Campus apocalypse

“I just pray I stay alive even longer,” Travis Hill, Ferris State University freshman in mechanical engineering technology, said.

A game called Humans vs. Zombies has been spreading like a contagious infection to campuses across the nation and has found its way to FSU. The game began 8 a.m. March 15.

“It’s essentially a game of tag,” Becca Jordan, FSU sophomore in music industry management, said. “Everyone except one person starts out as a human. The initial zombie goes around campus looking for humans to tag. Humans wear green armbands or headbands. Once tagged, the human will become a zombie and put the armband or headband around his or her head.”

About 80 students from all over campus are participating in the event. Jordan, member of the Residence Hall Association’s social committee and organizer of the game, estimates that Miller Hall has the highest number of residents competing.

Jordan initially heard of the game through her older brother who played Humans vs. Zombies at Ball State University in Indiana.

“My brother made friends through this game, so I hope for the same reaction here,” Jordan said. “The goal is to build friendships around Ferris and build a sense of community. Sometimes you have to team up with people you may not know to get away from zombies.”

Hill, participant and moderator of the game, said he has made lots of new friends through the game. At the time of his interview, Hill was proud to share that he was still human.

“I’m the only human left in my hall right now. This is tough on me,” Hill said.

Hill suggested that any remaining humans stay near safe zones (which include academic buildings and residence halls during quiet hours), and he also suggested taking different paths to and from class every day. He added he uses his speed to get past his predators.

“Today I was getting chased by three zombies by the statue in the quad; I booked it all the way to the science building and made it alive,” Hill said. “Our only weapons against zombies are socks. If we hit the zombies with a ball of socks, they are stunned until the quarter marks of every hour. I carry plenty of balls of socks around with me on campus; I get lots of weird looks.”

Humans vs. Zombies also includes various missions for humans throughout its duration.

“An example of one of the missions might be that the scientists at the Rock need laundry detergent delivered to them from the quad for one of their experiments. Humans will be rewarded if they are successful, perhaps with being able to bring a zombie back to human form or being given a token of invincibility for a day or two,” Jordan said.

The game will conclude when all humans are turned into zombies or this Thursday, March 22, whichever scenario occurs first. If one human survives, then the human team wins. Zombies win if every human is wiped out of existence.

For more information about the game, visit humansvszombies.org. To get involved, visit hvzsource.
com/ferris.