Executives battle boredom with arduous war games

Text and pictures by Mulkan Salmona

GUNUNG PUTRI, West Java (JP): Bang, bang, bang! The sound of gunfire breaks the silence around a small hilly area at Gunung Putri, Citeureup, West Java. Only one or two shots at first but later there are more gunshots, louder and more intensified.

Suddenly some people in green uniform appear from behind a tree. Carrying long rifles and moving with great agility, they make their way through the bushes and slip behind another tree to avoid being shot. Firing back, those wearing red armbands move forward.

To avoid the gunfire, they somersault, lie face down on the ground and hide in the bushes, in an old cottage or in wrecked military jeeps discarded in the hills.

Those wearing green armbands are no less enthusiastic. Defending their fort against enemy attack, they fiercely try to drive the enemy troops back to their fort. From behind empty barrels, used tire casings and wrecked military jeeps, they fire their guns incessantly at the enemy position.

Amid the excitement and suspense of battle, a loud voice booms from the hills: "Those who have been shot must retreat and leave the battle area. Raise your guns so that you will not be shot again."

People wearing gray T-shirts can be seen in the area. They are the judges or supervisors of the battle.

"Excuse me, but you have run out of bullets, sir. Leave the battle area while we get fresh bullets. Don't forget to raise your gun so that you will not get shot," the officer said.

The troops wearing yellow armbands appear to panic and can not put up a proper fight as some of them have been shot. But the troops wearing red armbands continue to attack from the right and left sides of the yellow troops' defense, who are getting snowed under and fail to shoot properly at their targets.

"Well, the whole thing will be over in a matter of minutes. If Miller can get close to the blue drum and can shoot accurately at Renny, the yellow team will be defeated," a spectator said.

His analysis proved correct. Miller drew stealthily closer to the blue drum and shot Renny, hidden behind a mask, in the head. Not long afterward, Miller's colleagues from the other side draw closer to the yellow fort and attack it so fiercely that all the yellow troops surrender. Miller quickly grabs the flag off the yellow troops. The first round of the battle ends in victory for Miller's group.

Luckily, this war is all a game and the weapons only paint. In this paintball game at the 3234 Brigade battle simulation arena at Gunung Putri, those who are shot are only hit by paint.

The battle simulation was launched on Oct. 25, 1996 and has since gained popularity, especially among young executives who take the opportunity to escape their office and have some fun.

The owner of the establishment, who is also general manager of the 3234 Brigade, Guntaru Mandiraatmadja, was introduced to paintball while studying at university in the U.S. While his childhood ambition of becoming a soldier did not eventuate, he became a soldier of different sorts armed with paint not gunpowder.

But don't think for a minute that this game is not a war. The participants fight like real soldiers in a battlefield, bearing arms and wearing military attire.

The 3234 Brigade battle simulation establishment is the first paintball game operator in Greater Jakarta, and the second in Indonesia after the Bali Splat MAS in Bali.

The battle simulation establishment occupies two hectares of land and has three outdoor battlegrounds covering 500 square meters each and one indoor battleground. There is also an office building for the management and a cafe where participants can take a rest.

People wishing to try paintball are required to bring their own battle equipment and military attire. The 40-minute war costs Rp 40,000/person. The indoor battle costs Rp 35,000.

While efforts have been made to reduce the cost of the game, Guntaru said that the price of equipment, such as the guns and the bullets, are imported and therefore costly. A gun costs about US$300 and a box of bullets about $62.

Paintball was originally played by cattle breeders in the U.S. and is now popular among Americans and Europeans. There is also an annual international paintball competition, in which countries such as Germany, Britain, France, Australia, Scotland, the Philippines and Japan participate. In Indonesia, the game is known only in four places: Bali, Surabaya, Malang and Jakarta. The 3234 Brigade is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m to 9 p.m.

The game is definitely entertaining. People take their roles as soldiers seriously and engage in real-life combat. But fortunately, win or lose, it's only a matter of a few paint- stained clothes and bruised egos.