Paintball is a team sport that involves shooting a ball filled with oily, dye-encapsulated gelatin at other players and opponents on an enclosed field. It is a fun, safe, and exciting sport that requires no previous experience or special skills. It is a social activity that offers exercise, teamwork and welcome stress-relief for those who participate. It is a very diverse sport, where women and men compete equally. It is also a sport that promotes socialization and teamwork, often fostering leadership skills.
The game of paintball is played with a potentially limitless number of rules and variations, but most commercial fields have and strictly enforce safety equipment and playing conditions. The primary equipment is the marker, a device that discharges a ball of paint upon pressing a button; an expanding gas (usually carbon dioxide or high-pressure air) forces the paintball through the barrel to break the shell at a speed sufficient to tag opponents and create a mark on their clothing or equipment.
When a player is hit by a paintball, they are eliminated from the game. Most variants of the game define a hit as leaving a paint mark the size of a US quarter or larger on the player or their equipment.
Most players wear a mask to protect their face and head, and at least one pair of goggles (Action Paintball carries the new BASE Operator), to keep the paint off their eyes. Players may also wear a hat or toque and a bandana for additional protection from the sun or as a means of signaling teammates.