The modern attitude
I'm going to chalk this up to a generation gap.
I was going through the vids I maintain over on myspace, and found that in my several weeks absence someone actually found a video on there and commented. The video was FPS 5, the one that's still controversial several years after it was released. The commentary was, well, rather rude.
This from a 17 year old player named "-=Tom Plays russian Roulette=- 68 StaTe".
Has the game really gotten that screwed up? Everyone knows I'm old school, I've been playing longer than this kid has been alive. But, well, being told that it's "ok" to get "raped" on the field, and being told that it's expected that opponents cheat? I'm still amazed to see that, even though it's nothing new.
It's funny, actually. The game of paintball had been, for a long time, a sport of self-imposed honor and integrity. When it was underground, the only way to get into the game was to know a guy, so everyone knew everyone else. Most people played clean, and if they didn't they were quickly shunned at best, lit up by their own team at very best and simply not invited back next time. If you were accused of cheating, you worked to clear your name. I remember the fun of Oh Pawlak trying to defend himself on Rec.Sport.Paintball when ESPN aired video of him playing on with an obvious hit on his goggles. This was 1995.
Now, it's almost frowned upon if you don't cheat. "If yer not cheatin' yer not tryin'!" Hell, players are celebrated if they can actually injure other players in the process of playing, and the slang has changed to inflect violence. I find it funny in a way that players claim I got "raped" when, in reality, he had to receive off-field help to know I was coming. And "bitching"? Hardly. What happened was what happened, I simply posted the video of it as it happened.
What I see here is people will defend disposable heroes because they're defending an ideal. The industry has given open permission to the younger players to do what they want on the field of play. Let's face it, there's money in giving people what they want over what they need. Sell the image, let the players beat the crap out of each other, and even when they leave the sport in 3-5 years it doesn't matter because "we'll get more players". And that image is what's being defended by people who respond like "Tom" has.
And the response by "Tom" is fairly typical of any given paintball player who takes the game too seriously. Hell, PB2X published in its pages "Cheating is here to stay, get over it." The attitude is loud and clear to anyone who steps back and listens. "Cheating is ok in paintball. Cheat and you'll get ahead." That's what the players want to hear, and want to do, and the industry is more than happy to oblige. Anyone who thinks differently? They can go to hell, right?
If you don't think cheating is a big deal, let's play "follow the money". Where's Coke? McDonalds? Budweiser? PepsiCo? ANY of the office supply chains? ANY tech store chain? They're still not advertising in paintball after 15+ years of trying to attract them and there's a good reason. They want nothing to do with the attitude. Oh sure, TEAMS may get sponsorship but that's more of a "who you know" situation. But as far as the league goes, you'd think that after 15 years or so, and millions of participants, paintball would do better for itself than buying 60 minute time slots on ESPN to be aired opposite of larger venue events? Thats not a sport, it's an infomercial.
No, major companies will not sponsor a serious sporting event that condones cheating by its participants or supporting industry. Nor will they support any sport that uses terms that are outright vulgar to Mr. and Mrs. Middle America. Tell me, when was the last time you heard a player in the NBA say "Oh yeah, we totally raped that team! We made them our bitches! And yeah we cheated like bastards but you know it's what you can get away with right?" You won't. Plain and simple. Paintball should learn this lesson, but it won't.
What happened in that video speaks for itself, as it always has. The commentary to it speaks even louder.
I was going through the vids I maintain over on myspace, and found that in my several weeks absence someone actually found a video on there and commented. The video was FPS 5, the one that's still controversial several years after it was released. The commentary was, well, rather rude.
" hahaha congrats faggetu got blown away on a runthroughby danny tiljak...... . ITS PAINTBALL!! people will wipe like all sports people CHEAT... doesnt meanu have to go around bitching about every little mishap that rapes you..... get fucked"
This from a 17 year old player named "-=Tom Plays russian Roulette=- 68 StaTe".
Has the game really gotten that screwed up? Everyone knows I'm old school, I've been playing longer than this kid has been alive. But, well, being told that it's "ok" to get "raped" on the field, and being told that it's expected that opponents cheat? I'm still amazed to see that, even though it's nothing new.
