Hell is other people and nowhere is this more obvious than in H1Z1.

The general rule when encountering other players seems to be either shoot on sight, or run like f***.

Survive and stay alive. That's all you have to do; well that, and scavenge supplies, build stuff, defend stuff, loot more stuff, kill zombies, fix cars, drive cars and try not to get eaten by the wildlife. That is pretty much it. When other players don’t try to kill you on sight, H1Z1 can also be lot of fun. H1Z1 definitely has its moments and for a game that is still in development, H1Z1 has a very bright future ahead of it.

Can there be any greater fun than road killing Zombies in a cop car with the sirens going full pelt, or  catching up with the guy who tried to knife you twenty minutes earlier and then turning him into kebab meat? How about building your very own life sized toy fort? What about just enjoying the atmosphere of the world itself, just walking and exploring the wastelands of the apocalypse?   

If you can accept that H1Z1 isn't a finished product, and can accept it for what it is - an enjoyable open world, sandbox exploration with Zombies, and other gamers, then H1Z1 has an awful lot to offer as an experience. 

It may be an Alpha release, but this game is fun, and has massive po-tent-ial...

So here is what I think every player of H1Z1 should do: Watch appropriate movies to help get you in the ‘zone.’ That's right, improve your gameplay and expand your mind by watching films. Stay with me because this thinking makes sense. Games like H1Z1, DayZ, and The Forest are all sandbox games.

For me that means the games are about immersion, atmosphere, and always having the edge as they are about anything else. I would like to help you achieve these states of mind to help you become a 'survivor' worthy of H1Z1's lofty ambitions. If in the process of doing this, I can also provide some lessons about staying alive longer in game, so be it.  

To save you time I have compiled a quick rundown of the 10 movies every H1Z1 players should watch.  

And here they are...

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10: The Road

And straight away you're thinking: "But there’s no zombies in this film...." What the f*** is this writer playing at? "There’s an awful lot of bleakness, desolation, and hunger, but that’s a no no on the zombies.” And you’re right. But it is a lesson in how to be prepared in the event of the apocalypse. The Road is a very powerful movie conveying a harsh reality seldom seen in a Hollywood film these days.

The Road. As bleak as it looks

Worth watching for: It's the most depressing film ever made

Don’t watch because: It’s the most depressing film ever made

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

• Don’t bluff in H1Z1. If you’ve only got one bullet left in your gun, then run like f***. Take it from me, if you’re going to fight, you need guns, lots of guns
• Personally, I wouldn’t even attempt to make friends with anyone until you know you can defend yourself
• In the zombie apocalypse, it won't be the Zoms you have to worry about but other survivors

Fig 1: Other survivors.  

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9: World War Z

World War Z: When parkour goes wrong.

It’s a good film. I know that.

But the book is better. And in H1Z1 the possibility of a cure is never going to happen. But there are lessons to be learned from this film. The first lesson is this: Brad Pitt and his family should not have made it past the opening credits. I'm not buying it. They would all be as dead as everyone else. There, I've said it. The rest of the film is now irrelevant but I will continue anyway because I'm a professional. Actually I’m not done, because I'm also not buying the whole zombie climbing frame thing that goes down in Israel. 

But apart from from that World War Z is, in fairness a good zombie movie for a major Hollywood film. However, there’s not much you can learn from it that will help you in H1Z1 other than that H1Z1 will not end as happily for you as the film does for Mr Jolie.

Zombie climbing frame: Not buying it.

Plot: Brad Pitt roams the world to find a cure for the ‘infection’ after ‘Scientist saviour character’ blows his own head off by mistake. Lolz.  

Worth watching for:  

• The zombies, the special effects and general chaos

Don’t watch for:  

• The ridiculously easy way our man Brad observes the ‘cure,’ during his travels when the finest scientific minds in the world seem to somehow not be able too
• And then also the way Pitt lucks out making himself immune
• Oh, come on! 

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:

• If you think your game is going to Hell, then go out fighting and...
• ...Let off a hand grenade on a plane at 30,000 feet...
• ...Somehow miraculously survive...
• ...Land really close to the main UN research centre for zombie research... 
• ...In Scotland, of all places...  
• ...This, despite the fact you took off from Israel, a mere twenty minutes beforehand....

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8: Zombieland

Rule 1: Cardio. Never stop running, when you’re running away

Rule 8:  Get a Kick Ass Partner

Rule 17:  Don’t be a hero

Rule 25:  Shoot first

It’s like he wrote the rules for the H1Z1 movie instead of Zombieland.

Now that's funny.

This film hammers out pretty much every zombie cliche going, but does so intentionally, with the minimum of fuss, and is actually funny. Bill Murray also steals the film in the 10 minutes he’s in it. You don't need a plot outline and all the rest for this one...

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7: The way back

Not a zombie in sight, but stay with me. This film is all about surviving. I am actually lucky enough to have a copy of the book the film was based on. My father insisted I read it. If you get a chance, you should read the book too. Whether it is true or not, it is a damn fine read about hope, despair and survival in the good old USSR. No. There’s no witty deadpan remark here: But here’s why it’s relevant.

In H1Z1, you are going to spend a lot of your time on foot walking from one side of the map to the other searching for supplies and trying avoid other survivors who are just as desperate as the gulag escapees in the film are. The entire film is about walking, surviving, and avoiding Soviet soldiers.

Plot:  

See above: Unjustly imprisoned in a Siberian prison camp in 1956, a small group escapes and attempts to walk hundreds of miles to freedom

Worth watching for:  

The magnificent cinematography, and ambitious story

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

Just because everyone else is a dick in the game, doesn’t mean you have to be. Be a hero, and save some other poor player’s life, just because you can. Don’t hate the inevitable “pay to win” bastards you will find in-game either. Be more noble than that. Instead, just keep an eye out for parachute drops and get there first.

