Akimbo (gaming)
Encyclopedia
Dual wielding is to hold a weapon
in each hand. In gaming a dual wield may also be called akimbo
style, though it has little resemblance to the human position
of that name. This most commonly refers to matched pairs of handgun
s but can refer to any other weapon that can be held in one hand such as machine pistol
s and even melee weapons, although this is more common in role-playing video game
s.
, where revolver
s holding only six rounds of ammunition were the highest capacity handguns available and reloading was a slow process. Being single action weapons, they needed to be cocked for each shot, so the rate of fire
was also low, and while a shooter could fan
his gun, this expended all his shots even faster and made him even more inaccurate than normal. Use of two guns was therefore a reasonable compromise, as this allowed one gun to be cocked as the other is being fired, in practical terms doubling the rate of fire and the available number of bullets.
There is some evidence that gunfighters of the Old West did not actually shoot two-handed. They would draw and fire with their strong hand, and when they had emptied the first gun, they drew the second gun with their weak hand and passed it over to their strong hand. In modern firearms terminology this is often called a "New York reload" after the practice of New York Police Department officers carrying second (and even third) guns as backup.
A possible example of actual use of two guns firing at the same time is "Dual wield", practiced by Russian special forces
. This also evolved as a method of increasing rate of fire, more in order to force the enemy to take cover than to try to accurately hit them, and was generally practiced by NKVD
officers issued a pair of revolvers. However, the invention of smaller, cheaper submachineguns around the 1950s rendered the tactic largely obsolete and it fell into relative obscurity.
With modern shooting techniques, there is very little value to shooting with a weapon in each hand. Using modern full capacity firearms, a shooter can fire more shots with greater accuracy using a single gun in a two-handed grip than two guns with one-handed grips. Also, modern semi-automatic pistols take only a few seconds to reload. At best, the technique is only effective at extremely close ranges of five to ten feet, since the recoil would make it hard to keep both weapons straight, and using the sights on the guns is next to impossible. Among the majority of professional firearms instructors, this practice is dismissed as extremely ineffective.
novels, paperback
s and comics depicted wielding two pistols, most notably the pulp hero, the Shadow
.
The use of two pistols simultaneously was even used in the movie adaptation of the Spider character (a contemporary of the Shadow), the Spider's Web
. It is unknown when the style came out of fashion until being resurrected by Hong Kong cinema, notably movies directed by John Woo
and often featuring Chow Yun Fat.
The use of this tactic was initially a rarity in Western films
, as up till then it was thought to look cumbersome. The use of akimbo became more acceptable and achieved somewhat of a cult status after much influence from Hong Kong action cinema
.
Naturally, action films have been a major influence on action gaming
. Rise of the Triad
and Marathon
, both released on December 21, 1994
, were the earliest first-person shooters to integrate akimbo pistols. In Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²
and Shadow Man
, this tactic was developed further, allowing the player to wield two dissimilar weapons at once, firing each one independently. Dual wielded weapons have become the trademark of some game characters, most notably Lara Croft
and Dante
.
. Technically, it is inaccurate, since the word literally refers to a stance where a person stands with their elbows bent and their hands on their hips (arms akimbo)- not a posture well suited to shooting. While this does bear some similarity with the classic posture of cowboy
s firing their twin revolvers from the hip, in games this posture is almost never reflected, with almost all game characters firing twin guns at shoulder level, straight-armed. Counter-Strike
is a notable exception, in that the player models are seen externally to fire akimbo Berettas from the hip, but appear to be firing from shoulder level from the first-person perspective. There is no conformity on whether the word should precede or follow the name of the object it describes: both "akimbo pistols" and "pistols akimbo" are used.
The book Hong Kong Action Cinema (ISBN 0-87951-663-1) by Bey Logan
suggests the word originated in Hong Kong
action movies and eventually migrated to the gaming lexicon.
It is also possible that the phrase predates both of these and refers instead to Cowboy action shooting
techniques.
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
in each hand. In gaming a dual wield may also be called akimbo
Akimbo
Akimbo is a human body position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward, or bent or bowed in a more general sense .-Origins:The term was recorded first in the English language around 1400 in The Tale of Beryn: "The hoost .....
style, though it has little resemblance to the human position
Akimbo
Akimbo is a human body position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward, or bent or bowed in a more general sense .-Origins:The term was recorded first in the English language around 1400 in The Tale of Beryn: "The hoost .....
of that name. This most commonly refers to matched pairs of handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s but can refer to any other weapon that can be held in one hand such as machine pistol
Machine pistol
A machine pistol is a handgun-style, often magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and normally chambered for pistol cartridges. The term is a literal translation of Maschinenpistole, the German term for a hand-held automatic weapon...
s and even melee weapons, although this is more common in role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s.
History
Historically, the use of two guns at once, one in each hand, is most associated with the American Old WestAmerican Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, where revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s holding only six rounds of ammunition were the highest capacity handguns available and reloading was a slow process. Being single action weapons, they needed to be cocked for each shot, so the rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
was also low, and while a shooter could fan
Fanning (firearms)
Fanning is a revolver shooting technique in which one hand holds the trigger and the other hits the hammer repeatedly. This turns the cylinder and hits the firing pin, in that order, allowing for 'semi-automatic fire' of a revolver...
his gun, this expended all his shots even faster and made him even more inaccurate than normal. Use of two guns was therefore a reasonable compromise, as this allowed one gun to be cocked as the other is being fired, in practical terms doubling the rate of fire and the available number of bullets.
