Paintball is a sport which is essentially a game of "tag", but using paintball markers (we tend to use the word "marker" instead of "gun" because it makes it very clear that this is a sport!)
There are actually many different game types within the general sport of paintball, and two branches of paintball that are similar in concept, but different in how they approach the game.
Paintball originated from marking devices used for marking trees for harvesting and cattle for sale. At some point in the past, some brave soul allowed themselves to be shot with a paintball, and realized that it didn't hurt all that much, and the sport was born.
In early times, games spanned several acres of land, with a very few people creeping around in the brush and trying to sneak up on each other. Games could last for hours! Early paintball markers were single-shot devices (requiring some pump action or cocking action to be made ready to fire again) with very limited ammunition sources, so players made sure they had a clear shot before firing.
The game steadily evolved, and eventually semiautomatic paintball markers (ones that will fire a single ball for each trigger pull) with larger capacity magazines ("hoppers" of 100 to 150 paintballs) were developed. This changed the pace and nature of the game; games were now played in slightly smaller fields, and with larger teams; commercial fields appeared, offering rental equipment and selling paintball ammunition.
Today, the sport features high-speed markers which can fire semi- or fully-automatically, at rates of 10 to 30 balls per second. Some people prefer to play in the woods (and thus are known as "woodsballers") and some prefer to play a very fast-paced adrenaline-filled game with a smaller fixed-size playing field and inflatable bunkers (and thus are known as "speedballers" or "airballers".)
Regardless of the game type, the sport features the same basic playing and safety equipment.
Woodsball Game TypesWoodsball games feature a variety of game types. Teams are designated by coloured armbands, usually red and yellow. A player is considered "hit" if they have a quarter-sized splat-mark of a paintball anywhere on their body or on their equipment (including their marker and hopper.) "Spray" from hits on the barricade do NOT count - the hit must be directly on the player. Here are some of the more popular game types:
- Capture the Flag: each team gets a flag, which they keep in their "start area" - they have to defend their flag while trying to get to the opposing team's start area, to capture the opponents' flag. The game ends when one team has its own flag in its own start zone, and brings the opposing team's flag back to that same zone.
- Centre Flag Capture: a single flag is hung in the middle of the playing area, and each team competes to capture the flag and carry into the opposing team's end zone. Similar in concept to North American football.
- Team Elimination: as the name implies, the game is won by eliminating all members of the opposing team.
- VIP: one person on one of the teams is designated as the VIP, and must wear a brightly coloured jersey. They may or may not be armed, depending on the game, or they may have a more primitive type of paintball marker. Their team has to "guard" them and get them into the opposing team's end zone. Some variants allow the VIP to be hit two or more times before being considered "out" (as if they were wearing some type of body armour.)
- Medic: one or two players on each team (depending on team size) is designated a medic. When a player is hit, they raise their marker and call "MEDIC!"; if a medic on their team can reach them, they can wipe off the hit and the player can resume playing. If a medic is hit, they must leave the field, and if a team loses all medics, they can no longer be "healed" on the field. Game otherwise proceeds as Team Elimination.
- Traitor: one or two players on each team (again, depending on team size) are designated as traitors by referees; their teammates don't know who is/are the traitor(s). Partway through the game, a whistle sounds a signal (such as two short blasts and one long blast) and the traitors are activated. They then begin trying to eliminate members of their own team, while being careful not to be eliminated by the opposing team (who will likely believe them to be "the enemy.")
- Predator: one player is "the Predator" and can only be taken out by a direct hit to the mask lens. All other players are "Marines" who are trying to eliminate the Predator, and who are eliminated by a single shot anywhere on the body or equipment as in all other games. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger, and you've got the idea. The Predator usually wants to wear an extra layer of clothing...
Speedball is a team sport, and is generally not played by walk-on or rental players unless they are members of a team. There are a variety of game types in that sport, as well - for more information, visit the speedball area on this website.
The best way to experience paintball is to play it - so come on out to Spike's and give it a try! Check our section on Walk-on and Rental Play for information on how to get in on the action, or check Group Bookings if you want to bring a larger group and play. See you on the field!