Essay- Airsoft, video games and violence

AIRSOFT, VIDEO GAMES, AND VIOLENCE

This article was written for an Airsoft internet website and reflects the view of a young French Airsoft player. Please keep in mind that this text is purely subjective and does not necessarily express the opinion of the publisher. Links to interesting websites are listed at the end, if the reader wishes to go more in depth and form his own opinion on the matter. Thank you and enjoy!

June 27^th, 2012. Harnosand, Sweden. It is a hot day. A few men sit in the shade of an oak. They are young; some haven’t even shaved for the first time yet. Weary and tired from a dangerous day, they try to mask their fear and anxiety by playing cards. Occasionally, someone cracks a joke, and the whole group starts laughing loudly, just to forget how hard their hearts are beating. It smells like sweat, cigarette and dirt, and their mouths are dry. One of them pulls out a small canteen of water and drinks loudly. He is the oldest man of the group. His pants are worn out, the camouflage pattern almost lost under the dirt. Some bread crumbs hang fom his week old beard. He puts the flask back into a pouch of his combat vest. A fly angers him, he waves it away in a brusque hand gesture.  He flips a card. Moans. What a bad day. He has lost many friends in an ambush, just after lunch. Flashes of memory come back, the cries of the wounded, the gunfire, the smoke, the inferno he lived, crouched behind a bullet-riddled car. “You okay?” Asks him the youngest man of the group. “Yeah yeah, no worry, man”, he answers heavily. He looks at the card, a king of hearts, then looks up, stares into the forest. Suddenly, a flash of movement, brief, the fraction of a second. “Shit.” “What?” “I think I saw something!” “Huh?” “Yeah, eleven o’clock, right there!” The group turns, squints to that direction. “I don’t see nothin’!” A tall man, the sniper, says. He comes from Texas, speaks with a distinctive brawl. “Hmmm. Weird”, the older man says. “I really thought I saw something.” His Swedish accent sounds agitated, excited. “Man, I think I saw something too!” Yells another man, his hand above the brows. “Shit! Contact, contact, eleven o’clock, guys!” They tumble up wildly, grab their weapons hastily, and start firing. But it’s too late. Fifteen seconds later, half of them are down. Enemy gunfire takes its toll. The ambush was well set up, the group was surrounded by two enemy squads. The battle is fierce, but they don’t stand a chance. At least 500 men storm in, guns firing, yelling orders. The group is captured. “Alpha one to Mother, mission accomplished, I repeat, mission accomplished”, yells one of the assailants into a walkie-talkie. 

Now I bet you’re wondering, how come war has broken out in Sweden and I haven’t heard about it? Well, simply because the excerpt you just read depicts an Airsoft war, Operation Berget, held every year in Sweden since 2002. Berget X, which inspired me to write the short scene above, gathered more than 2,000 elite Airsoft players from all around the world. It was the biggest airsoft war ever, as it lasted 4 days, and involved armored vehicles, rockets, helicopters, artillery, and so on.

Now you may ask- what the heck is Airsoft? According to Wikipedia, “Airsoft is a recreational activity in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting each other with spherical –plastic- pellets (6mm) launched via replica firearms. Gameplay varies in style and composition but often ranges from short-term skirmishes, organized scenarios, C.Q.B. (Close Quarters Battle), field, military simulations, or historical reenactments. Combat situations on the battlefield often involve the use of common military tactics to achieve objectives set in each game. Participants typically emulate the tactical equipment and accessories used by modern military and police organizations.”

My friends qualify me as a rather peaceful and non-aggressive young man, who hates hurting others, is very compassionate, and who is pro-gun control. On the other hand, I play realistic shooter video games and Airsoft, and everything that has to do with the military fascinates me. Am I mentally disordered, or is this passion for guns compatible with my rather peaceful and non-violent nature?

The answer to this question lies in another question:

Is Airsoft violent?

The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, (…) that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. This definition associates intentionality with the committing of the act itself, irrespective of the outcome it produces.”

