Paintball is a team-based military style game that has been in existence for over a quarter of a century. It is now widely played around the world and is a favourite pastime for both adults and children as well as corporate groups, birthday parties and stag and hen weekends. The game is played on a number of different playing fields and can include anything from woodsball to urban scenarios.
Players wear protective clothing including jumpsuits, helmets and gloves as well as a mask to protect their face and eyes. They are equipped with a marker gun which can fire paintballs at their opponents to mark them as ‘hit’. The number of hits a player receives can be used to determine the winning team.
When a player is hit they must raise their hand to surrender and stop shooting at the opponent. This is done to avoid the same player being repeatedly hit by the same opponent. This also helps to promote the spirit of fair play and reduce frustration from players who are being shot at continuously by the same person.
Many newcomers to paintball worry that it will hurt, but the reality is that it isn’t as bad as it sounds. The reason is that the modern lightweight paintballs and high quality body armour make it feel a bit like getting flicked by a rubber band. The adrenaline, excitement and concentration involved in the game can also help to distract the player from any pain that they might be feeling.