It's funny, actually. The game of paintball had been, for a long time, a sport of self-imposed honor and integrity. When it was underground, the only way to get into the game was to know a guy, so everyone knew everyone else. Most people played clean, and if they didn't they were quickly shunned at best, lit up by their own team at very best and simply not invited back next time. If you were accused of cheating, you worked to clear your name. I remember the fun of Oh Pawlak trying to defend himself on Rec.Sport.Paintball when ESPN aired video of him playing on with an obvious hit on his goggles. This was 1995.
Now, it's almost frowned upon if you don't cheat. "If yer not cheatin' yer not tryin'!" Hell, players are celebrated if they can actually injure other players in the process of playing, and the slang has changed to inflect violence. I find it funny in a way that players claim I got "raped" when, in reality, he had to receive off-field help to know I was coming. And "bitching"? Hardly. What happened was what happened, I simply posted the video of it as it happened.
What I see here is people will defend disposable heroes because they're defending an ideal. The industry has given open permission to the younger players to do what they want on the field of play. Let's face it, there's money in giving people what they want over what they need. Sell the image, let the players beat the crap out of each other, and even when they leave the sport in 3-5 years it doesn't matter because "we'll get more players". And that image is what's being defended by people who respond like "Tom" has.
And the response by "Tom" is fairly typical of any given paintball player who takes the game too seriously. Hell, PB2X published in its pages "Cheating is here to stay, get over it." The attitude is loud and clear to anyone who steps back and listens. "Cheating is ok in paintball. Cheat and you'll get ahead." That's what the players want to hear, and want to do, and the industry is more than happy to oblige. Anyone who thinks differently? They can go to hell, right?
If you don't think cheating is a big deal, let's play "follow the money". Where's Coke? McDonalds? Budweiser? PepsiCo? ANY of the office supply chains? ANY tech store chain? They're still not advertising in paintball after 15+ years of trying to attract them and there's a good reason. They want nothing to do with the attitude. Oh sure, TEAMS may get sponsorship but that's more of a "who you know" situation. But as far as the league goes, you'd think that after 15 years or so, and millions of participants, paintball would do better for itself than buying 60 minute time slots on ESPN to be aired opposite of larger venue events? Thats not a sport, it's an infomercial.
No, major companies will not sponsor a serious sporting event that condones cheating by its participants or supporting industry. Nor will they support any sport that uses terms that are outright vulgar to Mr. and Mrs. Middle America. Tell me, when was the last time you heard a player in the NBA say "Oh yeah, we totally raped that team! We made them our bitches! And yeah we cheated like bastards but you know it's what you can get away with right?" You won't. Plain and simple. Paintball should learn this lesson, but it won't.
What happened in that video speaks for itself, as it always has. The commentary to it speaks even louder.
Labels: old school, paintball, speedball
posted by Rob "Tyger" Rubin at
Thursday, January 03, 2008
12 Comments:
By 10-shot kid
Rockstar sponsers both pro teams (I want to say dynasty is one, but I dunno) and scenario teams (delta). Rockstar is owned by coke. So hah, lol.
Seriously though I don't think paintball will ever see mainstream sponsership because it's a horrible spectator sport. It also has a problem with the whole "shooting guns at each other" aspect that people have issue with. The current game format tournament uses still has the problems that you, dirty dan, and every other paintball writter Ive followed with any intrest has complained about forever.
Whiping, I believe, supports the continual 4 year burnout cycle. It leads to overshooting and general saftey concerns at normal rec. games. It leads to outright violence at big games (see the last ION and Stalingrad). It's a huge problem.
This is why I respond to blatant multiple incidents of cheating the way I do. Go for soft spots and end the cycle before some kid decides tackling the guy who won't go out is a better choice. End the cycle before they run through on another small kid again. It's that simple.
By
Anonymous, at Thursday, January 03, 2008 7:51:00 AM
But that's what I'm talking about, "Rockstar" sponsors individual teams, and not the LEAGUE. Meaning that someone knew someone, and a deal was brokered to the team. Intel sponsors Dynasty, but not the league. Whereas "Bundweiser" is an offical beer of several sporting venues.
The game could be made SO EASILY into a spectator sport, but nobody wants to do what it takes because it would place restrictions on their play. "THAT would suck!" Like a heavy crackdown on cheating and tolerance of cheating, which nobody wants to do for fear of cutting into profits.
Do you think 2/3 of the sport would play it if they had to submit to random drug testing? Or were FINED for on-field cheating incidents? They'd leave, and the people higher up KNOW this.