 Consequently, we can say that Airsoft is non-violent. If common safety rules are ensured, Airsoft is less dangerous than soccer or tennis. Physical protection, like full-seal eye protection (rated goggles), face protections (mask, bataclava), gloves or helmets, as well as moral security (safeties on, magazines off; orange muzzles; low projectile velocities with safe minimal engagement distances, etc…) ensure safe fun.  In fact, a 2006 American Sports Data study shows that between 0.2 and 1.0% of shooting sport (hunting, paintball, archery, etc…) players get injured. Compared to the 7.6 injuries per 100 basketball players, Airsoft is a safe hobby.

Conclusion: According to the World Health Organization, Airsoft is a non-violent activity, since, if it is played by the rules, it doesn’t intentionally harm anyone. 

On the other hand, Airsoft simulates war: use of real-world modern combat tactics, gear, clothing, and gun replicas ensures a maximal realism. War is violent, since it intentionally causes harm. Is a reproduction of violence violent? Isn’t shooting someone violent, be it with a BB gun or with 9mm? Here lie the limits of the definition of violence given earlier. For myself, I think that it is. But I do also think that everything depends upon the shooter’s intention.

This leads us to another question: why do people play Airsoft? There are many reasons, too many to list them all. Here is a non-exhaustive list:

-          Teamwork

-          Thrill

-          Fun

-          Excitement

-          Realism

-          Fair play

-          Strategy

-          Sportsmanship

-          Challenge (wanting to win at all costs, and the mental reward it brings)

-          Responsibility (toward teammates, and real firearms)

Many Airsofters don’t know the exact reasons of why they play. For myself, I know the superficial, material reasons. My motto resumes my thinking: “Imperatoris et Spiritus Aequitum”, literally, strategy and fair-play or equality. This is why I like Airsoft better than paintball or most video-games: the strategy and the humanity. Why the strategy? Because thinking strategically needs logic, intelligence, and objective and realistic assessments of the situation at hand. Why the humanity? Because in airsoft I have witnessed many moments of great friendship, courage, honor, and brotherhood, as well as cheating, cowardice and hate. The true nature of Man reveals itself in hardship, and Airsoft creates it momentarily.

Is it possible to be a peaceful, non-violent human being while playing violent games? Yes, definitely.

A simple example: my friends and me. We do not usually engage in illegal or dangerous behavior: we don’t fight, don’t drink, don’t smoke, and are pretty open-minded folks, as well as being pro-gun control. But we still play Airsoft and Call of Duty. I have encountered, on the internet, many people who hesitated between their faith and morale teachings and their passion to “violent” games. Here is what I tell them: everything depends upon your intention and feelings. If you use violent game to train (for self-defense as an example), these games are then intended to harm, even if they save innocent lives. If you play the same games to have a great time with friends or to relax after a hard week of work, then they are not intended to harm. But as important as the goal is the outcome: someone might at first play games to have fun with friends, but with time he starts to enjoy them too much, to the point in which the person becomes mentally attracted by the in-game violence and goes rampant.

The list above highlights the things that I like in Airsoft. But what are its negative aspects? Again, here’s a non-exhaustive list:

-          Players might feel less shocked by violence and war, less sensitive to it

-          They might feel like war is only a game

-          They might lose empathy (feeling the suffering of others)

-          They might become addict (in a bad way)

-          They might want to try real guns, and possibly buy some, which could lead to tragic accidents

This last aspect leads us to the main question, the main debate that inherently turns around “violent” games (video games, real life shooting games, who reproduce violence) - do violent games have anything to do with real-life gun violence?

I live in France, an (almost) gun-free country (if you didn’t have the few gang members running around with AK’s or the hunters with their hunting rifles). Here, guns, have, never had, and hopefully never will have, anything to do with civilian use. French people don’t understand why Americans have the right to bear arms when not at war. I remember that one of my friends told me that he was shocked by “people having a Glock hanging at their hip while shopping at Walmart”. I can quite understand him. The only guns we see here in France are either carried by policemen or soldiers. Here, “civilian+gun=mentally ill” This partly explains why so many parents are reticent to let their kids play Airsoft in France: “my child likes guns, is he/she later going to kill innocents in the street?”

