants must try to “tag” all surviving humans and turn them into zombies.

The game is played for five days, at all hours of the day. Humans must try to stay alive by completing objectives and “stunning” zombies by hitting them with Nerf darts or socks, while zombies must try to infect all human players by tagging them. Zombies are only “stunned” for 15 minutes each time they’re hit, so humans must keep on their feet at all times.

During the first 24 hours of the game, one or more players are selected to be an “OZ,” or Original Zombie, whose duty it is to “infect” as many people as possible. The first day usually induces the most paranoia in players, as the Original Zombies are not required to wear bandannas, or can even wear them on their arms, like the humans.

Game moderators, who act as referees and coordinators for the event, organize on-campus missions for both sides to participate in, with rewards and punishments for a team’s successes and failures.

Rewards for missions have grown largely in variation since the game’s earlier installments: Everything from the much sought-after cure and immunity cards, to special human or zombie “classes,” like “Medics” and “Hunters.”

The human team even came to acquire an “Armored Personnel Vehicle,” a trusty, Flintstone-style foot-powered cardboard and PVC box promptly named “Rodney” as a reward for completing a mission.

Sophomore Brandon Breedwell, a medical technology major, has been a moderator of the game since spring 2011.

“In a way it’s like taking part in a large scale movie or TV show of sorts,” said Breedwell. “Knowing what the characters in a book or show don't know and then seeing the future unfold for them is always exciting and it’s much the same with HVZ.”

Humans Vs. Zombies began in the fall of 2005, at Goucher College in Maryland. Since the humble efforts of founders Chris Weed and Brad Sappington, Humans Vs. Zombies has expanded to over 1,000 game locations, a great majority college campuses, on over five continents.

At USF, Humans Vs. Zombies is run by shared collaboration between school organizations. Fall games are typically organized by USF’s Christians In Action Campus Ministries, while spring games are usually a joint-effort between the Association for Nerf Appreciation and the USF Quidditch Team.

The spring 2012 installment of the game featured multiple plotlines and over a dozen premeditated missions for players to attempt. A committed group of roughly 250 students registered for this semester’s session, a more focused player-base than the many hundreds that normally participate in fall games.

The latest installment of Humans Vs. Zombies on our campus also served as a tie-breaker for the previous four games, settling the split score between “human” and “zombie” teams. The human factions scraped by in the last moments of the dramatic final mission with a surprising human victory. They can rest assured, however, that zombies will be back in fall 2012 with a vengeance.

At the bare foundation of Humans Vs. Zombies, beyond the pure adrenaline and suspense that accompanies participation, is a strong sense of community. Each game brings people from all walks of life together, acting as a networking bridge for students with the game-required commitment to excitement and fun.

Geoffrey West, a junior double-majoring in philosophy and religious studies, has participated in all five of USF’s sanctioned games and recognizes the significance of networking within player community.

“HvZ [Humans Vs. Zombies] builds friendships and relationships with people who one may not normally meet and anyone playing is going to make many new friends,” West said, after the conclusion of spring’s game. “HvZ has been one of the most fun things I have ever experienced in college and anyone who does not play is missing out on an experience of a lifetime.”

Perhaps the greatest gift of Humans Vs. Zombies is the escapism that comes with playing: “Saving humanity” with your new best friends for five days noticeably diminishes the weight of importance participants place on the standard troubles of student life.

“It is, in my opinion, one of the best games to socialize because it builds on a sense of fear and unity,” said sophomore Rohan Trivedi, an electrical engineering major, after playing in his fourth game this spring.

“My roommate told me about the game and it sounded very interesting and exciting,” Trivendi said. “However, I will admit that for my first game, I did not at all expect it to be as terrifying as it is to be a human. I think that aspect of the game has kept bringing me back to HvZ.”

Currently, the dedicated community of players at USF are motioning towards creating an official Humans Vs. Zombies club to sponsor future games and expand the player-base of the events. While the game has raised safety concerns at other schools and has even been banned for its perceived violence, students can remain confident that the game will not be leaving USF any time soon.

Viva la Resistance!