Showing its face once more for the Halloween season is the national tradition of Humans vs. Zombies, a weeklong game of “zombie tag.” Humans vs. Zombies has been an annual event at UNM since 2011, and has captured the hearts of the student body.
The rules are simple enough. When registered as a human, you wear a bandana around your arm. If a zombie attacks a human, then the human becomes a zombie and has to move their bandana. Zombies wear bandanas around their heads or necks if they are stunned. Humans can stun zombies using Nerf darts or sock balls. Zombies who are hit will be stunned for about 10 minutes.
The game runs continuously for a full week leading up to Halloween.
“You could be at La Posada at three in the morning and people could be playing,” said Alex Luna, a moderator for the game.
The goal of the game is to remain a human through to the end of the week, or tag as many humans as possible if you’re a zombie. The last night consists of an evacuation mission to determine who survives as a human. Students can play as much or as little as they would like by choosing when they wear their bandana.
There are daily missions in the evening and at night that humans can participate in. This is also the time when the more people are playing since most students are out of class. The missions require teamwork and strategy to complete.
“There’s a surprising amount of strategy in the missions,” said Zac Winningham, another moderator.
There will be escort missions where a moderator has to be transported from one place to another without getting attacked by the opposing team. The moderators said they have created new missions for the gameplay this year, and they are excited to see them play out.
“I have met most of my best friends through Humans vs. Zombies. It’s so social, zombies will create random hunting parties to go out and find humans.” Luna said.
The game is also a good way to get to know the campus better. Past players say they find a new place on campus that they never saw before, as they were running after humans or hiding from zombies.
“Humans vs. Zombies gives me an excuse to talk to people and hang out and run around and get some exercise,” Winningham said.
Whether for fun, for exercise or to meet new people, Humans vs. Zombies is the perfect excuse to act like a kid for a week.
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Emma Citizen is a culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com
