Minnesota State University Moorhead



“Dead men tell no tales:” Participant Observation at Valley Paintball“Unobtrusive Observations” at Valleypaintball (Revised)Participant Researcher: Paruj AcharyaProfessor Lee VigilantQualitative Research Methods 10/25/2010Definition of Terms/Phrases:FPS: Feet per second.Hot Gun: Continuous firing of a paintball gun with an automatic trigger.Ramping: Ramping is a feature in some electronic markers that automatically shifts the mode of fire from semi-automatic to fully automatic as long as the trigger is pulled at a specified rate.Being subject to firing squad: To be isolated, and fired upon by all the players on the field.Blind firing: Shooting the paintball gun without actually looking/seeing where the shots are going.Bonus Ball: Overshooting a player that has already indicated he/she is hit.Dead men tell no tales: Once you are shot, you are out of the game. You cannot talk to your team-mates or another player on the field.Introduction:Paintball is a rapidly growing sport that brings together enthusiasts from all walks of life. If one is observant, one can see numerous paintball courses in most cities, including Minneapolis. The sport attracts all sorts of people, ranging from the curious to the hardcore paintball junkie, irrespective of age, sex, race, education, and so forth. There are basically three settings in which Paintball is popularly played:Speedsball: Usually played indoors, however also sometimes played outdoors, with opponent teams relatively closer to one another. Woodsball: Like the name suggests, is mostly played outdoors in wooded areas. Opponent teams are relatively further apart from each other. This type of setting tries to simulate jungle combat as much as possible.A mixture of both: Often times, many of the courses offer both types of games, especially the outdoors ones. Woodsball courses usually have a smaller section within the main course that allows people to play speedsball. However, indoor speedsball courses do not offer a woodsball experience, unless they have an indoors-wooded area.Valleypaintball is the only paintball course in and around the Fargo-Moorhead area. The next closest paintball field would be in Ramsey, Minnesota which is almost a 4 hour drive away. With a lot of trees and vegetation, this field is perfect for woodsball enthusiasts. Discretely located off a dirt road near 50th. Ave. N. in Sabin, Minnesota, it is well hidden from any unaware passerby, unless they notice a beat up wooden sign propped up next to the cornfields as if it were a part of the vegetation itself. A winding 50 meter walk along the cornfields would bring one to a weathered trailer with a sign that reads “Valleypaintball” hanging from one of its back doors. It seems as if a bunch of players had decided to take out their guns and spray the sign with paintballs. Or maybe it was more of a gradual thing, where once in a while someone would come by and decide that they would contribute to the decoration of the sign. Whichever way, the paint splattered trailer with its highly decorated sign makes it clear to anyone who makes it this far into the woods, that this is a place for paintball.Upon some more exploring, one would stumble across a big rusting tin sign that reads:Rules:-Goggles must be worn at all times when on the playing field.-DO NOT REMOVE YOUR GOGGS ON THE PLAYING FIELD.-Barrel blocking devices must be used at all times in the staging area.-No firing or dry firing in the staging area.-Exercise muzzle discipline. Keep your safety on and your finger off the trigger.-Your gun must be set under 300 FPS. Anyone intentionally playing with a ‘hot’ gun is subject to firing squad and ejection from the field.-Do not wipe or play on after you are hit. Anyone caught wiping or playing on is subject to firing squad.-No ramping. Anyone caught ramping is subject to firing squad.-No blind-firing. Blind firing results in ejection from the game.-Do not overshoot or bonus ball. Learn trigger control.-The dead do not speak to the living: dead men tell no tales. Imparting supernatural knowledge is grounds for firing squad.-Do not shoot at the referees.-Do not argue with the referees.-No fighting. Fighting results in ejection from the field.-Keep in mind that children may be present. Act accordingly.-Please keep your mess orderly. Box/Bag your trash. Im happy to dispose of your trash, not to pick it off the ground.-No littering on the playing field.-STAY OUT OF THE STAGING TRAILERYou must sign a waiver to remain on the premises!After perusing the rules, the first instinct is to go and sign the waiver. After signing the waiver that basically says that Valleypaintball wont be responsible incase of an injury, one legitimately enters Valleypaintball, not just Valleypaintball the distinct playing field, but Valleypaintball the autonomous social organization with its own distinct rules, hierarchies and objectives.The Sociology of Paint:I have always been interested in combat simulation. I had heard of paintball as being an accessible sport that brings you the closest to actual combat without having to compromise ones own or other people’s safety. However, initially I had my doubts about the sport and the kind of people it attracted. There were a number of reasons that I will address throughout this paper that kept me from actually going out and exploring the possibilities of paintball for a long time. Finally, I became exhausted with playing FPS (First Person Shooting) video games at home, and decided to actually give paintball a try. In my search to find a paintball course in the Fargo/Moorhead area I came across Vallypaintball.A general belief that I had harbored about paintball was that it attracted a certain kind of people. Taking into consideration that this site is located in the Fargo/Moorhead area, my general concept of the average “paintballer” was:White, possibly hailing from hunting or military backgrounds.Male, ages 18 to 35, aggressive in nature.As a 29 year old man, a minority (Nepali) with no hunting or military background, I felt pretty uncomfortable to just dive in head first into the sport, primarily because I felt awkward about being ‘othered’, and also because I didn’t know how the general reaction towards my ‘otherness’ would