The annual weeklong Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) activity took place at the Geneva College campus throughout the week of April 13–17.
It’s been played out on Geneva’s campus since 2009 and, according to junior Josh Grasser, one of the game’s coordinators, “it has become one of the most attended events on campus.”
Students appreciate the event for its ability to create fun and deepen relationships. “HvZ week is the one time of year when all the people on campus can come together to play a giant game of tag,” says senior April Harris. “It doesn't matter what group of friends you're in normally; everybody works together for a common goal. It really builds community and it's a lot of fun.”
Senior Grace Green agrees. “A lot of times it can be difficult to step out of your circle of friends and meet new people, but when your virtual life depends on it, it's really not hard at all. I always get to talk to people I would probably never meet otherwise.”
This elaborate game of tag is played 24 hours a day for five days. For the game, all players start out as “humans,” except for a few who take the role of “original zombies.” From that point on, the goal of the zombie-players is to tag as many humans as possible, turning them into zombies. The goal of the human-players is to stay untagged, which is accomplished by hitting zombie-players with Nerf darts or balled-up socks.
If a zombie-player does not tag a human-player for 48 hours, that player is out of the game. The game ends when either all of the zombie-players are out or when all of the human-players have been tagged.
In addition, there are fun challenges and missions for the human-players to accomplish that will pit them against the zombie-players.
HvZ originated 10 years ago at Goucher College in Baltimore, and has quickly spread to other institutions.
HvZ is played outside and is structured so that the game doesn’t interfere with classes or weekly chapel.
Geneva College invites students to step forward and leap ahead with an academically excellent, Christ-centered and affordable education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and campus-based options, and high-demand advanced graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top 10 Best Value with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the inerrancy of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.
© Geneva College | All rights reserved
