Should Paintball Go Mainstream?

[X-Ecutionar]

Do you think paintball should go mainstream? I don't. I thnk it will just bring more newbies into the sport making it overcrowded and unsafe. What do you think? Please post your opinion.

[pEnNyWiSdOm225]

Im unsure about this one. It would be good for it to go mainstream for me cause there aren't many good fields around here.

But bad because ....... you know

[Rancid Coleslaw]

I say no. It's just fine how it is right now, although a little more popularity just so people understand the sport a little better wouldn't be bad. But with that kind of popularity the sport could also be ruined at the same time by unsafe players and over crowded fields. The problems of popularity definitely out weigh the benefits.

[SinfulCindy]

I voted unsure. I mean, yes, it's good for paintball to be maintstream so people will become more aware that paintball is a great and safe sport, but it's bad, because paintball companies might take advantage of the rising numbers of customers and raise the prices for products. Plus, it's fun to be in school and spark up a conversation about paintball and everyone would be all, "Whoa! Paintball is a sport?! Man, that's awesome! :crazy:" And yeah, I like the paintball field to have people in it, but not like totally crowded, because then I can't play and if I can't play, someone's going to be sorry they took my spot.

[w0rr]

more awarness=yes
more people= no

we have a fine paintball community in the world, it would just be nice if people knew about paintball. Ex. it's safe, its not for rebelious punks, its not there for vandalism, that sort of stuff.
I hate when i start talking about paintball then some adults walk by and theyre like, "ugh paintball, those kid need a hobby"

[SinfulCindy]

Originally posted by w0rr
I hate when i start talking about paintball then some adults walk by and theyre like, "ugh paintball, those kid need a hobby" In my English class, my teacher said to bring a book in to read everyday and I asked, "May I bring in a paintball magazine called 'Facefull?' It has like 300 pages in it and it's what I'm interested in doing." She said yes and this other kid in my class asked if he can bring in a magazine, she said no, because my magazine is huge compared to others. Later, the same kid told me that the teacher thought paintball was art. :eyes:

[Sc0tTy]

Vandalism... My brother always asks me to use my marker to go shoot people out of a truck... My next marker is going to be locked up all the time. Need to get some kind of case...

[w0rr]

Originally posted by SinfulCindy
In my English class, my teacher said to bring a book in to read everyday and I asked, "May I bring in a paintball magazine called 'Facefull?' It has like 300 pages in it and it's what I'm interested in doing." She said yes and this other kid in my class asked if he can bring in a magazine, she said no, because my magazine is huge compared to others. Later, the same kid told me that the teacher thought paintball was art. :eyes:

my english teacher doesnt like me:(

[tippycustom]

no. i want to be different.
and now every chuck john and harry own a marker in my town.

[hybrid-sniper]

awarness :tup:
more people :tdown:

more real players wouldnt be bad, but all the morons around here brag, that there revelation, or zap, or marauder is the best gun because its super accurate and only chops about 1/50balls.
plus they count there selves as players when they hang out of a truck shooting cars and such........i hate morons:pissed:.
plus the idea of a proshop to most these people is wal mart:eyes:
its a mad mad world and its populated by mostly idiots

[Vaypourus]

Paintball is already travelling in the mainstream direction; televised events, guns in Walmart; it already has millions of players worldwide.

I think its inevitable that it becomes a more mainstream sport.

The good side of this is that you will start to see more shops and fields popping up. You will also start to see new companies making guns, and new/better technologies discovered. More manufacturers means lower prices.

I voted yes, becuase it really could be good for the sport. Instead of being shuned like we often are, it would be as socially acceptable as say mounting biking (which was not a mainstream, common sport until about 5 years ago)

[trickflip]

I agree with what many of you said. It seems that paintball is growing, which on one side if good. More fields, more people, etc. Yet, paintball guns can/(and unfortunetly are) used to harass/vandalize property and people. Overall, I think its better off not being as mainstream as many sports are, yet some growth probably wouldn't hurt. I vote unsure.

