CAMPUS CORNER
UT students have a ghoulish good time
10/6/2011The Blade features periodic columns from area college students as part of our Campus Corner feature. Daniel Roman is a student at the University of Toledo.
Zombies are everywhere! Whoa, I know, freaky right?
But fear not, mortals, there is no need to lock your doors, board your windows, or stockpile a small arsenal. You're safe … for now. The reach of the undead's never-ending quest for brains has only taken over popular culture.
The recent explosion in the popularity of these ghastly creatures seemingly came out of nowhere. Forget about those effeminate vampires and werewolves; the living dead are omnipresent as the public craving for zombies appears insatiable. Many cities have zombie parades in which fans dress up like undead creatures and walk the downtown streets. It's also a serious part of the ongoing protests on Wall Street as demonstrators dressed as zombies to express their anger at the financial industry.
Zombies can be found lurking in hit prime time television shows, in feature films, and of course in the medium most suited for them: video games. Like the fever described in zombie lore before the cravings for brain matter kicks in, zombie fever is stronger than ever as it hit the campus of the University of Toledo.
The campus-wide event dubbed "Humans vs. Zombies" provided a tonic for even the most severe cases of zombie fever. While no humans or zombies were harmed, "Humans vs. Zombies" was a week-long game of tag that took place all over campus.
Players on both sides were designated by wearing a bandanna around the head, neck, arm, or thigh to distinguish which side they were on. If a zombie was seen walking on campus the human players' goal was to tag the zombie players with balled up socks or to shoot the zombie team with foam dart blasters to eliminate them from the game. There were various side missions connected to the game. For example, some of these missions included capture the flag, scavenger hunts, and defense missions.
For participants it seemed like a ton of ghoulish fun and with October now here it was a great way to kick off Halloween festivities.
Contact Daniel Roman at droman3@rockets.utoledo.edu.