We
normally talk about books and movies here and how they intersect with our real
lives because, let’s face it, our real lives are better with some fiction,
right? Well my real life is better when
I’m running from zombies, and here’s why.
Last
year I was put onto a free app called Zombie’s
Run!. It’s a game that gives you
audio story segments as you run or walk distances in the real world. You’re an active part of the story (think of
it as 2nd person) which takes place in a small colony after a zombie
outbreak. As colonies try to regrow
civilization, they rely on runners (that’s you!) to convey information, do reconnaissance,
and lead zombies away from the settlement.
No, the zombies never catch you, but the more you run, the more supplies
you pick up on the way, which you can use in the game side of the app when you’re
stationary. The game is designed to keep
you going to get/stay in shape, but I find it so much fun that the health
impact is a side benefit.
The
storytellers at Zombies Run! are geniuses at mixing real world with
fiction. Here’s an example. I recently signed up for one of the ZR
virtual races. It’s a 5k or 10k that you
register for in advance and run any time during race week (this year was the end
of October) while running the app/story.
Everyone else who signs up and runs gets the same additional audio
adventure to run, and our times got entered onto a leaderboard. So far so good. (This is pretty normal for a virtual run.) But ZR also sent each runner a packet ahead
of time.
The
packet contained hand-written notes from the game characters, information about
the facility we were going to race through (in our imaginations), and an ID
card for the fake biologics company with a map of the facility that we would
need while running race. I also opted to
get the running shirt with the logo from the biologics company. So I ran a race, wearing a real shirt from a
fake company, according to an actual map of a fake place that I progressed
through by running through my own neighborhood.
AND THEN the ID card has a QR code on it which leads you to the staff
website for the fake company where you can enter your ID passcode and see the
company’s lunch menu, benefits program, and much more. From your own real phone!
So
there are loads of layers of real and unreal, and I just want to applaud the
writers and actors over at Zombie’s Run!
Amazing craft, guys!
Runner
5, signing out.
-B
*And,
no, I was not paid or invited to write anything about this. I just love it.