be. However, “otherness” can occur to a vast array people for different reasons than just having a different ethnicity. One could be a female, a pre-teenager, a gay white male, a non-aggressive straight white male, etc. I felt like I stumbled across a mine full of potential Qualitative Sociology with these ideas about “otherness” and my pre-conceived notions about the average paintball enthusiast at Valleypaintball. With this opportunity, not only would I be satisfying my academic curiosity, I would also finally get to experience a sport I have been interested in for a while.Research Objectives:My research objectives are very closely tied to my personal objectives of finding a place in the Fargo/Moorhead area where I can comfortably play paintball. This research is utilizes unobtrusive and participatory observations, where the researcher is also a part of the research. The goals of the research are to observe the social interactions, structures and hierarchies at Valleypaintball, and gauge them against the researchers comfort levels and reactions. Thus, my role as a researcher is reflexive in nature.Methodology:Being a firm believer in the necessity of reflexivity in any study, and because the research goals are themselves very closely tied to personal goals, the methods of research employed in this study will be a combination and a variation of reflexive, participatory and unobtrusive observation. The observations are based on three separate visits to the site over a three-week period. The qualitative aspect of the paper is drawn from the observations made, the interpretations of the observations by the researcher and also the changing perception of the researcher (I) himself throughout the tenure of the study. There are no pre-planned techniques of observation apart from the certainty that they will be carried out in an unobtrusive way and will vary according to circumstance.Ethics:Respecting the integrity of the sport and its participants, no names, vehicle number plates or any other excessively identifying markers of any individual will be used in this study. However, certain pre-conceived notions, observations and interpretation of the researcher could be found offensive by some of the participants. Some could also take the fact that the research was conducted covertly in a negative way. Nonetheless, precautions to protect identity and integrity are meticulously taken. Apart from that, the potential harm to others while conducting this research is no greater than what people face on an everyday basis.The Paintball Course:As briefly explained in the introduction, Valleypaintball is situated in a heavily wooded area right off a dirt road near 50th. Ave. N. in Sabin, Minnesota. The site itself doesn’t have a particular address compelling one to find it with a bit exploration and/or luck. The map below roughly shows the course:KEY:: Dirt Road: Path/Boundary : Trailer at the entrance : Velocity Checker for the paintball guns : Team A’s main bunker : Neutral bunkers for cover : Trailer on Team B’s side (Basically a wooden house) : An old bus : Team FlagsObservations:1st. Visit: I get to the site without much trouble. As I approach the trailer at the entrance I feel a little anxious not knowing what to expect. I see a few groups of people, maybe 25 in number. There are about 5 adult females, 10 boys aged 12-18 and about 10 adult males. After going over the rules, I go up to the trailer and am greeted by an indifferent attendant, not too different from any other place. I am asked to fill out the waiver, which I do. The attendant then asks me whether I have my own gear or would be renting. I tell him that I have my own gear, so he charges me only ten dollars. If one were to rent however, it would be 25 dollars. The attendant is wearing full camo like most of the other people around. It feels like I’m in some military base. I then go up to an empty spool that is used as a table to unload my gear and get ready. I see a number people smoking, so I take out a cigarette myself and smoke as I get my gear ready. The young boys seem to be the veterans around here; they’re animatedly talking about high school or how they pulled off an extraordinary attack the previous game. Everyone is absorbed within his or her own groups or with their personal tasks of getting ready. After a while the attendant from the trailer asks everyone planning on playing the next game to gather around. He asks how many people have been here before. All of the younger boy’s hands shoot up. The attendant then asks the boys: “Whats the first rule of Valleypaintball?” All the boys shout together, “Never take your mask off!”. The attendant then asks, “Whats the second rule of Valleypaintball?”, again all the boys yell, “Never take your mask off!”. After that the attendant goes over the rules listed above and emphasizes on no fighting and keeping the masks on at all times once within the course. Two younger boys volunteer to be captains and take turns choosing teammates. I was among the first chosen. My ‘othered’ self slowly started to deteriorate as I was almost immediately taken into a group and treated as an insider. I came to realize that the existence of “otherness” relies on being excluded and disappears during the process of inclusion. Also, it’s a two way process. Anyone at anytime, could be “othered” and at the same time “other” someone else. Hence, unless we ourselves shed the perspective of dualism, we cannot escape the grips of being “othered”. Being recruited into a group almost immediately was an confirmation that I was welcome here. That in turn minimized my own “othering” mechanisms that allowed me to become a part of the group, rather than a lone wolf. Another note worthy aspect was that these boys were captains because of their volunteered positions and because their experiences were higher than those much older than them. They were comfortable with sharing their plans on attack and no one questioned their knowledge or authority. That was a rare sight for me as I am not used to seeing preteens giving out orders to people twice their age who in turn are listening attentively and ready to act accordingly. As the game started, anyone who might have at first doubted the youngsters’ ability and/or authority