[FriedRicE]

I like it how it is: growing slowly. For paintball to all of a sudden go main stream is a bad idea because all of the stupid yuppies out there who first think paint ball equates to violence and all the idoits non-reslponsible f-heads that make the yuppies think the sport is bad (i.e. eminime shooting a paintball gun in 8 mile at people and cops, not a very good image for paintball). I like the way paintball is (it could probally grow a little bit faster) but the faster it grows the more negative things will happen in paintball because there are going to be more idoits out there. It only takes one incident where a little kid gets horribly hurt by a paint ball gun (outside of a paintball field) that could really put a dent in paintball if it was a main stream thing.

Case it point i'd rather see it grow on society and stay just below mainstream so paintball doesnt have to deal with the major heat that mainstream media and public opinion can put on paintball.

[Mr Bigglesworth]

I voted yes because IMO the good outweighs the bad.

The problem with it going mainstream is that society is greatly lacking in common sense. If somebody takes a baseball bat and smashes a windshield, nobody blames baseball, but if someone shoots up a car with a paintball gun then woah boy, lets ban it cause paintball must be made up of rebellious vandals! Ignorance is about the only thing I can't tolerate.

[Vaypourus]

I believe that the growth would do just the opposite. We already have the idiots out there doing stupid things and staining the sport. The reason that so many people try to get this sport banned is becuase it isn't a mainstream deal. There are attempts to get paintball banned in NY, California, and other cities/towns around the country.

This is similar to the way that "street surfing" was banned (or attempted to ban it) in towns and villages back before the sport was as big as it is today. Nobody knows of Alan Gelfand (one of the 70's skateboard legends) but Tony Hawk is a Media god. Skateboarding is a huge buisness, and while there are over 35, 000 injuries a year and several deaths, nobody cares because it is a mainstream sport and it is a multi million dollar industry.

Now what do you think would happen if somebody died in a freak paintball accident? I don't doubt that it will happen eventually, but the effect that is has will depend on how big the sport is.

[FriedRicE]

Good Point i do accept it. But on a side note paint balling does have its relationship to guns (eventhough we know its BS other soccer mom's out there will equate painball markers to guns readily, which is the reason why they want to bann it from NY) and skateboarding didn't have that added pressure when it went mainstream. But again Vaypourus, i do agree if paintball properly goes into mainstream with public opinion backing it up then people dying or getting seriously injured in freak accidents won't matter as much.

[Danger]

everyone starts out as a newb. You cant start playing any sport and be a professional. This goes for every sports. You have to practice. The only way for paintball to grow is to bring more people in. Of course there will be a lot of newbs but at the same time there will be even more advanced players from it who worked their way up. If paintball did get really big there will mostlikely be companies who will want to profit from it and will build more paintballfields and stores.

[LAMANTEthePBguy]

In the big picture:
the more people that play means more money is dumped into the industry, meaning more money for R&D meaning better and more efficient technology.

In the small picture:
I like it being an exclusive sport. but i do think better acceptence would be nice. I mean people in my school make fun of me for playing the sport. they imitate it by running around saying "RAPID FIRE" and pretending to fan the trigger. I also dont like feilds overcrowded with newbs, especially newbs that blatently wipe.

in the end i cant decide because if you look at the big picture it seems good, but the small one seems worse.

[acmezero]

No. Never. We have enough pretentious newbies already.

[FriedRicE]

like it being an exclusive sport. but i do think better acceptence would be nice. I mean people in my school make fun of me for playing the sport. they imitate it by running around saying "RAPID FIRE" and pretending to fan the trigger.
-LAMANTEthePBguy

Really?!? Geez i'd drag those people on to a pbfield and show them how much fun pb is, that and ummm.. well give 'em something to rember :D
I know i sound stupid saying this but i never knew people made fun of pballers.

