Paintball

[sparky]

I've acually always wanted to try airsoft. But up in Canada the cost of gear is retardly high and people are few and far between. That and I couldn't care less about milsim gear. I'm happier in a brightly colored Tshirt that a set of BDU's. I don't need to carry 5 HiCap clips and a 300 dollar tactical vest either.

I laugh evertime I read a "What's a good starter gun" FAQ. Every single one says pistols and springers are not praticial guns to play with cause they are too slow. How would a pumper/pistol lover like myself manage?

I wonder if Airsoft has to deal with AGG?

[Anonymous Coward]

Originally Posted by MondoMor

One benefit of this exclusivity (I hear) is that players tend to be honorable (i.e. no "playing on" after getting hit) because they won't get invited back if they're caught cheating. So the cheaters all play paintball...

I found that not to be true at all. It becomes a argument feud really fast.

One of the nice things I did enjoy was the scenarios I went to were played in a more organized fashion. Where as in paintball it feels like half are there to play a scenario and the other half are there for an all day paintball game and have no desire to play the scenario elements.

The thing I wasn't fond of was the mandatory dress codes by some organizers. Lack of safety. And the ironic tale of trying to get "real sim", but folks hauling 300+ round magazines.

[Sly1]

yeah.. I'm selling my airsoft gun tonight.. Its weird, the fued between the two sports.. there really isn't a comparison as far as general enjoyment, or the most common subject, pain.. Paint hurts.. and leaves big welts, if you wear a long sleeve shirt, airsoft bb's dont even work..

[HurtCow]

Part of the rush of pb for me is the pain of getting shot. It makes it that much more intense- like at pump day when it's down to me vs. 2 or 3 others, my heart starts pounding and I start breathing hard thinking 'holy crap I'm gonna get bunkered'.

I also think if I were around some of the hardcore airsoft geeks my inherant sarcasm would surface and I'd probably say some things that those that took it all too seriously would probably take offense to and I'd be asked not to come back. But it would probably be lots of fun for me.

[Sly1]

or like when its not pump day.. and your pumpin away against 2-3 others

[LettuceHead]

We carry a bit of airsoft, and when I ran one of our stores I often had hardcore airsofters come in to criticize what was essentially the Brass Eagle of airsoft that we carried. They love to talk about how much more realistic and better it is than paintball (as if such things as fun and personal preference can be quantified).

One day a group were in, regaling me with their latest "training sessions" and how their gear wasn't just mil-spec but the real thing, yada yada yada. When they were ranting about how an Ego doesn't look like a real firearm and how unrealistic all things paintball were I finally said "Well, you have to realize that most people who play paintball don't play to fantasize about killing other human beings." When they tried to backtrack I pointed out how everything they had just gushed about in passionate detail was bordering on sadist fetishism. They then finally blurted out that they were just out to have fun like paintballers. Then they left immediately.

That's when I realized the major difference between paintballers and airsofters... airsofters do not have a sense of humor.

Really, its true. I've been to events where airsoft was off on another field. The thing that stuck in my head is that airsofters don't actually play much. Every event was a bunch of guys who obviously enjoy Krispy Kremes strutting around the staging area, talking about their gear. It was all fashion show... I remember four guys having a discussion regarding the aesthetics of mixing olive and digi gear, or olive and coyote tan, or your gun's color scheme not quite matching your tac gear. I laughed wondering what a real soldier or security operator would think listening to them.

Sure, that exists in paintball too but at least we do something. We can't wait to get out and blast away at each other, destroying our equipment in the process. Airsoft players just want to look the part and although they try real hard to 'move' like real soldiers, in the end they scramble and flop around just like paintballers even though they think they are acting like the real professionals. On an actual battlefield they would quickly be, as my friend who was into long-range woodchuck shooting would say, "nothing but chunks".

Honestly, I do like airsoft equipment. A solid metal bodied AEG just feels cool, and what little airsoft I played was actually fun. Note that last word, as in a group of friends going out, rolling around in the dirt and trying not to get shot in the nuts kinda fun. But some people take themselves way too seriously and its really quite comical.

[sparky]

Lettucehead, I think you summed up airsoft in post. Too much talk, not enough play.

It's a sport completely evolved around one of the core elements of AGG: Looking pretty. Much like a 5 year girl dressing up to look like Barbie. Instead it's a bunch of 30 year men talking about how cool their outfit is. And heaven forbid getting dirty playing, that's a sin to them. It's much better to sit in the staging area and stay clean than going out to the field and playing in the filth.

[Sly1]

Its not all bad though, this was put on by our local reball/airsoft feild
Strikezone

It was a haloween thing
YouTube - DZZ2: Dancing at the Zombie Zoo 2

[Listessa]

Originally Posted by sparky

It's a sport completely evolved around one of the core elements of AGG: Looking pretty. Much like a 5 year girl dressing up to look like Barbie. Instead it's a bunch of 30 year men talking about how cool their outfit is.

For the record, I was more polite and didn't exactly say that part for once. I think it was a great exhibition of strength on my part.

[pillage]

Originally Posted by Listessa

For the record, I was more polite and didn't exactly say that part for once. I think it was a great exhibition of strength on my part.

The truth hurts why be polite now?

The paintball world has plenty of people that just go for the look as well. It can be the agglet in a matching clown suit, or the tool that just to have every bolt on milsim thing just for the look. I have seen whole supposedly sponsored teams at scenarios that just hung out in the parking lot all day, because it was muddy. I bet their sponsors would love that, and they even got an award at the end of the game for best team.