would have now thought differently. These young boys were the first to speed through the course, barking out orders and doing an incredible job. Most of us older players had a hard time keeping up with their speed and agility. Another very interesting sight was that the women were at the frontlines with the rest of the players exhibiting skill and valor that equaled if not exceeded the rest of the combatants. So far, being the only minority was the sole preconceived notion that I came in with that still stood. To my surprise and gratitude it was a very inclusive and friendly environment. After two games that lasted about 2 hours in total I said goodbye to everyone and headed home looking forward to come and play next weekend. I had done pretty well for my first time. I got shot at twice, however took out one young boy with shot to his gun. 2nd. Visit: As I approached the entrance trailer, I felt a greatly reduced level of ‘otherness’. As it had been raining for the past few days, everything was really muddy. There were barely 10 people in total this time. There were maybe 3 adults apart from myself, 4 young boys (I don’t remember if they were the same ones from the previous week) and 3 young girls that seemed to have accompanied one of the boys. Like the previous week we went through the rules and again two boys volunteered to captain and we made two separate teams. Although, everyone was as enthusiastic as last week, the mud made things a lot more difficult. The games also weren’t as interesting as last week because of the low turn out. After just one game I decided to call it a day and was making my way out of the course when the Attendant called out to me, “Leaving already?” I told him that it was too muddy out and would be back the next weekend. As I walked away any remaining spec of “otherness” was washed away and I felt completely at home and in my essence. I had developed a social bond constructed through our common interest in paintball.3rd. Visit: I was totally comfortable and felt like an insider as I approached the entrance trailer. To amazement there were about 50 people cramped up getting their gear ready. There were about 9 young girls, one lady probably someone’s mom in her 50s, a bachelor party of 10 college aged men, about 15 school boys, about 10 young men a part of some Church and 5 older men also a part of the Church. Among all of them I noticed that there was one African American school boy and one Native American School girl representing the minorities along with myself. They were both comfortable within their groups and did not display any of the doubts that I had initially come in with. Like before, two younger boys volunteered to captain the teams. This time 4 of the veteran young boys were going to be referring the games and as the attendant from the last few weeks wasn’t there yet, they were the ones explaining the rules and making sure everyone understood. The bachelor party guys were drinking beer and were very talkative. The older lady also seemed very excited and was teasing whom I presume was her son. She was trying to oversee people’s safety and was acting like any mother would, but our young veterans were quick to let her know who was in charge. She had taken her mask off while in the course and got yelled at by one of the young referees to but it back on. She protested that she was really hot but the boy insisted she put it back on if she wanted to remain on the course to which she obliged. Similarly, after one of the games was completed and we were all walking towards the trailer at the entrance, one of the members of the bachelor party who was most noticeably gigantic took off his mask. One of the young referees immediately bellowed at him to put it back on. He hesitated for a while and looked kind of shocked. The boy yelled at him again and the big man reluctantly put his mask back on again. Towards the end of the second game I took out the older lady by shooting her three times before she yelled “hit’! Later, when we all were huddled back at the trailer I overheard her telling her possible son that “a guy in green camo” got her three times. “That’s me”, I thought to myself and congratulated myself on having an old lady as the first kill of my day. By now I knew the attendant pretty well and I informed him that I would like to interview him the next week for Sociology of Complex Organizations. As luck would have had it, he was actually the boyfriend of one of my classmates in that very class.Conclusions:While my initial concerns are valid for anyone thinking of joining an unknown organization, they were also not as prominent as I thought they would be. I am sure that there are a number of people from all sorts of backgrounds doubtful on whether to join a particular group in the fear of ‘othered’ or downright rejected. While those possibilities do exist, my study taught me that they are more the exception than the rule. Usually when people come together to do something they love, even if they do have certain generalizations and perceptions that maybe contrary to one’s own, those are pushed away to the back and the reasons that brought them to that place would be the same as one’s own. Thus, this study shows importance of going beyond ones comfort zones in order to learn and enjoy things that are initially beyond one’s own comfort zone. Similarly, my general hypotheses about everyone being white, male, aggressive and coming from a hunting or military background was also debunked. The majority of the loyal players were just young high school kids and a few college-going adults. Everyone was friendly and minded their own business, which makes any place comfortable, especially for newbies. My generalizations of lower ethnic and gender participation held, however they too were never ‘othered’. The hierarchal make up of the place was based on experience and it was evident that the younger generations were much more into the sport and thus held more authority. As in any other organization, success for Valleypaintball also depends on respect. Respect for one another, respect for the rules and respect for the game. I am looking forward to going paintballing again next week. Are you? ................
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