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From its beginnings in the early 1980’s to the present day,
Paintball has experienced extensive growth and popularity. The
sport of paintball has grown into a multi-million dollar
industry with millions of participants in over forty countries.
Paintball guns, also called “markers,” fire
paint-filled pellets known as “paintballs”. The paintballs are
fired at members of opposing teams “marking” them with colored
paint. The firepower is generally provided by carbon dioxide
or “CO2"
under high pressure in an aluminum cylinder that
attaches to the paintball gun through a valve which screws into
both the gun and the
CO2
cylinder. The
CO2
in the cylinder is released through a needle valve into the gun
and thereby readies the gun for firing. When the marker is
fired, the paintball travels approximately 250 to 300 feet per
second or at speeds of up to about 200 mile per hour.
Paintball consists of a combination of the childhood
games “tag” and “hide and seek”. Although there are different
game formats, players are usually divided into two teams with
the objective of capturing the opposing team’s flag while
protecting your own. A player is eliminated from the game once
he has been “marked” by the opposing team. Paintball is
usually played outdoors although indoor sites are becoming more
common.
There are generally three different classes of
players: Rookie, Novice and Amateur (pro). 90% of frequent
paintball players are aged 12-24; the average age is 17.9.
Paintball,
categorized as an “extreme sport”, has never been regulated by
any governing body. It is self-regulated and the industry has
developed its own rules and guidelines. It is not known whether
all paintball service providers, whether field operators or
equipment designers and manufacturers, adhere to the recommended
guidelines. |