By
Rob "Tyger" Rubin, at Thursday, January 03, 2008 7:55:00 AM
Rob,
Paintball seems to be turning into a vicious cycle because of these kinds of attitudes. We condemn the "tourney" attitude (and rightly so, I think). Yet more players are getting fed up with it, as this kind of stuff is making an appearance in rec and scenarios now as well. Quite a few are starting to turn to renegade and outlaw ball as an alternative - which we ALSO condemn because it is generally unsafe (and rightly so, I think). (I don't know if you've heard about the incident we had out here in AZ a few months ago. I'll post the link.) http://www.pbaz.com/forums/showthread
.php?t=42199
As you said, unless certain people are willing to make changes from within the industry, nothing is going to get any better. So what can we do in the mean time? Personally I'd be content to just play and ref at my local field where we don't have many problems, but that's not going to help the sport much.
Something has to change in order to break the cycle... and if it's not going to be the industry, and if outlaw is here to stay, then what?
By
Steve, at Friday, January 04, 2008 5:53:00 PM
by 10-shot kid
Tyger your totally right on paintball having potential to become a spectator sport but no one will change the game in any meaningful way. Instead we'll try keeping it the way it is and demand a huge setup cost for anyone who wants to film :P
Aside from that though you made me think, which hurts my head, but I did it anyways. What companies would sponser a league? Coke doesn't need the niche advertisement nor does many other "mainstream" sponsers. The companies willing to do a full league sponsership in a sport with our demographic are the ones that can't get into mainstream due to legislation.
Beer companies and tobacco companies are the only ones I see with the ability/need to sponser a niche sport like paintball on a league basis.
The problem here is how adverse we would be to accepting such a companies sponsership. I've been told flat out my cigar shop sponsership (not even cigs or dip :P) is going to stop some mags from putting in my pic. Look at the prohobitionist stand so many are taking for "the good of the game" so they look all cool on some BS list. Don't get me started.
On the drug testing issue I think we have a lot more to deal with before even thinking offhand about that. No one gives a hoot baseball players do it except the gov.
Steve:
What can we do? We can continue to educate the masses. The only reason I post on PBN is to educate. Believe me if I didn't care going against the grain wouldn't be worth the drama. We can promote good things happening as well.
Tourny is not something I believe we can change. It is what it is. Scenario on the other hand is something we can fight for. Vipers invitational game, despite some flaws, is the next step IMHO and the reason why even when I thought I was screwd I supported it. I think as scenario carries on your going to see this as the new way of seperating the stupid masses from the players.
In the end it will come down to one thing, finding an effective way to get rid of the bad apples. So far the bad teams impact has been minor. It exists mainly at bad fields. You'd be suprised at how many are ready to fight to keep them there.
Sure we may never make all of paintball great, but as long as we can carve out a big enough slice that is good I'm happy. That way when I get bored I can go over to the bad slice and screw with their world.
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, January 06, 2008 12:18:00 AM
Tyger, some of this stuff you can answer by looking at your own blog post.
1. The types of players joining the sport. Granted this doesn't apply to everyone but. You have several types, You have the ones coming playing the sport because it'll be Halo or CS, just in real life. The same ones who are used to screaming over the mic "I OWNED YOUR *BLANKETY**BLANK* BLANK* N00B!" when their winning and "OMFG YOU CHEATIN NOOB!" when their losing
2. the "I'm a bad@$$ gangsta" player. Yes admit it, you've heard them on the field or read their post somewhere on the internet. They call their marker a "Gat". It's often times the fastest shooting thing they can buy (Or atleast 20+ BPS. They'll acknowledge the player is out AFTER they finish unloading a hopper on them, while getting progressively closer on them.
Now they aren't the only ones to blame, Grated I haven't gotten any recent issues of anything, but I want you to look at the ads selling the producs in a magazine. Last year, I remember Smart Parts obvious selling their stuff to the gamer type player with ads for their NXT markers with the internet/1337 speak (such as the ones for sexy and leet). So this change in attitude is half the players fault, and half the industries
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, January 06, 2008 6:41:00 PM
I have to agree with what you have said. As bad as it sounds I rarely play anything but outlaw any more because I feel I have more control over what goes on Outlaw than at a field (now isn't that depressing). Now I have put my money where my mouth is and bought the chrono for the group I play with, I control who gets invited, and when and where the games are, but I wont advertise any of my games on forums like SpecOps because I am not willing to accept just any player.
