You didn't get the memo?  The NWO is already here. No it's not. It doesn't start until we all start using the euro

airsoft who are otherwise okay.  But I must confess, airsoft seems to attract more than its share of, oh, let's call them, geeks.  I've just seen too many mouth-breathers with their faces pressed up against a display case full of airsoft guns to be impressed by this community.  They are *fascinated* with the realistic appearance of these things, and when you see them dressed up in their authentic uniforms and authentic insignia and authentic etc., literally sitting in the dirt eating C-rations at lunchtime because that makes it a more authentic experience, well, it makes me that much happier to be a paintball p_layer_.  Maybe it's because I've been around real firearms virtually all my life, they just don't have that forbidden fruit fascination they do for some people, and I guess I feel sorry for those who go all sweaty at something that looks like a *real gun* they can play with.  In all the years I've been playing paintball, I've only met a couple of folks who seemed to have some sort of weird war movie running in their heads while they were on the paintball field, but it almost seems like most airsoft p_layer_s are on that kind of trip.  Maybe they spent a little too much time playing those video games that are supposed to cause personality disorders or something. This is my first post in rec.sport.paintball... and possibly I will get flamed, but I want to share my experience. I am 36 and have been playing paintball for over 15 years. When I started playing paintball we played on outdoor fields that would allow us to do all kinds of scenarios.  We had a small field and a large field.  Over 95% of the people who played wore camoflouge... the other 5% were newbies that didn't have camo and usually just ware jeans and a dark long sleeve shirt. We ususally had packed lunches and a cooler of drinks.  Sure some brought C-rations, but these folks were no harder to get along with than anyone else.  We all wanted to have fun and enjoy a lot of laughter.  Sometimes guys would work as a team and sometimes others just played without any strategy (they usually lost though). Most of my experience has been outdoor fields, but I have played a number of indoor games, and I have played my share of speedball.  Personally I found speedball to be the least to my liking... I still enjoy it, but my personal favorite is large to mid size fields using stealth, strategy, and teamwork.  We had a blast! For me speedball tended to lend to a lot of paint sprayers and usually those with the fastest guns would have the advantage... well the advantage of providing better cover for their teammates, unless they didn't know how to use it.  And most of the speedball folks wore more colorful things and were less likely to wear camo.  Basically you can wear whatever you wanted, because everyone can see everyone from the get go. Now I am NOT some whacked out nut job that wants to kill anyone for real, I do love guns... real and paintball and now airsoft.  And what I can't figure out is why there is such a hate relationship between paintballers and airsofters.  I am a 15 year verteran of paintball and I see airsoft as just another venue of enjoyment for me.  Yes the guns are more realistic looking, but nonetheless it is just another form of gun shooting a projectile like paintball guns do.  And the primary goal is to shoot the opposing team for the purposes of getting them out of the game. There is also another sport growing and that is called LaserSkirmish.   Another gun _style_ using lasers.  I think I would enjoy this as well except I don't get the feedback I do when I see the paintball or bb flying at me.   It is harder to see the laser coming. I am just beginning to play some airsoft and nothing has really changed for me except I don't have to worry about the paint breaking in the barrel or worry about Nitrogen or CO2.  I don't really play the speedball _style_ with airsoft, but I usually either play indoor or outdoor fields. I know there are some that love the realistic look of the airsoft guns, but I know many paintballers who go bonkers for the latest greatest paintball gun with the newest features, the most accurate, the fastest shooting, and so on.  Both groups equally go nuts over their choice of guns.  And let's not kid one another... airsoft and paintball use guns.   These guns can put your eyes out and they can injure you.  I personally share the same excitement when looking a new equipment... whether it be paintball or airsoft (unless they are ugly as all get out!  ) Help me understand why my fellow paintballers are so against airsoft or so against the people that play airsoft? Has paintball across the country grown to be primarily a speedball type of game?  Are none of my fellow paintballers playing on open fields any more? I am not making an argument for posting about airsoft in the paintball newsgroup or stating one sport better than the other.  I am just looking to understand why there is such animosity for one another. I look forward to your responses.

