HvZ mods, professors and students weigh in on the topic
By Julia Berkman
Several times throughout the year, Western’s campus is overrun with neon-clad, nerf-toting warriors against the undead. Yes, you’re in the midst of a round of Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ). Whether or not you want to be caught in the fray is a different question.
HvZ has been a Western tradition for seven years. The club is run through the Associated Students, but it started at Goucher College in 2005.
“The sense of community is the most important part of the game – almost anyone you talk to will say it’s as their favorite part of HvZ,” Natalie Lang, the club president, said.
The theme of the club, zombies, is a hot topic. It was at the inception of the game and it remains so today. Shows like AMC’s “The Walking Dead” enthrall and terrify us with the feral undead humans displayed on the screen. Humans vs. Zombies takes that fear and transforms it into an immersive multi-player game. The most important rule? Stay alive.
Players labeled as “humans” congregate in “safe zones” all over campus, or run from one class to another, to avoid getting caught by the designated “zombies.” When tagged by a zombie, a human becomes a zombie and must catch other players. Humans can carry weapons (nerf guns or balled up socks) in order to stun zombies so they can escape.
The nature of the game is what drove Western professor Chris Friday to cancel all of his classes for the duration of a game in 2014 in protest. Friday had a few reasons for cancelling a week’s worth of classes.
“[HvZ] condones and legitimizes violence, dehumanizing the “other” and stems from a long, racist history,” Friday said in an email interview. “[HvZ] creates an atmosphere in which ‘mob’ violence is acceptable.”
The “racist history” to which he is referring is based on an idea championed by Roger Luckhurst, a professor at the University of London. Lockhurst discusses the zombie narrative as a racist takeaway from the Haitian revolutions during the slave trade. White settlers’ tales of voodoo and cannibalism in reference to the Haitian natives are directly correlated to the first zombie lore. It is difficult to find evidence to the contrary, but does this mean we should write off the entire idea of zombies as a whole?
Saba Farwell, a Western student, thinks the modern-day climate would not be kind to any man of color who decided to pick up a nerf and join the fun.
“Black men would probably never be permitted to form a group of nerf gun carrying black males,” Farwell said.
The recent rash of publicized instances of police violence against people of color has escalated the use of toy weapons in public after the shooting of Tamir Rice, who was holding a modified toy gun.
Farwell, a black student, feels distinctly uncomfortable during the times in which HvZ is played.
“The game is, from what I can see, predominantly played by white males,” Farwell said. Although Humans vs. Zombies is definitely not a segregated event, the lack of people of color playing probably holds some relation to the climate of America concerning guns. For many people of color, gang violence and shooting are their reality.
Dr. Friday agrees.
“[HvZ] refuses to recognize needs of those who may find these activities threatening, disruptive, and unhealthy,” he writes.
People who grew up around gun violence or have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may find it extremely hard to stay calm amidst the battleground atmosphere HvZ brings to campus.
“Because of the nature of our game, we do work closely with Western’s veteran community, especially the Veterans Outreach Center,” moderators, also known as “mods,” have stated.
The mods of HvZ work hard to enact strict rules about play zones and etiquette.
“We put every effort into preventing the game from becoming hostile and any involvement of non-players,” Lang said.
However, because of the lack of supervision inherent in gameplay of HvZ, players of the game have basically free reign to interpret the game however they would like. Though extremely discouraged by mods, honor system play can lead to gun modifications and the wearing of military gear.
“When I see people who are in full combat gear running around on campus, it’s jarring,” Junior Trisha Patterson said.
“If it’s not contributing to making the game fun, it seems okay to ask them to stop,” Nathan Lux, a sophomore who supports HvZ, said.
Many people in the Western community would agree that the concept of the game sounds pretty fun. The complaints arise for a few reasons, one of which is the area of play. Western’s students and faculty have not consented to turning the whole outdoor campus area into a battleground. Many students have been used as “human shields” or hit while players are running from assailants.
“Human shields are a serious offense in our game and anyone who engages in this type of dangerous activity will be banned from our game,” mods said.
“While ‘safe zones’ exist all throughout campus, there is no guarantee of the safety of those who do not participate,” Friday said.
He has also raised complaints about the lack of free will people on campus are afforded.
“Use of public spaces make all others part of the enactment of ritualized violence,” he wrote.
Mods of the game have attempted to talk with Friday about his views on the game. They respectfully disagree with him about his opinions on the game.
“We take all community complaints seriously and do our best to be accommodating,” mods said in a joint statement.
There are many benefits to playing the game, including exercise, community and a way to get to know campus. Mods have maintained that this is a game with strict rules and expectations for all players. They accept any and all complaints, and will continue to revise the registration contract all players must sign.
Now it’s up to you to form your own opinion of Humans vs Zombies. Players, remember to respect your fellow Western students, faculty and passersby.