Questions about the sport of paintball.
Paintball is a competitive simulated-combat sport in which players carry a pneumatically-powered device somewhat resembling a firearm in form and operation, which launches .68-caliber frangible pigment-filled spheres (the eponymous "paintballs"). Players use these markers during the game to try to hit opposing players with a paintball such that the sphere breaks, leaving a bright "splat" of paint on the player's body or clothes. When hit in this way, the opposing player is eliminated from the game. As such, paintball is generally similar in objective to games of "tag", except the "tagging" can occur across considerable distances.
The games played and equipment used are similar to those of its sister sport, Airsoft; however, Airsoft markers fire a smaller projectile at much higher velocities, and are typically used for more overtly military and law-enforcement simulation scenarios. Paintball players and equipment manufacturers have generally de-emphasised realism in the design of the markers, clothing and venues used for paintball, to create a more abstract game in the hope of garnering more public acceptance and support. However, "milsim" (military simulation) and other scenario-based equipment that use the larger paintball are still readily available, and are used in "scenario" games which can last for several days and involve hundreds or even thousands of participants.
As the fundamental equipment in the game is a high-velocity projectile launcher powered by highly-compressed gases being directed at other humans, considerable attention is paid to safety. Players are required to wear, at a minimum, a rigid facemask with a polycarbonate eye shield and a guard covering the nose, mouth, cheeks, ears and temples, all sensitive parts of the body that are much more susceptible to severe injury if hit directly. Additional protective equipment commonly worn by players include padded/armored gloves, rigid chest/back plates, knee and elbow pads, neck protectors, steel-toed boots with ankle support, and athletic cups or pelvic protectors similar to those used by football, baseball and hockey players. Attention is often paid to the amount of soft material on the exterior surfaces of protective equipment; it can confer an unfair advantage to a player if they are wearing equipment that has too much padding, as this increases the rate of "bounces" (paintballs impacting a player but not breaking).
The markers themselves typically have numerous safety features, including tanks with overpressure reliefs and fiberglass-wrapped air tanks that resist fragmentation, safety locks that block or disconnect the trigger from the firing mechanism, as well as a "barrel block", either a plug inserted in the barrel or a sock that fits over it, which prevents a paintball from leaving the barrel of an accidentally-triggered marker while in "safe" zones. A 280 feet-per-second speed limit for paintballs launched from markers is typically enforced at commercial paintball fields using chronographs to measure shot velocity, with virtually all airgun designs giving the player the opportunity to adjust ball speed by manipulating the firing mechanism, and then for the player or referee to "lock out" further changes to prevent tampering on the field. A minimum age is also typically imposed at commercial fields, and respectful, sportsmanlike behavior is expected of all participants at all times, with typically zero tolerance at commercial fields or tournaments for misuse of the markers or for fisticuffs between players.
While the impact of a paintball can produce a bruise, welt or even break the skin, the rate of injuries among players serious enough to require prompt medical attention is historically very low, and primarily similar to injuries common among other outdoor pursuits, namely sprains, broken extremities and concussions, typically sustained in falls or accidental collisions. Despite this, the sport typically has a somewhat negative public image, especially among gun control advocates and terrorist watch groups who see the sport as an opportunity for extremists to train in maneuvers against law enforcement or military units.
The fields themselves can vary widely. The original form of the game was played in relatively unimproved wooded areas, with trees and brush providing the only cover. This style of field and play, known as "woodsball", is still very common especially in scenario events, however to make the game more spectator-friendly and reduce incidental injuries from trips and collisions, styles of play were developed using more prepared fields using artificial "bunkers" of varying construction as cover, culminating in the introduction of a modular system of tethered inflatable obstacles in a style known as "airball". It is this style that is most often seen at the professional level.
The most basic game format commonly played is "elimination"; players are split into two teams, sent to opposite ends of the field, and the objective is simply to eliminate all players on the opposing team by marking them with paint. While eliminating all players is typically a secondary winning condition for other game formats, the most common game formats are variations of "capture the flag", in which the objective for each team is to take a fluttering cloth "flag" from its initial position on the field (often the opponent's base) to some goal position (your own base) without the person carrying the flag getting hit. The format seen in most professional play is a variant called "center flag", where a single flag is placed in the center of the field and the objective for each team is to cross the field, claiming the flag and hanging it from some fixture at the opponent's base. The primary professional game format, "XBall", basically consists of several rounds of center flag being played consecutively during a set total game time, with the team that has won the most rounds in that time winning the match.
Paintball is primarily played by teenagers and young adults, with older players including parents of younger players also enjoying the sport. A reasonable amount of physical ability is required to play at even recreational levels, and this along with the emphasis on safety often often excludes the very young or very old. Recreational fields can be found in most major metropolitan areas, with rental equipment for casual players; more regular players often own their own markers and protective equipment.
At the high-level amateur and professional levels, play is governed by several competing leagues, the two most popular tournament leagues being the National Paintball Player's League or NPPL, and Paintball Sports Promotions or PSP. These leagues consist of several divisions in varying formats (often 3, 5, and 7-man teams), from local and regional "weekend warrior" amateur teams to globally-touring professionals.
The leagues and play formats have varying rules about allowable features of the markers used; technology has dramatically improved the rate of fire of even low-end paintball markers by using electronically-controlled firing mechanisms and motorized loading systems, so tournament rules often limit the rate of fire to prevent players with more expensive equipment having a distinct unfair advantage. Despite this, most leagues allow for enhancements that increase rate of fire compared to "semi-automatic" action, where one trigger pull always fires one ball. The primary enhanced fire mode used today is known as "ramping"; given a minimum rate of trigger pulls per second by the player, such as 6 or 8, the marker will automatically "ramp up" to a higher rate of fire than the player is pulling the trigger, up to 15 "balls per second" or bps.