I believe that in the US, public opinion is less sensible about guns, since they are everywhere, and parents have more issues with the physical safety of Airsoft (“isn’t it going to hurt?”) than with the psychological issues stated above.

Since no study has been released on the subject “Airsoft and violence”, I will compare video game studies to my own experience in Airsoft, and to that of non-Airsoft players. Please keep in mind that I am not aware of all of the studies released on violent videogames links on real violence.

First argument: violent games (in general) “desensitize” players to violence. This means that violence becomes normal to them. Games are not the only factor of this loss of empathy: medias (news reports about wars and violence), television (violent movies), and “rebellious” music (like rap or heavy metal for instance). But these last three factors are passive (you watch but do not take part in the violence), whereas games are active (you are the one triggering the violence). Some games are more actives than others: in Airsoft, you’re the one directly pressing the trigger, whereas in videogames, it’s the character you control who presses the trigger. Furthermore, in Airsoft you shoot upon real, sentient human beings, compared to videogames in which everything is just colored pixels. Many studies have shown that videogames have an effect of desensitization. I think that Airsoft has the same effect, but stronger, since you are more actively engaging in simulated violent behavior.

In Airsoft, the guns are more important than in videogames. They are pretty expensive ($100-500) and are the main component of the player’s loadout (gear and uniform) and game. They all behave differently and you can customize them. That means, you get close and attached to your gun. In a videogame, weapons are just mere statistics (Accuracy: 30 points; power: 40 points; mobility: 20 points, and so on). In Airsoft, when your gun breaks or has a problem, it’s your own money and time and care that goes into the fixing. In a videogame, if you lose a gun, maybe some frustration will show up, but nothing more. This means that Airsoft players do actually LIKE guns, that they will be more likely to buy a real gun. For them, guns are something meant to be efficient and aesthetic, not lethal.

This increases risks of gun violence happening. But at least, Airsoft also teaches how to use guns responsibly (when finished with shooting, it’s a basic reflex to empty the magazines, put the safeties on, etc...) This does limit the likelihood of accidents occurring with real guns. This is the good side of the weapons and shooting training Airsoft offers. The downside is that it will also give eventual killers a better aim and knowledge of tactics.

Anders Breivik (Oslo, 2012, killed 77 teenagers), Adam Lanza (Newtown, 2012, killed 26 including 20 elementary school students), Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (Columbine, 1999, killed 12 high school students and 1 teacher): all of them played violent video games. But they also watched violent movies, ate fries, and went to school. Which doesn’t mean that all students, or all fries eaters, or all violent movie watchers, are dangerous killers. In the same way, I believe that 99% of Airsofters are mentally fine. But there’s always this 1% that bothers us all. My team is very strict on the profile and attitude of the members- anyone taking too much pleasure or acting weird is banned and his/hers parents notified about the strange behavior. But still, we cannot detect every single mentally disordered player. In the same way, anyone who has hurt, intentionally or not, another player, is punished (usually banned).

Many studies show that playing videogames has bad consequences on the behavior: increased aggressivity, feelings of hate, frustration, higher blood pressure and heart rate. But that’s the only common aspect they agree on- when it comes to the length in time, and importance, of these effects, as they differ enormously depending upon the study. For my part, I believe that rather tend to lead to isolation- geeks and no-life’s, as they are usually known, who leave their computer only to assure their basic needs- food, and hygiene.

The opposite is true in Airsoft, in which social contact is the most important thing, since you constantly hang out with other players and need to communicate in order to achieve victory. If videogames lead to isolation, what does Airsoft cause? A lust for guns, for war, for the adrenaline rush. But, isn’t it usually the opposite? Isn’t it the same lust for guns, for war, for adrenaline rush, that pushes us toward Airsoft? Doesn’t Airsoft satisfy most of our violent needs, our inner bestiality? I believe it does, to some extent. But there will always people wanting to go further, to try out the “real stuff”: there is a non-substantial percentage of Airsoft players joining the military at one point in their lives.

