The Humans vs. Zombies game, hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, ended the morning of Sept. 24 in a final battle on the hill by Hartung Theater .
University of Idaho senior Jacob Bow, a game moderator, said the humans were placed at the top of the hill to face a zombie rush.
“We reduced the stun times for the zombies and kept going ’til the humans were all tagged,” Bow said.
One of the last humans to be tagged in the melee was Nathan Mulch, who spent the game on crutches and served as a leader of the Human Intelligence Agency.
“He was the very last or almost last we tagged on the charge,” Bow said.
Will Reynolds, tagged during Thursday night’s mission, said the humans would win in his mind if the zombies failed to tag the man on crutches.
“He’s a hardcore paintballer,” Reynolds said. “You can’t get close to him.”
Geoff Keller was not able to be at Saturday’s battle, so he challenged the zombies to a battle that night.
“It wasn’t officially part of the game,” Keller said. “We had four waves of attack. I died in the third wave.”
Keller said the battles were the best part of the game.
“Definitely on the second and third mission,” Keller said. “A mass of zombies charged. Those times just do something to your brain when there are a mass of people charging at you.”
Keller said he plans to be more careful in the next game.
“There were times I got lucky on campus,” Keller said. “Next time, I’ll be watching out for underhanded zombie tactics.”
Bow said he hoped the game would bring people together in a new way.
“We wanted to do something that would be good for the university as a whole, get people talking,” Bow said. “I think it turned out really well. We definitely got people talking. People have definitely been making connections.”
Mulch said the HIA will stay together after the game.
“The social group that started when I founded HIA has been fantastic,” Mulch said. “We’re going to keep the HIA around even when the game is done just for the social group.”
Bow said the inaugural run of the game was a success in every way, but he and other moderators hope to improve it next semester.
“We got a lot of feedback from the players,” Bow said. “The next game will look a lot different. We are looking to change rules about what weapons the humans can use, modify the rules about safe zones — how we give missions, how long the game lasts.”
Bow said InterVarsity plans to host a game every semester. For the 2012 spring semester, moderators are discussing whether to hold the game before classes pick up in the snow, or late in the spring when the snow is gone.
“I definitely had a lot of fun going around with humans,” Bow said. “As the zombies, I loved getting with a group of zombies and chasing humans around.”
Bow said planning and operating the game was exhausting but rewarding.
“Probably one of the most challenging things I’ve done, and the most worthwhile,” Bow said. “I definitely learned how to manage large groups in ways I’ve never thought I would do. I learned patience. I learned how to moderate people coming from different perspectives.”
Keller said the game threw a curve ball into his normal schedule.
“I was a lot of fun,” Keller said. “A little different thing in life. It was like being a kid again.”