The Madison chapter of Humans vs. Zombies, the nation-wide game where “humans” defend themselves against “zombies” with socks and nerf blasters, will require participants to register weapons this year as an added safety precaution, according to University of Wisconsin Police Department spokesperson Mark Lovicott.
Participants were required to submit a photo of their weapon before the game started Monday, which game moderators either approved or declined, according to Lovicott.
The decision comes after participants during the game last semester were seen with nerf guns that appeared too similar to real weapons.
“Last year, we had a few people calling us thinking someone on campus had a weapon, and there was some specific sensitivity because it was the same time as the Boston Bombing,” Lovicott said.
Human vs. Zombie moderator Maurice Booth said the decision to require registration was a way to keep things fun and easy this year.
“We want to be pro-active about it,” Booth said. “We know that there are some concerns going on, but we’ve had a lot of really positive experiences and we want to be able to keep that going on despite some of these crazy things that are going on in the world.”
In the wake of four armed robberies over the past two weeks targeting UW- Madison students, Lovicott said Human vs. Zombies will continue this week as usual. He said the group meets with UWPD and the Dean’s Office each year and has taken charge of making necessary changes to keep the event successful.
UW-Madison student participant Logan Elandt said because the concern has been from outsiders unacquainted with the game, the group has also been working on ways to increase campus awareness through advertising in dorms and other areas.
