No, they are not mercenaries. They are just a group of people finding yet another way to have fun.
A military simulation competition takes place in Rawdon, Quebec on July 21st 2007. Named, "Operation Cameleon" the event brought in approximately 200 participants from all over the region, including young gamers wanting to take the extra step to real combat to even ER surgeons wanting to take a break from daily stress.
Of course, such activities have risen much controversy - Is this the ultimate glorification of war? What if these weapons were used outside the game? Several have tried to shutdown game play only succeeding in the illegal import of life-like weapons from foreign countries for the time being.
The rowdy, but responsible, members of Team Kill Force (T.K.F.) invited me to photograph their team throughout the day. Equipped with air-pressured B.B. guns and army fatigues, the members deploy into the battlefield blotted with forests and sand dunes. Despite the sports minor setbacks, the team trudges on for yet another long and harsh day of safe and fun 'warfare'.
Goh Iromoto grew up in Toronto, Ontario and is currently studying Human Geography at the University of British Columbia. Earlier on, he ventured into the scene of film and video editing where he began his young career as a documentary filmmaker. Eventually, he became an assistant editor in advertising post-production in 2005.
However, before committing to a possible lifetime career, Goh made the life changing decision to travel abroad. Despite the advent of the Internet and other modern forms of media, he still saw a world that was significantly different from those represented back home. Unique socio-cultural details such as the way people eat, talk, and even wash themselves were all missing gaps which the media often overlooks when depicting a foreign culture.
While his ten months overseas he also further discovered his interest in photography, particularly towards the idea of using it as a tool to communicate social and humanitarian issues and occurrences. Inspired by renowned photographers such as Nachtwey, Salgado, and Henri-Cartier Bresson, and young photographers such as Dominic Nahr, Goh seeks to further bridge the lack of visual communication between those of the developing world to those of the developed.
