What was the first zombie game?

The Rise of Zombies in Gaming: Uncovering the Origins

Zombies have long fascinated human imagination, infecting and taking over everything in their path. In the gaming world, the idea of zombie apocalypse has spawned countless titles, from shooters to RPGs. But when did this phenomenon first come into being? The answer lies in the dawn of computer gaming, with 1984 being a crucial year in the timeline. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of early video games to uncover the roots of zombie gaming.

What Was the First Zombie Game?

The answer is quite unexpected: Zombie Zombie, a computer game developed for the ZX Spectrum in Europe, in 1984. This game marks the starting point of a massive surge in zombie-based content across various platforms. What is astonishing is that these pioneering zombies were not like those found in modern pop culture – they were fast and ran across the screen like some kind of undead nightmare come true.

Before Resident Evil: The Genesis

Many gamers might recall 1986’s Sugar Hill as the pioneer, which featured zombies amidst sugar-related chaos. Another important early title is Pistol City (1993), part of the Wolfenstein franchise, which showed Nazis taking on hordes of the undead. Still, none of these earlier efforts grasped the core appeal of zombies as an element, unlike 1987’s Sweet Home and its eerie atmosphere and resourcefulness.

Sweet Home (1989, FM-7/Surface: 1986):

The first survival-horror game, focusing on evasion and resource-gathering for survival. Influencing elements include:

1. Fear of the environment.
2. Resource consumption/weight.
3. Inventory and item management.

**Noticeably similar to the horror-terrorizing elements presented by early Resident Evil gameplay.

Here lies an interesting point – 8-bit and early graphics gave birth to simplicity while embracing the essence. While other games may come from older eras like HalloweenHunting (1961, a text-based Adventure-like game), even their content was not specific in dealing with zombies explicitly.
Next, we venture closer to the modern take as mentioned in the