The Ethics Of Paintball
Paintball houses an enormous crowd of players; woodsball to speedball, young and old, both male and female. Because of this, people need to know where to draw the line when they step onto a field, and this is a small list that can easily be expanded upon as more situations come to mind.
1. Never, under any circumstance, purposely bunker somebody new to the game. The idea is to make it a fun, enjoyable experience, not to inflict as much pain as you can on the person. If you do happen to accidentally come across a new player, then try your best to shoot them in the gun or legs where it’s not going to hurt them as bad. Neck and back shots suck, so don’t do it.
2. Young kids – paintball is becoming more and more popular among the younger people today, and you can find them at the field nearly every weekend. Most of the time they are there to play at their own pace, and that’s fine, respect it. If you’re in a game with them, instead of insulting them for hiding in the back try to encourage them to move up. Lead by example and they will quickly follow.
Many times you will catch them off guard as you come down the side of the field, but if you have a wide open shot don’t just put a rope on them – a few well places shots will suffice.
3. There are also times when you can treat the younger players as if they were on your own level. If you know for a fact that a kid plays a lot and knows the sport well, then feel free to take him on as an equal. He knows how the game is played, and realizes that bunkering and 20bps is all part of it.
Another situation might be the punk kid that likes trash talking you and your friends. I’ve never personally had a problem with this, but I hear people mention it all the time, and there’s no doubt you’ll come across one of these types eventually. If you do happen to face a little punk like this, the “right” thing to do would be to just ignore it, and play on a different field. Buuuuuuut if this isn’t possible then I really don’t see any problem in giving him a few extra balls [evil smirk].
4. Wiping – let’s face it; nothing is going to stop it. If you blatantly catch somebody wiping and he doesn’t call himself out, or the ref doesn’t pull him, go ahead and bonus ball the crap out of him. Okay, okay, don’t overdo it; just make sure he gets the point, and maybe he’ll think twice before doing it again.
Sometimes it’s only a misunderstanding. I’ve had plenty of times when I get hit on the shoulder (especially when it’s colder and I wear more clothes) and I won’t even feel it. I’ll finish out the game, and then somebody from the other team will call me on it. Yeah, it makes you feel like an ass, but sometimes you really just don’t notice it. This is often the case when you hit somebody in the pack. If you know you hit somebody, don’t be afraid to call them on it; most of the time they’ll listen.
5. Don’t be a punk. As a paintball community we need to learn to have some respect for the other styles of play. Speedballers think they’re better because they have faster guns and more technical skills whereas woodsballers/recballers think speedballers are freaking retarded for spending $2,000 on equipment just to play paintball. Whatever your opinions may be, we really don’t care to hear them. Let the other side play as they will, don’t trash talk others at the field, and let things be as they were.
6. And finally, never forget the one reason why you love the sport of paintball so much, the one reason why you started in the first place. I know it’s not for the money, because paintball is impossible to make a living at. So next time things are heating up on the field between you and another player or team, ask yourself exactly what you’re doing. Is it really worth getting kicked out of the field, tournament, or whatever it may be? Is it really worth the fight?
For me, it’s all about the thrill and the fun. I’m also extremely competitive, but I’m not going to extremes to make sure I win; I couldn’t live with myself. Instead, I’d rather lose fair and square, and then work on the areas I that need improvement so when I do come back and win it’ll mean so much more than if I just took the shortcut. Maybe that’s just me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I agree with most of what you’re saying. I just have one question about bunkering.
The field I play at has a field limit of 280 FPS (which realy means you need to chrono 270 +/- 10). Moreover, they have a 20-foot rule meaning that you can’t get closer to your opponent than about 20 feet.
My question is… in competitive paintball the chrono limit is the standard 300FPS, and running up and shooting someone several times at point-blank range is considered a normal and acceptable part of the game. Are these guys constantly covered with large, bloody bruises? And, doesn’t this tactic (bunkering) risk very serious injury?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Not serious injury. Although bloody bruises are quite common, it’s accepted because it is part of the game, and honestly, a bruise isn’t a serious injury by any means. A lot of pros wear as much padding as they can get away with as well, because more padding means more bounce.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
There’s a lot in here that could be applied to life in general. Good post, sir.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:10 am
I can’t agree more, I volunteer at a field run by the USAF, we encorage new folks to come out and try a new sport. There is nothing more important than makeing new players feel welcome and accepted. Young kids are the life blood of our sport. If we can’t bring in the new guys and give them a good first impression of paintball then we will never survive and evolve. Always remember, you where a newbie once, would you have kept playing if some guy who had been playing for 10 years beat the ever-living heck out of you the first time on a field?