We have seen that video games may have psychological effects on players, but how about physical effects? Adopting a sitting position for too long (more than 1 hour) is proven by many studies to be bad for concentration, for health, and for socializing (as energy is stored for too long in a bent over position, a feeling of physical frustration is shown by patients). Other studies show that watching a TV or PC screen for too long is bad also. Thus, playing video games results in short term aggressively and anti-social behavior, which may result in angry and hateful thoughts. On the opposite, Airsoft, being an outdoor activity, strengthens a player’s health.

The last decade has seen an enormous growth of videogame and Airsoft guns and gear sales, as well as a drop in the rate of violent crimes. San Francisco University released in 2011 a very suggestive graphic showing the increase of revenue due to videogame sales as well as the decrease of violent crimes committed in the US between 1995 and 2010.

So, do violent games (videogames or real-life games) increase gun violence? Many studies say yes, many others say no, it’s a huge pool of information, and it’s quite impossible to get a clear view and opinion on the matter. I myself tend to think games can be a factor of gun violence, but amongst other: education, affective environment, mental illness or disorder, etc… In the right hands, violent games can have a miraculous effect (mental illness treatment, or just fun and relaxation), but if a mentally unstable person stumbles upon their path, they may just aggravate his violent behavior. In conclusion, I would say that violent games do not tend to increase violence in real life, but that everything depends upon the owner and his goals. In conclusion, I believe that Airsoft, to the opposite of video gaming, strengthens social behavior, but might cause a stronger desensitization to real violence.

    The man has taken a shower, shaved, and changed clothing. At first sight, he might look like any other typical American tourist: a compact camera hangs upon a white and blue shirt, his cream colored Bermuda shorts hide a large wallet as well as a brand new iPhone, and his steps are accompanied by the “tok tok” his Crocks© sandals make. Large aviator-type shades cover his eyes, and a colorful bob protects his bald head from the stinging sun. “Hey guys, does anybody want an ice-cream?” he asks his friends cheerfully. Sure, it’s almost 90 degrees out there! They head towards a small counter which reads “GLASS”- Ice Cream. “Hallå!” the old woman standing at the counter greets them. “Hello, how are you today ma’am?” returns the man. “Bra, tack” fine, thank you. “What do you want?”. The men order politely. “Are you together?” “Yes ma’am”. “23 euros, please.” The man produces his wallet. A flyer falls out, but he doesn’t see it. “You’ve lost something.” The man looks up, puzzled, then down to his feet. “Oh yeah, thanks!” He reaches down and grabs the piece of paper. It reads “OPERATION: BERGET X”. The woman sees it and frowns. “Har do varit där?” you’ve been there? She asks. “Yeah, it was great!” She smiles. Her son is sixteen and dreams of participating. Now, she knows: these men are not the average rich American tourist. She imagines them crawling in the mud under heavy fire, yelling orders. Sitting at a fire, recounting the heroic acts of bravery they achieved today. Laughing loudly at jokes, getting rid of the tension built up during a hard day. Having fun with friends, building friendships. The woman doesn’t particularly like this game. It involves guns and violence. It is pretty expensive and time consuming too. But still, it is a just a game. “Min son spelar det också, vet du” you know, my son plays this too. “Here. This one’s free”, she says, giving them an extra cone. “Geeze, thanks ma’am!” The men walk off slowly, joking and light-heartedly. They have rings under their eyes, and haven’t slept much these last few days. But they are happy. They had a great four days with their fellow Airsofters battling on opposing forces, shooting weapons, and driving tanks, without ever harming anyone. June 28^th 2012, Harnosand, Sweden.

LINKS AND SOURCES:

-          American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www2.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jstmtevc.htm

-          Sunday Dialog’s article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/sunday-dialogue-mayhem-on-our-screens.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

-          Works of US psychologist Christopher Ferguson: http://christopher.ferguson.socialpsychology.org/publications

-          Dr. Phil’s Advice: http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/297

-          American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/research/action/protect.aspx

-          Tracy Diet, An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior, Sex Roles, Vol. 38, Nos. 5/6, 1998: http://videogames.procon.org/sourcefiles/Dietz.pdf

-          Multiple studies of Craig Anderson: http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/Video_Game_FAQs.html

Contact the author: killerphylos@gmail.com