Post by dexmax on May 19, 2006 22:47:44 GMT 8
Airsoft: For playful big boys
By Loreen Sarmiento
source: globalnation.inq7.net/cebudailynews/news/view_article.php?article_id=1846
For about five seconds or so, a cacophony of shots filled the air. Then a soldier dressed in full-battle gear moves out of a makeshift sand hill and with arms raised, points in the air an AK Beta Spetznaz rifle.
I caught this scene at Ang Tay Golf Club in Dumaguete City. Nearby, a tricycle driver asked me if it was a film shoot and who was the "bida" (hero). I told him there were really no "artistas" around...just men playing a military simulation game called Airsoft or war games.
The "soldier" he saw was actually an architect dressed like a military combat personnel; his rifle was merely an automatic electric gun (AEG) replica of the real Russian weapon; and he had come out of the "game area" because he had been "hit" not by bullets but by 6-mm BB plastic pellets.
So what is the big deal about Airsoft or war games? Airsoft aficionados say the game started in Cebu in 1992 with only one group. Eventually, more groups formed out to showcase the intrinsic value of the game more than the identity of its players. For Airsofters, the game is not just a hobby. It is about influence, passion and, of course, fun.
INFLUENCE
Spark is the second-generation founder of the Negros Airsoft League (NASL) in Bacolod. With a 10-year stint in Airsoft, he affirms that the game has strongly influenced him to uphold the values of respect and honesty. He restrains himself from digging in on a guy who's already "hit." In real life, this means respecting a person's dignity, especially during a trying moment.
However, an Airsofter will also not hesitate to continue pumping BB plastic pellets on a target who refuses to come out and admit that he has been hit. It can be a painful lesson because an Airsofter knows he must move out of the game area as soon as he is hit.
Airsoft is molding Romski of Team EMC of Cebu to observe controlled aggression. Romski learns discipline by relying more on strategy and team movement rather than just pulling the trigger anytime. It is this same discipline that makes trash talk a no-no during a game. Thus, Romski, a professor, is careful about how he scolds a student in class and when and where this should be done.
Airsoft is also about anger management. Once, Romski waived his chance to play because he was still feeling angry at one player who had refused to declare himself hit.
Cebu Airsoft pioneer Sardz says Airsoft also allows everyone to become a leader. Architect Ramon "501" admits that one of the more difficult training challenges of Airsoft is for leaders to learn humility, effective communication and sound interpersonal relations.
In Airsoft, the dictum is: "A good leader must also know how to follow. He never gives a command that he himself cannot do." Thus, it is not unusual in Airsoft to hear a civilian player order a high-ranking government official to follow instructions during a game.
Airsofters, however, are sometimes criticized as promoting the use of guns. But for a businessman of the Tactical Action Club (TAC) in Dumaguete City, who sometimes brings his 10-year-old boy to the games, Airsoft clubs are not trigger-happy. Members go the extra mile in learning about safety and responsibility in handling even these replica guns. Even his little boy has vicariously absorbed this training.
THE PASSION
During a game in Dumaguete City, I saw groups of men moving as a team, not just bodies huddled in strategic and tactical discussions.
For EMC's "Nitro," Airsoft is a cathartic lifestyle. It is selfless (altruistic, in a sense) in that an Airsofter gets to give way to the pains of rules, standards and discipline so that he can exude a positive influence on others. Much like an oyster who is forced to swoosh and slurch its saliva to produce the valuable pearl.
