Go Away! Come Back! With Zombies!
So one of the many amazingly fun games I play with my kids is “Go Away/Come Back”.
I’m not sure if this has a more official name but the basic gameplay is that I tell my kids to go away. Then I snarl, “Come back.” Then I grab ’em. Then I let them go and say “Go away!” Repeat for hours of giggly fun or until a head injury occurs.
Well the other day I tried a new variant. I pretended to be a zombie when I tried to grab them, snarling “Brains!”. Then once I had them I became a survivor, shouting out in a desperate voice, “Flee man!”
The outcome? Well, my 4yr old played the game, though with a desperate intensity I hadn’t seen in him before (I just thought he was really getting into the game). This time when we were done though he went and sat in the corner shaking and crying and begging for his mom to come home.
Apparently I’m too scary when I pretend to be a zombie. Back to the original variant…
Brent Knowles
Former lead designer at BioWare (Dragon Age: Origins, Neverwinter Nights). Creator of Raiders of the Serpent Sea.
4 Comments
Andy Goldman
Ha! Okay, note to self. Wait until maybe 5 yrs old to play Zombie with my kids.
Brent Knowles
Probably a good idea!
Dan Whiteside
My kids beg me to play zombie with them, but the youngest is 5, so maybe that’s enough age difference.
Brent Knowles
Hi Dan!
Yeah, it must be the age thing or maybe I haven’t exposed my kid to enough zombie material. Might have to dig out a couple old games…