In 1981 twelve friends got together for a little game to pass some time.  Little did they know, they were pioneers of a million dollar and growing industry?  This extreme sport is one that is enjoyed by both young and old alike?

Today’s equipment ranges from very affordable basic equipment to expense more advanced.   There are fields that have been set up just for paintball games and also indoor facilities that have been transformed into paintball arenas.  Actually paintball is just shooting a paint filled capsule from a CO2 or air powered gun.  A paintball gun is also known as a marker.  One of first questions that will come to your mind is does it hurt when you are hit by a paintball.  The answer is yes it can.  You consider these paint capsules are leaving the paintball gun at around 300 fps.  It is very possible it will hurt a bit and could leave a bruise.  This is more than likely is the worst that can happen if all proper safety precautions are being followed.

It is for safety reasons that operators of paintball venues both indoors and outdoors have rules that they enforce strictly.  Those who violate the rules will be normally given one chance to comply.  If they do not or repeatedly violate the posted rules they will be asked to leave and in some cases that is permanent.  Most of the rules are of the common sense nature but it never hurts to repeat a few.

First, your marker or paintball gun can not shoot faster than 300 fps or you will be disqualified.  The reason is that if they travel at a faster velocity they could draw blood from unprotected skin.

You must at all time keep your safety gear on.  This gear consists of facemask and goggles.  These must remain on even after you are out of the current game and on the sideline.  If a stray paintball were to hit you in the eye, you could end up blind for the rest of your life.

Be aware of the cease fire call.  No matter if you are in the middle of a lively match, if you hear someone call out they lost their goggles or facemask you must stop immediately.  Also immediately call out to the referee if you were to have problems with your own safety equipment.  Cover your eyes and stay close to the ground until all shooting has stopped.

At first paint ball was a simple recreational extreme sport.  Since about 1990 it has also developed into a tournament sport.  Normally a tournament consists of teams competing against each other and accumulating points over several games.  Points can be scored in many ways.  You can score by capturing the opponents flag, marking (or hitting) an opponent.  You also can score points for the number of your team members who are not marked.  To make games and tournaments more appealing, the game area is staked out and barriers of assorted sizes are placed in this area.  Both sides are laid out the same so as not to give one side an advantage over another.  The idea then is to hide behind or take cover with the barriers, or sneak up on the members of the opposite team and try and mark them.

The only limit of game ideas is the imagination of the participants.  Not everyone will want to participate in a tournament.  Some may want to just run around in a field or other arena for the exercise.  Still others may want to makeup scenarios for classic fantasy battles of time, such as Star Wars.  The sky is the limit and you can set anything up that is mutually agreed upon in regards to game play.  The biggest draw is there is something for everyone from the occasional player, the player who wants to play army, to the hardcore gamer wanting to annihilate the enemy and bring his team to victory at all costs.  So which one are you?  You ready for a game?