Where is our sport heading ?

[Ben Frain]

As before i ask do you think its because we use guns to shoot each other that's whats making people not see the skill involved ?

Personally, yes, to a very large degree.

Just think about what a newcomer to the sport sees...

Grown men playing war on a 'it's a knockout set' in power ranger outfits.

Hardly inspiring is it?

 

[Robbo]

Personally, yes, to a very large degree.

Just think about what a newcomer to the sport sees...

Grown men playing war on a 'it's a knockout set' in power ranger outfits.

Hardly inspiring is it?

Ben, I gotta say the 'German' phenomenon I wrote about awhile back tends to contradict that notion ... after all, how the hell do you explain how a nation can boast the largest number of teams (within Europe) and the fastest growing in terms of team numbers......and there is no rental scene.

Sounds impossible I know but Germany is testament to the fact, that Paintball, when it's mounted in its tournament package and presented to the masses is a viable product and one that attracts huge numbers of the young.
The German phenomenon is like one of those times in science where something 'weird' happens and it seems weird because traditional thinking seemingly provides no explanation.
The truth is, we are being tilted away from traditionalism to a newer more profound understanding of our sport and we ignore its significance at our peril.
The industry should be learning from what's happened in Germany and use this knowledge to adjust their marketing philosophies.
Just a thought !

 

[Ben Frain]

I hope you are right Mr Robinson, I really do...

However, do you think it's also possible that the inhabitants of 'the fatherland' may also be taking it up in droves as it's the closest they CAN get to shooty shooty type re-enactment. After all, this is the very same country that is denied the pleasures of first person video games etc and any type of military enactment.

Paintball may just give their genetic propensity for shooting people some kind of state condoned outlet.

 

[Markie C]

Don't think you are getting my point Ben.

I mean because its not very PC or what ever you want to call it. and the growing concerns about gun crime all that other stuff is it because we use guns is that one of the reasons that people in the media or what ever don't want to touch it cause it might cause a stir ????

 

[Mario]

Quite all right, Mario, as I'd decided after the last post not to 'debate' the particulars as that isn't really the issue.
It just seems to me when peeps discuss this general topic the point of view is always paintball-centric but if it's looked at in light of a broader perspective the view might appear somewhat differently.

totally agree with you mr baca.

 

[duffistuta]

taking it up in droves as it's the closest they CAN get to shooty shooty type re-enactment. After all, this is the very same country that is denied the pleasures of first person video games etc and any type of military enactment.

...is the point of view I subscribe to.

 

[Robbo]

I hope you are right Mr Robinson, I really do...

However, do you think it's also possible that the inhabitants of 'the fatherland' may also be taking it up in droves as it's the closest they CAN get to shooty shooty type re-enactment. After all, this is the very same country that is denied the pleasures of first person video games etc and any type of military enactment.

Paintball may just give their genetic propensity for shooting people some kind of state condoned outlet.

No I don't think that at all, especially when you factor in the PC concerns that 'shooty shooty' type re-enactments would have in Germany.
I put their success down to what I termed 'entry point awareness' and their success has everything to do with how they see Paintball being played when they first become aware of our sport.

I doubt there will be much stomach for militaristic type formats in Germany for obvious reasons and this forces people there to push the tournament scene and I believe it is this format that elicits the response we see over there and explains its consequent success in translating Joe public into tourney players.
If what you suggest is correct then the demographic that is the UK's rental scene would then be an approximate corollary for Germany's tourney scene, and it ain't !

 

[duffistuta]

How many tournament teams/players has Germany actually got, by the way?

Their population is what, 1/3rd again of the UK's? Their economy is stronger, this is the only chance they get to play shooty-shooty...sadly, I think Ben has hit the nail on the head.

 

[Ben Frain]

Don't think you are getting my point Ben.

I mean because its not very PC or what ever you want to call it. and the growing concerns about gun crime all that other stuff is it because we use guns is that one of the reasons that people in the media or what ever don't want to touch it cause it might cause a stir ????

I think I do get it Markie, and I am saying yes, I think it's a large contributing factor (the fact that we use guns). That and the fact 7 man is a difficult format to follow. X-ball solves the majority of the format issues - it's easy to follow and has a nice clear scoring system (and score board) but we still have the 'gun' issue in this country. Not a problem in the U S of A as they are raised shooting tin cans off a bench in the back yard but here in blighty that just isn't cricket.

With regards the Germans. I am of course hypothosising Robbo but I can't help thinking that if the jerries were allowed scenario games and woodland based formats with camo and jack boots half of that large tournament scene would opt for that instead.

 

[Robbo]

How many tournament teams/players has Germany actually got, by the way?

Their population is what, 1/3rd again of the UK's? Their economy is stronger, this is the only chance they get to play shooty-shooty...sadly, I think Ben has hit the nail on the head.

I'm not having that......the German economy as far as I know isn't significantly stronger to be able to explain what you suggest it does.
I agree the signs are ambiguous in terms of interpretation but I have seen the reaction of Joe Public when confronted with the high-paced tourney ball format and when I contrast it with how people react to Rambo formatted woodlands ball, it comes nowhere near.

I just transferred what I have seen for myself in the UK response to tourney ball and used it to interpret the data from Germany.
Anyway, we are polarizing our interpretations and the reality is probably gonna be a combination of the two but I would venture my interpretation being more significant, but then again I was always gonna do that anyway.

I think Oli (Bagpuss) needs to come in at this point as he will have a lot better grasp of what's going on in Germany than either myself or Duff.