What Is Paintball? (The Original 2002 Article)

The game of paintball is generally played in the form of “capture the flag” or elimination. The format is usually 2 teams of one to two, five or seven or ten, or even over 1,000 players on a side depending on the size of the field (usually more in scenario games).

Paintball is a sport that is played by people of all different professions and lifestyles. It is a sport where people of all ages and sexes can compete equally. Paintball is a game of strategy, very much like Chess. Being able to think quickly and decisively will help with your ability to play the game. Some key success in the sport of paintball are intelligence and determination, not merely strength, speed or agility. It is a character-building sport and will help people to learn about teamwork, gain self esteem and also develop leadership abilities while being able to have a great time with friends and family and relieve stress.

Paintball is a very safe sport to play as well. Some safety issues are that all players must wear goggles specifically designed for paintball to protect their eyes. These goggles must be worn at all times while playing, and at all times while barrel plugs are not on the markers (such as in the chronograph area or target range). The goggles also consist of a protective facemask to protect all areas of the face and ears. As long as the safety rules are followed, paintball is one of the safest sports out there, even safer than bowling! Her are some stats to show the accident rates for some sports such as paintball, bowling, golf, and baseball: paintball has a 0.31 per 1000 accident rate bowling has a 0.50 per 1000 accident rate golf has a 1.13 per 1000 accident rate baseball has a 27.67 per 1000 accident rate (PaintCheck Magazine, June 1989, page 38)

Some people also want to know what a paintball is so here goes! A paintball is a round thin skinned gelatin capsule with a colored liquid filling. Paintballs are similar to large round vitamin capsules or bath oil beads. In fact, the shells are made from the same substance that our vitamin capsules are made of. Paintballs are environmentally safe. They are non-toxic, non-caustic, water-soluble and biodegradable. The paint from a paintball should rinse off clothing and skin with mild soap and water.

Another question to answer is what is a paintball marker??? A paintball marker comes in many different types, some pumps, mechanical and some electronic. Paintball markers have many different types of operations such as closed bolt, open bolt, blowback and blowforward. Paintball markers must be powered by either CO2 (Carbon Dioxide, N2 (Nitrogen) or Compressed Air. Most players use large refillable cylinders that give hundreds of shots before needing to be refilled, and some use small 12 gram CO2 cartridges that give off anywhere from 15-30 shots.