Laser tag goes ‘Walking Dead’ in Gateway Ballroom

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Rhiannon Saegert / Senior Staff Writer

A horde of zombies invaded the Gateway Ballroom where students were playing laser Tuesday night, proving once again that the all-consuming trend of everything undead refuses to die.

The dark ballroom and loud dance music made it easy for the zombies to creep up on players, and inflatable barrels provided cover for players and gave zombies a place to hide.

Students were divided into two opposing teams, red and blue, with unlimited ammunition and lives. Then, UPC volunteers covered in makeup, fake blood and prosthetics, lurched and crawled around the ballroom during the games.

Marketing freshman Juan Benitez said the zombies weren’t there to affect the game directly. They were just there to create a creepy atmosphere.

“I just wanted to get into the zombie makeup,” Benitez said. “I think I did a pretty good job of it.”

As the night progressed, four of the zombies learned to use guns, making the game more challenging. Chemistry sophomore Katie Orton developed her own strategy for dealing with the dead.

“The zombies are all just walking barrels to me,” Orton said. “I hid behind one. Meat shield.”

Rounds lasted five minutes each and students were allowed an unlimited number of shots. More than 200 students participated, with most playing more than once.

Chemistry freshmen Elijah Vela and Orian Pomaney are both fans of TV show The Walking Dead, and decided to attend when they saw signs outside their dorms.

“Sometimes you think the person next to you is just another player, but then, ‘Oh wait, that’s a zombie!’” Vela said.

Pomaney said she was so caught up in trying to beat the other team, she didn’t realize she’d been surrounded.

“If it was real life I would have been dead several times,” Pomaney said.

Special programs coordinator Jose Rodriguez said UPC voted to create the event last year.

“My job was just to get it done,” Rodriguez said. “We did laser tag last year, but we didn’t do it with a theme. This is perfect. It’s meant to get people in the mood for Halloween.”

Despite the team vs. team set-up, no one was keeping track of which team won the most rounds. With such a divided group of survivors, it’s like the zombies won in the end.

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