We all know what Chatroulette is supposed to be used for, and what it’s actually used for by countless people online…surely at least one person reading this article has had the misfortune of stumbling upon an “unpleasant surprise” while trying the website out; but several users were recently met with a much more fun and unexpected surprise: a live action real life zombie game in which they were controlling the character they saw on their screen.
A REAL LIFE ZOMBIE GAME ON CHATROULETTE
It’s not every day that you get to speak directly to the main character of a video game, especially not one taking place in real life. Thanks to the British film company Realm Pictures, that’s exactly what happened recently for several Chatroulette users. The company designed an entire real life zombie game, complete with zombies, weapons, health regeneration items, and even a boss battle.
Instead of just filming it and posting it online, however, the creative geniuses at Realm Pictures decided to go on Chatroulette and let real people play an active role in how the game played out. The end result of their venture is a thoroughly entertaining video that features the choices and reactions of a few different people who were lucky enough to have stumbled upon the real life zombie game. The video includes a lot of zombies, a lot of shooting, and a lot of fun and excitement.
WHAT WAS THE GAME LIKE?
The game starts out with the main character standing in a room looking at a wall illuminated by candles, telling the connected Chatroulette user that he needs their help, while the words “Type [Start] to begin” flash across the screen. Then the character looks around and notices that there is a dead body in the room, and that the only door in the room is locked.
Once the user types “start,” the fun begins and the game becomes truly interactive, as the main character actually engages in conversation with the Chatroulette user, even asking questions about how to proceed as the real life zombie game unfolds. In one instance, one user asks if he can get to the top, and the main character says “I can try and jump!” as he proceeds to jump and the Chatroulette user responds with a nonchalant “Nope, okay…” In another instance, a user is telling the main character “Run, fat boy, run!”
The rest of the game unfolds in classic exploration survival style, picking up weapons and items, killing zombies, meeting with roadblocks and barricades, opening up boxes, and even stumbling upon a boss battle, all accompanied by perfectly timed sound effects. Of course, no video game is complete without the main character dying at least once, and that happened as well.
NO SMALL EFFORT FROM REALM PICTURES
Of course, putting together something as awesome as this requires a lot of hard work from a dedicated team, and that’s exactly what Realm Pictures put out, as seen in their behind the scenes video. There were about 30 people on location that day, from the zombies, to the makeup artists, to the soundboard technicians who had the difficult task of timing the sounds just right in time with the actions on the screen.
The real life zombie game took about a month to fully develop, and it was a huge hit, with the video amassing over a million views in the first 12 hours it was up. Fans are already clamoring for a Level 2 to this blockbuster real life zombie game, but Realm Pictures has not revealed whether they plan to actually make one yet.
