Output details

Zombies, Run!

Zombies, Run! is a running game and audio adventure for smartphones which is played by going for a run or a walk in the real world while the zombie apocalypse is simulated via headphones. Here, the research questions were concerned with the practical effectiveness of exercise games. Evidence shows that most exercise games are abandoned by users after only a few weeks. Why do people give up, and what could help them stay on track? How could an exercise game be effectively combined with a narrative? This was an extremely novel task for a process of narrative creation: it was to be judged in terms of a specific behavioural effect on its audience. Could a story keep them exercising? With games company Six to Start, I co-created Zombies, Run! narrated by a full cast of actors, in which the player is "Runner 5", the hero of a village bravely surviving the zombie apocalypse. The player runs and collects virtual "supplies", to improve their home town, and tries to find out how the apocalypse started, searches for a vaccine, and fights in a rivalry with another village. I was the lead writer and co-creator with Adrian Hon, and wrote all of Season 1. I had significant input into game design and structure. The game has sold almost one million copies worldwide, has been featured in news and arts programmes around the world, has generated thousands of pieces of fan-art and fan-fiction. Testimonials from players say the game has changed their lives. A million-dollar study run jointly by the University of Texas and the American Heart Association looks likely to establish the game as a clinically prescribable tool.