Will we shake this image?

[RePete]

*Sigh*. This has been debated to death, and I guess a lot of information has been drowned over time. SYTRAXZ's 'the real sick reason y we play paintball' thread (Which I disagree, sorry mate) got me thinking about the general public perception of Paintball we face. Will Joe Bloggs ever see past the guns? To an outsider, watching a modern Paintball game in a sporting arena with uniforms and inflatable fields, does this look militaristic or warlike?

I've shown friends and family what I do, and the reactions are mixed. One person I wish I could ask is my uncle who's a Ranger in the US Army. He's in the US however and it's a bit difficult to sit down with him. I'd just like to ask "To a military person, does this look paramilitary or warlike?".

Part of me says "Bollocks. Nothing like war". Yet there must be some common elements. The importance of spatial awareness, communication, the fact that you are holding a projectile launcher designed to hit people, etc. Could one say fencing is warlike?. The one thing I'll say is playing Paintball has helped make me a better Counterstrike player (Not that I'm a heavy CS player).

In another thread some one said I'm probably addicted to adrenalin. Maybe. But the thing I enjoy most about Paintball is the teamwork. At a recent tourney we had to dig out some campers (As we always have to darn it) and had 60 seconds to go and four of them to clear out (Seven man). My support player behind me just said "Pete, GO!". I tore down the side, mugged four of them and hung and pull with 6 seconds to go. The best part of that was the "Pete. GO!". No questions. Just trust. That's what I love about Paintball.

Cheers,
Peter 'RePete' Hamilton

 

[eric]

It's hard to really say what outsiders think because we forget what it was like.

I know that when I first started playing I had never heard, nor seen what a concept feild was. The first time I encountered a concept field was when I finally went to play for a friend's birthday party and we got to play speedball. We played and I loved it! I wanted to play speedball the whole day but the others were like "Dude, thats boring" and "Thats nothing like real war." My cousin gafe me an issue of PSI and I saw real concept fields, airball, hyperball, etc. I went to order my subscription and accidentally orderd PGI(best mistake of my life) and started getting into tourneys.

What originally drew me into the sport was the old image of paintball. I wanted to go play war with my friends. Now I love concept fields and get real pissed when I recball and the airball field is down.

For a while now I've been trying to get my dad to at least try the sport. He says "If I wanted to crawl around in the mud I would have joined the Army." It dosen't matter what I say, he won't listen. Ive tried showing him my NPPL videos, footage from some of my tourneys, pics from magazines, t dosent matter.

I don't think the image of concept fields and tournaments has gotten to the public yet. Anybody I know who has heard about me ballin' thinks "He is just some weird kid who likes to kill" of "Sweet, lets play war!"

I think the only way the sport image of paintball will ever get out is by word of mouth.

-Eric

 

[Dannefaerd]

Four of them ... wow

Seriously though ... the game has come a long way since the days of the bush format with everyone running around in camo's and the like (I think I still have a set of advantage around the place somewhere). Tournaments are now being played in wide and exciting areas (Crystal Palace, Sky Dome, etc....)

But when you get down to brass tacks the average joe bloggs punter plays the game to go and blast his mates in a mock game of "war". I don't like it, but it's the truth. Very rarely do you find people who's first experience in the game was competition style 'ball ...

Attitudes are changing, but it is going to take time. We can't expect the changes we want overnight, but I believe that in time it will happen.

 

[RePete]

Marty! What are you doing reading P8ntballer at work...? I'm gonna tell on you!

Cheers,
RePete

 

[Dannefaerd]

You mean this isn't a work message board ... damn, must have missed that some how.

 

[Micah]

nope never, not gonna shake this image. I'm on my school's Academic Decathlon and Quiz Bowl teams, Got a question today in practice about paintball. They called it a war game and talked about the possible injuries that could arise. I got power on it consequently, that's when You get it with in a certain amount of time, it gives you bonus points. A gun is a gun is a gun doesn't matter that we don't hurt each other. Doesn't matter that we shoot paint, and we can all laugh about getting mucked up at the end of the day. It's a gun and we shoot each other. Simple as that. As Much as I don't want it to be true, as long as we shoot each other, we shoot each other and that's all people are gong to see.

Ok, I think I'm done with my little rant ... for now ...

-Micah

 

[jermanboy]

I think that it can break the image. Just in the last five years the sport has moved from all woods play to predominantly concepts fields. Paintball is still a young sport. How many other sports do you know of barely 20 yrs old? It will just take some time.

As for Micah's response about guns.
People call them guns, but they are just high tech markers. Originally they were used to mark cattle and trees. What we do with them now is to mark eachother.
I look at paintball as live action chess with tag rules. You have teams work angles and get the flag. The sport can move past the name war games. With huge tourneys like Mardi Gras, Skyball and NPPL(PSP), and such promotions as Warped Sportz being at music festivals and being on x sports shows, It will be a very short time in sports time before Paintball will be seen as a sport and not a war.

 

[loginnut]

However one most remember the largest gaming part of us is the seasonal baller who plays only once or twice a year. Their exposure is not to tournaments or concept fields, its to good old fashioned camo and woods. Which isn't evil it just they take this image with them when they leave and when they discuss the game with friends with overtones on the military aspect.
Personally I enjoy both without issue, just my equipment isn't as shiny in the woods as out in the open.

 

[Duncster]

If anyone *EVER* brings up the old "Paintball is just playing soldier" lark, simply point them in the direction of an Airsofting website.

These guys are well over the top!! Their "Weapons" are almost identical replicas of the real things!!

This makes us look like a proper sport, if nothing else does....

 

[MarkehB]

Where we play means jack. Put it this way. If all wars were fought on huge open fields interspersed with large inflatable objects or large plastic pipes it would still be war!