Humans v Zombies

Today, I bring you a classic Mudd tradition, and one of my personal favorite sports to watch, Mudd’s Humans vs Zombies (HvZ) game. Once per semester, utter chaos descends upon the entire campus for a week (not literally–all of the academic buildings are excluded from the game) as students – and professors sometimes – participate in an extreme form of tag. Since I have never actually played, I asked Kris Chang ‘25, who has participated in quite a few and is an organizer this year, a couple questions!

What is Humans v Zombies?

“Humans vs. Zombies is a week long game of zombie tag, where zombies are trying to tag humans to join their side while humans are trying to survive. Both teams are competing in a variety of tasks and missions to gain upgrades and bonuses that will help their side throughout the week. Humans are armed with sock balls and blasters to stem the flow of the zombie forces, so the action gets super intense when you see some players give chase on a sunny California day.”

How did you first get interested in HvZ?

“I first got interested in HvZ when I talked to a senior about it. He was the one of the first friends I made at HMC when I joined my dorm’s discord the summer before I attended. He was a mod [organizer], and he was trying to recruit some of the freshmen to play. I gave it a shot, and it was so much fun that I decided to continue.”

Do you have a favorite memory of playing?

“My favorite memory was sleeping in Shanahan for a couple days because obviously the zombies couldn’t tag you on the way from your dorm to your classes if you lived in your classroom. I was with several friends, and we even got woken up by a professor the next morning in the classroom we were hiding out. One night, we were trying to escort a player from Scripps to do some kind of art quest, and that impromptu decision resulted in a 2 hour long standoff between the zombies and the humans.”

What is it like organizing it now, having played before?

“It’s a really weird experience, but it’s been much more fun than I thought. I get to use the creative ideas I had when I was a player by turning them into missions that other players have to play. It’s also really funny seeing people’s expressions when we announce something particularly dangerous. It’s a whole lot of work though, but playing as a human also brings that kind of perpetual paranoia.”

Why should people play it?

“New frosh should play this game because it’s a whole lot of fun. They can try it out first semester because it’s pass/fail, so there are really no downsides to it. It’s a great community and is a fun way to meet upperclassmen that you wouldn’t normally interact with. There are a lot of social pluses, and the banter between the teams is always a fun experience.”