"Undead Oregon" pits Humans against Zombies on UofO's Campus

With zombies cementing their status as modern pop-culture icons, fans of zombie films, television and literature nationwide have often discussed how to survive the “Zombie Apocalypse”, should it ever arrive. This Friday, April 20th, however, Undead Oregon‘s biannual “Humans vs. Zombies” game will put these plans to the test.

The game, which raises funds for the Red Cross through player-pledged donations (unique to UofO’s branch of Humans vs. Zombies), is a weeklong, campus wide event. Human players, armed with Nerf blasters, face off against zombie players, who are free to sprint and communicate with each other. Once a zombie tags a human, that human turns into a zombie, adding another member to the Undead horde. The game spans the entire campus, and save for buildings, vehicles, bus stops and the campus cemetery (for obvious reasons), the entire campus is fair game to play.

The game not only takes place on campus during the day, but will also have more organized, structured missions on weeknights, as well as a final mission Saturday afternoon, April 28th. These missions will put both humans’ and zombies’ leadership and teamwork skills to the test, varying from escort missions, assaults, and even a relay race.

New to this term’s game is the introduction of a plot: Players will not only face off against each other, but partake in an interactive story led by moderators performing as characters, where the actions of the players will both determine what bonuses are won during each mission, and change the course of how the story plays out.

“I’m hoping to make it a big tradition that can pull lots of different demographics together,” said Tanner Baldus, Executive Director for Undead Oregon. “This is something that everyone can get together and do. . . Nerds, bros, math people, humanities people.

“It’s the closest thing you can get to a zombie apocalypse.”

Undead Oregon begins this Friday, April 20th. Those interested in signing up for the game can register here.

Undead Oregon Spring 2012 Teaser Trailer

Disclosure: Jake Weston is a moderator for Undead Oregon.