Paintball (sport)

Paintball is a sport that loosely simulates combat with firearms. Paintballs are propelled from paintball markers, which are specialized devices that are designed to propel gel capsules filled with oil- or water-based paint. The capsules shatter on impact, showing that a participant has been struck.

Paintball players often participate in several styles of play. Capture the flag involves using teamwork to steal an objective from the opposing team, and then returning it to a predesignated point without being struck by a paintball. Deathmatch involves eliminating the entire enemy team. Historic play involves replicating large-scale, historical battles.

Participation in a paintball game requires specialized gear. Participants need a paintball marker, which is commonly customized by the user. They also require a supply a paintballs and a specialized mask.

Background

The first paintball guns were spring-loaded pistols that fired gel capsules filled with paint. They were called paintball markers. These guns were used for marking trees for removal by logging companies and marking cattle. The guns were not designed to be fired at people.

In 1977, stockbroker Hayes Noel and his friend Charles Gaines were discussing theoretical survival games they could be played in the woods. Their friend had seen a paintball marker advertised in a catalog, and the pair was intrigued. They wondered if the device could be used to simulate a firearms-based survival scenario without causing injury to the participants.

The two bought a pair of paintball markers, and then tested them on each other in a mock duel. While the paint residue clearly showed that a participant had been hit, it did not injure either party. It seemed like the perfect tool to simulate firearms.

Noel and Gaines gathered ten other individuals to play a game of capture the flag in the woods in 1981. Each of the dozen participants was armed with a paintball marker. They would have to avoid being shot by the other participants. This was the first recorded game of paintball.

Gaines and Noel bet over whether the winner would be someone from the city, or whether someone more experienced in the woods would have a natural advantage. Their bet was settled when Richie White, a professional forester, was proclaimed the winner.

The magazine Sports Illustrated wrote an article about this survival experiment. The article caused many Sports Illustrated readers to take an interest in the game. Gaines and two other participants in the first paintball game secured the license to use Nelson Paint Company markers recreationally, and then founded a company called National Survival Games to manage their creation. This was the birth of organized paintball.

Paintball quickly grew as a sport. Its rules evolved over time, and its equipment was continually improved. Today, paintball is played all over North America and Europe.

Overview

Paintball games can be played in many ways. One of the most common styles of paintball is capture the flag. In this scenario, each team must capture the opposing team's flag and return it to their base. Accomplishing this goal before the opposing team results in victory. Another common scenario is called deathmatch. In this game, the objective is to eliminate the entire enemy team. Whichever team is paint free at the end of the game is declared the victor.

In most scenarios, being struck with a paintball eliminates a player from the game. The players must loudly declare that they have been hit, and then remove themselves from the field. In order for the hit to count, the paintball must break. Broken paintballs leave a well-defined, colorful mark on the struck player. This is different from the light splatter that may occur when a paintball strikes a surface near a player. If any player doubts whether he or she has been struck, he or she may ask to be checked by a referee or fellow player. Some scenarios or tournaments do not count impacts to a player's equipment, or may require multiple hits to limbs to "kill" a player. However, in most competitive play, any hit to a player's body or equipment counts equally.

Some paintball scenarios are designed to reenact large-scale battles. These historical scenarios often have special rules. They may require participants to attempt to replicate a historical uniform, or may require special paintball markers that better resemble historical weapons. These scenarios often include series of complicated objectives, such as capturing a number of fortified positions over time.

Individuals require specialized equipment to participate in a paintball game. One of the most important pieces of equipment is the paintball marker. Sometimes called a paintball gun, paintball markers are the devices that propel paintballs at other players. They come in numerous styles and quality levels. Some must be manually pumped before each shot. Others fire a paintball each time the trigger is pulled. Some others fire automatically, continually firing paintballs as long as the trigger is held down. Most paintball markers are highly customizable.

Paintballs are gel capsules filled with paint. Some paint is oil based, while other paint is water based. Paintballs come in a variety of sizes and features. Smaller paintballs are cheaper to purchase and allow a gun to shoot for longer periods of time without the user reloading. Larger paintballs are more likely to break upon impact, travel farther, and fly at a faster pace.

Masks are required by most paintball fields. They are made of rubber, plastic, and metal. Masks prevent the delicate parts of the face, such as the eyes and cheekbones, from being injured during impact of a paintball. Masks must be properly fitted and maintained to adequately protect the user.

Bibliography

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