[w0rr]

Originally posted by Vaypourus

Alan Gelfand

alan gelfan is god

[Mc Turd Implode]

hmm.....paintball mainstream.lets review the pros and cons of this one.

pro-............

con-super mega corporations that do nothing more than to wither the life of the planet away would take over the great industry of paintball and make everything super expensive

con-the masses would get involved and as we've seen when the masses get involved,it only gets worse.

con-all advertisements of paintball and the such would probably show scantily clad women trying to get across the message "this product gets you laid by hot chicks"(thats more of a personal gripe of mine.not sure if the rest of the paintballing community feels the same way).

the paintball community probably has the coolest bunch of people ive seen,with that barbarian lust for combat that few people it seems have.putting more people in the picture would probably hurt it more than help it.

[nerdcore]

Originally posted by FriedRicE
I like it how it is: growing slowly.

no kidding. paintball has been around for what? 2 decades? that is some slow growing. and, yes, going mainstream is inevitable. they even made a movie about it. whatever happened with that, anyway?

at first i thought going mainstream might bring the prices down but there are too many companies with too many different types of markers & equipment for there to be any price wars. plus i've noticed a lot of mainstream merchandise to be increasing in price :| .

i wonder just how mainstream it will get? there's already mass amounts of tournaments - will they begin televising all of them? will paintball make it to FOX Sports? and once it's mainstream, how long until people become bored of it, proclaim it as 'passé,' then send it back to being the underground rec sport it once was?

[theitalian98]

i voted unsure because also i don't want a ton of newbs at my field thinking brass eagle is the best in the world(Already alot of people where i live think this anyway)and i also like that me and my "smart" friends go in the woods next to my house and build fields. but i think it might make the the tecnology a lot better but thats why i voted unsure.

:eyes:
:confused:
:laugh:

[Mercurius]

I read somewhere that paintball recently surpassed snowboarding to be the 3rd most popular extreme sport. With credentials like that, paintball should at least be in the X-Games or something.

[X-Ecutionar]

Wow.... A lot of you have voted yes.... I just don't want ANYMORE NOOBS!

[Assass!n]

Originally posted by Vaypourus
More manufacturers means lower prices.


VAYPOROUS HIT IT! NOBODY ELSE HAD IT BUT HE HIT IT!!

Yeah, lower prices definately need to happen.

But, awareness, yes, more players...no.

[Coal-Cracker]

I surprises me how many of you guys are against more people being introduced to this wonderful game.

Hate to sound like your parents, but isn't that kind-of elitist?

Sorry guys, but I think the fastest route to "awareness" is increased participation.

[Assass!n]

Originally posted by Coal-Cracker

Hate to sound like your parents, but isn't that kind-of elitist?

Yes, it is. It is because we know that if it does go mainstream it wont have as special of a feel as it does now. When someone says, "Hey, I play football", everyones heard that already. When you say "Hey, I play paintball", it turns heads. And thats one of the reasons paintball is so great, is because its not mainstream.

[nerdcore]

Originally posted by Assass!n
Yes, it is. It is because we know that if it does go mainstream it wont have as special of a feel as it does now. When someone says, "Hey, I play football", everyones heard that already. When you say "Hey, I play paintball", it turns heads. And thats one of the reasons paintball is so great, is because its not mainstream.


preach on, brother!

[Mercurius]

Pfft. When it goes mainstream, you'll probably still play, but you'll be going on about how you did it before it was cool. Your local field isn't going to get overcrowded because more people start playing; instead, more fields are going to open up, which means more competition, which means better prices and quality. Here in Largo, FPC sits on its frickin' laurels because they know they're the only field for 20 miles and they can charge $6 a CO2 fill or 30 bucks for a 9oz. How long will that **** fly when the next field opens up? People like you are only going to hold the sport back. I'd rather have two newbs around than one experienced player who'd rather not let anyone else onto the field.

