War Games: Nitehawk Airsoft and Paintball

Ever wonder what it’s like to play Airsoft warfare? For anyone who has played paintball before the idea is the same. But you’ve probably asked, “How can you be sure you hit the other player?”

For anyone who has never played either paintball or Airsoft you’re probably more interested in the level of pain involved. Well, friends, I got a chance to explore both of those questions this past weekend when I was invited by my friend Greg to celebrate his dad, Bob’s, birthday which was roughly 8 months ago. This was a Groupon purchased by Tom, Bob’s son-in-law, who played on the Stuck in North Idaho softball team.

So now that we’re all acquainted I can carry on.

The name of the business is Nitehawk Airsoft and Paintball. It was a sunny day in the PNW as we crossed the Washington border and ventured over to the industrial part of Spokane somewhere by the Northtown Mall. We joked about game protocol and whether a melee attack was allowed. A melee (for anyone who isn’t a Call of Duty junkie) is when you hit someone in the face with the butt of your gun.

The bravado carried on for a while, at least until we arrived at the abandoned-looking warehouse. Then our thoughts switched to concern about getting shot by the hard plastic bbs propelled at up to 350 FPS (feet per second). After a brief rundown of the facility rules and even briefer guidance on the rifles, we geared up and headed out to the floor. It is a large indoor facility with walls, bunkers, and hallways. There’s even a car in the middle of the map. We played several different scenarios including team deathmatch, capture the briefcase and 3-on-1 Juggernaut. The Juggernaut carried a riot shield and switched their rifle to full auto, which turned out to be overkill. Bob, if you are reading this, I hope your knuckles have healed.It did prove a little difficult to be certain whether or not you made a kill shot. The best bet was to keep firing until the other person surrendered. And I think I would only play with honorable people who would admit to being shot. As far as the pain level, I think the consensus was that paintball is worse. But if you really want a good idea check out the end of the video I uploaded.

Until next time,Kyle