Paintball has become a recognized sport very quickly. It has its humble roots in the early 1970's when paintball guns were used to mark trees and livestock.
Fast forward to 1981, when 12 friends got together in a field and decided it would be a lot more fun to shoot paint balls at each other instead of trees and livestock. They used industrial paintball guns and created the first game that is still in play today called "National Survival" which is basically every person for themselves as it is a total elimination game.
More and more people began playing paintball. Industrial guns were still used but the game was evolving into not only elimination games but the ever popular "Capture the Flag" game evolved and is still widely played today. As more and more people grew interested in the sport, the commercial paintball industry was born.
The first outdoor paintball field was opened in 1982. The need for an indoor playing field was soon recognized and the first one was opened 2 years later in 1984. More and more games and gear was developed to make the game safer and more fun.
The size of the playing fields was made smaller as commercial playing field owners soon realized that if players could see each other sooner, more paintballs would be shot and more would be sold. Bunker games are also gaining popularity at many commercial fields. The first paintball tournament was held in 1983. The prizes at the first tournament totaled just $14,000. Today tournaments have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes.
The NPPL, a professional organization for paintballers, was formed in 1992.
Today, you can find a commercial paintball field in pretty much every major city there is, but many people still prefer just playing out in the woods. Now that you know a little history about paintball, distract your friends with a little history lesson and then let 'em have it with a volley of paintballs!
Fast forward to 1981, when 12 friends got together in a field and decided it would be a lot more fun to shoot paint balls at each other instead of trees and livestock. They used industrial paintball guns and created the first game that is still in play today called "National Survival" which is basically every person for themselves as it is a total elimination game.
More and more people began playing paintball. Industrial guns were still used but the game was evolving into not only elimination games but the ever popular "Capture the Flag" game evolved and is still widely played today. As more and more people grew interested in the sport, the commercial paintball industry was born.
The first outdoor paintball field was opened in 1982. The need for an indoor playing field was soon recognized and the first one was opened 2 years later in 1984. More and more games and gear was developed to make the game safer and more fun.
The size of the playing fields was made smaller as commercial playing field owners soon realized that if players could see each other sooner, more paintballs would be shot and more would be sold. Bunker games are also gaining popularity at many commercial fields. The first paintball tournament was held in 1983. The prizes at the first tournament totaled just $14,000. Today tournaments have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes.
The NPPL, a professional organization for paintballers, was formed in 1992.
Today, you can find a commercial paintball field in pretty much every major city there is, but many people still prefer just playing out in the woods. Now that you know a little history about paintball, distract your friends with a little history lesson and then let 'em have it with a volley of paintballs!
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