flamed, but I want to share my experience. I am 36 and have been playing paintball for over 15 years. When I started playing paintball we played on outdoor fields that would allow us to do all kinds of scenarios.  We had a small field and a large field.  Over 95% of the people who played wore camoflouge... the other 5% were newbies that didn't have camo and usually just ware jeans and a dark long sleeve shirt. We ususally had packed lunches and a cooler of drinks.  Sure some brought C-rations, but these folks were no harder to get along with than anyone else.  We all wanted to have fun and enjoy a lot of laughter.  Sometimes guys would work as a team and sometimes others just played without any strategy (they usually lost though). Most of my experience has been outdoor fields, but I have played a number of indoor games, and I have played my share of speedball.  Personally I found speedball to be the least to my liking... I still enjoy it, but my personal favorite is large to mid size fields using stealth, strategy, and teamwork.  We had a blast! For me speedball tended to lend to a lot of paint sprayers and usually those with the fastest guns would have the advantage... well the advantage of providing better cover for their teammates, unless they didn't know how to use it.  And most of the speedball folks wore more colorful things and were less likely to wear camo.  Basically you can wear whatever you wanted, because everyone can see everyone from the get go. Now I am NOT some whacked out nut job that wants to kill anyone for real, I do love guns... real and paintball and now airsoft.  And what I can't figure out is why there is such a hate relationship between paintballers and airsofters.  I am a 15 year verteran of paintball and I see airsoft as just another venue of enjoyment for me.  Yes the guns are more realistic looking, but nonetheless it is just another form of gun shooting a projectile like paintball guns do.  And the primary goal is to shoot the opposing team for the purposes of getting them out of the game. There is also another sport growing and that is called LaserSkirmish.   Another gun _style_ using lasers.  I think I would enjoy this as well except I don't get the feedback I do when I see the paintball or bb flying at me.   It is harder to see the laser coming. I am just beginning to play some airsoft and nothing has really changed for me except I don't have to worry about the paint breaking in the barrel or worry about Nitrogen or CO2.  I don't really play the speedball _style_ with airsoft, but I usually either play indoor or outdoor fields. I know there are some that love the realistic look of the airsoft guns, but I know many paintballers who go bonkers for the latest greatest paintball gun with the newest features, the most accurate, the fastest shooting, and so on.  Both groups equally go nuts over their choice of guns.  And let's not kid one another... airsoft and paintball use guns.   These guns can put your eyes out and they can injure you.  I personally share the same excitement when looking a new equipment... whether it be paintball or airsoft (unless they are ugly as all get out!  ) Help me understand why my fellow paintballers are so against airsoft or so against the people that play airsoft? Has paintball across the country grown to be primarily a speedball type of game?  Are none of my fellow paintballers playing on open fields any more? I am not making an argument for posting about airsoft in the paintball newsgroup or stating one sport better than the other.  I am just looking to understand why there is such animosity for one another. I look forward to your responses. A very well stated and intelligent observation GMan. I think you should be relatively flame free on this one Personally I have neve played airsoft..but the main reason I haven't tried is that, to be honest, it looks too *wimpy* (to put it nicely!) Little guns shooting little BB's....seems like something for the kiddies...*real* men play paintball...with big balls...that friggin' hurt!!  Of course I say that kind of jokingly..but that really sums it up...I just don't see my adreniline getting up being stalked by a guy armed with a BB gun! Now I'm sure it's on a pretty equal level as far a games involving scenarios' or strategies or whatever..but that isn't the primary reason I play paintball. I play for the rush, the adreniline, the challange. (Mind you I am a soccer goalie, so I tend to have that them against me , fast paced, in your face mentality when I play). Like I said, I've never actually played though, so let me ask you a question. (I know...this officially makes this an Airsoft *discussion*...but what the hell, where else am I gonna find out without hanging out with *actual* geeks!!    ) Airsoft....plastic BB's right?....what's the velocity? Do they hurt? (can you even really feel them?) ..What's the range? They are not air powered are they? SC

Help me understand why my fellow paintballers are so against airsoft or so against the people that play airsoft? Well, it's quite simple, really.  Both sets of enthusiasts take their sport very seriously, obviously.  Paintball fanatics are just as fanatical about paintball as airsoft fanatics are about airsoft.  The difference between the two is quite simple, really.  We are interested in playing paintball.  They are interested in playing war.  We don't want our sport associated with war or battle in any real way, and when people see paintball alongside airsoft, they associate the two, and because of the realism of the gear used in airsoft, they automatically draw the conclusion that people playing BOTH sports are interested in playing war.  That is definitely NOT the case, and a source of soreness between the two sports. Paintball views airsoft as a bunch of military wannabes making the whole sporting aspect of the two endeavors appear to be fringe and/or militaristic.  I don't think airsoft really has anything bad to say about paintball, but then again, I don't play airsoft, so...