It’s kind of an out-of-body experience to stare down the face of a zombie horde.
With a gun in hand, face paint on and comrades yelling orders beside you, keeping your head in the present is hard enough without the added pressure of thinking, “Tonight might be the night I die.”
You say your goodbyes, but somehow, miraculously, you survive.
OK that was a little melodramatic, so let’s back up a few steps. I should probably clear a few things up.
The gun was of the Nerf variety, the face paint was bought from a craft store and my comrades were a mixture of my best friends along with some fellow Spartans I’d picked up while stalking my way through campus earlier that evening.
This week, I did one of the strangest things I’ve ever done and engaged in the most popular unofficial annual game on campus.
I can say with the utmost confidence that Spartans vs Zombies is way more than just a bunch of excited nerds running around and shooting each other with Nerf guns.
Sure, that’s part of it. But it’s also the most fun I’ve had all semester.
Using your brains ... while you still have them
After you have equipped yourself with a gun — foam blasters only — and a red, orange or yellow armband, you’re released on Monday with very little idea of what to expect.
One thing becomes immediately clear on the first day of the game: trust no one.
Original zombies seamlessly integrate themselves into human groups and strike when it’s least expected. Monday is the only day these silent killers exist, and the only day they can wear their handkerchiefs on their arms to remain under the radar.
When we found ourselves guarding our scientist in Brody Neighborhood as part of that day’s mission, we found ourselves in the midst of two original zombies who were dead-set on turning our scientist into the undead. Unfortunately, they succeeded.
That handkerchief tied around my arm drew zombies from all parts of campus to my position with the explicit purpose of turning me into one of the walking dead.
The foam gun blaster I clung to certainly didn’t help me remain inconspicuous, either.
So whenever possible, I made sure I had at least one other human with me while walking outside to cover my back.
Occasionally, my comrades would post on the human resistance Facebook page if they found themselves in class with a zombie, looking for a friendly face to meet them when it was time to venture out into no man’s land.
A one-on-one fight between zombie and human is pretty fairly matched, but an additional body on either side of the brawl significantly tips the scales of victory in the favor of the larger party.
In addition to the Facebook page, members of the human resistance created channels on Zello, a walkie-talkie phone application, to communicate with each other across campus.
“We had a couple of people in different groups using it and it really helped us to communicate and work as a cohesive unit to get the job done,” arts and humanities sophomore Reese Haller said.
More fun, less stress
One thing that remained constant throughout the week was the sheer dedication many of these players had to the game.
Every time I ran into another new human, I was inspired by their excitement.
There’s no fee for registration, and the game is open to both MSU students and faculty, which allows for the most ardent players to find a niche as either the living or the undead.
The human players especially made use of outfits to get them in the mood for zombie-killing — hats, belts and coats, even in the warmer weather. The works.
My own face paint was inspired by designs I’d seen on my fellow humans’ faces earlier in the week.
According to my iPhone’s pedometer, I walked more than three miles over the course of one mission on Thursday, which is about as much as I typically walk in an entire day.
Though my feet were throbbing by the end of the night and I was probably a little more dehydrated than I should have been, I was exhilarated. The zombies were filing into buildings to eat dinner, but I found myself wanting more.
Unfortunately, I was convinced to just go home, eat some food and get some sleep. Probably for the best.
The immersive experience of the game is facilitated by its organizers, who send out in-character emails each morning that detail the upcoming evening’s mission and offer a brief recap of notable events of the previous mission.
The scheduling of the game a few weeks before the dreaded finals week is a happy coincidence.
“(Finals week) doesn’t really play into our schedule,” Spartans vs Zombies moderator and computer science junior MacAfee said. “But I’ve always appreciated it. It helps me get my mind off of classes.”
The strength of the human spirit
Walking around campus in a large group of humans all decked out in the same type of unusual clothing and accessories garnered more than a few curious looks from the casual passers-by.
Most of those we ran into were familiar with the game’s premise and asked if we were winning, while some others just stared at us and asked what the heck we were doing. We were happy to explain, and they wished us luck before we parted.
A few players — including myself — ran into one unpleasant experience Thursday as we were scouting out campus for zombies.
An SUV full of rowdy individuals drove through campus with the explicit purpose of seeking out players and throwing food items at them, as well as shouting slurs as they drove by.
MacAfee said the incident was “unfortunate” and probably perpetrated by individuals who had never played the game.
“They saw people doing something and decided to just be jerks to them,” he said.
It would be easy to be discouraged if that were the regular attitude faced by the game’s participants, but luckily it was an isolated incident.
Aside from some unnecessary “audience participation,” there were other disadvantages for the humans. Namely, once you were turned into a zombie, you were pretty much stuck as a zombie.
Although at many times it seemed we were far outmatched by the horde, the humans pulled through and were able to complete the final mission that secured a cure for the zombie virus for all Spartans.
“This was the first time ever that humans have won the game,” Haller said.
As a moderator, MacAfee said the result of this year’s game was “absolutely insane.”
Whether dead or undead, there was a prevailing sense of humanity and respect that made the game an incredibly welcoming environment where old friends stayed friends and new friends were made.
Over the course of the week, I realized just how much this game brings people together. Even when on opposing sides of the game, there was no animosity between players.
Humans congratulated zombies on impressive dodges of foam bullets and sock grenades, while zombies eagerly welcomed humans into their ranks and offered a renewed chance of victory for their newly turned brethren.
And in the event of any kind of disagreement, the official protocol is for players to handle it through a good old fashioned game of rock-paper-scissors.
“(Bringing people together) is 100 percent the goal of the game. ... I’ve met a lot of people I wouldn’t have ever known otherwise,” MacAfee said.
And he was right. I came away from the game with excitement for the next year and several new friends.
Oh, and I survived the whole week as a member of the human resistance, which is no small feat. Better luck next year, zombies!
