Month of the Living Dead – Patient O, the real-life zombie-killing game

Remember when you were younger and your parents told you to 'turn off that damn screen' or 'you'll get square eyes'? Just when you were about to complete the final level of your favourite new game? Well over in Australia an exciting, action-fuelled zombie-killing game has been developed, and it involves no screens at all.

With Patient O, gamesters will be able to experience a thrilling fantasy scenario, in front of their very eyes. It's every nerd's dream come true. Players will be taken to an entirely new level of game play, live in an abandoned meat factory in Melbourne. You purchase your ticket for the event, then you and your mates turn up to kill off a bunch of zombies a.k.a actors with fake (phew) custom-designed M4 assault rifles. Pretty extraordinary, right?

Four young budding Australian businessmen (who collectively go by the name of I.R.L Shooter) are behind the idea, and they have dedicated themselves to creating the perfect setting for the game, their intention to make it as realistic as possible. Live role-play shooter games are not unheard of, however what makes 'Patient O' stand out from its predecessors is its innovative weaponry system.

Image courtesy of I.R.L Shooter

The rifles players are armed with can perform impressive duties such as providing information on remaining ammunition, how much life the player has left and how good their aim has been. So not also do you have to cope with seemingly real-life zombies attacking you left right and centre, but you're in constant competition with your peers as to who can survive the mission best. Added sound and flashes are also fitted in.

Image courtesy of Geekosystem.com

As for the zombies themselves, they too will be fixed up with sensors, used to register the gunshots from players. Some will 'die' a lot easier than others; the creators believe that just like any exciting game there should be challenges, so Patient O too will have various levels and even bosses. There'll be mission objectives, puzzle-solving and storylines. I.R.L Shooter aren't messing about in making this the most ambitious interactive zombie game – they plan on making things even creepier with a professional audio system. The public can keep up with the game play, as CCTV will be hooked up to provide a live stream every day the event runs.

This zombie fest takes place on October 31st (Halloween, how fitting) and runs for a whole month. Individual tickets are priced at $125 and team tickets of six are $750. There is the option to play the whole game alone at a whopping $1000, but as someone who's a little squeamish when it comes to all things gory, I'd give that last option a miss.

This the first of I.R.L Shooter's live game events, but their plans extend to other Australian cities. Despite the fact that most people to take part in this event might need therapy at the end of it it looks like a lot of fun, and something similar would certainly go down very well in the UK.

You can view more here where I.R.L Shooter explain the ideas behind the game

Tags: Australia, Patient 0, Zombies

About the Author

Adrian Simpson Adrian Simpson is a writer and TV presenter with a profound love of the outdoors. His family, snow, sea, brewing, vinyl, guitars and VW buses mean the world to him.