Paintball

Paintball came out as a result of two cowboys mischief in the old west.  Back then, paintball markers were utilized to mark cattle from a distance. It was not till one farmer decided to turn his marker on his fellow cowboy neighbor in a fit of mischief was the game of paintball formed.

Since then, the game of paintball has evolved to become a more professional sport. On the 24th of January, SMUX brought 12 members to Octville country club to play the tournament version of the game called speedball. In speedball, two sides of 3 to 5 members square off in an elimination game where one is called out of the game the moment he is hit.

The other variation of the game of paintball is woods ball, which is a far more tactical game that requires greater tactical awareness, movement and fire control. It is usually played in a jungle and is fully mission-based.

For five hours teams took turns to square off against each other in a round-robin style tournament. Other games like capture the flag were played as well. In total, all 12 players expended a whopping total of 6000 balls throughout the entire day. No one left unscarred by the experienced as all players walked away with well bruised legs and hands to show off for the experience. They were however, comforted by the fact that they had been furnished with the necessary protective equipment like paintball masks and vests to prevent permanent bodily harm.

In the end, comrades in arms and fellow players from other teams bonded through the experience as everyone traded their battle stories over a common seafood dinner. No doubt, this paves the way for future alliances and rivalries in the game.

Leonard Ng (24/01/09)
XSeed Team Manager