The Extreme Sport of Paintball Wars
Paintball is a sport which allows players to experience the adrenaline of combat without ever putting themselves or their fellow players in harms way. Paintball is a sport that was invented in 1976 and has only gained in popularity since. When proper safety equipment and rules are in place, paintball is actually safer than more common sports.
Paintball wars take place when a group of people organize a paintball event. Contrary to what some still believe, paintball is not a bunch of kids getting together to shoot at each other for fun. Many paintball events are organized into tournaments, and while these tournaments rules may vary, they do have rules in place to keep the game as organized as possible.
Paintball Equipment
The main reason paintball wars are so safe is mainly due to the extensive paintball equipment required to play in most venues. Perhaps the most important piece of equipment is the goggle system. The goggle system does not include simple eye coverings, they are created specifically to protect against a paintball traveling at 90 miles per hour. Some goggle systems even include protective masks and ear coverings.
Paintball guns are also geared toward safety; new guns are required to come with a device to block the barrel of the gun when it is not being used in paintball wars. Newer guns may also come with a safety, although these are generally not thought of as a replacement for the barrel blocking devices.
Types of Paintball Wars
There are many types of paintball wars. Some of the more common types include elimination, capture the flag, xball, protect the VIP, centerflag, speedball, and fugitive.
Elimination is perhaps the most straightforward type of paintball match. One team (or player) has to eliminate the other team (or player) before they are eliminated themselves. It is a straightforward game and many other paintball games are based from this one.
Capture the flag in paintball is very similar to any capture the flag game. The basic goal is to capture the designated flag and put it in the designated place. The locations of the flag and goal can change, depending on the rules of that particular paintball match.
Speedball is a very popular form of paintball wars which generally takes place on a very small, flat field that is full of obstacles and bunkers. Due to the size of the field this type of paintball match is usually limited to around 10 players.