Paintball's Own Look?

[meshaq]

I would wear PB clothes, but my mom wont buy any clothes for me with out me trying them on, and no place around here sells PB clothes. We dont have our own look, but we borrow from other styles.

[jekyll]

I personally don't feel the need to define myself by the clothing I wear.
To me, paintball is a sport not some social group that I must wear paintball clothes to join.

[evan123]

Psh who needs clothes?

[tony3]

hey tony

Shhhhhh

[nippinout]

No. But many wish that we do.

I thing it's the same people who are lost. They want paintball to be mainstream. They want paintball in the Olympics. They want paintball on TV.

I remember reading a magazine article on paintball and music. It was pretty much forcing the idea of punk to be our anthem. This isn't snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, MX, surfing, or even ping pong. We don't need an anthem, we don't need a kind of music.

Why do these sorts of people want to be 'mainstream' so badly? To bring our 'sport' validation? To be welcome amongst the X-Game competitors?

More than 90% of us do not play tournament paintball. We go out on the weekend and pay somebody to let us have fun.

No matter what the magazines, DVD's, or tournament players say, paintball is not a lifestyle. In high school, I saved every penny for that new barrel. I would save my lunch money for a month just to get a case of paint and top off my tank. I was constantly broke because of paintball. I had posters and magazine clippings all over my walls. I had stacks of magazines to read. I had shirts with JT on them. I sure looked like I was into paintball. I couldn't afford to do anything else but paintball.

I was consumed by paintball. But that's not a lifestyle. It was a hobby that burned my money. When people looked at me, they didn't think, "Oh look, he plays paintball."

Why do some us feel the need to have a look, identity or image? We borrow/steal looks and styling from other sports.

Paintball is diverse, from our playing styles, types of games, and players. We have ten year old kids and sixty year olds playing with anything from plastic throw-away guns to $1500 cheater guns. When you go home from the field, you go back to your normal everyday life. Some of us might even jump over couches to bunker our dogs, or eat paint before they go to sleep. But you go back to whatever life you have.

We don't need a look. We don't need an image. We don't need a lifestyle. We don't need an anthem.

All I really want is a gun that works, a field, and cheap paint.

[slade]

actually i was thinking, perhaps part of the reason we dont have a style or look is because our sport is so diverse. look at skateboarding (not that i know that much about it, but...). almost everyone who skateboards is a male teenager, and i think most serious skateboarders live in an urban area. look at paintballers. ive seen (serious) paintballers at the field from 10 - 50, and although they are mainly male they are from all different backgrounds. paintball is more diverse and thus it doesnt have as defined of a look or style.

[Tyger]

"Image" is what you create to make money. The image a comnpanie's ads portray is what other people want to become, what they want people to think of you when you walk in the door wearing that product logo. For companies, this is the essence of what they want to sell you. It's an advertizing concept called "Branding". People associate your brand name with an image that they want to portray when they go out into the world. And if you brang your product well enough, just the name alone will bring an image into the minds of people. If I say "Levis", "Nike" or "BMW", you have a picture in your head on who would use those products. Those are VERY sucessfully "Branded" names into your mind, and the ad departments have done them well.

So for example, "Product A" makes clothing, and they advertize selectively in magazines and billboards. They show ads with wealthy people wearing their products, leaning against spendy cars, entering expensive houses, wearing gold bracelets, whatever. People attracted to "Product A" will want to show themselves as being affluent, having a lot of money.

"Product B" makes clothing too, but they do something else with their ads. They show kids hanging out behind a dirty convinence store, listening to a boom box, drinking whatever. They're laughing, and wearing the clothing while "just hanging out". People who wear "Product B" will be attracted to the "anti-glamor" image being portrayed, the "real people" image of no pretenses and no fake thrills. These customers want to portray through their product choices that they're all real, nothing made up about them. (which in itself is funny, but that's another story)

Paintball is trying to do the same thing. Except that the companies are trying to "brand" thier name into a style of paintball that most people do not play. It's a false image that's sexy, but it's still not ours. We're trying to borrow an "image" that's worked in "extreme sports" and applying it to paintball. The problem is that you're holding the "X-Games" imagery onto paintball with masking tape, and it's not sticking well.

So when that doesn't work, they try to make another "brand" for paintball that can stick. There is also the image of the "bad boy", the "gangsta' talkin' tourney guy" who wears gold chains and is richer than you will ever be becasue of paintball. The "Kiddiez (tm)" see this, and say "wow! I can be rich like him if I follow his path of paintball! I need his clothing, his gun, his shoes..."

Paintball is theater. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you a jersey.

