Indoor Paintball – Viable Alternative Or Total Let Down?
When you think of paintball, you generally think of woods, trees, bridges, mud, rain… basically everything that goes in an outdoor environment. Right?
The first sight that comes to mind isn’t the inside of a large building in a town or city. Yet there are plenty of paintballing sites that are nestled in the middle of just this kind of location – and they are extremely popular, especially when it comes to hen and stag weekends.
Why Choose An Urban Setting?
Why not? Once you get past the fact that you’re not out in the fresh air, playing indoor paintball can be really good fun. For one thing the organisers are able to build in the prospect of darkened rooms and lots of different rooms to explore – something that isn’t really an option in the great outdoors.
Placing indoor paintball centers in the middle of towns and cities also make them much more appealing to businesses, which tend to be big customers – paintballing is a popular choice as a team building days for employees.
What Are The Advantages Of Indoor Paintball?
Well, if you don’t like sliding around in the mud when it’s been raining, indoor paintball does offer distinct advantages. Aside from that, there is the opportunity to experience much more intense surroundings. Strobe lighting effects and smoke are often used to create cover and distractions for you and your team mates – and for the enemy.
The nature of the surroundings also makes indoor paintball very different from the more traditional outdoor version. Specially made bunkers, secret rooms, corridors, cells and tunnels all make for a much more intense game. It’s much different from being out in the open and being able to see for some distance all around you. When your back is against the wall in a small room and you need to get into the corridor… you’ll really be able to feel the tension rising.
Many indoor paintball centers are also open late – giving you and your work mates the chance to blow off some steam after work. No doubt this is one big reason for the proliferation of indoor paintball locations available countrywide.
It’s debatable whether or not indoor paintball will ever completely take over from the outdoor game, and for the full experience you’d be advised to have a go at both, but if you like your paintball played at close quarters, then staying indoors might be a smart option.