Paintball
I don’t remember when I first heard of paintball. The first time I played it, I already knew that the game (or sport) featured guns that fired little paint-filled pellets.
My very first attempt at the game was at Orchid country club, in far-off Yishun. TAG paintball offered pretty decent guns (called “markers” within the paintball circle) in the Tippmann Pro Carbine. The objective was a combination target elimination/capture the flag mission, and opposing forces are not allowed to cross into enemy territory.
Amongst the six of us who played, N was probably the most vocal. He was shouting, “Cover fire! Bridge off!” to his team-mates. The mix of dodging fire, suppressive fire and firing from cover brought with it an adrenaline rush not many other sports have.
The next day, I woke up with aching legs. All the sprinting for cover brought along one huge draw for paintball. Here was a game where you have to sprint to stay in the game. In a game like soccer, you could choose how fast you want to chase the ball, or how fast you want to run to steal the ball away from the opponent. However, in paintball, you don’t have a choice; you run or are gunned.
The price tag for paintball was quite hefty. We paid about 60 dollars for just over half an hour of actual game time. Much of the cost comes from the paintball pellets. Imagine thinking to yourself, “50 cents!” every time you pull the trigger. And because of that, I dismissed paintball, putting it on my list of “done once, good enough” activities (like skydiving).
N was much more hyped over it. He introduced me to several paintball websites and showed me some videos of paintball matches. Paintball, it dawned on me, was more than just shooting your friends with coloured balls. In countries like the US and Malaysia, there are tournaments for teams to showcase their gun-slinging prowess and tight co-ordination. The two main types of competitions are tactical paintball or speedball.
Tactical paintball simulates actual warfare in that matches are normally played out in classic battlefields like forests and bunkers. It also features military-like objectives such as assassination, defensive operations or capture the flag. Just think of the multiplayer mode in games like Unreal Tournament and you get the picture. Competitive teams in the US take their tactical paintball seriously. Where game rules allow, they trick out their markers with mods such as the Tippmann Flatline barrel. Each member has a well-defined role in the team, and buys equipment based on that role. The chain of command is similar to any military unit; squad leaders respond to situations on the ground and communicate with platoon commanders. Platoon commanders take note of the changing enemy positions and place their squads in the best position to capture the objective or repel a flanking move.
Speedball features a large patch of grass with obstacles littered across as the playing field. Opposing teams rush out at each other and eliminate their opponents. Match organizers are more inclined to provide less cover to force teams to be more aggressive. More aggression means more excitement for spectators.
Over the weekend, the Kroo went over to KL for a paintball shootout. There was shopping, silly MagBlast games and eating, but the highlight for me was just the paintball. Donning that mask, carrying that marker, pressing myself against cover, dodging fire, returning fire, sprinting in for a flanking move, marking people with paint, feeling the sharp sting of a paintball hit all provided me some much-needed escape from the dreary office life that I’ve had over the past weeks.
Perhaps, by some stroke of luck, Woody allows a paintball CCA, and we’d train with the Red Sevens. Perhaps, if people don’t see the violence linked to firing a gun but instead see the stress relief and the teamwork. Perhaps one day, I’d be able to pick up my marker, shout “Heavy suppression, cover me!” and sprint out from cover. -Jimmy
My very first attempt at the game was at Orchid country club, in far-off Yishun. TAG paintball offered pretty decent guns (called “markers” within the paintball circle) in the Tippmann Pro Carbine. The objective was a combination target elimination/capture the flag mission, and opposing forces are not allowed to cross into enemy territory.
Amongst the six of us who played, N was probably the most vocal. He was shouting, “Cover fire! Bridge off!” to his team-mates. The mix of dodging fire, suppressive fire and firing from cover brought with it an adrenaline rush not many other sports have.
The next day, I woke up with aching legs. All the sprinting for cover brought along one huge draw for paintball. Here was a game where you have to sprint to stay in the game. In a game like soccer, you could choose how fast you want to chase the ball, or how fast you want to run to steal the ball away from the opponent. However, in paintball, you don’t have a choice; you run or are gunned.
The price tag for paintball was quite hefty. We paid about 60 dollars for just over half an hour of actual game time. Much of the cost comes from the paintball pellets. Imagine thinking to yourself, “50 cents!” every time you pull the trigger. And because of that, I dismissed paintball, putting it on my list of “done once, good enough” activities (like skydiving).
N was much more hyped over it. He introduced me to several paintball websites and showed me some videos of paintball matches. Paintball, it dawned on me, was more than just shooting your friends with coloured balls. In countries like the US and Malaysia, there are tournaments for teams to showcase their gun-slinging prowess and tight co-ordination. The two main types of competitions are tactical paintball or speedball.
Tactical paintball simulates actual warfare in that matches are normally played out in classic battlefields like forests and bunkers. It also features military-like objectives such as assassination, defensive operations or capture the flag. Just think of the multiplayer mode in games like Unreal Tournament and you get the picture. Competitive teams in the US take their tactical paintball seriously. Where game rules allow, they trick out their markers with mods such as the Tippmann Flatline barrel. Each member has a well-defined role in the team, and buys equipment based on that role. The chain of command is similar to any military unit; squad leaders respond to situations on the ground and communicate with platoon commanders. Platoon commanders take note of the changing enemy positions and place their squads in the best position to capture the objective or repel a flanking move.
Speedball features a large patch of grass with obstacles littered across as the playing field. Opposing teams rush out at each other and eliminate their opponents. Match organizers are more inclined to provide less cover to force teams to be more aggressive. More aggression means more excitement for spectators.
Over the weekend, the Kroo went over to KL for a paintball shootout. There was shopping, silly MagBlast games and eating, but the highlight for me was just the paintball. Donning that mask, carrying that marker, pressing myself against cover, dodging fire, returning fire, sprinting in for a flanking move, marking people with paint, feeling the sharp sting of a paintball hit all provided me some much-needed escape from the dreary office life that I’ve had over the past weeks.
Perhaps, by some stroke of luck, Woody allows a paintball CCA, and we’d train with the Red Sevens. Perhaps, if people don’t see the violence linked to firing a gun but instead see the stress relief and the teamwork. Perhaps one day, I’d be able to pick up my marker, shout “Heavy suppression, cover me!” and sprint out from cover. -Jimmy
posted by Jimmy at 5:51 PM
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