Laser Tag or not?

[OldGreyEagle]

Simple question, Can Boy Scouts do Laser Tag as a troop outing? I was always told no they cant, but this afternoon at a climbing gym I found a troop that was going to the laser place next door and they said they always did it. Now, am I mis-informed or is the laser tagging troop wrong? One of us has to be and I hope its me!

[Bob White]

Hi OGE,

The current Guide to Safe Scouting includes a list of restricted or prohibited activities for scouts to participate in. That list includes "war Games" wher participants shoot projectiles made of paint or dye at each other. It does not however list Laser Tag as a restricted or prohibited activity.

 

Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[eisely]

I agree with BW. While G2SS rules out paint ball, for good reason I might add, G2SS would not appear to rule out laser tag. Some people in the leadership of a unit may question the worthiness of laser tag as an appopriate scouting activity, but there does not appear to be a blanket prohibition.

[red feather]

We say no to laser tag. High tech version of paintball. Boys don't miss it and find other things to do.

 

yis

[evmori]

I understand the ban on paintball. Someone could get seriously hurt. As for lasar tag, the injury risk is quite less.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Sparkie]

I know in our Council Laser Tag is a no no. However, we do an "Unofficial" outing. Last Saturday in fact, we had a lock-in at a local Lazer Quest facility. It was a huge hit with 80% of our boys attending, and no, no-one slept! (well, maybe an adult or two, lol). So OGE, to answer your question, No, it can't be used as a Troop outing....but you can do it unofficially .

 

Sparkie

[Chippewa29]

I don't see a problem with LazerTag. Basically, its a higher tech version of flashlight tag. I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. Also, its in a controlled environment where they usually don't allow running or jumping. Much safer than the Scouts running through the woods at night. Another bonus is that there are no arguments over whether someone was tagged or not. You wouldn't want to see it happen a lot, but I don't think once or twice a year would hurt the Scouts.

[dsteele]

A few years ago I called and spoke to the head of risk management at the National Council Office with this question.

 

Sometimes life is like the old quote from President Andrew Jackson, "The Supreme Court has made their decision. Let them enforce it."

 

Let's just say that Bob White was on the right track and leave it at that.

 

 

[hops_scout]

Last year about this time we were going to do this as a troop activity and was denied the opportunity. Somebody mentioned no "War Games". Does that eliminate capture the flag?? Also, can troops do go carting? That was another thing we werent allowed to do.

[Bob White]

hops_scout,

it is important to read the Guide to Safe Scouting for yourself. It is very specifc in its reference to war games as paint ball or projectiles with paint and dye.

 

Nowhere does it equate capture the flag with war games.

 

The best way to judge what games to play is

1) is it safe.

2) how does it teach or practice a scouting skill.

 

We get very little time overall in a boys life to teach the lessons of scouting. Good Scout leaders make sure that everything they do has a purpose.

 

When capture the flag first got introduced it had a purpose. Scouts were taught silent signals, teamwork as a patrol, and tracking skills. Capture the flag gave them a practical application to practice those skills. Often now when I see troops play capture the flag, they divide into two teams completing foregoing the patrol method. No signalling skills are taught or practiced. The scouts just run around hollering in the dark. If that were the troop I served I would work with the SPL and PLC to either pick a game with a purpose or learn skills applicable to the game. Kids can play games without scouting. They are in scouting to learn while they play.

 

So although Laser Tag is not prohibited, and I agree sounds like a blast, I need to ask units that play it "what scouting skill is learned or practiced in the playing"? I am by no means opposed to boys playing games for fun and I think that laser tag would make a great patrol activity. But when the troop is involved I prefer a fun with a purpose.

 

my two cents,

Bob White

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

"... fun with a purpose...'

 

Now where have I heard that before?

[evmori]

How about fun just to have fun! We go cosmic bowling once a year as a Troop. Why? Beacause the Scouts like it! Is there a purpose? Yep, to have fun!

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Twocubdad]

I think the exact quote for the G2SS makes it clear: "The activity commonly referred to as "War Game" -- in which individuals shoot paint or dye at one another -- is an un authorized activity." As you can see, the section self-defines "war game" as what is probably more commonly known as "paint ball." It isn't a ban on games in which boys pretend war manuvers, like capture the flag, king of the hill, or anything similar. I wouldn't read this to prohibit laser tag.

 

I think the policy was probably written as much in response to the version of war game/paintball where people run around in the woods in cammo, shooting at each other, as much as any danger inherent in the game, which isn't much. BSA steers a wide swath around anything that hints of paramilitary. This is one of them.

 

I thought someone asked about go-karts. It's out for Cub and Boy Scouts. Only Venturers may used motorized go carts and they may not race each other.

[Bob White]

Ed

I'd like to respond to your question about "how about fun just for fun", because I think it again shows just how far apart we are in how we envision our role in the scouting program.

 

As I said in my previous post I'm all for fun. I like doing fun stuff. I think scouting done well is fun. I think scouts in a real scouting program have fun.

 

BUT, I also believe that scouting is a game with a purpose. Why do I think that, because that is how Baden-Powell defined scouting. That is how the BSA Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training and New Leader Essentials defines Scouting.

 

Scouting has a purpose and as leaders we have the responsibility to make sure that purpose is realized. Did you know that if a scout attended every troop meeting and every campout and every summer camp for seven years as a Boy Scout we would only have him in a scouting setting for 10% ofhis available time.

 

We have a sliver of opportunity to instill skills and ideals that could change his life. So I don't have time to be a playground monitor. The games we play need to have a purpose. He may not usually realize it. In fact the less he realizes the better job I'm doing.

 

But my role as a leader is to make sure that everything he is exposed to at a scouting activity is helping him to grow in the mission of scouting.

 

I like fun, I'm good at fun, and a good scout leader is good at making scouting fun. But if a scout just wants to play for playing sake he has the other 90% of his time to that in. For the 10% that scouting has him, he needs to be growing as he plays.

 

Bob White

 

Scouting is a game with a purpose.

Lord Robert Stephenson Baden-Powell

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[OldGreyEagle]

I knew I had heard that somewhere before