Responding to a Game Challenge or Ban
From Humans vs. Zombies Wiki
Not everybody approves of Humans vs. Zombies. There are some people in positions of authority with a strong anti-fun bias who oppose the game because it frightens or confuses them. In the worst cases, these people either ban the game entirely or create restrictions which make it less fun. These restrictions have included only being allowed to play outdoors, bans on foam dart blasters, or bans on advertising for the game. These decisions are often reactionary, and have been sucussfully challenged many times.
Don't panic - you can save your game, and we can help you.
This section of The HvZ Game Guide is meant to act as a stand-alone resource. If your game has been challenged or banned, use our advice to help protect your game. If you're just starting your game of HvZ, you might want to take a look so you are ready for a crisis.
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Preventing a game challenge or ban
The most important thing you can do to protect your game is to inform local authorities or school officials about it IN ADVANCE. The more information they have about Humans vs. Zombies, the less they will be threatened by it. At its core, HvZ is just an old-fashioned game of tag. Once officials understand this, they will feel silly opposing it.
If you are playing at a school, we suggest operating independently. If you accept no money and have no official position within your school, it is more difficult for the administration to shut you down. Obviously exceptions are required sometimes (for example, some schools don't allow you hang posters unless you're an official club). Take the time to get to know school officials, and know who your friends are. Be ready to call in backup if something goes wrong.
Challenging a ban or restriction
If your game has been banned or restricted, your first move is to sit down and meet with administrators. Don't do anything drastic or extreme - just suspend your game and demand a meeting as soon as possible.
Know what cards you hold when you approach the bargaining table.
"At Goucher, when our game was in trouble, we basically sat down and said, 'Look, we are in compliance with all school rules, local, state and federal laws. The press is watching this game. What are you prepared to do? Write us all up? Expel us?'" - Goucher mod Max Temkin
Your goal is to understand the officials' concerns, and reach a compromise that will allow you to play. In your meeting, try to get them to be as specific as possible. Most game challenges are based in ignorance. As is often the case in matters of censorship, people who try to ban Humans vs. Zombies often don't know anything about it. This is like someone trying to ban a book who has never read it.
The administration put the kibosh on our game pretty quickly because the police and administrators didn't know what it was. It wasn't that they would have opposed it, it's just that they didn't know about it. - Prof. Robert Beshere, USCG Greeneboro
Tell officials how important Humans vs. Zombies is to you. Speak in values language; explain that the game brings people together and creates a community of players. Make sure the administration has seen the press coverage and the player testimonials available on our website. You might show them the 2007 Goucher documentary.
Addressing specific complaints
If your game has been banned or restricted, your goal is to make compromises to specifically address the reason (or reasons) for the ban or restriction. Here are some responses to common complaints:
- "Toy guns are inherantly violent." Remind officials that these are not real guns, just toy dart blasters for children. Explain that they are brightly colored and irregularly shaped. Offer to let them play with a dart blaster to see how non-threatening it really is. Ultimately, you may have to agree to a dart blaster ban - some schools already have this rule in place. You can still play, but you might have to compromise to save the game.
- "Pretend violence creates a positive association for real violence." This is armchair psychology with no basis in fact.
"When it comes to the [toy gun] stuff, of course everyone is extra freaked out about it because 'what kind of message are you sending, putting a gun in your kid's hand... and now he associates this as a positive thing,' and so on and so forth. You know what I said to someone the other day? Every single young boy is attracted to trains. I mean... they go through a period somewhere between the ages of two to five where they're nuts about trains. What percentage of them actually end up working on trains? Either laying track, or working in a diner car, or working in a caboose, or as an engineer? Every single kid I knew was heavily into trains at age five, but I don't know a human being who works on a train. What is the percentage of young kids who are obsessed with trains - and all of a sudden, they're in high school - and are they still talking about trains? Still playing with trains? Getting into the train industry?" - Comedian Adam Carolla
- "The game frightens people who don't know what's going on." Remind officials that the Humans vs. Zombies is played safely at over 650 other locations on six continents around the world. Offer to write an email to explain the game or post a signs that say, "Humans vs. Zombies game in progress - do not be alarmed by zombies." Offer to hold a town-hall meeting to listen to concerns about the game - this has been very effective at Goucher and other schools.