[Assass!n]

Originally posted by Mercurius
I'd rather have two newbs around than one experienced player who'd rather not let anyone else onto the field.

Who said that we wouldnt want new players on the field? We said that we didnt want it crowded with vandalism-inducing morons.
And since when does anyone believe the person who says they did it before it was cool? Nobody.

[Mercurius]

Originally posted by Assass!n
Who said that we wouldnt want new players on the field?


Originally posted by Assass!n
But, awareness, yes, more players...no.

[Assass!n]

More players as in not morons.

[teufelhunden]

Originally posted by Assass!n


VAYPOROUS HIT IT! NOBODY ELSE HAD IT BUT HE HIT IT!!

Yeah, lower prices definately need to happen.

But, awareness, yes, more players...no.


That isn't necessarily true, especially with all the varying types of markers and the accessories that are exclusive to them. If stuff became standardized (standard threading, stuff like that), we'd be heading in the right direction, and then prices could come down from good competition.

[Mercurius]

Dude, more experienced players aren't going to come out of nowhere. There aren't going to be any people who buy a magic paintball gun and all of a sudden know how to play paintball and follow basic rules of etiquette. The people who are newbs right now, sure, some will mature, some will leave the sport, and some will stay the same. If you want to increase the amount that will mature into respectable players, you have to increase the amount introduced to the sport.

[bad_brad]

Ok paintball is fine the way it is, here are my reasons:
1. Enough people play paintball that you can have a good paintball conversation with at least one person a your school/workplace.
2.With it not being mainstream it keeps the player in control, not the company.
3. It feels kinda good 2 kno that ur part of sumthing that not evry1 else is part of.
4. If it goes mainstream then, like its been said before ,theres gonna be sum ignorant, fool who wuznt doing sumthing right, and ends up in the hospital with paint coming out his nose.
5. Hey admit it when you go paintballing you don't want ALOT of poeple there, for me at least i'd say for a perfect day 50 ppl in total at the woodsball field I play at, all at least sumwhat xperienced, it allows for a more frendly competition, and the less ppl, the more anxiety, ur walking along with 2 buddies all of sudden BLAM ur frend takes 1 in the mask u and ur remaing frend drop 2 the gound like stone. sounds fun eh..mayb not fer evry1 i kno.
6. Paintball IS fairly mainstream, u can ask ne1 and they have at least heard of, and kno sum1 who paintballs regularly.
7. Sum people DO think paintball is evil and wrong, one of my frends cant play because his parents think that it will teach him that violence is o.k. i tell him 2 say that 'just becasue im young doesnt mean im impressionable'.

[nerdcore]

Originally posted by bad_brad
Ok paintball is fine the way it is, here are my reasons:
1. Enough people play paintball that you can have a good paintball conversation with at least one person a your school/workplace. i can't :(
2.With it not being mainstream it keeps the player in control, not the company. true
3. It feels kinda good 2 kno that ur part of sumthing that not evry1 else is part of. true
4. If it goes mainstream then, like its been said before ,theres gonna be sum ignorant, fool who wuznt doing sumthing right, and ends up in the hospital with paint coming out his nose. huh?
5. Hey admit it when you go paintballing you don't want ALOT of poeple there, for me at least i'd say for a perfect day 50 ppl in total at the woodsball field I play at, all at least sumwhat xperienced, it allows for a more frendly competition true
6. Paintball IS fairly mainstream, u can ask ne1 and they have at least heard of, and kno sum1 who paintballs regularly. pb stuff at walmart = dang near mainstream
7. Sum people DO think paintball is evil and wrong, one of my frends cant play because his parents think that it will teach him that violence is o.k. i tell him 2 say that 'just becasue im young doesnt mean im impressionable'. plus it doesn't even promote violence. it's a rec sport - teaches teamwork, coordination, physical & mental training/fitness, social skills, technical skills (like marker maintenance :P)