Paintball - Not your average game
Paintball is a sport or a game where participants use markers to shoot paintballs at other players. It first came out in the 1980’s and became popular rather quickly. It can be played either indoors or outdoors and generally, there are no rules. The objective and strategy is left up to the players. Paintball is actually a very safe sport and extremely fun to play!
A very basic way to play paintball is to have a group of players try to achieve an objective without being eliminated from the game. The players try to eliminate each other from the game by hitting one another with paintballs shot from paintball markers (guns). The different variations of the game include the number of players on a team, the length of the game being played, what kind of hits will count to knock another player out, etc.
There are three kinds of paintball games: Capture the Flag, Neutral Flag or Center Flag and Elimination. Capture the flag is where two teams attempt to capture the flag of their opponents while protecting their own. The game is won when the first team is able to hang their opponents’ flag on the designated location at or near their own starting point. Neutral Flag or Center Flag is similar to Capture the Flag. The game starts with one flag at the center of the playing field and the winning team is the one that brings the flag to the opponent’s end of the field. Elimination is simple. It is where a team eliminates all players of the opposing team.
There are also different styles of play of paintball. Woodsball is usually played in a large wooded area and is convenient for larger games with more players on a team. It can be fun because it’s ideal for stalking opponents. You can play any kind of game in style. Speedball is a faster game than woodsball and is usually played on a field about the size of a basketball court. “Bunkers” which are made out of inflatable material, plastic tubing and tires, are placed throughout the field for the players. Scenario paintball games are often much larger scale games involving hundreds of people and are usually played with a theme. These games can last hours or even days. Tournament paintball is just that and can be set up to the players liking. There can be as many teams as the players choose to have and the games can be played in any kind of style and setting.
Although fun and exciting, players must follow two primary safety rules when playing: the much wear paintball goggles and all times and a mask system, even if they are out of the game. Under no circumstances should the protective eyewear ever be removed on the field.
There are many organizations and groups that sponsor games and have fields and areas to play. Check out a site by doing a search online and join in on the ever growing and popular sport of paintball!