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Paintball History, Rules & the Future of Paintball
Learn the rules of paintball, the history of paintball, and take a look at the future of paint ball with the paintball experts from Action Pursuit Games, the world's leading paintball magazine. Paintball's come a long way from its humble beginnings in the late 70s and early 80s, enjoy some historical perspective, learn the rules of the game and about future trends for the competitive sport. Articles Related To: History, Rules & Future
Introduce yourself to paintball! No matter who you are, where you live, or how old you are, now is the perfect time to learn about paintball. Played in over 50 countries by millions of people, paintball is the perfect game for those who have an adventurous spirit and enjoy competition. If you're seeking a thrilling game that incorporates team-building, strategy, intelligence, and determination, a paintball is an exciting sport that can help rekindle your spirit of adventure and shake-off the day-to-day doldrums.
Paintball games come in many shapes and sizes. What are the basics when it comes to how many people are on a paintball team? How are paintball games organized? What is the player's goal in a paintball game? Are there time limits in a paintball game? If you're new to paintball or just need a refresher, read on for exciting content about paintball and the basics of playing a paintball game.
The first paintball game was played in June, 1981, near Henniker, New Hampshire. Charles Gaines, Hayes Noel, and Bob Gurnsey get the credit for inventing paintball. From the sport's first paintball guns to the rapid growth that the sport experienced, you can read about the sport's beginnings and evolution in the book "The New, Official Survival Game Manual" by Lionel At will (National Survival Game, Inc., 1987).
That very first paintball game is described in "Roots," one of the chapters in "The New, Official Survival Game Manual" by Lionel At will. What began as a curiosity in stalking has rapidly grown into one of the most popular extreme sports. Paintball's beginning, though, were a rough combination of a stalking adventure and "capture the flag." All in all, paintball's first real game was described as being full of humor, honor, fun and obnoxiously friendly, yet intense, competition.
The birth of paintball is thanks to the ideas of Charles Gaines, Hayes Noel, and Bob Gurnsey. These three men took what is essentially a survival game and have launched paintball into an international phenomenon. Who knew that -- as far back as 1976 or 1977 -- these three men would establish the foundations for adult play that is in short supply, yet lives strong through the game of paintball?
The first paintball gun were stockguns--small paint pistols powered by a single CO2 cartridge with few, if any, modifications beyond a pump. Stockguns begat semi-stockguns, and the tools of paintball evolved from there. "Enter the Serpent" is an article that appeared in APG magazine in the 1980s and explains the evolution of paintball guns.
Regarding paintball's growth as a sport, Charles Gaines (one of the sport's founders) comments that, "All of it happened, I believe, because the Survival Game extends itself naturally into a number of universally interesting metaphors. Playing the Game can actually show you in its own terms who you are, and there is no more interesting metaphor than that." Paintball is, indeed, an interesting metaphor for many things in life. Find your own metaphor by trying a game of paintball!
Paintball now is 9.8 million U.S. players strong! Statistics show that the average age of the frequent paintball participants increased from 18.3 to 20.1 since 2002, with more players coming from large cities as opposed to rural areas. Is paintball a smart sport? Statistics say so, as the percentage of players who have advanced degrees strongly increased from .7% to 2.8% since 2002!
Participation in paintball has increased from 5.9 million in 1998 to 8.7 million in 2002--a 47.5% increase. This data on paintball's participants comes from the 2003 SGMA International "Sports Participation in America: A National Attraction." While bowling may still be the most popular sport, paintball is nipping at its heels!
Paintball--what was "extreme" is now becoming mainstream. Paintball has grown as a sport from 5.923 million participants in 1998 to over 7.678 million participants in 2001. Equipment sales for the sport have increased as well. According to SGMA International's Recreation Market Report, wholesale sales of paintball equipment have also been rising--$170 million in 1999; $195 million in 2000; and $225 million in 2001.
It's on the rise: paintball is headed for the top of the roster when it comes to sports popularity! According to a 2001 survey, paintball ranks #3 among all extreme sports by number of participants. What sports rank above paintball? What sports rank below? See the results in the SGMA International’s analysis of the current Superstudy on Sports Participation.
Paintball heads into 2002 with a positive attitude. With better products, equipment, and playing fields, paintball is a strong presence in the sports arena that has not yet realized or exercised its power. Paintball has more participants than surfing, scuba diving, kayaking, sailing, martial arts, wrestling, boxing, BMX bicycling, street hockey, tackle football roller hockey, badminton, racquetball, archery, ice hockey, trap and skeet shooting, or sporting clays. The sport just keeps on growing!
Speedball is paintball's formula one racing: Players dominate speedball courts as they spin, slide, and bunker. Their raging, ramping electros endlessly stream paint downfield. Speedball is the ultimate paintball power game, a high impact game designed for TV and sports fans. Want to slow it down to calculating and tactical in the woods? The ultimate hide and seek game, paintball in the woods is a low impact game full of outdoor adventures. Read on for recaps on both forms of paintball.
Fun arrives in many shapes and sizes in paintball, including the splat marks you put on your opponents. The splat mark stands as proof the marked player should be "out"--and when it was your shot, you get the bragging rights. The reason paintball requires a mark is to prove the tagged player should leave the game. How big must the mark be, to separate a splat mark from splatter on the paintball field?
Paintball unites everyone, from the serious athletes to the weekend warrior and those new to the sport. Next year is Year 25 for paintball, now a world-recognized sport. Diverse, empowered, paintball players take second to no one in dedication to this sport. Where has the sport been and where is paintball going?
The goal of paintball enthusiasts has always been to grow the sport. But what challenges are paintball's proponent facing when it comes to achieving that goal? There are three challenges facing paintball: One, paintball always needs new players. Two, current players must stay challenged and interested. Third, we need paintball to become better respected as a sport. How are we going to achieve these goals?
Cheating in paintball -- always a huge question for both player and the refs. Today’s paintball players are competing against two forces on the field: the opposing team and the refs. As it becomes more accepted among the paintball ranks to be an effective cheater, we as refs must adapt or become extinct. What lies ahead in paintball regarding the cheating question?
What's the future of paintball, if most of the small fields have to close down? A serious question for the paintball community. Are paintball-related businesses experiencing declining attendance and revenues? How are paintball business owners promoting the sport and making war with one another?
Paintball always offers something new and different. Players don't want to miss a paintball day, because somebody always brings something new. So why did the sport take a bit hit when it comes to losing paintball players last year? What kind of paintball game do you want to play? Is what's out there up your alley?
Paintball partnerships: Tippmann Sports is pleased to announce a strategic alliance with Special Ops Paintball. The new relationship will include several collaborative marketing programs as well as future product initiatives. Tippmann and Special Ops will intensify their focus on bringing new players to the paintball game and keeping them intrigued, entertained, and well equipped.
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