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6: The Dead

 “Disturbing viewing.”

I saw this for the first time last night.

Think: World War Z, but focussed on one part of the world, done really well, and on a tight budget.  

Also think: Road movie with zombies, set in Africa.  

This is ominous, heart breaking, and perhaps the most realistic depiction of a zombie apocalypse ever made.

Very disturbing.

Plot:  

American engineer survives plane crash in Africa, fixes truck and takes road trip with an AWOL African soldier to find the soldier’s lost child

Worth watching for:

• The final moments, the fights, and the way the zombies are just always there, in the background in almost every shot

Lesson to be learned for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

• The harsh cold unforgiving world of the apocalypse; and...
• The frustration of just trying to survive

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5: 28 days later

"I'm a bicycle courier. A Scarecrow? Of course I could be a scarecrow. The Scarecrow. Of course I could."

That music stays with you, doesn’t  it?  

The zombies and the cinematography are scarily effective.

Plot:  

• Irish man wakes up in London Hospital to discover the undead have taken over. He meets some other survivors, takes a taxi ride to the country, meets some soldiers, eats rotten eggs, almost gets executed and then unbelievably turns into dark angel like tower of vengeance and violence taking on fully trained professional soldiers and winning, despite being a bicycle courier in everyday life.

Worth watching for:

• The music
• The final fight
• Truly terrifying zombies

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:

• Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re unarmed, unprepared, outnumbered, and mostly unclothed. You can still win
• Watch what you eat
• Don’t get a flat in a dark tunnel 
• In fact, just avoid dark tunnels and unlit spaces generally

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4: Dead Snow

One of the original movie posters.

Think Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombie mod but based in Norway, and you’re there with this film.  

The best zombie film ever made? No.  

One of the most original? Yes.

Funny? Yes.

This picture is too awesome for a caption.

Plot:

8 friends try to go on a remote skiing holiday but instead steal Nazi valuables and then get picked off by Nazi zombies one by one.

Worth watching for:  

• The guy strapping an MG32 to a snow bike

Lesson for H1Z1 movie watchers:

• If you steal someone else’s stuff, then don’t be surprised if they come looking for you
• Don’t go on a remote skiing holiday and steal Nazi gold
• Always be packin’ lead

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3: Rec  

Spanish zombie flick? Winning.

Most people apart from Spaniards, will know this better from the American remake, Quarantine. This is a travesty of justice, as Rec is by far the better film.  

“Shaky Cam” films were a dime a dozen after Blair Witch, but this is one of the best they ever made.

Plot:  

• Set in Barcelona, a hot reporter and her cameraman get quarantined inside an apartment building by authorities when it is sealed off from the outside world. Cue rabies like  infected zombies, desperate fights for survival, Vatican/demonic conspiracy themes, and tension. Lots of tension

Worth watching for:  

• The revelations
• And that final scene…

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

• Don’t get handcuffed to radiators during zombie attacks
• Never trust the government
• Or the church

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2: La Horde:

Ah, our dear French cousins.  

God bless them. Only they could make a zombie film this gruesome, this macabre, and this much fun. This is not a film for kids.  

Iconic images abound in this film.

Plot:  

Elite Paris cops attempt to take down a criminal gang in the Paris ghettos, but but both sides have to team up in an uneasy alliance to fight the undead apocalypse:

Worth watching for:

• French zombies
• The funny bits
• Your mom. Just kidding

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

• Don’t walk into a fortress full of enemies armed with just a pistol and courage
• Watch your back when you strike up an alliance with other players

This is the incorrect firing position for a gun of this make and type.

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1: Dawn Of The Dead.  (2004)

Black Friday in New York.

For me, this is the film that brought the zombie film back into the mainstream, and back into respectability as a genre worthy of our time. Ostensibly, Dawn of the Dead is a re-imagining of the original; but is that rare thing in a remake, in that, it is as good, if not better than the late 70's original. It's more action packed, and the characters are quite well developed for a zombie flick.  

The zombies are dangerous.  

These are not your average bumbling stumbling undead monsters. They come after you like they’re on steroids, and when there isn’t killing being done, the dialogue and interplay between the smorgasbord of characters is believable.

Plot:  

Nurse misses start of the apocalypse, joins a small group of survivors in a shopping mall, survives, engages in philosophical conversations with other survivors, taking on board their points of views, and then makes a break for freedom in an armored bus with chainsaws.

Worth watching for:

• The opening credits
• The end credits
• Celebrity zombie look alike death sniper scene.
• The escape

Lessons for H1Z1 movie watchers:  

• Stay away from towns and popular urban conurbations
• Don’t take refuge in a shopping mall
• Kill anyone named ‘Steve,’ on sight. It's more than likely he'll be the total tool that 'Steve' in the film was
• Chainsaws are dangerous, should only be used by qualified professionals, and appropriate safety gear should be worn at all times when the weapon, tool is in use

This neighborhood has gone to Hell.

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And that’s it….

My advice to you is to watch these movies in the background when playing H1Z1. It might help you wile away the time when you run back to where you hope your body and all your stuff is still where you left it. There’s quite a lot of zombie movies out there you know. Rec, for instance, has 3 sequels, and a US remake to its name. The Dead, also has a sequel.  

But do you agree?

What movies do you think H1Z1 fans should be watching? Are there any lessons or other advice that can be learned from watching zombie films? Log in, and tell me!