Lost innocense...

Fights. Wiping. Overshooting. Foul Language.

Happenings at a paintball tournament?

No. Not this time.

Actually it was at a recent scenario game in Texas.

Now, in case there is someone here just checking paintball out, let me point out that paintball is a great game, lots of fun, a family sport if the field owner or game promoter leads it that way. I do a bit of grumping and ranting here but I really do enjoy the game from the playing side as well as the business side.

Like most every endeavor paintball has its many levels and forms. At a tournament you expect a high level of intensity. In a perfect world every team would tie for the Sportsmanship Award. But as we know paintball, at the tournament level, is an aggressive, testosterone laden event that can test the patience of a Saint.

I can be aggressive. I'm pretty sure my testosterone level is ok but I'm no Saint and I have no patience for tournament play or promoting. So I get my paintball buzz promoting "rec" ball. Fun. Safer. Less stressful. And If I want to kick it up a notch I always have Scenario Games to fall back on.

Scenario games are a chance for players to come together and play extended games - some lasting all weekend. Often, entire families participate. Its a rec ball party.

Till now.

Now it's recball on steroids. Recball on crack. It's an aggressive, testosterone laden event that can test the patients of a Saint. It's fighting and wiping and overshooting and foul language and I blame it on mil-sim and the rise of "Scenario Teams" and the image being shoved on the game. I blame it on players described here by a fellow paintball blogger:

"They normally wear matching camouflage, usually either a tiger stripe or some other 'high speed' camo type. They normally have 'hooah' sounding names like Death Eater, Dark Walker and such as that, which they use to address each other. They have ninety pound Tippmann's with response triggers that shoot more paint then any ripped up ION, MARQ or any other tourney gun out there. They are primarily white males and they appear to be quite angry all the time about the fact that they have small p****s and even smaller skills on the paintball field, no matter how 'elite' they paint themselves. Know anyone like that? I am sure that you do."

Scenario games have become WAR GAMES. Paintball magazines look like "Soldier of Fortune". Paintball markers look like assault rifles.

I don't like it.