Anyone only play for the fun of it ?

[robnix]

Is there anyone left that the only reason they play is for the fun of it ?

Me! But then I've never played for anything other than the fun of it.

Anyone else sick of "win at any cost" attitudes ?

I don't play in that enviroment.

Are there still people that actually leave the game when they get hit ?

I drive the extra mile to play at fields that the regular rec guys like me go to.

Anyone have the mindset that, no matter if they win or lose the game,
if they had fun, their objective was met ?

For me, playing the game in an honorable fashion is part of what makes it fun.

I do have to say, the pump guys seem to still have this type mindset .

Mostly.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.....

Not really.

[PumpMag]

Just join one of the AO games. Those are always fun!

[Babylon 5]

I still do but I find myself not going to the local fields any more. I've gotten into scenario paintball cause it seems to still have the fun attitude. I'm not saying I don't run into the "win at all cost" mentality but it seems to happen alot less at the scenarios I've been to.

[Silverback]

My WORST day of paintball... ever

In response to your question, "Anyone only play for the fun of it?" This happened at CPX, on Sat. 3/22/2008:

Originally posted on "PBJunkie.com"

After 20+ years of playing paintball I thought I'd seen it all.... I could not have been more wrong.

I have been wanting to play at CPX Sports field south of Joliet, IL. since it first opened over 10 years ago. Today I finally got the chance.

Things started of badly when I woke to 12" of snow on the ground in Benton Harbor, MI. where I am working. (Have I mentioned that I REALLY hate the cold and snow?) After finally finding the field, using the directions on the CPX website; they were WRONG, and only after getting on the phone and wading through the various menus on their phone system, which has no HUMAN on it only pre-recorded messages. I finally got right directions with a warning NOT to use the directions on the website. I was then told that if I had further questions to consult the website!

I got to the field at 13:30 (1:30 PM) and paid my $18.00 registration fee, which included all-day air, not bad, but then. I went to get paint, and as much as I LOVE MARBALLIZER, the $90.00 a case price was a bit much, especially since this is the ONLY PAINT available! OUCH!!

As I entered the staging area, about 13:35, an announcement was made about third and final call for open (walk-on) players for a game on "Widowmaker" field. I was not ready, but I saw alot of players still hanging around and figured that another game would start soon.... Oh Contrare!

I got my gear together and headed for the target range to chrono my marker. Outside the entrance to the range, were sign saying, "GOGGLES ON!". When I walked into the nice covered range there were 5 kids and an adult (turned out to be their Dad!) working on a marker, and not one of them with a mask on. I said, "Guys, You need to put on your goggles." Nothing. I repeated, "Guys, You need to wear your goggles while inside the range." The Dad and a couple of kids turned around and scawled at me, like I had just told them they were ugly! No goggles, just dirty looks! They finished and left, then I chronoed my marker, then went and talked to the Refs about making a reminder announcement to wear goggles in the target range. It was about 13:45. I was told they would look into it, but no announcement was made.

I then got to stand around waiting for an "Open" game until 15:00 (3:00 PM) ONE AND A HALF HOURS AFTER I ARRIVED!!!!

We proceeded to a field called "Badlands" which is an interesting field of old cars, trucks, campers and vans arranged as a sort of "speedball" field. The game started, and a few players on the other team just started charging right down the middle of the field, they were hit several times and just kept coming. I hit a player, who stopped looked down, wiped off the hits and then kept coming! I started yelling for a ref, and getting out of the line of fire, while maitaining fire on several players with multiple hits. I got hit and left the field and watched as these players continue to play until forced of the field by a ref, which didn't happen very often.

We switched sides and started again, this time the players weht to the flanks, and started putting paint onto goggles, and yelling for the refs to check the players, I also told my team mates to shoot for the head and keep firing, but most went down in short order. I had another player pinned and was moving on him pouring paint onto his goggles at max Automag rate. This scum-bag would just wipe the paint off his goggles and keep shooting! (NO, THIS IS NOT A HEADSHOTS-DON'T-COUNT FIELD! But thanks for asking...) I got hit from an angle other than from scum-bag and left the field still trying to get one of the refs to do something! They were both standing in the dead zone. (nough said)

We went back to the staging area, and loaded up for the next game. A couple players came up to me and asked if I had had any problems with players not calling themselves out and continuing to play when hit, and I told them about the previous two games. These players told me that these guys had been doing it all day, and they do it every time they come out. I asked if the field management did anything about it, they said, NO.

