[HackD]

I tend to take having a fun time in any recreational hobby or activity that i participate in, fairly seriously. This includes Airsoft.

I've only been in for a few games so far. I am doing this for fairly different reasons than most (i'm 99% sure on that) and as such realize that i am likely a 'handicap' upon whichever team that i may play on, as seriously as i might take the play, and as much as i try to respect the rules of the game.

Aside from an extended stint in cadets more than a 1/4 century ago, and a brief period in the reserves before i realized it wasn't for me, and more importantly i wasn't for them.. i don't have a military background, or a team oriented mindset. As such, at this time i do feel uncomfortable with donning field-correct military gear. It's just too close to being a wanna-be for me personally, to be potentially disrespecting the real-deal. As such, i am perfectly happy in running/hobbling about in my black BDU's for now, in the skirmish/scenarios at the local field events that i am going to. For now, i am also concentrating on building up my gear collection around this style of field dress - budgetary constraints require this, no matter how serious i'd like to think i am about Airsoft, I may comparatively stand out in a sea of CADPAT and MARPAT, but it isn't as informal as jeans and a hoodie, either. From wherever the rounds may be incoming from, the chances are that i'm going to get stitched.. it doesn't really matter what that person doing the stitching is wearing, to me.. it's all good.

Whatever any one else wants to do in respect to that equipment/realism/immersion aspect, go for it, whatever floats your boat - it all comes down to a personal choice and mindset. Perhaps my own personal mindset towards field correct realism will change, with more exposure to mil-sim scenario's, and the need to conform, in the future - only time will tell.

I am in it not only for the shooting and the strategy, I am also into it for getting outdoors, for the social aspect, the occasional adrenaline rush, and the opportunity for exercise in a varied environment. It's also a trip back in the past when i did similar woodsy things as a teenager .. mid-life crisis's can take many forms. Being able to lug about an 8 lb cool looking simulated carbine is just a bonus, to me.

I guess that throws me squarely into the middle between the hypothetical groups of 1 and 2. I haven't quite made the transition into group 2 yet. Whatever category that i may well fall into, i'm having enough fun that i plan to be around for a while, and that's what really counts in the end.