Paintball, a game of colors, originated in the country in the 80s. Here, all the players are divided into teams and have to eliminate the opposite team players with paint-filled pellets. Although the equipment resembles a gun, it’s called a marker and is powered by compressed gas. Typically, paintball can be played indoors and outdoors, and the average size of the grounds is 20,000 square feet. Keep reading to learn more fun facts about the game.

A brief history of paintball
As mentioned previously, the game originated in the 1980s, but its history takes one back by a few more years. In the 1960s, the Nelson Paint Company crafted gelatin shell balls filled with paint of different colors. Later, these came to be known as paintballs.

In 1982, Bob Gurnsey opened the first commercial paintball facility, marking the beginning of the sport’s popularity. The brand “National Survival Game” was later renamed to Paintball.

Essential equipment to play paintball
Generally, players interested in a game of paintball do not need to buy any equipment before arriving at the field. In most cases, one may be able to rent the equipment needed as a package. These may encompass essentials such as:

Facemasks
Paintball marker
Hopper ( A container filled with paintballs often attached to the marker)
A compressed gas tank to power the marker

Furthermore, as many businesses enforce the “field paint only” rule, one may have to buy paintballs at the field. This means one can only use the paintballs bought at the field to ensure the equipment conforms to the safety requirements of the game.

So, if needed, one can invest in the paintball essential equipment package, but if one is playing for the first time, it’s considered best to try the game out before finalizing the purchase.

Rules to follow while playing paintball
The facemask must never be removed until the player is still on the field
Players must fire at their opponents while maintaining a distance of at least 10 feet
Players hit by a paintball leaving a mark on any part of their body is considered out of the game
It is the responsibility of the player who was hit to acknowledge their elimination from the game and exit the field.

Certain paintball fields implement a “reincarnation rule.” This allows players who have been eliminated early in the game to wipe off the paint and rejoin the game.

Types of paintball games played
Elimination
This is a straightforward paintball game that is easy to play and understand. The game starts with two teams positioned at opposite ends of the field. The objective is to eliminate all of the opposing team’s players by marking them with a paintball or forcing them to surrender. To avoid a stalemate, a time limit may be implemented.

Capture the flag
Usually, this game has two variations: two-flag and center-flag.

In the former, a flag is placed at both starting points. So, if a team wishes to win the game, the players must find a way into the opponent’s flag station and fight them to capture their flag. Once the capture is completed successfully, the team must return to their station.

On the other hand, center-flag requires both teams to fight or compete against each other over a centrally located flag. Then, if a team captures the flag, they must hang it in the opponent’s station.

King of the hill
In the children’s game, two players compete against each other to eliminate the other. The winner then faces other players, who must defeat them to progress. This cycle repeats until all players, apart from one, have lost or quit. The final remaining player is declared the winner and is known as the “king of the hill.”

Bomb squad
In this game, the players are divided into two teams – the bad guys and the bomb squad. So, when the game begins, the bad guys are handed “bombs,” which are meant to be hidden throughout the paintball field. Once the team hides them all, the “bomb squad” enters the paintball ground and begins their search.

The main objective of the bomb squad is to fight the bad guys and find all the hidden bombs on the field and then find their way back to the start station before the time runs out.

Scenario
One of the paintball games that have been modeled on real-life military missions, Scenario, involves setting up a challenging situation where both teams are assigned their specific mission.

For instance, in a “VIP” scenario, one team is assigned the task of protecting and escorting a player safely across the paintball field to an endpoint. During this time, the other team tries to take down the players, especially the VIP, to ensure they do not reach their destination.

Although paintball games are fun, one must meet all the safety requirements. This way, no one can get wounded in the process.