There is some evidence that gunfighters of the Old West did not actually shoot two-handed. They would draw and fire with their strong hand, and when they had emptied the first gun, they drew the second gun with their weak hand and passed it over to their strong hand. In modern firearms terminology this is often called a "New York reload" after the practice of New York Police Department officers carrying second (and even third) guns as backup.
A possible example of actual use of two guns firing at the same time is "Dual wield", practiced by Russian special forces
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
. This also evolved as a method of increasing rate of fire, more in order to force the enemy to take cover than to try to accurately hit them, and was generally practiced by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
officers issued a pair of revolvers. However, the invention of smaller, cheaper submachineguns around the 1950s rendered the tactic largely obsolete and it fell into relative obscurity.
With modern shooting techniques, there is very little value to shooting with a weapon in each hand. Using modern full capacity firearms, a shooter can fire more shots with greater accuracy using a single gun in a two-handed grip than two guns with one-handed grips. Also, modern semi-automatic pistols take only a few seconds to reload. At best, the technique is only effective at extremely close ranges of five to ten feet, since the recoil would make it hard to keep both weapons straight, and using the sights on the guns is next to impossible. Among the majority of professional firearms instructors, this practice is dismissed as extremely ineffective.
Media
It is unknown when dual wielding was first used in fiction, but it was likely from early western novels before spilling over into other works. In the early 20th century, numerous examples abound of heroes and heroines of pulpPulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
novels, paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
s and comics depicted wielding two pistols, most notably the pulp hero, the Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
.
The use of two pistols simultaneously was even used in the movie adaptation of the Spider character (a contemporary of the Shadow), the Spider's Web
The Spider's Web
The Spider's Web is a Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. The 15-chapter adventure was directed by serial and western specialist Ray Taylor and comedy and serial veteran James W. Horne...
. It is unknown when the style came out of fashion until being resurrected by Hong Kong cinema, notably movies directed by John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
and often featuring Chow Yun Fat.
The use of this tactic was initially a rarity in Western films
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
, as up till then it was thought to look cumbersome. The use of akimbo became more acceptable and achieved somewhat of a cult status after much influence from Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
.
Naturally, action films have been a major influence on action gaming
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
. Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game that was first released on February 17, 1995 and developed by Apogee Software . The members of the development team involved referred to themselves as "The Developers of Incredible Power"...
and Marathon
Marathon (computer game)
Marathon is a first-person shooter video game with a science fiction theme developed and published by Bungie released in December 1994 for the Apple Macintosh. The game was Bungie's second foray into the emerging genre of games with a first-person perspective, the first being Pathways into...
, both released on December 21, 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
, were the earliest first-person shooters to integrate akimbo pistols. In Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²
Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²
Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² is a third-person shooter video game made by Ritual Entertainment in 2000. A sequel to the Heavy Metal 2000 animated movie, the game stars Julie in her quest to save her home planet of Eden from GITH, an ancient entity seeking to conquer the universe...
and Shadow Man
Shadow Man (video game)
Shadow Man is a video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was designed by Guy Miller and Simon Phipps and is loosely based on the Shadowman comic book series published by Valiant Comics. The game was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64,...
, this tactic was developed further, allowing the player to wield two dissimilar weapons at once, firing each one independently. Dual wielded weapons have become the trademark of some game characters, most notably Lara Croft
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
and Dante
Dante (Devil May Cry)
is the primary fictional protagonist of the Devil May Cry video game series published by Capcom. The character and Devil May Cry are one of Capcom's flagship game franchises, which has sold over nine million copies worldwide as of 2008 and currently spans four video games...
.
Etymology
There is some confusion over the origin of this usage of the word akimboAkimbo
Akimbo is a human body position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward, or bent or bowed in a more general sense .-Origins:The term was recorded first in the English language around 1400 in The Tale of Beryn: "The hoost .....
. Technically, it is inaccurate, since the word literally refers to a stance where a person stands with their elbows bent and their hands on their hips (arms akimbo)- not a posture well suited to shooting. While this does bear some similarity with the classic posture of cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s firing their twin revolvers from the hip, in games this posture is almost never reflected, with almost all game characters firing twin guns at shoulder level, straight-armed. Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
is a notable exception, in that the player models are seen externally to fire akimbo Berettas from the hip, but appear to be firing from shoulder level from the first-person perspective. There is no conformity on whether the word should precede or follow the name of the object it describes: both "akimbo pistols" and "pistols akimbo" are used.
The book Hong Kong Action Cinema (ISBN 0-87951-663-1) by Bey Logan
Bey Logan
Bey Logan is a respected expert on East Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. He is also notable as a screenwriter, film producer and as a martial artist who has had roles in a number of films, including the 2003 Dante Lam film The Twins Effect.He has written two books - Hong Kong...
suggests the word originated in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
action movies and eventually migrated to the gaming lexicon.
It is also possible that the phrase predates both of these and refers instead to Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy Action Shooting , also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s...
techniques.