April 6, 2012, a group consisted of 30 Exabees, some dying to hold a gun in their hands for the first time in their life, checked into Pisa Paintball at Penang International Sports Arena in Relau at 7.00pm. The weather was not promising; it was drizzling before we even arrived. However, that did not interfere with our plan to fight each other neck and neck, as the ‘war’ was planned for indoor instead of outdoor.
Paintball, or some call it ‘painball’, is a game loved by many especially the youngsters. Not only is it a game that requires shooting precision, it demands high level of teamwork, cooperation and tactics from the players. For many Exabees who dream to be warriors fighting for a war, this particular day was the moment of truth for them to prove their worth as a hero!
Divided into team A, B, C and D, the game was played in Captain Mode, i.e. each player had 3 lives including the captain. If one was shot 3 times then he was finished and out of the game. In the case that a player had run out of ammunition, he would also be eliminated. Furthermore, team members must strive for their best to protect their captains as in Captain Mode, the whole team loses when the captain is ‘dead’. In terms of ammunition, each player was given 300 bullets in 3 separate rounds and only 100 bullets were allowed in each round.
Even though no prizes were to be rewarded to the champion this year, no Exabees would give up without putting up a tough fight.
Besides fighting like a member of the SWAT, the most exciting moment was when every player went for a DRAW. This was the chance for players to get a can of 100 Plus when they got LUCKY, or forced to eat Wasabi biscuits and endure penalty shoots when one got UNLUCKY. In a penalty shoot, the unlucky one must stand still and let other players take one shot, two shots or five shots on him / her.
The atmosphere reached its peak when CEO Chan was due to make his draw. If he got lucky, the opponent teams would get upset as he was going to get himself a can of 100 Plus. But if he got unlucky, some of us would have the opportunity to shoot our CEO!
Chan’s turn to draw reached and he got unlucky! Certainly a game is a game, even the CEO would also have to play by the rule. Result: poor Chan was shot one on his shoulder, one on his back and one on his stomach.
After a few exciting rounds, the champion was decided! It was Team C that overcame Team A in the final. Congratulations to the members of team C (Daniel, Ku, Ken, Rae Von, Zid, Wong & Tony) ! Good job too to team A for their great spirits in fighting till their last breath.
Although no prizes were prepared for this year’s winners, each of us got a certificate of participation and a precious experience from this exciting event. The game ended at around 11.00pm, and because of that, CEO Chan needed to call off his original plan to treat all of us to the nearby Thai restaurant. Instead, we went to Pisa Corner food court, where we savored the delicious street food.