| In the previous article of The Sport of Airsoft vs. | | | | don't think a sport should solely rely on having the |
| The Sport of Paintball, we established one of the | | | | best equipment. It takes the fun out of the game |
| major differences between the two sports is the | | | | and sooner or later it takes the strategy out as |
| actual guns, and not necessarily the cost. I would | | | | well. Personally, I would much rather be holding a |
| now like to turn to the conditions of each sport | | | | sniper rifle with a long range scope, backing my |
| and what they entail. I have recently seen more | | | | team up from an elevated level several hundred |
| and more professional Paintball games being | | | | feet behind them and making sure that their |
| played and broadcasted on Television. I watch the | | | | every move is safe. Or posted on the flank while |
| teams compete and the strategy they import to | | | | skirmishing through a thick set of woods holding |
| the playing fields. With no offense towards these | | | | an M16 fully-automatic machine gun, backed up |
| Paintball teams, I have to say I don't see much | | | | with a 9milimeeter strapped to my ankle incase I |
| strategy used, especially in "SpeedBall." It always | | | | needed it for some close combat. Gaming can |
| seems to come down to the same thing and | | | | take place in an open field with no barriers or a |
| same strategy for every team. Get your | | | | 100-yard field full of trees, brush, and bushes. This |
| sprinters to get in close, making sure the first line | | | | all happens while talking on the radio, knowing |
| is spread out while the back field players shoot as | | | | every location my team is in. This makes for |
| much and as fast as they can. Now, I know that | | | | some extreme planning and strategy, not to |
| most people think that this is strategy, but in my | | | | mention some extreme fun. So what sport is |
| experience any Joe Blow who can move their | | | | emerging and what sport is becoming the |
| index and middle finger fast enough can get into | | | | 'equipment war' rather than a sport? When it |
| the sport. When I first started participating in | | | | comes to The Sport of Airsoft versus The Sport |
| Paintball games I had a rental gun that wasn't so | | | | of Paintball I would have to choose Airsoft, and |
| accurate or effective from a long distance. I | | | | not just because of the costs or the clean up, but |
| remember that a guy on the other team had a | | | | simply because of the realistic features and |
| great gun with a double tap trigger and stood in | | | | adventures involved. From the guns to the gaming |
| the very back of the field shooting tons of paint | | | | it makes more sense to have fun in a realistic |
| towards our team. I understand that he was using | | | | game of warfare without the death part. In any |
| the only strategy that he knew to work, but to | | | | case, when it comes to sport, I would have to |
| me that contradicts the game. In that specific | | | | say crawling on the ground under brush or posting |
| case there is no sport involved, it has everything | | | | yourself 35 feet in the air decked out in |
| to do with equipment. I could only imagine if they | | | | camouflage sniping people from an elevated |
| had five other people standing back there doing | | | | position is more sport than standing in the back of |
| the same thing. How much fun would that be? So | | | | a field loading and shooting, loading and shooting as |
| is strategy involved in Airsoft, or a better | | | | fast as you can. In other words I think it is |
| strategy that involves more than just equipment? | | | | evident which sport is actually emerging and |
| I want to make a note that better equipment will | | | | unfortunately which equipment race is on its way |
| definitely optimize your sport experience, but I | | | | out. |