Man Gets Kidnapped in 'DayZ', Live Tweets It

DayZ is quite possibly the most popular zombie-themed shooter out there right now, and it's not even a standalone game. The ARMA II mod boosted the three year old game into Steam's top seller charts for almost two months. Why exactly would an unofficial mod for an aging game, that hardly anyone has heard of, be making such a splash? Well, DayZ is less of a "game" and more of a sandbox. In the same way Minecraft has spawned a massive subculture, DayZ succeeds because it basically drops players into a world with very few rules. Some players doggedly band together and attempt to survive the undead. Some roam the countryside, murdering for sport. Others kidnap people apparently, and some tweet about those kidnappings.

Australian writer Adam Ruch was wandering the DayZ world when a group of players surrounded him, and at gunpoint, took him "hostage." That certainly sounds like a promising start to a story, and luckily, Ruch Tweeted the whole thing.

This is history in the making readers; this might be the first ever documented case of video game Stockholm Syndrome. I’m joking of course, but this is still a pretty fascinating story. Games can be a fun diversion, they can be a competitive sport; or if you’re lucky, they can become something a bit more… strange. And that’s pretty awesome.

So tell me, are you among the 300,000 or so DayZ players? If so, share a story or two with us in the comments section, I’m sure you’ve got a few.