A zombie apocalypse will be taking place in Athens throughout the next 10 days.
Participants in the 10th anniversary of Humans vs. Zombies event will have to watch their backs as they go to classes or dining halls because the game will take places 24 hours a day throughout the 10-day period.
Humans vs. Zombies is normally a week-long event where participants run around as zombies or human survivors armed with socks, flashlights and Nerf guns, or other similar brands of toy guns.
However, being that it's the 10th anniversary of the game's existence, the event will last three days longer than normal.
"It will be a 10 day game instead of seven," moderator Anthony Rohn said. "We split it up for more content."
The rules of Humans vs. Zombies are simple. A small group of participants start out as zombies and attempt to "kill" the humans by swiping at them between their wrist and shoulder. If a human is tagged, he or she then becomes a zombie and attempts to tag other human survivors. Zombies can be identified by a bandanna wrapped around their head or, for the more serious players, face paint.
The end objective for zombies are to "turn as many humans as they can" and "kill off all resistance and spread the infection," according to a slideshow shown to players at an informational meeting in Morton Hall before the game began on Saturday.
Humans can attempt to fend off zombie attackers using their Nerf weapons. If a zombie is hit with a Nerf dart, the zombie must then wait to the next half hour on the clock to become active. Humans can be identified by a bandana tied around their arm.
If desperate, humans can also throw a sock ball at a zombie, which also has the same result as a Nerf dart.
The end objective for the humans is to "stop the infection from spreading," "go out in a blaze of heroic glory" and "SURVIVE!" according to the slideshow.
Event organizers have missions planned throughout the 10-day period that usually involve a specific objective for the human team, making it easier for zombies to know where humans will be at a certain time. Missions are based off of video and board games and are usually announced in the HvZ Facebook group a few hours before they begin.
The event takes place throughout the City of Athens but there are safe zones which include indoors, the parking garage on Washington St. and the inside of vehicles.
Despite missions taking place on the OU campus, there are no set boundaries to the game.
"Our game doesn't technically have boundaries," Rohn said. "We've had confirmed kills up in Columbus."
In addition to zombies, participants playing as humans must also watch out for special characters such as a "boomer" and a "witch," which are based loosely on the characters from the first-person shooter video game Left 4 Dead.
To ensure the rules are followed, a team of nine moderators and one admin, identified by blue and red glow sticks respectively, will follow various participants throughout the 10-day period.
In the past, the event has drawn numbers as high as 700 - 800 people.
"This year's looking pretty good actually. We had a booth at the involvement fair and had quite a few faces show up," Rohn said.
Rohn added that he enjoys being able to run around with a Nerf gun on campus without being judged.
"It's nice to have that freedom of not having society frown at you as hard," Rohn said.
There are no limits on who can participate. Attendees at the informational meeting ranged from middle schoolers to adults.
Devin Doyns, a seven-year player, makes a four hour drive from Indianapolis each game in Athens.
"As soon as I get back from the previous game, I start planning for the next game," Doyns said.
For most first-year players, it is just another event among many in an exciting college environment. But to long time players, the game means much more.
"We are all out here simulating a fake zombie apocalypse with children's toys. Why? Because it's fun," Ian Bullington, the head administrator, said. "College is stressful, you're here to have fun."
