It’ssix in the morning and a group of 12 young executives from a leading telecomcompany are wearing military gear. With guns in their hands, talking in excitedtones, the group moves in twos to the4,500 sq meters of paddy field flooded under a foot of water. In the field oldtyres are piled up, along with junk material which one finds in scrapyards.John Fernandes a participant asks his mate, “What will we be doing?” Suddenlyfrom behind a voice barks a command, “Attention.” Feet click and the commandermoves in to explain the rules.
Welcometo MilSim, an abbreviation of military simulation, conducted by civilians. Theteams run into the field and take cover behind the barricades. “When we sendthem in teams they go against each other at war, but these teams need to beproperly led to be able to win, shared Azarel Pinheiro, coordinator at theMilSim centre.” You need a lot of strategy to play out there. You can’t just goon shooting. It is the next best thing to the real thing, he adds. But this competitivespirit doesn’t end at the field, it extends all the way up. “What makes thesport so fantastic to work and play is it allows the natural competitive spiritthat is in all of us to come out,” shares Sushma who won the Papa Delta game.Papa Delta essentially simulates parachute drop and retrieval in warzones whereteams retrieve packages under heavy attack and move ahead after collecting aconsignment.
Azeraladds, “With objectives and missions in mind players begin thinking like soldiersand get into the role. Unlike paintball which is about shooting paints atopponents, MilSim is a pure strategy games where even paintball guns are used.However, MilSim pushes you to get the best out of you as a strategist.” A funway to beat your friend or colleague at war under controlled environments.