We went out onto a field called "The Mounds" dirt mounds arranged into a small field about the size of a 5-man X-Ball field. At the start of the game I moved up the middle and caught a player out in the open dead-bang and lit him up. The player ran back around one of the mounds and appeared on the other end of it firing away at other players. I moved back and started my now all-to-familiar yelling for the refs. I was now firing on three different players on the right boundary. I got a ref to check them and he pulled all three. (Gee, go figure.)
Another player ran up the middle and I opened up over the mound at him. He took several shots to the side and head. He turned and started shooting at me, I returned fire and continued yelling for the refs. This player ran back behind a mound and joined another player who started shooting up the left flank. I hit the secound player several times, (the white marballizer fill showed up well on the brown and green jackets they were wearing) I even threw in a dozen or so bonusballs, but they kept shooting. One of the refs pulled both players and sent them to the far side, then he (the ref) headed back to the middle of the field. I moved around left to help when I was hit, I looked over and it was the SAME PLAYER I HAD ELIMINATED, AND THE REF PULLED!! (still wearing all the paint I had put on him!) As I was walking off the field the second guy (in the brown jacket) opened up on a kid about 11 or 12 years old, from about 10 feet away, AND OUTSIDE THE BOUNDRY TAPE!

At this point I was so pissed, I could hardly see straight, this young kid was covered in paint and doing his best not to burst into tears. I confronted the player in the brown jacket, and screamed at him why did he think the rules of the game did not apply to him and his buddies, and why in the hell he had shot up the kid from OUTSIDE the boundary line! He turned and told me to "Stop whining and BE A MAN!" I screamed back at him asking if shooting up kids, and playing after hit was he definition of being a man, and he told me to, "STOP ACTING LIKE A *****, AND BE A MAN!"

I am ashamed to say at that moment I wanted to see how far I could jam my Automag up this scum bags ***! But I was still in touch with some control and barely resisted the urge. At that point, our johnny-on-the-spot refs showed up and said that since there were so many problems on the field that we should probably head into the staging area. I checked the young kid out when we got back to the staging area, and except for two nasty welts on his arm, the rest of the shots hit the chest protector he was wearing under his jersey. The time was 16:18 (4:18 PM), I packed up my gear and left.

As I was packing several players from my side came over and told me that this was not the first time this had happened, and they thanked me for standing up for them. I player told me he was glad to not feel alone anymore. Is this what these players have to deal with on a regular basis?

I am ashamed of losing my temper at this game, I am usually the person who is calming things down and reminding people that we are supposed to be having fun. I'm still re-running the events of the day in my head trying to figure out if there was anything I could have done to defuse this situation.
If what some of the players were saying is true, I'm not sure I could have done anything,since it looks like this has happened before. I cannot imagine trying to enjoy myself at a field that allows this kind of play.

It just shows me how lucky we as players are that we have fields like PBC, Bear Claw, Hole in the Wall, and all the other fields mentioned in this forum.

I wrote this trying to make sense of the days events, and my reaction. Any feed back, good or bad will be appreciated.

Sam "Silverback" Moyers

[punkncat]

This is a good post.

I am having a lot of mixed feelings about paintball lately. Most of it has nothing to do with paintball, a lot of it just me. It has become a lot of work for me to "play" paintball, so since coming back I haven't really done it just for the fun of it so to speak.
Before I played two different kinds of ball. I played for the fun of it, usually in the woods with a close group of friends. People that we didn't have to worry about cheating and crap attitude and all the bad stuff.
I had pretty much quit playing walk on ball near the time I got hurt. It had just gotten to be a pain in the butt to go out and deal with all the crap. I did like to take informal days with the team, or parts of it. At least that way you knew you had at least one or two people to watch your back, and not only that but to offer some competition. After scrimmaging with highly experianced players all the time, and working hard to lose bad habits the last thing you want to do is play with walk ons. It makes you sloppy, its not a challenge at all. Even using a purely mech marker against all the little agglets it just was not the same any more.
So I started playing on a more competative level, mostly as a natural progression. What is funny is that at that level you get to know a lot of people better and play with them more regularly. Honestly, IMO it was easier to get a "good" honest game on in a scrimmage than on any open play day. Sure the occational dispute would break out. We don't play with refs most of the time, but for the most part really good and very sporting games going on. You pretty much had to play fair as the whole gang of people that competed with and against each other saw you all the time and knew you. Your reputation rode on it.
Another nice thing is that it is cheaper to play. I get in on a team discount on both paint and field fee.
Of course everyone wants to win. That is what the game is about. But with the comeraderie, its not uncommon to have even your opponents helping you with your game, pointing things out that you need to work on, tips and pointers, etc. To me playing at that competative and want to win level was fun. Not at all costs mind you. I have and always will draw a line at cheating and dishonesty to win.
I look forward to the day that I can get back to that level of competition again. I might have to go back to that open play level again and see what comes of it. Learn to adjust my game, learn how to work within my limitations and find the fun again.