-Tyger

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

There is also the image of the "bad boy", the "gangsta' talkin' tourney guy" who wears gold chains and is richer than you will ever be becasue of paintball. The "Kiddiez (tm)" see this, and say "wow! I can be rich like him if I follow his path of paintball! I need his clothing, his gun, his shoes..."

-Tyger

Which results in kids trying to act better than they are and getting pwned (note: pwned wasnt originated in pb)

[SOAD8789]

a lot of paintballers do seem to dress in skater type clothing, and a lot of paintballers skate.

people know i play because i never go anywhere without a pb2x.

i buy most of my clothes at old navy though, and dress normal. sometimes i wear a polo and whatnot.

i listen to jazz, and some rock, like system of a down, red hot chili peppers, and queen (they rock)



i dont know anyone else like me, but i do know a lot of paintballers. we are all different in our ways, so i cant say that we are developing our own subculture.

[-=Squid=-]

No. But many wish that we do.

I thing it's the same people who are lost. They want paintball to be mainstream. They want paintball in the Olympics. They want paintball on TV.

I remember reading a magazine article on paintball and music. It was pretty much forcing the idea of punk to be our anthem. This isn't snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, MX, surfing, or even ping pong. We don't need an anthem, we don't need a kind of music.

Why do these sorts of people want to be 'mainstream' so badly? To bring our 'sport' validation? To be welcome amongst the X-Game competitors?

More than 90% of us do not play tournament paintball. We go out on the weekend and pay somebody to let us have fun.

No matter what the magazines, DVD's, or tournament players say, paintball is not a lifestyle. In high school, I saved every penny for that new barrel. I would save my lunch money for a month just to get a case of paint and top off my tank. I was constantly broke because of paintball. I had posters and magazine clippings all over my walls. I had stacks of magazines to read. I had shirts with JT on them. I sure looked like I was into paintball. I couldn't afford to do anything else but paintball.

I was consumed by paintball. But that's not a lifestyle. It was a hobby that burned my money. When people looked at me, they didn't think, "Oh look, he plays paintball."

Why do some us feel the need to have a look, identity or image? We borrow/steal looks and styling from other sports.

Paintball is diverse, from our playing styles, types of games, and players. We have ten year old kids and sixty year olds playing with anything from plastic throw-away guns to $1500 cheater guns. When you go home from the field, you go back to your normal everyday life. Some of us might even jump over couches to bunker our dogs, or eat paint before they go to sleep. But you go back to whatever life you have.

We don't need a look. We don't need an image. We don't need a lifestyle. We don't need an anthem.

All I really want is a gun that works, a field, and cheap paint.

I'm sorry man... but speak for yourself.

[Jackel411]

Yeah its got its own little pizzaz I guess you can say..

I wear paintball shirts , my mini-van is covered in paintball related stickers. And my normal everyday vocabulary is pretty spiked with paintball vernacular. Like I some how stopped ordering a " Plain " pizza I now order a basic pizza :) Or funnier I refer to getting screwed( taken advantage of not sex dirty gutter brains :) ) and getting shot the same way.. " YOU GOT ASSED! "

[Derman2k]

i notice that the people that give the best directions are accomplished tournament paintballers.... "grocery store, left side of the street, down a mile and a half, green building, entrance on the left...." kinda a mechanical creepyness to the way they address communication in "pressure" situations.

of and more thing.... i notice this in myself, and in others... the "ducking/dodging" reflex is somewhat muted in paintballers cause they know that paintballs are inheirantly innacurate and they wont be hit on the first shot... lol... not a good one off teh field i might add.

thats what i notice.. you gotta be observant about it i guess, but thats what we all are, its part of our game/culture.

-kyro

Hahah. About the ducking/dodging thing. Every couple of days this kid in my study hall throws a plastic knife at me, and every time I don't move it just hits my face. And every day they laugh and I try to explain. but they just laugh more. And the directions thing is right too... i never really noticed it til now though.

And my room is covered in paintball pictures, posters, stickers and two of those massive Bob Long and Dye dealer banner things.

[maglover728]

I personally want to recognized as a paintball player because it helps me bring others into the sport. Since I started playing in '96, I have introduced 13 people to the sport that I know still play and many others I have lost track of. I am not going to "Mormon" the town in a suit, " excuse me sir, have you accepted paintball into you life as a great hobby and fun, fast paced sport?" People approach me and ask basic questions like where is a good spot to go play locally, or where do I buy my equipment. I am helping the sport grow by sticking out a little.


P.S. WTF is AGG and HK?????????????????????????

[Tyger]

(note: pwned wasnt originated in pb)

Correct, sir! It originates from a typo / shortening in Warcraft! *warning, link goes to some 'bad words', which may offend some viewers.*

-Tyger