The final year students of Siddhartha Medical College introduced paintball as part of the games held as part of the annual day celebration. The game was a great hit with the faculty members also forming a team to participate in a shootout.
Teamwork, focus on the goal, developing strategy and the spirit of adventure is what students can learn from the fun game of paintball.
Five in a team, the members have to take cover behind barricades, in this case canteen tables, PVC water drums and other smaller shields.
The players themselves are well-protected from the paintballs that are shot at them from a gun that uses compressed carbon-dioxide to propel them at high speed. The goal of the game is to get the green flag that is put in the centre of the “battlefield”. The boys wore wore red protective jackets and the girls’ team orange jackets. The had face masks on to protect the eyes.
After the teams were fully prepared, the shooting began. Each shooter has 30 shots which he or she has to use with great precision.
The players shoot and duck. It is at the time while they make a beeline for the flag that the players are most vulnerable. They usually get shot in the back, says an experienced player, M.Vamsi Krishna.
The audience is protected from a stray bullet by a fine net through which they can see the “battle”. On top is a ‘shamiyana’ that stops all shots aimed too high. I thought it will be like a video game, but it is far more exciting. The adrenalin was pumping by the time we finished, said medico Srivani.