Anyway, I hope you see what I was trying to say through my unfocused bunch of ramble.....

[Ninjeff]

CPX is horrible for regular games. That being said, i HIGHLY recomend it for scenario play. Very highly.

Im not sure if its because the scenarios are much "higher profile" or what, but they were ran wonderfully when i was there. Ive heard much the opposite for open play rec games.

[chafnerjr]

The problem is simple

It's got to be some dedication to the honest guys that play at field with "regular" cheating. I simply wouldn't put up with it! I've played for 11 years and about 80% of that was just good ol' woods ball. My family had a field w/rentals for a while and we only played with family and friends that we liked. We always had 1 designated ref for about 10 or so people, but we really just policed ourselves. I've been to a couple of fields where there was some "lacking" in the ref department and it led to disappointing days. Often with very slow game turnaround (# of games and time between games). As I'm used to playing upwards of 15 or more games a day when I play, this can be a pretty critical factor.

It's been my experience that the field staff and ref core have the critical role in curbing this behavior. While it seems to me; in my very unprofessional opinion, that 1 ref per side per 10 or 15 people (depending on the field) seems to be a good number of. It's the quality of the ref's that matter! I play fair but I have to expect that occasionally someone else won't have that same mentality. When I don't know who I might be playing with I trust a good ref core to even it out. Any good field that I know of can take care of these "attitude" or "cheating" situations pretty quickly.

For the players that cheat and wipe... I just send a few extra their way to make sure they didn't forget about the first one or two.

[Army]

What? Waiiiiiiiit...we can shoot BACK? I always played by running for the center, getting hit multiple times, and walking back to the deadbox. That IS how it's played...right? Well, that certainly explains the full hopper at the end of the game. I thought I was just doing great on air and paint economy.

[50 cal]

Count me as one of the rec and scenario players.
Tourny play has become "Instant jerk, just add paintball gun"

[wek29]

While giving an orientation this weekend, I stated that players would have to maintain a lower rate of fire in games against rentals and newer players as well as a safety zone of 10 feet. (We maintain a more speedball oriented set of games for higher rates of fire and bunkering) Someone spoke up and said, well that's how you get better...basically meaning by playing "better" players. I told him that getting better wasn't why everyone was there. I think that mentality ties into the theme of this thread. People think the only reason others play is the same reason they do and forget some just play for fun. (I'm not even going into cheating-too big a topic for my slow typing!)

[kruger]

Never have played for anything other than fun. Hell, its just a kids game that the Grown-up spend money on.

ME: Honey, I'm gonna play paintball, see you later.
Wifey: idiot.
ME: Yup.

[nevtangle]

Just join one of the AO games. Those are always fun!

QFT!

The only reason I play if for the fun of it. Winning is just an added bonus. Seems like the AO meets are filled with people that have the same mind set. At least the SoCal meets that I've been to. Playing with people that are just looking to have a good time makes the day that much better.

[Chrishew09]

ME: Honey, I'm gonna play paintball, see you later.
Wifey: idiot.
ME: Yup.

HAHAHA, i hear the same thing from my wife

[going_home]

While giving an orientation this weekend, I stated that players would have to maintain a lower rate of fire in games against rentals and newer players as well as a safety zone of 10 feet. (We maintain a more speedball oriented set of games for higher rates of fire and bunkering) Someone spoke up and said, well that's how you get better...basically meaning by playing "better" players. I told him that getting better wasn't why everyone was there. I think that mentality ties into the theme of this thread. People think the only reason others play is the same reason they do and forget some just play for fun. (I'm not even going into cheating-too big a topic for my slow typing!)

Excellent point.

[Sumthinwicked]

yup me i play 4 fun