Out of the 22 people who ultimately showed up, only about a quarter were actually the employees of my company. A black dude, the organizer, brought some of his black friends; an Indian guy brought Indian friends; I brought five friends and friends of friends of various backgrounds (if you have to know, two Albanians, a true-blue American, a Russian, and a Pakistani). Needless to say, women were in the minority. We got along well, partly due to a carryover of office formalities and partly due to the anonymity of war. (More on this later). As a team-building exercise (as office-organized activities are invariably called), the game was a success.
At first we went through a setting-up process not unlike that of renting skis on a ski mountain- you get a bunch of gear to put on, and you have a choice of doing a full day or a half day of the activity. Then we got a brief safety orientation and split up into teams. Two high school kids, our referees, led us into the tent near the roped-off areas which were the playing fields. The number one rule was that if you get shot, you are "dead" and out for the round. Games were up to 15 minutes long (ending before the time was up if the goal of the round was reached). We did a total of 7 rounds on 3 different fields, with one round not counting because the refs gave different instructions to the different teams.
In the previous days, I wondered if I would feel guilty about hitting people because I know them, or because they are strangers, or because they are managers, or because they are women, etc. This didn't actually happen on the battlefield, because almost everyone was dressed into identical rented camouflage jumpsuits. The only differentiator was a pair of orange bands on the arms of my team members. (The other team had no bands). In war, anonymity is everything. I just felt animosity towards my enemies, indifference towards members of my team I didn't know, and an urge to help my teammates I did know, although that was canceled out by a certain helplessness overall. Teamwork takes time to develop.
Paintball shows how far modern man is divorced from nature. Crawling on the forest floor feels unnatural; clear, straight lines of sight are expected but usually prove dangerous because your enemy knows about them, too. The forest has to be treated as a three-dimensional space, which even experienced hikers don't always know how to do. Paintball lets you reconnect with this forgotten animal past.
Another thing paintball brings out is the famous "war is hell." Here I am, by choice, in protective gear, shooting what are, by and large, harmless candy shells filled with paint. I paid for it and signed a waiver. The worst feeling I deal with is losing a round, although there is that small chance of twisting an ankle or getting hit up close, which hurts. Now just imagine that you have to do it. You are stuck in a war, and every shot is lethal. Do you want to continue?
When people complain about our overprotective society, in which kids can no longer play unsupervised and trivial deviances are illegal, paintball is a useful outlet. I saw kids as young as 12 sign up to play. Few things can compare with paintball for increasing self-esteem, simply because you realize that you just practiced kicking someone's ass. I recommend paintball to all the nice guys, all the geeks, all those who want to feel cooler just by paying a little cash and shooting some people from a toy gun.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Paintball
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2 comments:
From my own experience, there are two types of corporate bonding events. The first type is that which is subsequently after work hours, particularly during the weekday when all it means is spending some extra time away from home and family. The second type is that on the weekends or on Fridays when some employees are either willing to get the hell out of the office and veg out for the weekend or gung ho about spending even more time with the people they see every day. The latter category tend to be a minority and typically within the under-35 age category, or part of a select group who have stood the test of time within the organization.
Nevertheless, given the "unofficial" nature of such an event, provided that it was organized by a peer and not a supervisor on the weekend in an off-site location (particularly a factor when not located in a major city) will guarantee a lukewarm reception. Given that reality, I can see why individuals who are indeed enthusiastic about attending will bring their "groupies" to validate their presence there if it turns out nobody they hang around the water cooler with shows up.
The relationship between the willingness to wage war and personal detachment or anonymity from your adversary not only applies to paintball but to real life as well. People who get what they want in social situations are those who are desensitized to the adverse feelings of those they affect. Since you cannot see the expressions of fear, hostility, derision, or chutzpah inside the goggles of your enemies nor distinguish their grunts of pain or scowls of aggression; you do not hesitate to pump them with more (non-)lead (paint).
Likewise, it is far easier to unload nasty sentiment by email or talk behind a person's back than it is to give him or her a piece of your mind to the face. That is, unless you lack the essential ability to desenstize yourself and enter a "rage" or "frenzy" or some state of aggression that ignores the health of yourself and others. But, that is what distinguishes a Type A personality from the common run of humanity.
*Sigh* the event that I missed.
While you were having fun I was indoors writing papers.
Anyway, the idea seemed like a very good one until I was told that it actually stings if it hits you.
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