A lot of fuss has been made over a video recently posted by a Youtubing paintball personality who calls himself the Akimbo Assassin. For those of you who haven't seen it, here's the link to the video:
If the link doesn't work I'll break down the video for you. A player's engaged in a small firefight, claims to have hit a guy at-range with a pistol and yells "you're out!". He then climbs down from the perch he was in and goes to a window where he proceeds to aim out at the accused cheater's feet, then pod pack, then decides to shoot him in the back of the head instead. The range? Maybe 4 feet.
The REAL Mistake:
Here's how I see it.
We've all had moments where we could've sworn we shot someone out but didn't, and I think we've also all seen our share of wipers. The issue here is that some of us don't seem to realize that we're not refs, and when a ref isn't around it's up to us to call when we've been hit honourably. When there's a dispute about the 'honour' of a player's actions however, some people insist on playing as judge, jury and in this case, executioner and that's simply not our job as players. This Akimbo Assassin character made the wrong decision in shooting an opponent point-blank in the back of the head when he had other options for tagging his target.
That was a mistake, an in-the-moment lapse in judgement and I think we've all had those. Maybe we've not gone to that extent, but if you've ever 'bonus balled' someone then you're guilty to some level here. The REAL issue I have is this... He posted the video to Facebook as a sort of chest-thumping, dick-waving display of... Machismo? Douchebaggery? Surely by the time you've gone home, cleaned your gear, transferred the video from your camera and cut the clip you've mellowed out enough to no longer have the "it was in-the-moment" excuse and this is where I have the biggest problem with his behaviour.Ramifications:
Now that I've explained what my main issue is with AA's behaviour, I'd like to point out WHY I his actions deserve this post, and the level of judgement I've passed upon it.
Our sport has it bad enough with the United States DOHS claiming terrorists use paintball to train an the neighbourhood kids who go around 'hobo hunting' because they think it's cool without people LEGITIMATELY involved in this wonderful sport giving it a bad names to mums and dads of little Johnnys and Becky-Sues around the world who go online to 'research' paintball and find this sort of display.
Imagine this, you're a parent of a 13 year old (boy or girl, doesn't matter) who wants to try paintball. You go online to look up video of the sport to get a better feel for it and see something like this:
Okay, the title says it all folks... Stupidity, teenagers, and paintball. This is NOT the publicity that we need in the sport. It's a couple of kids acting like utter fools and getting hurt doing it. This is what Mommy and Daddy are going to think their kids are being put at risk for when they go out on the field to play... Okay, so maybe Mom and Dad can figure out the "Stupid Teenagers" part, but what about videos that OBVIOUSLY show pain in-game from actions that, to those IN the sport are obviously taboo but might appear as 'typical' to those without paintballing experience?
Personally, I'd rather these prospective paintballer parents see videos like this one that glorify the sport, show a level of professionalism and team play. Yes, I know it's not legit, it's obviously scripted and been edited to unholy hell but let's face it... It's worth a view.
Honestly one of my favourite balling videos I've ever seen, mainly because of the wicked parkour moves (I'm not a fan of speedball... No offense intended, it's just not my vibe) but again, it shows a side of humour, athleticism, and energy that this sport holds above most.
The Wrap-Up:
So here it is guys, the issue, my reasoning, now all that's left is for you to make your decision. Personally I think we need to call out bullshit when we see it because if we don't, who's preventing paintball's image from being ruined by wannabe badasses and chronic Youtubers who're only out for self-advancement. When paintball wins, we all win so it's about time we focused less on an individual and more on the sport.
I realize the irony of that paragraph's message, let's stop focusing on individuals when I'm just another individual posting about their views however... I'd like to think that I'm doing this for the sport. Sure I enjoy seeing the pageview counter go up, but that's about all the gratification I get. I don't get paid for this, I don't make any money off of this blog nor am I sponsored by any companies. I play the game for the love of it and nothing more. I write about it because I want to see more people getting involved so that paintball can start getting the recognition it truly deserves. And THAT, is MY message.
So as always, please try to root out asshat moves wherever you see them (but for the right reasons and with due consideration for human error and emotional situations) and...
Keep calm and throw paint!
Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller
100% Agree. That shot should have never been taken at all. Its one thing to over shoot but to do that is some shady stuff. I use to think "wow a guy going out with to pistols tearing it up, mad respect" but now its more like "what a tool, must still be living in highschool".
ReplyDeleteFinally someone who has shed some light on this without the name calling and the MEME. We can all agree what AA did was wrong,I'm glad someone can make sence of this issue without be childish
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I'd like to point out that this shot was done "in the moment" by someone who thought they were facing a cheater. This amps up their emotions which stack on top of the adrenaline we all experience and the heat of competition and this combination causes some errors in judgement. No, the shot shouldn't have been taken but I need to stress that the greater impact here is my main concern. The video being posted as a display of 'accomplishment' (?) is where I take offense. It's wrong to shoot from that distance if you're not picking them on a pod, their boot etc however, name calling ie "what a tool" and "living in highschool" is not called for either. That's not the right way to go about exposing the act or the person who committed it. So, before you say you 100% agree, check what my message REALLY was here. You might be at like 85% of an agreement with me, but if you're going to be bashing people well, nope, can't meet with you on that one. Let's try and keep the criticisms adult okay?
ReplyDeleteBrian, thanks for the support. I really appreciate the feedback and I hope this will continue to bring in people who either already share a more 'mellowed' view of the issue or people who will listen to this side of the argument and accept that there are larger issues to be dealt with.
Im in agreement that it was the wrong decision. Would have benn better to actually approach the suspected cheater, and catch him on camera with a uncalled hit....no one deserves that even if they are a cheater. be the better man. AA is a e-celeb and kids look up to him as a role model.
ReplyDelete