When I do consider playing at a field it is only if the group I bring is big enough to demand private play. That is sad in my opinion because I think we have a lot to offer. Ages in our group range from 13 to almost 60. Some members of our group played at tournament level when the industry only made pumps. I remember when I got into the sport. I would have missed out and/or been turned off if even half of what I have seen on some fields occured, let alone what I have heard/read about.
I can't say I have any idea what will "fix" the industry/sport. The participants and supporters need to have some moral and ethical standards and I have no idea how you re-teach those to someone who has learned the values they have from parents at a much earlier age than they can play paintball.
I can't say that it is just paintball that I have seen this loss of values either. Look at the "win at all costs" mentality that has driven baseballs steroid use, and performance enhancing drug use in the Tour de France and the Olympics. Even looking beyond sports, how about Enron and Worldcom (and they are only the ones caught "cooking the books"). Or just look at our national forests. I have seen more new tracks appear in the last few years than I can count, all because the old track wasn't "extreem enough", "steep enough", "new enough", "rough enough". Or take the most extreem "win at all costs" examples. Pakistan elections with suicide bombers blowing up candidates.
This cheating attitude is not limited to paintball. I have seen it invade just about every aspect of life, and frankly I find that depressing. What ever happened to the days when a handshake was good enough to seal a deal. What happened to filling a promise because you made it instead of for a "reward" or to "avoid punishment".
Maybe paintball is just reflecting the attitude of the world (and those in paintball just don't have the money and/or experience to hide their indiscressions better.)
Cynical it may be but I think it is worth looking at a bit bigger picture too.
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, January 06, 2008 11:45:00 PM
I just got into paintball and a few weeks ago this kid, I want to say middle school to early high school age, wiped the paint from his sleeve were I had clearly seen it hit. It pissed me off and I asked the ref for a paint check on him and the kid was cleared because the type of paint I was using was easy to wipe. I was still mad but I tell you I played harder to get that kid out. And I eventually did. I also went out of my way to get him out when playing in other games. Did he look at me when we went back to the staging area. No, because he knew he cheated and didnt have the guts to play right or apologize. It made his game weak and my game stronger. As the old addage goes cheaters never win. And if those douche bag "pro" paintballers want to cheat by wiping or breaking rules I must warn them it only hurts the sport of which they draw their income from.
By
Gary Payne, at Saturday, February 23, 2008 12:27:00 AM
amen Rob, but im still playing after three years, my kids have come and gone from the sport, yet dear old dad is still playing
By
Anonymous, at Thursday, March 06, 2008 7:38:00 PM
Ahmen man. I hear what you're saying loud and clear and the fact is, the truth hurts. It is terrible that cheating has been turned into an acceptable method of play by the younger generations and the media. Personally I could care less about what goes on in the speedball fields but when we find people that do things like that on any of our local fields they get an earful and a kick out the door.
By
Anonymous, at Saturday, March 15, 2008 10:25:00 AM
This guy is a pro and cheating, lol. He got bunkered by pump. Cheaters suck... period.
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, April 06, 2008 9:24:00 PM
i think paintball is the only real sport that you can get away with cheating i played soccer 6 years until i got into paintball and the key thing is that in soccer you get a red or yellow card yellow means your out this game red means your out for a lot more time(sorry cant think of how many games it is right now) so y dont they do this for paintball you cheat you dont play a game you cheat again you dont play the rest of the day that could stop cheating theres a few problems but we can work them out this also would do wonders for walk on games if you dont have cheaters than a new player could play and have a great time without a jerk cheating and bonus ballin them
By
Anonymous, at Monday, July 28, 2008 2:12:00 PM
I totally agree that paintball has problems. But I wholeheartedly believe they can be fixed, or at least helped. Im in high school and I started a team with some buddies last year and Ive tried really hard to keep everybody playing fair and honorably. There was a comment earlier that speedball should be left to do its own thing and we should focus on cleaning up scenario. I say thats a great idea. Scenario and woodsball is easier for beginners to play and have fun and as I see it scenario is a heck of a lot closer to being clean than speedball. Im hoping to stay in the sport the rest of my life and I hope I can help to fix some of the problems paintball has. Its just too dang fun to let it go to pot.
By
Unknown, at Friday, December 26, 2008 1:00:00 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home