[wildcard]

Originally Posted by MaciekA

Today's younger teenagers are sophisticated connoisseurs of firearms via Internet/Media/games/etc. There is simply no way you guys are going to convince this group of guys to turn back from airsoft guns.

I am starting to disagree with this strategy of driving underage players underground. It's too late. They have their weapons. We should be mentors and not dismissive jackasses who tell them to go play Nerf or paintball. It won't work. We're creating accidents waiting to happen.

If the GTA/Hamilton areas can manage to mentor and welcome in younger players under the umbrella of adult accompaniment, those of you in vicinity of this group of players (Ottawa/whatever) are going to have to follow suit and deal with this sort of crap more strategically.. You're not going to close the floodgates with clever posts.

Originally Posted by Daiviet

MaciekA, I understand fully and see what you mean, but I'd have to disagree and it comes down to a few things.

First off, I'd rather not be around 14 year olds as their parents would most likely look at the chance to drop them off and fuck off for a few hours, leaving us as baby sitters.

secondly, search for "atreyu" in the forums and you'll know why none of us want to approach this mentoring idea.

Originally Posted by MaciekA

Yeah, I see it your way too. It's an awkward situation. I'm torn between the prospect of these crazy immature bastards running around creating legal nightmares for us and the possibly more terrible prospect of having to baby-sit them. Sometimes it works out.. but ... I guess the idea won't scale. The only other option is to somehow firewall our community from the legal liabilities and fires that will be set by children over the next while.

I do admire your enthusiasm but unfortunately the ratio of responsible underage players are far outnumbered by the CS, MOH joystick jockeys and some clearly have no business being anywhere near anything that resemble a gun, in the past I have seen teams make exception allowing and mentoring underage players that have shown enough responsibility and maturity as an individual, with the blessing of the parental unit and understanding of rules and consequences of what will happen if those rules are broken that they are allowed to participate. That is a very rare thing now.