| Paintball is an amateur sport that has now gone | | | | team(s). Speedball engages the use of bunkers |
| professional. It involves eliminating other players by | | | | whereby whole acres of playing field may be involved |
| hitting them with paintballs or gelatin balls filled with paint. | | | | and may include natural or manmade formations that |
| Paintballing has become very popular across the | | | | allow players to clearly see each other and thus make |
| United States and the world, with over 5 million people | | | | the game move along faster. In fact, speedball is so |
| playing annually and almost 2 million people playing | | | | well organised that it is played professionally. Stock |
| about 15 games each year. | | | | paintball restricts the game to the old 1980's markers |
| So, how does this fun sport work? Players can | | | | and pump action guns holding a limit of ten paint rounds |
| eliminate other players by making sure they are visibly | | | | only. Woodsball allows for more military style play with |
| hit with a paintball. As the paintball will break apart on | | | | ambushes, fortifications, assaults and the protection of |
| impact, it is easy to see that they have been hit. | | | | senior players, leaders or VIPs. |
| However, if the paint splatters on a nearby player, it is | | | | Tournaments in paintball began in 1983 with the |
| not another hit. In fact, hits are only valid if they hit the | | | | National Survival Game National Championship. Today, |
| torso, clothes, gear or even something the player is | | | | most paintballing is played at commercial facilities and |
| wearing, like a backpack, something they are carrying | | | | parks where admission fees are charged. Paintball |
| like their marker. | | | | parks can have varied themes, including historical |
| Paintballing has many variations, including capture the | | | | battlefields, cities, jungles and woods. Referees are |
| flag, elimination, king of the hill, speedball, stock paintball | | | | involved in all games and instruction is a mandatory |
| and woodsball. Capture the flag involves capturing the | | | | part of the game. Major tournaments are usually |
| opponent's or opposing teams' flag from the other side | | | | played at stadiums, military bases and fairgrounds. |
| of the playing field. | | | | Insurance is always provided. |
| Elimination involves the elimination of single or team | | | | Paintball equipment can be different for each level of |
| players. King of the hill is about multiple teams capturing | | | | play or the skill of the players. However, the |
| one or multiple bases, but the game is only done when | | | | mandatory equipment includes a mask, paintball marker |
| the team has been able to hold onto more than one | | | | and paintballs. Gear can run as high as a few thousand |
| base for a longer period of time than the other | | | | dollars or as low as one hundred dollars. |