- "The game is bad for the school's reputation." Show officials the coverage of the game from our Press page - it is overwhelmingly positive and has brought great attention to Goucher and other schools that play. The International Herald Tribune even called Humans vs. Zombies “the antidote for the ailments of a generation.”
- "The game is disrespectful to men and women in the military." Believe it or not, this is a complaint that we hear fairly frequently. Remind officials that Humans vs. Zombies is celebrated by our troops, and a favorite pastime on military bases at home and abroad. This article quotes a letter by a U.S. Marine which we find very persuasive:
"In no way does Human vs. Zombies dishonor those serving in the military. This game promotes teamwork, patience, and friendship. This game allows those that do not wish to live the military life to still have a glimpse at it without any mockery. In Humans vs. Zombies, players can be heroes. [...] That is the land that I am willing to die for - one that allows and encourages outside of the box thinking, entertaining pastimes, and an encouragement of community crossing all backgrounds. The United States military risks their lives every day so that we, the civilians, may feel safe even when throwing socks or Nerf darts at each other. It would be a great dishonor to those fallen soldiers to live in fear of giant neon colored toy Nerf guns and socks. Humans vs. Zombies helps remind me of what I wish to serve and protect."
- "Humans vs. Zombies will lead to a real school shooting." School shootings are caused by loners who are socially isolated. This game connects players with friends they would never otherwise meet for a wholesome outdoor game of tag which is positive and fun. This letter by Goucher College president Sandy Ungar in light of the Virginia Tech shootings is a great response:
"We must make our decisions with an eye toward striking a delicate balance between security and personal freedom. We certainly should consider any prudent measures that might really make us safer. But we must also be realistic about what we can do to protect ourselves against what was ultimately a horrific aberration, and avoid taking steps that would inhibit our ability to enjoy the normal life and express the unique character of this college and our community."
Controlling meetings and setting the tone
If a meeting gets ugly, remember that you don't need to get into a back-and-forth about Humans vs. Zombies. You need to make the broad case for your rights.
"Explain to officials that if somebody has broken the rules, they should hold that individual responsible... but they shouldn't punish the game." - Prof. Robert Beshere, USCG Greeneboro
Here's a few tricks that we've pulled to take control of meetings about HvZ:
- Once at a meeting to discuss the use of dart blasters at Goucher, the moderators gift-wrapped three blasters and addressed them to the administrators' inner children. Once administrators saw these blasters as toys and held them in their hands, it deflated the argument that they were frightening weapons. Combat fear with humor - it is downright silly to be afraid of a toy blasters.
- Another meeting was a serious, closed-door discussion with the college president and other administrators. The administrators invited only the Goucher moderators, but the mods, in turn, invited every player of the game. When the administrators showed up to the meeting, they were shocked to see fifty students waiting outside the conference room. This forced administrators to look students in the eye before they banned something those students loved and flipped the power dynamic of the meeting.
- Make some friends at your school paper. Find a reporter who is very sympathetic to the game, and just ask them to sit outside of the meeting with a notepad. Administrators will notice the press and be reminded that their actions are public. Make sure that if an official is going to ban Humans vs. Zombies, they don't get to do it for free.
- Before he met with his administration, UNC Chapel Hill mod Aubron Wood wrote to his fellow moderators: "Exaggerate intelligently. We’re playing politics today, and that means we can lie like a politician if necessary. If you think lying is helpful, make sure it’s not something that can be checked or caught. In cases where something could be detrimental but unnecessary, keep away from mentioning it. (Example: Big Nerf blasters will be hard to store in a bag. We just don’t bring this up, and say that all blasters have to be stored at all times in academic buildings. The chances of it causing a problem are minimal.) Long story short, bullshit is good if you don’t get caught."
