Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) is a game of moderated tag commonly played on college campuses. Human players must remain vigilant and defend themselves with socks and Nerf guns to avoid being tagged by the growing zombie horde. Read more, or
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A few weeks ago, while performing at Ball State, comedian Ethan Fixell of Dave and Ethan said, “Humans Versus Zombies is a woman repellent. It’s like anti-cologne.” We caught up with Ethan for an interview, and he agreed to talk with us about comedy, HvZ, gaming, picking up girls, and love.
HvZ: How did you get into comedy? What comedians or performers have inspired you? Who do you think is doing great stand-up, skits, web shorts, etc. today?
Ethan: I’ve been performing since I was seven years old, when I began hosting “The Ethan Show” for my dad and his ancient Panasonic camcorder in the living room. At the time, I loved Steve Martin. Idolized him. I don’t even know if I thought he was all that funny—I think he just encapsulated all that I wanted to be. At the suggestion of my mom, I wrote Steve a letter, and he sent back a signed photo of himself, which I promptly framed and hung above my bed. While other 3rd, 4th and 5th graders had posters of Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky in their rooms, I had a shrine to The Man With Two Brains.
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By Adam Longwill
Part 1: Human After All
There is no blueprint for constructing the perfect game of Humans Versus Zombies; but designing a game with a strong yet flexible framework can support a hefty, unforgettable experience. We here at Gnarwhal Studios hope you have experienced the pleasure, nay, the joy of an immaculately run game. It is an unforgettable experience. The end of a good game should bring back those capricious tingles you felt as a kid at summer camp: the air seems healthier, the world a bit brighter. And even if you don’t know everyone’s names, you still grew an inexplicable bond with all the other kids. We here at the Studio wish every game could give you this feeling. But they don’t. Not all the time. And we want to help you fix that by helping you improve the way moderators run games of HvZ. Because when it comes down to it, it is the moderators and their game plan that decides whether a game goes down in history—or in flames.
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The Penn State Urban Gaming Club is hosting a multi-school Humans vs. Zombies game at Penn State on Saturday, April 10th.
There’s tons more info on their site and guidebook.
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Hey everyone,
It’s the holiday season, and I know you all are aching to buy your selves gifts. Why not support us and get your dart blasters and HvZ gear through us?
We just set up an amazon store. Also, let us know if there is anything that you would like to see on there.
Thanks,
The HvZ team
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You have got to read this op-ed by SUNY Geneseo HvZ player Aaron Davis:
[...] What happened during Humans versus Zombies was interesting, unexpected and wholly incredible: A disparate group of people from all social circles and points of interest collaborated and played a game together. I met people with whom I’d have no occasion to talk were it not for this game, and I think that I’ll do a decent job of staying in touch with them.
Leaders rose to the top. Consider the sociology of this: In a completely arbitrary environment, people rose to positions of leadership based not on income or popularity or looks, but on raw ability to adapt and excel in a game nobody had played before.
These people are the people we want to be politicians. They’ve shown they have the goods, in whatever geeky (but completely awesome) way you like, and they’ve shown a remarkable ability to adapt. Crazy how fun imitates life.
Legends grew. I’m sure everyone who reads this knows the name, if not the face, of sophomore Nick Spengler, the man who, it is said (probably incorrectly) wrapped socks around his hands and beat the zombies back with bare fists. You know of sophomore Mike Lanni, who wore a Spartan helmet to the final battle and kicked ass and took names until the last moments of battle. And you’ve heard of junior Darrin Policar, the pirate captain of the zombies. Seriously, within one week, we created a mythology.
Most importantly, in a “life” or “undeath” struggle, we realized what it takes to stay “alive.” We learned, by necessity, to work in groups, either human or zombie. We walked around campus with a healthy eye for what was going on and, in the words of fellow player and sophomore Kate Hayden, we took part in a “delightful exercise in situational awareness.”
Thanks, Aaron! That’s why we love Humans vs. Zombies too.
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