Welcome to Mr Paintball GuyIf you’ve ever played “capture the flag” or a variation of the game when you were a kid, then you may very well love the game of paintball. The game itself involves either two teams or “every one for themselves” style of play. The goal is to “mark” other players using your handheld paintball marker, capable of shooting several hundred yards. Unlike laser tag or hand tag, it’s quite easy to tell when someone is tagged as the paintball makes a splatter on the opponent’s uniform. At close ranges, being his with a paintball can be a very painful event and even leave bruising. The first team to capture the other teams flag wins. In fair ground competitions, however, the rules often change. If, for example, everyone on an opponent’s team is hit with the paintball, then the opposite team wins. The game can be played in the forest or a confined area, such as a barn or inside a fenced zone all though there are now commercial park areas where you can pay to get in and play in scaled down towns.
The earliest paintball tourney took place in 1983, with a team prize of nearly $15,000 dollars. Nine years later, the NPPL (or National Paintball Professional League) was inaugurated. With sponsors, prizes, varying degrees of challenges and obstacles, paintball has really taken off and is considered an “extreme sport,” like skydiving or base-jumping. The game has really blossomed as between 2006 and 2007, the game’s popularity ousted other “shoot ‘em” games by hugging a near 5-million paintball competitors. Women, children and adults alike can play the game, with regulated safety equipment paintball protection is a top priority for all—protective goggles and mask, vests, knee pads, cups and layered clothing. The accessories that are used for paintball have become a thriving industry. Some of the paintball markers are custom made to shoot extremely accurate and further than you standard marker. Many clubs and groups take paintball very serious and it's these types of consumers that drive the huge demand for paintball equipment including the paintballs known as "ammo". Paintball is a game of survival mixed with mayhem. Just because one individual is capable of dominating the “stock” style of play (in the forest) doesn’t mean that s/he will command a short field tactical game. The myriad of styles keeps the sport both interesting and fun. Other added elements of the game involve outdoor play, indoor play, open field play, bunker play, playing around farms, through designated city areas and in the forest. One of the most difficult levels of paintball involves playing in an area with maps and compasses. Probably the most difficult approach to the game, nevertheless, is night play, when competitors stalk or use flashlights and night vision to “seek and destroy” opponents. The games are only for fun and really teach individuals about teamwork, thinking through stressful situations and taking calculated risks. Paintball helps self-esteem and individuality. In fact, nearly 50% of paintball players today are around the age of 18 years old but nobody is too old to enjoy the game. It can be an exilierating and very fun activity that allows you to let lose. Mr Paintball Guy has created this site as resource for you to learn about paintball, buy the paintball equipment needed for it at great prices and is some cases allows you to bid on items at a fraction of their retail cost.
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The first use of paintball wasn’t for game purposes at all really. In order to quickly mark trees or livestock, farmers and herders alike used paintball shooters to make markings on targets quicker. It is said that three individuals came up with the idea to use the markers in a game scenario. In the early 1980s, a group of friends took to a field of 100 acres and used the paintball markers (paintball rifles) from the Nelson Paint Company to play the first game. The games back then took a long time, as stalking and survival were a big part of the game. Ingenuity overtook agility and the first paintball game was borne. From these humble recreational beginnings, paintball has really taken off commercially today to involve over 40 countries and several million players worldwide.